Callie Jo Smith is a former collegiate tennis player, an 11-time Professional Pickleball Association Tour champion and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As pickleball is the fastest-growing sport several years in a row, she is using her influence to share not only tips for the court, but her love for the sport, her family and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Callie Jo Smith joins Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast to discuss her athletic journey, the power of prayer and how wholesome recreational activities bring her family closer together.
Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.
Transcript:
Callie Jo Smith: I guess my hope through pickleball too, and just in my own life, is to share the love that I have of Jesus Christ and how much He has helped me in my own life, and to be able to share that with other people. Because life is so hard, and without Him, and without people to help you in your life too, and just how amazing He is in every aspect. And so I’m grateful for pickleball for those reasons, and I’ve learned a lot, just with all of the things that I’ve learned about myself and that I’m continuing to learn and recognize about myself and about Christ and my relationship with Him, and just being able to share my love and His love with other people too. I have had so many miracles just on tour, on the road, like, “Ah, missionary opportunity.” I’m just so happy to be able to share just the Spirit, the feelings that we’re feeling, and that this gospel is real, right? And that the Spirit of God is real.
1:07
Mary Richards: This is Mary Richards, reporter at the Church News. Welcome to the Church News podcast. Today, we are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Callie Jo Smith is a former collegiate tennis player and now an 11-time Professional Pickleball Association Tour champion. She comes from a multigenerational family of athletes, and that family is a close one — sharing traditions, history and love with each other through many years of practices, games and tournaments.
With millions of people playing pickleball around the world, the sport has been considered the fastest-growing sport for several years in a row. Callie shares pickleball tips and her love for the sport through clinics, videos and social media. She is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loves the gospel of Jesus Christ.
She joins me now on this episode of the Church News podcast. Welcome, Callie, and thank you for being here.
Callie Jo Smith: Thanks. I’m really excited to join you and be here today.
2:15
Mary Richards: So, tell me about your family history of athleticism. You were born into a family of athletes, you’re an athlete, you married a family of athletes. Tell me about some of that history and how all of that brings you together.
Callie Jo Smith: First, from my side of the family, really stems from my grandpa; his name was Wayne, Wayne Pierce. And when he was really young, he was like 6 or 7, he would come home from school, and there was a coach that was coaching on a tennis court, and he just loved the game. He didn’t come from a lot of money, so he would just watch. He wasn’t able to participate himself, and so he would just watch and sit on the bench and watch his coach coach his students. And one day, the coach was like, “Hey, you want to be my ball boy? And you can come pick up the balls while I’m coaching lessons, and in return, I’ll teach you a little bit about the game. And so he started doing that and helping out.
Anyways, fell in love with the game, became an amazing tennis player and shared his love with tennis with, obviously, all of his family. So my mom and my uncle and their whole family. And then my mom then shared it with me and my sisters and brothers — and there’s six of us. There’s six kids in my family, and we all play tennis, so it’s come down the line. But I remember, as far as bringing us together, so my mom started coaching us when we were about, let’s say 8, 8 or 9 years old, and we’d all be on the tennis court together. And my grandfather would even come out and help too, so it was a whole-family affair.
We’d get out there, and we’d play. And I remember some summers we’d get out there, we’d play for three or four hours, and then we’d go swimming, have root beer and ice cream and pizza, and then we’d go back and play for three or four more hours. And I remember how fun, and those memories have obviously stuck with me. But we grew closer together as a family and through sports. It’s obviously been a huge part of my life since then, and it’s continued to. And my grandpa continued to coach me through high school, through college, and my mom as well.
And then my husband’s side of the family, they all come from soccer and football and basketball. Basketball is my husband’s favorite. But both sides of the family. So anytime we get together, we’ll do family home evenings, or even on the Fourth of July — in fact, actually it was Memorial Day — we got together and did a game called offense/defense, which is a fun tennis game where all of us, all the family, got together — brothers, sisters, in-laws — we all got together and played tennis for a few hours for our fun activities.
So we still get together as a family and participate. It’s fun traditions that we have that have stuck over the years, and it’s brought us really close together. So I love it.
4:42
Mary Richards: That sounds like a fun activity with a lot of people, a family. And I keep thinking of the proclamation on the family and that idea that “wholesome recreational activities” together, and this builds strong families and memories and things.
Callie Jo Smith: I totally agree with that. Now we’re teaching our kids how to play too, and so we get together. We’ve taught them pickleball, we’re teaching them tennis, basketball. We’re implementing that, just because it’s a fun way to be together and have opportunities to learn and to grow, not even just about sports, but about life in general.
5:10
Mary Richards: Yeah. Well, so tell us about tennis — you played in college — and then we’ll talk about your move from tennis to pickleball.
Callie Jo Smith: OK. Yeah, so I actually went to BYU my freshman year, Brigham Young University, and played there my freshman year, ended up transferring to the University of Utah and finished out my career at the U. Loved it, had a really fun time, enjoyed the experience, and I thought that I would always play tennis. So after tennis, I went and coached at Liberty Park in Salt Lake and was the manager of the tennis center there.
When I got pregnant with my daughter, Camber, I would even carry her around and would put her in the basket while I would teach lessons, and she would play with the balls and sometimes throw balls out of the basket, it kept her entertained. And so she was born into the sport with me.
And anyways, I’d been coaching, and one day I was coaching, and there were these pickleball people playing next to me, and I found out what the name was, and it killed me. I’m like, “I can’t handle this sport. It’s not even a sport. It shouldn’t even be a hobby.” It drove me nuts. And I remember I would listen to the noise, and it irked me to no end.
