The Bandeja summer 2024 issue

feature
products
Paul Jenkins (far right) was the non-playing captain of the Welsh team
at the recent Four Nations Super Seniors at Rocket Padel, Bristol.
Decathlon KUIKMA
RRP: From £109.99
www.decathlon.co.uk
Padel’s
senior service
Paul Jenkins’ padel odyssey, which began in the picturesque southern
Costa Blanca village of Dehesa de Campoamor when he was aged 57,
is still going strong some 15 years later and is perhaps a prime example
of the senior service padel can provide. Robert Mitchell reports.
The Welshman, who has twice
skippered the Welsh super
seniors at the now annual
Four Nations tournament (playing
in 2023) was, by his own admission,
topping the scales at 20st when
he was offered the chance to try a
sport he’d never heard of – and the
rest, as those who know the popular
Welshman will agree, is history!
“I took up padel in 2008 in Spain after
we had moved there to live,” said
Paul. “Someone said to me come and
have a game of padel and I said ‘it
must be rubbish, I’m a quizmaster
and know every sport going but
haven’t heard of padel!’”.
“I was 20st and they gave me a crap
bat and I stood in the corner and all
these guys who had been going to
coaching were going nuts. All my
years of squash and table tennis
came flooding back and that was
it – I was gripped!”
“I also ended up at one point
captaining the team at the
Montepiedra club, which was full
of much younger Spanish boys
– not because I was the best but
because I was older and they
wouldn’t argue with me! I still head
over now for a game or two and
they call me Capitano because
they feel like they owe me that
loyalty, which is very nice.”
By his own admission Paul is
still learning, even at 73. He is
now an LTA Level One qualified
coach and his finest moment
in padel arrived last year when
he donned the Welsh colours to
captain the national team for the
Super Seniors at We Are Padel,
Derby, which he described as a
‘very proud moment’.
Paul said: “I don’t go for many
winners and I like to dink and
make my opponent play one more
shot. For me the best game of the
tournament (Super Seniors 2023)
was John Byrne for Scotland playing
lovely cultured slow padel and
beating the guys younger than him
who wanted to play hard and fast.
That showed just what you can still
achieve on a padel court well into
your 50s and beyond.” •
Decathlon has released two new padel racket ranges with a focus
on performance and durability. There are three rackets in each
range (round-shaped Control, diamond-shaped Power and Hybrid),
all with rough faces and longer, thinner handles. Decathlon has
added two technologies from its Pro racket range - the Shock Block
system (elastomer inside handles to reduce impact vibrations) and
Air Foam Frame (a double-tube frame to enhance rigidity and
power, with EVA foam inside the tubes in the racket head to
reinforce the frame and increase durability).
The Metal range uses medium-density EVA foam and incorporates
Decathlon’s Metal Biaxial Core, a metal mesh intertwined with
fiberglass in the core of the racket to provide improved resistance
to bending. It is ideal for players wanting control, versatility or power
and is the collection with the softest touch, ideal for players looking for
lightness and flexibility in the racket face. Racket weight is 365g.The
Carbon ranges uses high-density EVA foam with a 12K carbon face. Its
rackets are slightly heavier, at up to 372g, and designed for precision
and power, with weight shifted towards the handle.
objects
of desire
Joma
RRP: From £135.99
www.joma-sport.com
Joma is a relatively new padel brand in the
UK but it comes with an established reputation
for performance and value for money across
its range, which includes shoes, apparel and
rackets. The new Joma Pro rackets are
made from high density Black Eva foam
for power and control and a 100%
carbon frame for durability and rigidity.
And, thanks to what Joma describes
as its Vibra-Out Gold system, racket
vibrations are reduced by 40%.The
Pro range comprises the Gold Pro,
Tournament Pro and Slam Pro. All have
high balance, weigh 350-350g and
are geared to experienced players.
Heads up, it’s a BOA!
www.head.com
The innovation boffins at Head
are at it again with more industry
firsts - this time they’ve taken their
Motion Pro shoes and added the
BOA lacing system, delivering super
quick and easy lacing with great fit.
And that’s not all, they’ve matched
their ‘hole-less’ racket technology
(see page 50) with the lightest
materials and secret know-how
to develop the first 300g racket,
shaving some 30g off the lightest
yet. Both innovations were revealed
at the Padel World Summit in
Malaga recently. Keep your eyes on
the ‘Gear’ section of our website
(www.thebandeja.com) for news of
the launches, where to buy etc.
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SUMMER 2024 | thebandeja.com
thebandeja.com | SUMMER 2024
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