Player Profile: Laura Bridges-Pereira
Laura Bridges-Pereira started playing pickleball during those Covid years when she and her husband, Alfredo Pereira, were living in Florida and all indoor sports facilities were shuttered. Looking around for options, Alfredo discovered pickleball, or as he first described the game to Laura, “people using small paddles to hit what looked like a wiffle ball.” It seemed like a good pandemic activity, and Alfredo soon became a frequent player.
Laura hung back. “I was happy limiting my exercise to walking the dog and doing Pilates.” Several months later though, she was persuaded to pick up a paddle and now she too has become a “regular”.
A year ago, Laura, was hired to become the new Head of Pre-School and the Director of Special Programs at The San Francisco School, a private school in the Portola District, not far from Sutter Playground. She and Alfredo left Florida and moved to the City. “Pickleball saved us when we moved here. We didn’t know anyone,” she said, “and Pickleball became the highlight of our lives. The friendships and connections we developed through Pickleball have been so important to us. It’s also been a good way to get your body moving.”
Laura primarily plays at Louis Sutter but assured me that she “will play anywhere. I really like the camaraderie, the social aspect.” She’s joined a group of women regulars. “We play, we chat, we go out for a beer, we just enjoy ourselves.”
Because the PB courts are so close to The San Francisco School, Laura often runs into many of her students’ parents at the courts. “They remark that my pickleball personality is so different from the sweetness of my classroom personality. I agree. On the court I’m competitive. Pickleball lets out parts of my personality I usually hide. I like being able to do that,” she said.
And yes, despite an active work and pickleball schedule, she still finds time to do Pilates, and she still walks the dog, who, like his PB-powered owners, can often be found hanging out at the court.
- Judy Goddess