6:12
Mary Richards: Because pickleball, for those who are listening, it’s a racket sport, but it’s kind of tennis, kind of racquetball, kind of pingpong, table tennis, on a court outside. And it is loud, because of the paddles being so flat and square. And it was kind of annoying to you as a tennis player, like, “Who are these people?”
6:29
Callie Jo Smith: It was. And I think part of it, too, was they would come on the court, and they’d pull the nets down lower, because pickleball, for the net, it’s 34 inches in the middle, and then 36 on the sides. So they’d have to pull it down in the middle to make it smaller, but they wouldn’t fix it after. So I’d come to go coach, I’m like, “OK, like these pickleball people,” they drove me nuts. Like, “They have no respect for tennis players or for the tennis courts.” It was so irritating. And then, like you said, it has a wiffle ball with the flat paddles.
And anyways, I guess the biggest thing, too, is for tennis, we learned about finesse, and it looks pretty, it looks like you’re dancing. And I would watch these people playing next to me, and it was, to me, it looked ugly. That’s the only way I can put it. The strokes were choppy, like, “They’re going to get tennis elbow.” I’m like, “Dang, these people should not even be playing this.
So, fast-forward to when I was super angry about pickleball, just furious, I came home one day after coaching and was talking to my husband, Kyle, and I said, “All right, pickleball is not a sport.” I said, “It shouldn’t be a hobby.” I said, “It’s driving me crazy.” I said, “And I will never be caught dead with a pickleball paddle in my hand.” I was like — and I say this in the nicest way possible — I’m like, “Even if I can’t play any other sport, I will never play pickleball. And anyway, he’s like, “OK, are you done venting?” I’m like, “Yeah, I’m done. Thanks for listening. Just needed to get it out.”
So the next day, he came, he approached me and he said, “Hey, Callie,” he said, “my grandpa wants to play a pickleball tournament with you.” And I started laughing. I’m like, “Ha, good one, Honey.” He’s like, “No, I’m serious. He just called.” Like, “Wait, for real? He actually called you?” He said, “Yeah, he just called.” So in my mind, I’m like, “OK, so your 86-year-old grandpa wants to play with me, but he’s got like 60 grandkids that are all super athletes, but he wants to play with a granddaughter-in-law?” So it’s like, “Dang, how do I get out of this?” And I was like, “OK, I can’t.” Let me just say he’s the sweetest person ever. His name is George Snell. Like, “All right, I’ll go play. But that’s the only time I’m doing it.”
Mary Richards: It was a favor, really.
8:23
Callie Jo Smith: As a favor, yeah, as a favor. And because he’s the sweetest, I can’t say no to my — I guess I call him Grandpa now too, so to my Grandpa. And we went and played. It was this little round-robin tournament. We didn’t win it. We did, however, beat the team that won it. We were the only team that beat the team that won. And I remember I didn’t know the rules, obviously, I was just playing. So we did. We played, and it was better than I thought it would be, but it was still like, “One and done, that’s it.”
And afterwards, this guy named Mike Nielsen came up to me. He’s like, “Oh, how long have you been playing? You’re so good.” I’m like, “Oh, I don’t. I’m a tennis player. It’s just as a favor to my grandpa. I’m not a player.” He said, “Oh, let me introduce you to all these people.” It was like, “No, please, no. You’re so nice, but I’m really never — I’m not playing anymore.” So anyways, long story short, I ended up getting his phone number and said, “Hey, if I’m interested, I’ll give you a call, and we’ll go from there.” And I got in the car with Kyle, and we drove home, and I said, “I will never talk to him ever again. That was it. That was my experience.”
So, when I played the tournament, I was about four months pregnant with my son, Stockton. So I’m sick the whole time, with all of my pregnancies, the whole time. And for some reason, the only time I wasn’t sick was when I was active, so if I was playing tennis or pickleball. And sometimes pickleball was more convenient, because you couldn’t always find someone to play tennis, where Kyle was able to compete with me in pickleball. So I’m like, “Well, let’s go play pickleball.” So we started playing singles together so I could get some exercise.
And I remember one day we had one hour, and it was like, “This is my workout.” And I take my workout so seriously, like, “No one’s going to mess with my workout today.” There were two people that came out, and they challenged us. I would say that now I know that they were 50 at the time, but I was corrected, I stand corrected in what I first thought. But anyways, they came out and wanted to challenge us to a match. They said, “Hey, can we challenge you two?” And I looked at Kyle, and I remember one of them had a knee brace and an elbow brace. Totally fine, but I’m like, “Dang, we’re going to kill you guys.” In my head, I’m like, “You have no chance. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Mary Richards: You’re thinking like, “This isn’t going to be fair.”
10:30
Callie Jo Smith: Because we’re both college athletes, still pretty young. I think we were 26 at the time for me. And so anyways, I was like, “Well, yeah,” and I still wanted a workout, I was like, “Yeah, do you guys want to mix it up a little bit?” They’re like, “Oh no, no, no, no, we want to challenge the two of you.” So I was like, “All right. OK, challenge accepted.” And we got slaughtered. I think we lost like 11-2 or 11-3. And I looked at Kyle — and he’s even more competitive than me, if you can believe it — and we looked at each other, and we said, “Rematch. OK, OK, we’ll really try this time.” So, we’re like, “OK, let’s play this one more game.”
So we played again, and they beat us again, like 11-3. I think we got three points on them at most. And we were so frustrated, to say the least. And just, “How the heck did we just lose to these people? We’re both better athletes, they weren’t even moving. They’re just moving us all over the court, and we’re hitting balls out and flying all around, just huffing and puffing. What is going on?”
