Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Jorge is a well-known Canadian professional pickleball player. If you don’t follow him already, Quintero often shares his skills and trick shots on social media and they’re really entertaining to watch.
Jorge and I first met at the 2021 Canadian Nationals in Red Deer Alberta. This tournament is unforgettable for me because we dealt with wind up to 50km/hr on women’s doubles day.
But watching Jorge play for Men’s Open Gold against Steve Deakin and Ernesto Fajardo in wind gusts close to 50km/hr was pretty fun to watch.
Recently, I played a few games against Jorge in Ottawa at the Canadian National Pickleball League eastern qualifier and I will say, Jorge is a class act on and off the court. His high level of sportsmanship is something I believe this sport really needs.
Below is my interview with Jorge...
Name: Jorge Quintero
Sponsored by: Churco Pickleball
Paddle: Churco Cuadra
Recent Achievement(s): Canadian National Champion Open
Q. How long have you been playing pickleball and how did you enter the world of pickleball?
6 years ago. My former squash sponsor gave me a paddle to try the sport and liked it ever since.
Q. What was your first pro tournament and who did you pair with?
About 3 years ago with my local partner Brad at Canadian Nationals.
Q. Can you share with the readers a stand out moment for yourself, out of any pro tournament you’ve competed in?
Not to give up regardless of the score as I was once down 10-1 and came back to win 12-10.
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Q. Do you have a favourite drill? If so, what is it?
I like solo drills against the wall for hand speed.
Q. How often do you drill per week versus playing competitive games (as a form of practice)?
It's hard to get competitive games here where I live so I try to do some drills with my team here in town and then fly out to other cities or provinces to play competitively.
Q. Who’s your pickleball hero?
No one specific, I think all the Pro players are exceptional at the game.
Q. Name your top 3 favourite shots?
Bert, ATP (around the post) [and] behind the back.
Q. Many people feel that a good player can play either side, but do you prefer a certain side (and why)? Overall, what’s your opinion regarding “left side vs right side” players, and do you think that a new way of categorizing a player will stick?
I like to have my backhand in the middle but I agree that a good player should be able to play both sides.
Q. What’s your favourite pickleball moment to-date (can be an on court or off court experience)?
Winning the Triple Crown at [Alberta] Provincials a few years back.
Q. Name 3 other people you’d like to play a day of rec games with and what is the match up/why?
That’ll be my Churco teammates: Charity Christianson, Allie Kostyniuk and Leah Brown as the games could get a lot of fun.
Q. What is your favourite tournament format to play in and why?
Double Elim and traditional scoring as you have to be focused the whole time or you could be.
Q. What does the sport of pickleball need the most in order for it to get to the “next level” (can be from a USA, Canadian or global perspective)?
In Canada, we need to get more Juniors involved so they can drive the sport and grow it from the base. And at the Pro level in Canada, we need a Pro league with large prize money tournaments to help gather all the best players in the country and take the sport to a new level.
Q. What’s your favourite flavour of ice cream?
Vanilla.
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Q. How do you recover from a day of competition in order to get ready for the next day?
Ice bath for 5 minutes.
Q. Do you have a favourite tournament that you attend each year?
I try to attend one PPA event in the USA per year, I like the Atlanta Open.
Q. How do you prepare yourself mentally for competition?
You have to stay focused, constantly remind yourself you can beat any opponent, and follow the plan.
Q. In how many years do you think pickleball will be an Olympic sport?
5-10 years.
Q. What’s your favourite piece of advice to give to a beginner?
Don’t ever quit even if it seems you are not making progress. Remember those you play with are also improving and to really know how good you have gotten, go play against some others that didn’t quite continue playing, and then you’ll see how good you are.
Q. Can you share with the readers something unique about yourself?
I don’t like vegetables so I have to make sure to take other vitamins and supplements to make up for that so I can stay healthy on court.
Bonus question(s): How do you stay focused in high pressure situations and how do you avoid becoming intimidated by players of a “higher ranking”; this seems to be a common factor for players, generally speaking, and I think they would want to hear from an elite player perspective, just how you’re able to manage this scenario?
I just have to remind myself that the pressure is on them as they are the higher-ranked players and are expected to win so I try to put the pressure back on them by playing a very technical game that will boost my confidence and hopefully have an effect on their game while looking for a win.
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You’re well known as a top player in pickleball, how do you foresee yourself staying in the game (long term)? Are you involved in pickleball off of the court, and if so, how?
I try to do a lot of physio and massage therapy for recovery every week to stay injury free. I also try to hydrate myself constantly to avoid muscle fatigue even on days where I’m not playing.
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