CATALYZED
VOL I: CORINNE & MICHAEL
At Rally, we’re constantly looking for ways to catalyze connections on and off the court. The following is the first of what we hope to be many stories highlighting relationships made at Rally.
Kicking off Volume One: Corinne & Michael, who met at Rally’s Courts & Coffee and bonded in the most unexpected way—over a killer overhead slam that nearly took her out.
A CONNECTION THAT MAY NEVER HAVE BEEN
CORINNE:
It was an early Friday morning when the dreaded alarm went off at 6 AM, set in advance so I could make it in time for Courts & Coffee. Snoozing the alarm a couple of times, I finally reached for my phone before seeing that my friend who was meant to join me for C&C had bailed. I had that classic conversation with myself that I know we all have often, one side is convincing me to stay in my cozy be, while the other is reminding me that I always love my day when I start it with some movement (particularly with Courts & Coffee). I finally rolled out of bed, got ready, and headed out the door by 7:25 am…already 25 minutes late.
I had been going to Rally for about 5 months at this point: I knew all of the employees, a regular at the Wednesday night social, Courts and Coffee, and even convinced them to add a Hot Toddy to the menu (or secret menu). I walked into Rally at about 7:40 am, got my coffee ticket, and headed over to put my paddle in the competitive line.
MICHAEL:
I had been to Courts & Coffee twice before with some friends, but that morning they were out of town. I almost didn't go, but the previous two times were so much fun that I decided to suck it up and go solo (3rd time was a charm apparently).
COURTSHIP… OR SOMETHING LIKE IT
MICHAEL:
About halfway through the session, I was selected to play with a random partner and before play started I introduced myself to my playing partner and then turned around to introduce myself to our opponents. I saw Corinne and thought, “Where did this cute chick come from and where has she been all morning?”.
CORINNE:
When it was my time to play, I ran onto the court, introduced myself to my teammate, and started off the match with a serve. After maybe one or two rallies, I guess I returned the ball a little too high above the net because that allowed the tall skinny kid across the net to smash the ball- barely missing me.
MICHAEL:
In one of the first points, I received a high lob ball (bad mistake), and I decided to go full send and gave an overhead power slam with all that I had. As the ball almost absolutely smokes this cute girl, she turns to me and says "JERK".
CORINNE:
It was my competitive side that made my first-ever thing said to Michael be “JERK” (I found out his name after he beat me- something I’ve since gotten used to).
MICHAEL:
She followed the “jerk” up with an immediate smile and laugh, I knew she was going to be fun to play with. After the game, I struck up a conversation with her for a few minutes (mainly apologizing for almost killing her), and then we got paired together as partners. We had great court chemistry, so much so that I remember our opponents saying "Y'all must know each other." We both laughed. We continued to chat about the basic "where are you from" stuff, however, towards the end she got called to play another game.
A NEAR-MISSED CONNECTION
MICHAEL:
I wanted to continue the conversation, so I stuck around and got a second coffee. Her game was taking forever and everyone else had cleared out from C&C to the point where I was clearly standing by myself and looking like Steven Glansburg alone at the lunch table.
CORINNE:
It was clear Michael was trying to find a way to stick around to get my number…I could tell. I saw him get another coffee, take a phone call, get more water, etc. Our game was going a little long, so he eventually packed up and said goodbye on his way out.
MICHAEL:
Corinne had said that she comes to C&C every week, and I had a meeting to get to, so I took the chance that I would see her again and left. She gave me a smile and wave as I walked out and knew that there could be a chance there, even though I had almost destroyed her with my 100mph+ overhead power slam just 30 minutes before.
SLIDING FROM THE COURT TO THE DM
CORINNE:
On my way home, I called my sister. "I met this guy at Rally, and I think he was trying to stick around to get my number, but the game took too long." I found him on Instagram, but I wasn’t sure if I should just wait to see him again. My sister’s wise advice? “Just message him, boys are dumb. He won’t think to find you on Instagram.” So, I did what I never thought I’d do—I slid into his DMs (by the way, I hate even writing that).
MICHAEL:
Not too long after I left, I received a DM from Corinne (women are WAY too good at recon…). I did a quick air fist pump and opened the message. She was very sweet and simply said that it was great meeting and playing with me that morning and hoped to see me again at Rally soon.
THE FIRST DATE (AT RALLY)
MICHAEL:
Rally runs an incredible Friday social event, and after chatting for a bit, we both realized we didn’t have Friday night plans, so we both signed up.
CORINNE:
I remember walking in and seeing Michael by the bar, waiting with an (aforementioned favorite) Hot Toddy—the first of many thoughtful gestures.
MICHAEL:
At one point the Pro leading the Social asked how long we'd known each other. "We met this morning" was not the answer he was expecting. We sat at the bar once the social was over and shut the place down before heading to another bar down the street.
CORINNE:
11 days after that first Courts & Coffee, he asked me to be his girlfriend. We have been together every day since.
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR COURTSHIP:
MICHAEL:
My advice for singles looking to meet folks would be 1) Go to Courts & Coffee, you meet new people every match and session ( It's at 7am so it's a lot different than meeting someone at a loud crowded bar at 2 AM). 2) Don't ever miss the chance to overhead power slam it on an attractive girl, it may just turn into the relationship you've been looking for.
CORINNE:
Rally is an incredible place to meet people - we have made so many new friends. If you start doing activities you enjoy and meet someone that way - you know you have something in common! Rally’s Socials (Weds & Friday nights) and Courts & Coffee would be my recommendations to meet eligible bachelors - they are social but still competitive and fun!
Have you met your match at Rally (in love, friendship, or even business)? We want to hear from you- email socials@rallypickleball.com for a chance to be featured