So after that, I was like, “All right, there must be a little more to this sport than I thought and that we thought, so maybe I will call that Mike Nielsen guy.” So I ended up — I had his number, so I’m like, “All right, teach me what the scoring is. Tell me what this stupid dink is and this drop shot. What are these shots that I have no idea what they are?”
So anyway, I started learning the game and fell in love with it. So for me, well, first it was just to get some exercise, then it was a hobby. Met some of my best friends through pickleball and playing it, and then they invited me to play some tournaments and fell in love with it. And here I am six years later, almost seven years later, playing. I’m one of the best in the world now and playing at the top of my game and obviously coaching it now, and I’m pretty much just pickleball.
12:13
Mary Richards: That’s so amazing, that journey of “What is this sport?” to “OK, I’ll try it” to “Oh, I’ll be easy on you” to — I love this journey you’ve had of growing in this sport and now becoming, like you said, the best in the world. And looking back, you probably never thought you’d be in this point. But can I say you love it? It shines through when I look at your social media, where you give tips and tricks and things. Your love of this sport shines through.
And it’s grown to these new opportunities for you too, right? This talent that you have, this passion.
12:42
Callie Jo Smith: I do. I have developed a love for it. From hatred to tolerance to love to passion, now. And I guess through learning, there weren’t a lot of coaches, too, when I was learning through it and trying to figure out the different shots, and it was like I was coming from tennis to pickleball. And over the last six years, technology with paddles has changed a lot. So now it’s shifting more towards tennis strokes. So I went from tennis to old pickleball to now new pickleball, which is lots of different grips changes from the old pickleball as well.
So that transition and learning it myself, and then being able to share it with other people, because I didn’t have that. So the love, I want to share that love with other people, because I know how much pickleball has changed my life and the life of my family, with the opportunities that it’s brought about with traveling, with meeting new people, bringing our family closer together, because we all have to work together as a team, bringing me closer to my husband. It’s done so many things for our family and for life for me, and it’s fun bringing that to other people, and that love and passion and fun to other people and other families. It’s, I guess, easy. It’s enjoyable for me to share that.
13:49
Mary Richards: Yeah. You and your husband do support each other. I see that. I see how in your company and your efforts together. And you still play with him sometimes?
Callie Jo Smith: Yep. So he’s probably like a 5-0, and he only plays a couple times a month, usually just with me. So he comes and drills me and hits me shots or whatever I need. In fact, we just barely built a pickleball court in our backyard, so now we go out all the time. The kids will go out all the time, so we’ll have family games, or if it’s Mom’s training time, or I train with Kyle, and then we’ll have kid time, where we all have our family with the kids and playing rec play and just fun games, teaching them how to play, and they enjoy it.
So it’s been definitely a learning experience. I think it was tough at the beginning, because my husband was working, and then obviously I was coaching tennis too, so I went from coaching tennis to “OK, Kyle, what do you think about me playing professional pickleball?” and to that transition there of “OK, now he’s fully on board. He’s quit his job, actually, to be full on board with me, help full time manage my schedule and pickleball.”
And so now we’re working together, and sometimes it’s hard to manage pickleball and family, because we’re always talking pickleball, because we work together now, and he manages, and then we’re still together as a family, and we’re doing pickleball as a family. So it’s like, “OK, we still need to figure out this balance.” But I definitely wouldn’t be able to do it without him and without his support. So he’s been absolutely fabulous, and just honestly I love him, and I love him even more now.
15:11
Mary Richards: And you travel all over for these competitions, and you balance that as well. Any athlete listening knows that that’s part of the name of the game.
What are some of the ways that help you in competition to stay in the moment or to have the inspiration you need, or what kind of things help you in competition?
15:29
Callie Jo Smith: So first, the biggest thing for me is prayer, honestly. God comes first, and I’m grateful for a husband that feels the same way. And I feel like if we always try to put God first, then everything else falls into place. And when I haven’t and when I forget, or I put other things first, then things fall out of place. So it’s just finding that balance over again. And obviously, we’re not perfect in that, but with God’s support and with the support of my husband has been the biggest help as far as being able to focus on the court.
So I’ll even go out, I’ll say a prayer before my matches or before the start of my day and then go out, and I’ll play, and I know that Kyle’s there watching the kids, if they come and they all travel with me; he’s done a fabulous job watching the kids and taking care of them and trying to be coach at the same time. I don’t know how he does it, but he does. He figures it out. And kids are supportive. So I say that I don’t think they love watching mom yet. I think they just enjoy coming and going on the airplane and just the fun things and staying at the hotel and going to dinner with mom afterwards.
But my oldest, my oldest daughter right now, is Camber. I think she’s starting to understand it more. So she figured out how to score, and now she’s starting to play herself. And she actually just told me the other day that she wants to be a professional tennis and pickleball player. So it’s pretty exciting. So she’s starting to enjoy it and watch it more and understand the game. So it’s just cool to see that.
But that was cool, and then first starting out, too, so I’d just had my son, so he’s a newborn, so I remember my first national tournament was at Indian Wells Tennis Center. And I remember I’d go off right after the match, and I’d come and I’d nurse him, and then I’d go back, and then I’d play my match, and I’d come back and nurse, and so it’s just this balancing act of “Okay, and then hand him off to Kyle, put him in the stroller, or just tote him around.” So this whole time, we’ve been a family of travelers figuring out how to make it all work. And I trust him, I trust my husband, and I trust in the Lord to lead me where I need to be.
