June Gloom, a colloquial name for the phenomenon of overcast days in late spring, had arrived early in Los Angeles. The fog socked-in monumental skyscrapers, obscured pristine beach views, and kept the blazing Sun at bay for at least one solitary afternoon. In fact, the only color amidst the gray and red brick buildings of California State University, Los Angeles was the bright orange branding of the USA Teqball Tour.
By Matt Nelsen
Discover the Games first wrote about teqball during the 2022 World Championships in Nürnberg, Germany. We wrote about the origins of the sport, its quick international growth, and the differing playing styles exhibited by athletes. Now, just over half a year on from the world championships, we revisit the sport in an interview with women’s singles world champion Carolyn Greco.
Teqball had returned once more to the City of Angels. The trademark curved tables and orange branding beckoned players to the latest stop of the national and international professional circuit.While some of the sport’s top talent chose to skip this leg of tour, America’s finest teqers made their presence felt. Amongst the star-studded ranks of the Stars and Stripes was Carolyn Greco, the current women’s singles world champion.
“You know, I literally was the first woman in the U.S. to play teqball,” commented a confident Greco. “I truly am so passionate about this sport.”
The former professional footballer turned teqer felt the sport had opened many doors for her that may have otherwise been closed to athletes in her position. “I would have never had these colleagues from all over the world had I not joined this community,” asserted Greco. “Not everyone has the opportunities that we do in this teqball community to travel, meet people, and experience different cultures.”
Of course, Carolyn Greco isn’t your typical teqer. Outside of the world championship title she claimed last fall, Greco also acts as an ambassador for the sport and dabbles in environmental science. She hopes to leave a positive footprint on the sport for future athletes to follow through coaching and promoting. However, she is currently preoccupied with the prospect of helping kickstart a professional teqball program in the United States.
There is hope that such a program will help grow the elite player base and lead to even more visibility for the sport. Greco doesn’t see a professional program as the only avenue for people to get involved in the sport though. She also understands the importance of supporting developing and recreational talents.
“Creating that space for amateurs and semi-professional players to feel success and to see their own individual growth through their own small successes is huge. I think that’s definitely the route that we’re heading,” commented Greco. Getting there may prove more difficult than anticipated, however.
Teqball requires a specialized table and plenty of room to maneuver around it. While the international federation often supplies tables to developing programs, bringing the sport to the general public may require more heavy lifting and partnerships with public authorities.
Nonetheless, Greco remains an active supporter and promoter of the sport. She even plays mixed doubles with her fiancé, Frankie Diaz.
“We’re with each other all the time,” explained Greco. “You’re on top of the world winning these big games, and then when you’re at the bottom and you’re losing big games, having somebody in your corner is so huge. I wouldn’t want that to be anybody else.” Diaz and Greco failed to reach the mixed doubles final at this stop of the USA Teqball Tour. The pair will get another chance to win at home in June. The teqers will certainly hope to shed the June Gloom in favor of sunny weather and warm temperatures by then.
Greco’s parting advice for any players looking to pick up the sport was, “be brave. Put yourself out there. Stick with it.” She added, “getting your foot in the door early is something that I would highly recommend [for] anyone to do because when I did that myself; it worked.”
Teqball continues to experience tremendous growth globally. The sport boasts more than 2,000 clubs, with participants in more than 140 territories. The sport is set to make its official multi-sport games debut at the 2023 European Games in June.
Discover the Games will be on the ground to report on that milestone.