Page 59 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2026

Green is not simply showing up for the social
hour. Fellow pickleball player Frieda Charron
considers her an exceptional player and said Green
is the only person she knows to have recorded a
“golden pickle”—an 11–0 victory completed before
the opposing side gets an opportunity to serve. The
phrase is informal pickleball slang, but pulling one
off is a rare accomplishment.
That competitive spark is another part of the
game’s appeal. Players can enjoy one another’s
company, cheer each other on, and still want to win
once the ball is in play.
“When you first walk on the court, you just want
to have fun and play a good game,” Charron said.
“But once you really learn the game, it’s only
human nature to want to win.”
At 77, Charron understands what it means to
rediscover that part of herself. After a lifetime of
figure skating and distance running, she thought
two knee replacements had ended her athletic
career.
“I thought I was done,” she said.
But she was not; she now plays pickleball seven
to nine times a week. The sport gave her another
chance to move, compete and find her people.
Green, meanwhile, has no intention of letting a
number decide what she can do.
“Every time some of my friends have a birthday,
they sit down a little more and think they can’t do
things because of their age,” she said. “I don’t think
about my age; it’s just a number.” Othelia Green
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