17:21
Mary Richards: Yeah. I love how close you are as a family, because I went to an event at RootsTech in 2024 where you spoke and showed that love that you have for your family and how supportive the whole extended family really is, too, and your kids are right there showing some demonstrations on how to hit the ball, really, in different ways. And then you gave a demonstration on the floor of the Salt Palace Convention Center.
And I was so impressed about that, because I think maybe people ask you for advice all the time, but I feel like you’re saying you are living, trusting in the Lord and doing your best.
17:54
Callie Jo Smith: Yeah. That’s kind of what it comes down to. And I’ve had moments where, honestly, I’ve been super depressed, like where I feel like you just lose over and over, because — so, just to put things in perspective, as far as tournaments go, the last year I had like 30 events, 30 just playing events, and then on top of coaching. So I was probably coaching every week I was home, and then we had the clinics that I would do outside of the tournaments. And then you have the practice, and then you try to balance the family act at home and the extended family too.
And sometimes it would get, and still gets, very overwhelming. And I’ll have my breakdown moments, and my frustration moments are like, “I’m so sorry, Kyle. You probably don’t want me as a wife right now. It’s fine, but you know what? We’ll get through it.” No, he’s been very patient with me through everything and through my ups and downs and helps me through everything. And honestly, I’ve had to get on my knees several times to get through a day or to get through the feelings that I’m feeling.
And I remember, actually, it’s a really cool experience, and it’s coming to my mind, so I’m going to share it. But I remember I think I’d had just multiple consecutive losses, just one after another. I was feeling like a loser, like, “Dang, I’m a failure here. I’m sucking. Should I even keep playing pickleball? I’ve been away from my family,” and I think it was a culmination of everything, feeling like — and you know how Satan sometimes gets in your mind and plays on your emotions too and makes you feel worse than it really is? But in that moment, I was like, “Gosh, I’m failing as a mom. I’m failing as a wife. I’m obviously failing as a pickleball player. I’m not being successful in any sense of the word right now.” I just felt like I was failing, yeah, like a failure.
And I was in the bathtub just sobbing and just like, “OK, Heavenly Father, help me out. I’m obviously struggling. Am I supposed to keep doing this?” And I think I actually was dealing with injuries at the time too. I had some severe back injuries and felt like nothing was improving. I’m like, “I feel like, Lord, like You wanted me to do this. We felt very strongly that we needed to pursue this, and I have — am I supposed to keep doing this? It’s really hard, I’m really struggling right now.”
And I remember thinking, “Maybe He’s not listening to me right now.” I just had a moment. And then immediately after that, I would say two minutes after I said that prayer, I got a text from one of the girls on the tour who’s also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her name is Allyce Jones. And she texted me, and she said, “Hey, Cal.” She said, “How you doing?” She said, “I know you’re hurting.” She said, “Can I just bring you a treat?” I was like, “That’s so nice.” We’re out of town, she’s playing the tournament too. Anyway, she just stopped by, and she brought me my favorite ice cream bars or my favorite chocolate; I don’t even remember what it was. I just remember thinking, “The Lord’s aware of me, and He sent this sweet girl to come and help me in my time of need.
So that was just kind of a tender mercy for me, knowing that the Lord is involved even in the small details, when I’m feeling lonely or down or like a failure — which we all have, those moments in life. I feel like I have them all the time. So that’s normal, it’s OK, but it just makes me realize, and has made me realize, how much more I need the Lord in my life and how much I need His support, because you can’t do everything on your own, and I can’t do everything on my own. And I’ve had so many miracles on tour, on the road.
21:12
Another story that came to mind, I was in Atlanta and made it to the bronze medal match, which is supposed to be played on Sunday. And Saturday night came, and I couldn’t even stand up straight. My back hurt so bad. I couldn’t get into a car, couldn’t bend. And I’m like: “I’m supposed to play this bronze medal match. I don’t want to let my partner down.” And I obviously wanted to play too. And I just thought, “OK, Heavenly Father, I know I’ve I’ve received blessings where you’ll help me to play, and, I cannot even stand right now. I know that You can give me a miracle.” And I ended up finding on LDS Tools, the app, a Bishop that was close by. So I called his phone number, and he answered, and he lived like 15 minutes away from the family’s house I was staying at.
And the sweet family that I was staying with took me over to the bishop’s house, and him and a counselor gave me a priesthood blessing. And this lady that I was staying with actually wasn’t a member of the Church at all, but she came with me, and she listened during the blessing, and she just said, “That was the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever heard. What is that feeling? And I’m like, “Ah, missionary opportunity.” I’m just so happy to be able to share the Spirit, the feelings that we’re feeling, and that this gospel is real, the Spirit of God is real, that healing is real. And I just thought, in my mind, I’m like, “Why is God giving me this pain and this injury right now, right?: And after this whole experience, I was like, “Ah, this is why.” So I feel like He’s using me in ways where sometimes I don’t enjoy how he’s using me, I guess, but he knows what others need, even when I don’t know that.
And so, fast-forward the story. We came back, and we had 15 minutes in the car right on the way back, where she was asking me questions, and I was trying to explain what it was that she was feeling and what it is that we believed in. And the next day, I was able to play. I got up, I was able to walk and went and played my match. And I was still in pain, but I was able to play. And so she was able to — well, me and her, we were able to — experience this miracle together. And she believed in God too but just hadn’t had the opportunity to hear of the Church of Jesus Christ. And she even came to church with me. I stayed with her the last three years that I’ve gone, and she came to church with me anytime that I’ve been able to while I’ve been there.
Anyway, it’s just been a really cool experience, and I feel like we’ve grown together as a family too. So now she calls me her mom away, from when I’m home, like my mom away from home. And her and her husband have been fabulous, and I guess it’s made me realize and recognize how the Lord has had a hand in my life and through my pickleball life, you could say, in multiple, multiple experiences. That’s one of thousands that I’ve had in the last six years.
