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Maggie Velloso has been playing pickleball for about two years, mostly on Guam, and had no idea if her game was good enough to compete internationally. Locally, like many athletes, she practiced and played against the same players repeatedly and wasn’t sure if she had what it took to compete against the best female pickleball players from Taiwan and Korea.
But Velloso not only competed against the region’s best players, she secured a third-place finish in the women’s singles 19+/4.5 division at the 2024 World Pickleball Championship’s Taichung 2nd Marc Pickleball Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.
Velloso described the bronze medal match, held on Dec. 26, as “incredibly intense, especially with the scoring going to 21.” On Guam, matches she played were typically decided by the first player to reach 11 points.
In the third-place match, however, there was a 21-point cap. To win, the 29-year-old Connecticut-based mechanical engineer had to push herself nearly twice as far and play nearly twice as long as she ever had before. She was in uncharted territory.
“It was a long battle, and even when I pulled ahead to 20, I couldn’t relax. Every point mattered,” Velloso said. “My opponent started gaining momentum, and I kept reminding myself, ‘Just one more stop, Maggie. Just one more stop.’”
After a side out, Velloso served for the match.
“When I finally got the serve back, I knew I had to finish it there,” she said.
Which she did.
“It felt surreal standing on the podium representing Guam alongside players from South Korea and Taiwan,” she said. “Competing against such a diverse group with varying skills and styles of play was both challenging and rewarding.”
Without prior knowledge of her opponents’ strategies, she had to adjust during the matches.
“I had to constantly adapt my strategy in-game, which made every match exciting and insightful,” she said. “Beyond the competition, I thoroughly enjoyed networking with players and volunteers, hopefully forming some international friendships.”
Velloso told The Guam Daily Post that realizing she could compete and win against high-caliber players was gratifying and reassuring.
“I discovered that my mental toughness was stronger than I had initially thought, and I was able to push through even in challenging moments, whether it was after falling behind or losing a tough point,” she said.
She wanted to finish the tournament knowing she had given her best effort in every match and was pleasantly surprised by how well she performed. She said she was thrilled to have earned a bronze medal.
Not only did Velloso return home with hardware, but she and her partner Derek Madden also won a round in the mixed doubles 19+/5.0 division and defeated the eventual silver medalists in the mixed doubles 19+/4.5 division. Although Velloso and Madden didn’t advance out of pool play into the elimination brackets, the experience was invaluable.
“My experience playing in the 2nd Marc Pickleball Cup was truly unforgettable,” she said.
Now that the tournament has ended and she has returned to Guam with knowledge of how her competition plays internationally, she is motivated to return to the courts and train harder than ever.
“This experience also highlighted areas where I can improve, and I’m eager to get back to Guam to refine my skills in preparation for my next tournament. Overall, I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and the lessons it provided,” she said.
“I’ve made a list of things to work on and new skills I want to develop before the next tournament,” she said.
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