Fahey on Bright: 'Anna has been fundamental in my improvement as a player'
Kate Fahey has made quite an impression during her brief tenure on the PPA Tour.
Collecting three women's singles medals over the last five tournaments - one gold and two silver - is no easy feat in a highly-competitive and talented field.
Fahey has certainly put in the work to enjoy this kind of success, and she credits training with her fellow players on MLP's St. Louis Shock for pushing her overall game to even greater heights.
"Getting drafted really helped me improve playing because my three teammates are some of the best players in the world," she praised, referencing Anna Bright, Gabe Tardio, and Hayden Patriquin. "Practice and competing with them has definitely helped me improve a little bit more quickly than I would have if I didn’t get to regularly play with them."
The Shock currently lead the MLP Premier Level standings by one point over the Dallas Flash and three points over the Texas Ranchers with just two events remaining in the regular season.
It's definitely a fun group to watch because every single player on the roster is playing their best pickleball right now - in MLP and PPA Tour action alike.
And the mutual support and camaraderie among them is off the charts, too.
According to Fahey, though, Bright has really been the guiding force everyone can depend on.
"Anna is just a natural leader on our team," she said. "She really helps coach us on and off the court. When we’re practicing, she’ll give me good pointers."
Learning from one of the best in the business has been a dream scenario for Fahey.
She even visited Bright in South Florida recently so the pair could practice together.
It appears that Bright has wholeheartedly embraced that mentorship role.
"After events, she’ll send me stuff to work on, which has been really helpful because sometimes it’s hard to see yourself," explained Fahey. "She has that outside perspective, so she can see some things that are working or need improvement. She’s helped me a ton. Anna has been fundamental in my improvement as a player."
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