‘I learned so much from being paired with a deaf pickleball partner’

Playing with a deaf mixed doubles partner was a new and unexpected experience for Christina Barham – one which re-affirmed her belief in pickleball’s “supportive, welcoming and friendly” community.

When Christina’s partner pulled out of a tournament in Wolverhampton at 10pm the night before their match, she was in her hotel room ready to go to bed. A late-night scramble to find a replacement was not the best match preparation!

“I didn’t want my five-hour journey from Suffolk to Wolverhampton to be wasted,” she tells Pickleball52. “Within five minutes, [tournament director] Steve Beale had messaged me back, ‘Got one! Just to let you know your partner is deaf.’”

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The partner in question was Martin Howgate. Christina immediately started researching. “That night I stayed up late and found some video sign language tutorials on phrases or words I thought might be helpful during play. This included ‘middle’, ‘good’ and ‘attack’, but ‘calm down’ seemed to be the one Martin and I used the most to each other!”

Of the on-court experience, Christina says: “We’ll both admit the first few games were a little ropey as we got used to playing with each other.

“We learned throughout the day to adapt our communication as I realised quickly that calling ‘Yours!’ or ‘Mine!’ wasn’t working. These are skills I have since taken with me when leading my weekly pickleball groups, and playing in other tournaments.”

Christina told each opposing pair about Martin’s hearing loss before each match. They agreed to hand-sign the scores prior to each point. “Whether you can hear or not, I think this should be adopted universally, especially if you play in echoey, indoor halls, or playing older players who might not be able to hear as clearly,” said Christina.

Opponents also agreed to clearly raise their hand and/or sign ‘out’, which came naturally to players.

Christina explained: “Pickleball is mainly a visual game anyway, but simple things like being aware of where each other is on court, when your focus is facing forwards and at your opposition, were a challenge we learned to adapt to as the day went on.

“The highlight of the day was playing against Martin’s usual male doubles partner James Townsend who is also hearing-impaired and his partner, and playing a fully ‘deaf’ game. I made sure to talk slowly and directly to people’s faces, to make sure my lips were visible.”

This wonderful experience for Christina and her partner shows how accessible pickleball is to all. “It really confirmed my belief that pickleball is the most supportive, welcoming and friendly community, and perfect for anyone to play,” she smiled.

See also: James Townsend spearheading growth of deaf pickleball

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