23:46
Mary Richards: Wow. So you feel like sometimes that you’re this example, and you can have those missionary moments of planting seeds.
Callie Jo Smith: I try to be. I don’t think I’m always the best. I think sometimes my competitiveness gets in the way of that. So I’m trying to balance what is the balance of still being a disciple of Christ but also being able to be competitive on the court at the same time. It is tough sometimes. I’m not perfect at it, but I’m trying. And I feel like, at least off the court, I feel like pickleball has given me opportunities to be able to share the gospel, or even through playing on Sunday. I didn’t used to play on Sundays and was able to share my testimony in that way with others, because God and keeping the Sabbath day was more important to me than pickleball.
And that’s a whole other story too. If you want to get into it, we can.
Mary Richards: Yeah, tell me more about that.
24:36
Callie Jo Smith: So, back when pickleball first started, I was actually really excited about it because you didn’t play on Sundays. You played Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Friday, Saturday, and then they had singles on Sunday. So I was like, “Oh, I won’t play singles on Sunday. I’ll just do my Friday, Saturday. I’ll play mixed doubles on Friday and the gender doubles on Saturday.” And they played all the way through, so you could get to the finals. And I thought, “This is perfect. This is for me.” For the first two or three years, it was like that.
And then when the Professional Pickleball Association Tour started having tournaments, and I joined their tour, and they began having maybe two or three events where they had a championship Sunday. So everything was played the same throughout the same days, but if you made it to the finals, you’d play that championship on Sunday. And there were only three tournaments at first, and so I wouldn’t play those ones, or I would tell my partners, if I had them, “Hey, if we get to the finals, I won’t be able to play on this one. So if you want to find a new partner, that’s fine. Or if you’re still OK with it, great.”
So, and then it turned from three into all of them became championship Sunday. And so, “OK.” So then I was faced with — and kind of backing up a little bit, when I was in college, I told Heavenly Father and even throughout all my juniors playing tennis and everything, I actually never played on Sundays. So if I ever made it to a final in a tournament, I would withdraw, or I’d see if they were willing, my opponent, was willing to play on Saturday or on Monday. And sometimes they would, and other times they wouldn’t. And so I would just withdraw from the tournament.
So, my coach at the University of Utah would try his best to work around my Sunday play so that I wouldn’t have to play as many on Sundays, if possible, and that if we did, that he would do anything in his power to take me to church beforehand or try to schedule that way. And I thought, “That’s amazing.” And I felt really good about going to the U. I prayed and I fasted about it, and I felt good about going to the University of Utah.
So, fast-forwarding now through pickleball, I’ve kept that promise all along, and now I was left with a decision to make. It was I either lose or stop playing, or I play on Sunday. So I prayed about it, and I said, “OK, Heavenly Father, I’m not trying to take my promise back. I felt very strongly to pursue pickleball. Here’s where pickleball is at right now. I’m willing to play. I’m willing to keep doing this. But if not, I’m OK to give it up, because You’re more important. And so, I really want to know, because I felt, me and my husband both felt, strongly about pursuing pickleball as our career, and it’s been a couple years, and that’s OK. I’m great to stop. But if You want me to keep playing and You’re OK with this, let me know, and I’ll play.”
27:09
And throughout this, I think it was like six months of me, both of us, praying and fasting and having conversations, talk to the bishop, talk to the stake president, my parents, to other leaders of the Church. And my parents were like, “Hey, you’re a professional athlete. When we were growing up in juniors, that’s a different story. But now you’re a professional athlete. Professional athletes play on Sunday. You can reach out to other people, be an example to others. It can be like your missionary work kind of thing.” And there were so many good things that could come from it that they were telling me, but in my heart, I’m like, “I haven’t received a different answer.” And I knew what it was then, and I haven’t gotten anything different now.
And I said, “Your reasoning is great, and I totally get it, and I understand it, and I’d heard this from multiple parties.” I was like, “But I don’t feel good about it for me, and so I’m not going to do it.” So I continued to play, and when I would win my first round, so the Professional Pickleball Association Tour, they did not want me to play if I won in the summit, because then they wouldn’t have anybody to show on championship Sunday. And so they told me that if I won, it didn’t matter, that I’d have to go into the back draw. So I had that chat with my partner and said, “Hey, look, I’m really sorry if you want to find someone different. I totally get it.”
And after a few tournaments of winning but losing, having to default and withdraw or in the back draw, I was like, “You know what, I can’t do this anymore.” Just mentally, it was killing me, and I’m working my butt off to just maybe get bronze. And I said, “I can’t do it.” So, I remember it was at Newport, a tournament in Newport, California, and that I was done. And I was playing with a girl named Irina in that tournament. And she said, “OK.” She’s like, “I’ll tell them that I’m injured. We won’t play on Sunday.” I was like, “No.” I was like, “Just don’t say anything,” because we’d made it to the finals. I’m like, “This is my last tournament. I’m going to go for the finals. I’m done, so we’re going to at least make it to the finals.”
So we went from the court into the parking lot, sat in my car, and I said a prayer, and I said, “OK, Heavenly Father. This is it. I’m done. I’m willing to follow You, and that’s great,” I said, “and I’m OK with it. But,” I said, “if not, then” basically I said, “give me a sign. Let me know if not, because otherwise I’m done. This is it. I can’t handle it anymore.” And not 30 minutes later, I got the worst food poisoning of my life. I got food poisoning, my kids got food poisoning, my parents got food poisoning; they’d come to support me in that tournament. I’m like, “OK, it’s a sign. I’m done. Thank You. OK, that was great.”
