Steve Pfanenstiel was going home for Thanksgiving and asked Karen Roddy, the cute girl he met at volleyball a few months ago, for a ride to the airport. She obliged, but on the day of his flight he could sense she was in a hurry to get him there and leave.

“What’s the matter, you got a hot date?” Steve asked.

She did. He thought she was kidding.

Karen ended up cutting that hot date off short. Midway through, she admitted her mind was on Steve.

That was in November 1986. The couple, now married, will celebrate their 30th Valentine’s Day on Tuesday and their 29th anniversary in May.

The Pfanenstiels played a part in opening the Northwest Family YMCA a year and a half ago, an effort that had been in the making for 16 years. Their Acoustic Jam Session program has invited people in, which at its largest, has had 50 audience members and 18 performers.

Stacy Fernández | Asst. Feature Editor

The couple has been the catalyst in the development of a dedicated pickleball community in Syracuse, and since meeting on the volleyball court, the two have bonded over sports.

They biked from Rhode Island through Massachusetts, an excursion they plan to re-enjoy this summer in Pennsylvania. The trip was planned for last year but they cancelled it because of an injury Steve sustained from the couple’s new favorite sport — pickleball.

A typical week for the couple consists of at least three-hour rounds of pickleball four to five times per week.

They first came across the badminton-like game in North Carolina while exploring the possibility of moving down there. One of the communities they visited had pickleball. When they found out their YMCA offered the sport, they signed up. At the time, there were only two other people who played. The Pfanenstiels’ arrival allowed for the first of hundreds of pickleball games to take place at the YMCA.

The more they played, the more people they began to include.

“Lo and behold we became ambassadors,” Karen said. “It’s pretty much our life now — it’s taken over everything.”

“It’s a very addictive sport,” Steve interjected.

The pair has now been playing for 14 months. After seeing what fierce advocates they were for the game, the pickleball ambassadors in Cicero, New York, tapped Karen and Steve to become local ambassadors.

Rich Chapman, who’s been playing the game for two years, said the Pfanenstiels are particularly dedicated ambassadors. He remarked that the two were supreme organizers and had been putting in the time to promote the sport. They established a designated time for pickleball-playing at the YMCA: Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, Chapman was most excited about their success in coordinating with the New York State Fair to have a pickleball exhibition on opening day.

But ironically, Karen and Steve work better when they’re not on the court. When they play pickleball as partners, “the chemistry is bad,” Chapman said with a chuckle. They much prefer to play against each other.

“That’s a good word for it,” Karen agreed, nudging him with her elbow.

During games, Steve has a child-like eagerness to hit the ball, especially high ones. His height definitely gives him an advantage in that department. Karen thrives toward the back of the court. She’s stable and maintains an aura of determination as her eyes follow the ball’s every move.

With their strengths covering the entire field they make for the perfect team — in theory that is.

Karen and Steve play with their own paddles that are lighter than those provided by the YMCA. Hers is orange and his purple. Steve originally bought the orange one for himself so he could represent his football team, the Denver Broncos, but the wrapping on the handle of his was slightly tighter, making it a better fit for Karen’s hand, so they traded.

Stacy Fernández | Asst. Feature Editor

This past Friday they kicked off the first game with a “mandatory” first round together. The game was tinged with a bit of frustration. They exchanged looks when the other missed a shot or hit the ball out of bounds, but when the look of disappointment came across their face from a missed point the expression on the other’s softened and was followed by a friendly touch of encouragement as they moved into their positions.

They lost the game, but the other team only had a two-point lead on them. Right after their loss, they bump paddles and switch partners. Their peers already know the drill. In the next game they play the best way they know how — against each other.

The only time they competed in a tournament as a team was in September, only because there was no partner available for Steve.

They picked a team name that perfectly described the situation: “Who’d a thunk it?”

“Because who would ever think that we would end up playing together,” Steve said.

All that time playing pickleball hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Recently the Pfanenstiels got a letter in the mail from the director of the YMCA letting them know that of the 13,000 members that went to the center last year they were in the top 100 people who most frequented it. Karen came in at 35 and Steve at 49.

“We’re there almost everyday,” Steve said. “The Y has become a very big part of our life.”

The YMCA has also served as a creative outlet for Steve’s music, which has in part helped get the YMCA off the ground after it’s 16-year development. Together the Pfanenstiels host the Acoustic Music Jam Session on the third Sunday of every month until March from 2 to 4 p.m. They have one coming up this weekend.

The jam is set up in a circle in the corner of one of the recreation rooms with chairs for audience members. No RSVP is required, and when people walk Karen greets them and directs them to their seat. Many genres are represented at the jam session, including folk, traditional, country, bluegrass, rock and pop. All instruments, ages and skill levels are welcome to join, either to perform or just to enjoy the music.

Just as 50 people attended the most successful Acoustic Music Jam Session, 50 friends and family attended the couple’s wedding. Funny enough, Steve and Karen’s first dance was also their last. Steve, at 6 feet 4 inches tall, owns a 1-foot-2-inch height advantage over his wife.

“It felt like I was dancing with a kid,” Steve said with a grin, sneaking a playful look down at her.

Three decades after their wedding, the secret to the Pfanenstiel’s marriage is that they spend almost every day together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

“She’s too good to me,” Steve said.

“He has to be my best bud,” Karen said.

Published on February 13, 2017 at 11:29 pm

Contact Stacy: sfern100@syr.edu | @StacyFernandezB