2 Different Players Share Similar Spirit

Jeffery Baker and Justin Lawrence are two very different people, but they share a similar drive to compete and to be competitive.

They are both employees of the and they dedicate themselves to working as hard as possible to achieve goals.

On Saturday, the two completed a second attempt to earn a spot in the Guiness Book of Records for longest game of pickleball, a tennis-like game played at ping-pong speed. They played pickleball for 24 consecutive hours.

They started playing Friday, May 18, at 8:30 a.m. and finished at 11:22 a.m., Saturday, May 19, (a span that included breaks) during the rec center's celebration of its .

The paperwork and documentation of Baker and Lawrence's attempt at a record has to be sent to Guiness for judging. In their first attempt to set a pickleball record, , Baker and Lawrence played the game for 24 consecutive hours. Paperwork issues prevented the record from being set, they said. This second-go around, they made sure the paperwork wouldn't be an issue.

"To prepare, this time we pre-made the paperwork for the volunteers to be incredibly easy and manageable," Baker said.

Baker, 19, and Lawrence, 25, share a high level of competitiveness, especially when competing against each other.

“We kind of have these monsters inside of us, and this intense high level of internal strength and passion so to see us against each other at those levels it can get pretty intense in almost any sport, including pickeball,” said Lawrence.

Players Work Well together

Baker is a more laid back and balanced in life, while Lawrence admits to getting caught up in the physical and mental aspects of training, and can “lose touch with other things in life.”

Together, the two share a brotherly bond. You could say Lawrence helps keep Baker motivated physically, while Baker helps keep Lawrence level-headed and helps him “lighten up,“ when he gets too tense.

Baker is described by Lawrence as being more balanced with life and sports.  : Lawrence tends to get caught up in sports and training. This, however, works for him since that's the direction he wants to take his life. .

Lawrence teaches a kids' fitness class, called “Iron Kids,” and has started a side business called Strength and Conditioning by Justin Lawrence. He has up to four regular clients and five-plus people on a waiting list, he said. Eventually, he'd like to see this become his full-time business. He ultimately hopes to become a professional strength and conditioning coach at a college or on the professional sports level.

Meanwhile, Baker plans to focus on business administration. He is mostly known for having a crazy personaliy and confesses that people may think that this career choice is the opposite of what anyone would expect from him. However, he’s just waiting to reveal this professional side and pop out of his shell in the business world.

See some of the pictures from the Pickleball record attempt and center's fifth anniversary celebrations, which included a demonstration by the Tampa Bay Aquatics swim team, and upload your own.