So, I remember going home, we were staying with a host family, and I asked my husband, Kyle, to give me a priesthood blessing. So he came and gave me a blessing. And in the first part of the blessing, I was obviously not planning to play on Sunday, and the first part of the blessing, he said, “When you play tomorrow.” And I was like, “Whoa, I’m playing?” Like, “OK, I’m playing. I guess I’m playing tomorrow.” So that was news to me.
So like, “All right.” And then he continued, and he just said, he kind of stopped for a second, and he said, “And if anyone has a problem with it, you tell them to come to me.” And it was just like, “Oh my gosh. Multiple answers to prayer right there.” And I had not told Kyle about that. Those were personal prayers that I had had. And so for Him to answer through a blessing was pretty personal for me. And I just thought, “Yeah. You know me, You know my heart, and yeah, people can ask You.” This is between me and God.
30:31
And so, the next morning, still sick, drank some Sprite, tried to calm my stomach down, went and played my match. Ended up losing. We played a three-step match but ended up losing, but it was the most peace that I’d felt in those, and that was probably, at that point, had been a year. And I just thought, “OK, I don’t know if that’s an answer, if I’m supposed to play on Sunday, or if it was just peace that I was finally able to play.”
And I remember, I would say probably another two months later, so another two months, we’re still fasting and praying. And we were talking, again, “Come, Follow Me,” having family scripture study. And we were talking about Abraham and Isaac, and the story of Abraham and Isaac, and how Abraham was given this son and then was told to sacrifice him. And the message — and we actually watched the movie, the little movie, with the kids, is it like the Testament, or what’s the Living Scriptures, the Living Scriptures movies. So we put it on for the kids after we talked about it, and I am sobbing in this movie, because to me, it was like, “Oh my gosh,” it just becomes real. I feel like the older you get, the more these stories become real, because you’re dealing with real-life situations that are similar.
And as they were talking about how Abraham, testifying that Abraham was willing to give up his son because he wanted to be obedient to the Lord, the thought came into my mind of, “Callie, thank you for being willing to do whatever it took to be obedient to me.” He said, “You passed your Abrahamic test. That was your test.” And He said, “And I know you’re willing to follow me and be obedient.” And He said, “Go ahead and play on Sunday.” And that was it. And I never looked back.
So ever since then, I’ve played on Sundays. And to me, it wasn’t because someone else told me to, it wasn’t “Oh, just because I’m a professional player, I’m going to play on Sunday.” It was because the Lord said it was OK for me. And ever since then, I’ve been OK with it. And so I guess my message to people who are struggling, or wondering, “Should I work on Sundays?” That was one of — I wouldn’t even call it an excuse, but that was one of the reasons — people said, “Hey, doctors have to work on Sunday. Policemen work on Sunday. They help people.” And I’m like, “They do. I totally get it. And yes, they are so needed. But this is me,” I said, “and I need to make sure that that’s what God wants me to do.”
And so I guess my advice to you would be to pray and ask for yourselves, ask the Lord, and He’ll give you an answer, just like He gave me one. And it’s a personal decision between you and the Lord. So that’s the story of how I came to play on Sunday. So it was like a year-and-a-half process of getting there and figuring that out, but it really did teach me to rely on the Lord. And that whole time, it brought me closer to Him. And I’m grateful for that opportunity, because not only did it teach me things, but it helped solidify my relationship with God and how He talks to me and how He speaks personally to me and how He can speak personally to you too.
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Mary Richards: You’ve grown this relationship with God, and you’ve been able to speak to youth groups and firesides or devotionals or different events to youth.
What do you tell them? What do you hope they take away from what you say?
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Callie Jo Smith: I’ve always started with a prayer beforehand of “OK, Heavenly Father, what do You want me to share? Because I know I have things, that I could share all these things. But what do You want me to share?” And I feel like when I involve Him, that it’s more meaningful, the message gets out to the people who need it. And honestly, time and time again, I have felt like it needs to be centered around Christ; how Christ loves us, how He’s involved in every aspect of our lives, how we’re children of God.
And so, I’ve been able to share my stories. And in fact, I will incorporate my stories and how I have learned that through my own life, and just try to share my testimony with whoever I’m teaching, the youth in these firesides, or wherever I’m at. I remember through my whole life, honestly, it’s just — and I’m sure everyone’s lives too — it’s one lesson after another, after another, or one challenge. And it just depends on how you look at each of the challenges and what you do, whether you turn to the Lord or you don’t. That’s the difference, is, “Am I going to involve the Lord, or am I going to turn away?” And I had both. I’ve had both in my life. But when I have chosen to involve Him and include Him, He changes me.
So, my favorite quote, “carpenter of my soul,” what it means to me through my life is he has literally changed who I am and is continuing to change who I am and shaves me down and builds me up or has helped me become a better person and a better me than I could ever make myself. And so I would share — when I was younger, I had so many injuries when I was little. I had wrist injuries on both hands that just took me out of tennis completely for years at a time, and my struggles and learning through those trials, and then through meeting my husband and it’s a whole nother story.
And then with having kids, I didn’t want to have kids until I was way older. And at 23, I get pregnant, like I hadn’t even lived my life, and I just graduated. So anyways, but knowing now and looking back now, if I wouldn’t have had my kids when I did, I wouldn’t have kids now. And so how the Lord is involved in every detail, and He knows what we need, even when we don’t think we need it. And feeling grateful that the Lord put those kids in my life when He did.
