Saturday, July 1, 2023

The James Ignatowich Show Episode 23: Jackie Kawamoto's Journey


Interview with Jackie Kawamoto: Reflections on MLP and Future Partnerships

0:00 - The James Ignatowich Show Episode 23 Trailer 🎬 0:46 - Jackie Kawamoto background 🙌 1:34 - ATX Pickleballers team recap 🏓 6:05 - Why Jade and Jackie have not been partnering together 🧐 8:21 - How the 2022 MLP Texas Ranchers would do today 😆 10:45 - Professional pickleball player or NCAA representative? 👀 12:03 - Jackie's upcoming partnerships 🫡 14:35 - MLP or PPA? 🫠 18:40 - Would you choose chemistry over talent? 📝 21:36 - Davis Carvalho's love for Jackie 😎

Introduction: In this podcast episode, we have the talented Jackie Kawamoto as our guest. Jackie is widely regarded as one of the best singles players in the game. We discuss her experience playing with JW and Gabe on the ATX Pickleballers team in the MLP (Major League Pickleball) and her thoughts on their chemistry and energy. We also delve into Jackie's partnership with Jade and why they haven't played together much outside of MLP. Additionally, we touch upon the performance of their 2022 MLP Texas Ranchers team and how it would fare in the present.

[Podcast host welcomes Jackie Kawamoto to the show]

Host: Welcome, Jackie! It's a pleasure to have you on the podcast.

Jackie: Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Host: Let's start with your experience at MLP, playing with JW and Gabe. How was it playing with them? Did you face any challenges due to the team's dynamics?

Jackie: Well, playing with JW and Gabe was a fun experience, although not the most mature team. JW had a tendency to mix up our names, and I don't think he ever referred to us individually. But overall, we got along well, and they feel like little brothers to me now. JW's talent outweighs his lack of knowledge about who he's playing with, so it's all good.

Host: It sounds like JW brought a lot of humor to the team. I remember him speaking Spanish during an interview, even though he doesn't speak it.

Jackie: Absolutely! JW is naturally funny, even when he's not trying to be. His attempt at speaking Spanish was hilarious. I would say he's a 3.5 Spanish speaker at best!

Host: Moving on to your partnership with Jade, it seems like you haven't been playing together much outside of MLP. What's the reason behind that?

Jackie: Our schedules haven't aligned, and we both wanted to mix up our partners. While we work well together, our games are quite similar. So when we're paired with someone who brings different strengths, like Jesse, Lea, or Vivian, we tend to perform better. But in the second half of the year, you'll see more of us together.

Host: That's exciting to hear. Speaking of partnerships, Jade is playing with Anna at Nationals, right?

Jackie: Oh, my mistake. I think I got confused. Jade is playing with Anna at Nationals, not Beer City. She's welcome to play with Anna if she wants to.

Host: No worries. Now let's talk about your old team, the 2022 MLP Texas Ranchers. Looking back, it seems like a strong team. How do you think you would fare if you reunited that team today?

Jackie: I believe we would finish in the top half for sure. Anna and I would make a solid team again, and DJ has shown significant improvement. Putting him on the right would work well, and our mixed doubles lineup would be strong. Plus, with my focus on singles, we would dominate in Dream Breakers.

Host: That sounds like a formidable team. It's always interesting to imagine how past teams would perform in the present. Thank you for sharing your insights, Jackie.

Conclusion: In this interview, Jackie Kawamoto provided valuable insights into her experience playing with JW and Gabe in MLP and discussed the dynamics and chemistry of their team. She also explained why she and Jade haven't played together much outside of MLP and expressed her excitement for future partnerships. Additionally, Jackie reflected on the performance of their 2022 MLP Texas Ranchers team.

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