And Camber, our first daughter, was a miracle in and of itself. Even through that process, I really struggled. I went from working out six hours a day from college and training to I couldn’t even finish one pushup. I went down on the ground and couldn’t even get back up. I was just so fatigued, so tired, sick the whole time. And I really struggled with the pregnancy. And it was completely life altering for me. And I know that a lot of people aren’t able to have kids, and so I’m not trying to say I was ungrateful, but in the moment, it made me depressed, and I was. And I had the baby blues for, I would say, six months after that, and I didn’t know. I just thought this was normal.
And through it all, I received a blessing when I was pregnant, and I just was thinking, “Oh my gosh, I’m the worst mom.” Here I am, I’m not even a mom yet, and I’m feeling like I’m hating my child. And I had a blessing from my brother-in-law, and I went up to Kaysville just to visit my husband’s parents. And in the blessing, I just had this vision of this beautiful girl come into my mind and how in the blessing it was her telling me how excited she was to have me be her mom and to meet me, and how she’d been looking forward to this. And I was like, “OK, I’m sorry I’m not there yet,” but just that He was there for me in that moment too, just, “Callie, it’s OK.” Like, “I know you. I’m here for you, and she still loves you, even though you’re having a hard time and not feeling like you want her yet. But she knows, and she’s so grateful and wants you as her mom.”
And so then I had her. And it wasn’t till six months later, I remember I was changing her diaper on our family room floor, that was like, all of a sudden, it was almost like a light came on in my mind of, “Oh my gosh, I love this. I was meant to be a mom.” And after that, it was like the baby blues were gone. And I loved being a mom, and I think we have this really special connection. And with my son, Stockton, I didn’t have the baby blues, and I’m like, “Wow, this is night and day different. I had no idea I was going through all this.” But even through those moments, he’s been with me, and he’s helped me to get through those hard moments and those tough times for me.
And then moving forward to pickleball and with issues with my back and my knees and anything else that I’ve had, it felt like one thing after another, after another. It was like, “Hey, Heavenly Father, what do You want me to learn here?” Like, “I don’t get it. I don’t understand. You want me to do this, but then I get hurt, and then You tell me I won’t get hurt, and I get hurt again.” So clearly I had lots of blessings through this time, and I feel like that’s one of the ways the Lord speaks to me the best, is through priesthood blessings.
And I’ll say I feel the Spirit at other times, and through prayer too. But I feel like basically it was that the Lord was teaching me through pickleball what life is about and that success isn’t always what I think it is. So it’s not about winning, necessarily, but it’s kind of about seeing and enjoying the ride, enjoying the ride of life. And I thought, “OK, so it’s not always about winning. I’ve got to get this in my head.
Mary Richards: Because you’re so competitive.
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Callie Jo Smith: Because it is; I am so competitive, and I want to win, and I work really hard. I’m like, “OK, so why do I keep losing?” But He’s taught me, and winning is not the most important thing. And as I’ve progressively learned this, I’m doing so much better mentally now, but in the state I was in a few years ago to now, I would say I’ve done a complete 180. And it’s still really hard sometimes, and obviously hard to lose. I think anybody who’s competitive understands.
But knowing that I have a family that loves me and supports me, that I have a Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ who love me and support me, and I’m a daughter of God, and there are so many things outside of pickleball that bring me back to, “OK, what is the perspective?” And it’s not winning. I am not pickleball. I am not my wins. I’m not my success in pickleball. I’m a daughter of God. I am a mom. I am a daughter to some amazing parents. And He helps and has helped me through these experiences, helped me realize that that is success, that I am successful because I am His child, and I’m so grateful for that.
I’m grateful for that knowledge and that He has helped me to first have a testimony of that, but also realize that for me. And in the moments when I’m feeling like I’m failing as a mom or, “Oh my gosh. OK, Heavenly Father, do You love me?” In fact, actually, this was probably about a month ago, again, kind of feeling like a mom failure; “I’m not there for my kids. I’m always gone for their birthdays. Do my kids know I love them?” And I said a prayer, like, “Hey, Heavenly Father, how do You feel about me? I’m struggling. Do You love me right now?” And my daughter wanted me to sing to her, I think it was like 11 at night, and I’m exhausted. I’m so tired, but I’m like, “OK, I haven’t sung to you in forever. I’m going to be a good mom tonight.” So when I laid down in her bed and I started, I had her pick whatever song she wanted me to sing to her, and I started singing.
And as I was singing her this song, it brought back memories of when I used to sing to her when she was 1 and 2. I remember I’d go into her room, and I’d pull her out of her crib. She was crying in her crib, and I would remember holding her for one to two hours, sing Primary songs to her, and the feeling of the Spirit and how much I loved my little girl and how grateful I was for her. And I would snuggle with her and hold her. And that feeling and that love came back to my mind and my heart, and as I was feeling that, the Lord spoke to my mind, “Callie, just like you love your daughter, I love you like this.” And I’m like, “OK,” just tears, like, “OK, He loves me. My kids love me. Everything’s OK.” And sometimes it’s little things like that that keep me going, or little tender mercies that help me along the way, because life is so hard.
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So I guess the thing that I want to share the most is how God is in the details of our lives, and that He cares and that He loves us through the trials, through the good things, through the bad, that he helps us along the way, even when we don’t feel like He is sometimes, and even when we feel like He’s wrong or that, “You’re not helping me” or “You’re not here. Why am I not feeling that?” But it’s to have those moments and to have these moments of, “OK, I need to get on my knees. I need to pray. I need to fast. I need help.”
Because I think when everything is going well, at least for me, when everything’s going well, I don’t feel like I need Him as much. Like, “Oh, thank you, Heavenly Father. Things are great.” I thank Him, but I change when things are hard. I grow when things are hard. It makes me a better person when I’m dealing through these hard things. And once I get through them, or in the middle of it, and even in the middle of some things now, He helps me along the way, and I’m growing as a person and as His daughter.
And that is the success that He’s talking about, is just getting through. It’s just being able to one day at a time, take one day at a time, and do your best. And that is, honestly, what success is. It’s not about winning. It’s not about being the most popular. It’s not about being the best pickleball player, the best tennis player, the best mom or the best anything. It’s, Are you doing your best? And what is your best?” And everybody’s best is different, and that He is proud of you for that best that you’re doing, or for the best that you’re doing. And He knows the effort that you’re giving, and just that the Lord loves effort and that He loves you.
And so I think that’s, I guess, the message that I want to share with everybody — myself too, but with everybody — is that we are His children, and He loves us, and He wants us to succeed. He wants us to succeed by making it back to Him and living with Him forever, and that He is going to help us if we want His help.
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Mary Richards: Oh, Callie, I’m crying right here with you, because I’m a mom as well, and I have an assignment coming up to South America, and I’m going to miss one of my kids’ birthdays. And I thought, “What am I doing?” And this beautiful testimony you have about how we’re all really doing our best and trying to use our time and talents in the work of the Lord and be a better disciple, it has inspired me in my own mothering, in balancing all that I’m trying to do.
Callie Jo Smith: It’s so hard being a mom. It really is. It really is. So I get it. You’re amazing.
45:13
Mary Richards: You’re amazing. When we were trying to line up a time to do this interview, we were both balancing different things. You had end-of-school-year celebrations and traditions with your kids you were doing, and I did too, and we’ve made it work, and I’m so grateful for this time.
What opportunities has pickleball brought you to share the gospel?
45:32
Callie Jo Smith: So, funny that you asked that. So actually, I was wondering that myself, when I’m like, “OK, Heavenly Father, yeah, I want to share the gospel too. How can I do that?” And honestly, just by trying to be myself and trying to live the gospel myself as I’ve played pickleball, it’s just opened up the doors to meet other people who I didn’t even think I was impacting. And I remember I actually had this little lesson that I had in Relief Society 15 years ago, even, that said, “You never know who you’re impacting,” or “You never know who you’re helping.”
And multiple times on social media, or I would share something that was going on, or when I wasn’t playing on Sunday, or I shared why I wasn’t playing on Sunday, I’d have people reach out and ask. Or various scenarios where I’ve had people come up to me and say, “Hey, I’m so happy that you come to these tournaments. You just have this light that is awesome.” And I’m so happy to hear that, because you just don’t know that you’re making a difference. And sometimes I still like, “I don’t think I’m making a difference,” but then the Lord sometimes will bring little things like that in, where it’s like, “OK, I guess I am making a difference that I’m not aware of.
Or I’ll receive messages on social media or on Instagram or Facebook of people saying, “Hey, Callie, thanks for your testimony,” or “Thank you so much for sharing this.” Pickleball even brought me to meet other people in the Church, where I’ve had opportunities to share my testimony with youth or with other classes or at firesides, where people at those firesides have then messaged me individually and said, “Hey, I really needed to hear that. Thank you so much for coming,” and that this gospel is real.
47:12
Mary Richards: Wow. We give our guests on the Church News podcast the last word, and our last question is always, “What do you know now?” So, Callie, with the joy and success you’ve found in pickleball, what do you know now about God’s hand in your life and His love for you and all His children?
47:29
Callie Jo Smith: I guess I’m really happy to help in any way I can, not just for myself, but to help other people realize that God is there for them and that Christ is there for them and can be if you want Him to be and if you open the door to Him to let Him help you. And even receiving those messages where other people have reached out and said, “Hey, I’m dealing with this injury.” And because I’ve had injuries, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” I feel like I can mourn with them and be there with them. And I’ve had friendships that have happened because of pickleball, where I’ve been able to share the gospel, or people have asked questions about the religion and about the Church of Jesus Christ, where without pickleball, I would not have met these people.
And so it’s been really so many experiences, and honestly I’d say thousands, actually, of messages that have come through where I’ve been able to talk or help people through things, or help someone out of a depressing moment, or from someone — one of my friends called me, even; in fact, I messaged them and said, “Hey, just thinking about you. Hope things are doing well.” And they actually gave me a call and said, “Thank you so much for calling. I was thinking about taking my life tonight, and this and this.” And it’s like, oh my gosh. A simple text of “Thinking about you,” and you don’t know who you’re helping. You don’t know who you’re making a difference for.
And I ended up having this two-hour conversation with this person of how the Lord can be there for them and how He is there for them. And then they ended up seeing missionaries. And anyways, I don’t know where it’s gone from there, but I’m hoping, I guess my hope through pickleball too, and in my own life, is to share the love that I have of Jesus Christ and how much He has helped me in my own life, and to be able to share that with other people. Because life is so hard, and without Him and without people to help you in your life too, and how amazing He is in every aspect.
And so I’m grateful for pickleball for those reasons. I’ve learned a lot through six years. It doesn’t seem like very long, but it feels like it’s been a long time, with all of the things that I’ve learned about myself and that I’m continuing to learn and recognize about myself and about Christ and my relationship with Him, and being able to share my love and His love with other people too.
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Mary Richards: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m Church News reporter Mary Richards. I hope you learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had your faith in the Savior increase by looking through the Church News window as a living record of the Restoration. Please subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; to my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and to others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates about the Church on TheChurchNews.com or on the Church News app.
