Semiprofessional Roundnet Player Slade Warner discusses how sports gave him an outlet
We sat down with the humble Slade Warner at Castle Coffee shop in Albuquerque.
How do you define yourself?
“I’m Slade. I’m a semipro Roundnet player. I’m a believer of our lord and savior Jesus Christ, a coffee lover, a people lover, a future firefighter and a small business owner.”
What do you do?
“I run an organization called New Mexico Roundnet Association. I’m doing appliance repair and caretaking on the side and I’m also in the process of training for the fire department.”
“The Roundnet Association promotes the growth of Spikeball. We’re essentially ambassadors. We’re like tornados trying to get Spikeball to be part of The Olympics! We’re hoping to go global with it. We have to establish at least 40 organizations to meet Olympic requirements. We were in the process of expanding into schools before Covid slowed that down, mainly New Mexico State and the University of New Mexico. We try to promote autonomous growth so we’re trying to create clubs and leagues and leadership to pioneer the sport. Last year I got in over my head trying to expand into other cities but it didn’t pan out, so for now we’re exclusively in Albuquerque. We’ll develop the blueprint here first!”
How did you get started?
“There was a Facebook group called ABQ Rec that played outdoor sports. The people were so solid. Before playing Spikeball with them I had never heard of it! They taught us what they knew about the rules and we loved it.
"Sharktank covered Spikeball in 2008 and 10 years later there were tournaments. I went to a tournament in Colorado Springs shortly after playing with ABQ Rec. We went into it kind of cocky, thinking we would destroy the other team. We signed up for the advanced division and were completely in over our heads. I realized then that people took it seriously! Colorado had an organization that was promoting it, and we came back and made it happen here in New Mexico."
“We had our first tournament in 2017. We had team meetings and worked to designate roles. At first we hosted one a year. It was really successful! The vision grew and eventually we had a logo made to represent our organization at the state level.”
What’s been your most fulfilling moment so far?
"At Mission Viejo in California my partner Ryan St. Denis and I qualified for semipro. The teams and players were so good! There were 40 teams vying for the premiere spot and we went into the tournament in the top two. We went undefeated in pool play and ran through most of the bracket until our semifinal match when we lost to the highest ranking team. I was so proud of how we played and how much we had been training. Living up to our own expectations and to those of others was really cool. We had been playing for four years and we finally hit premiere, which was an exclusive title in the community. It was my 'you made it' moment."
What's the most challenging thing you've overcome?
“Just those intergenerational curses. I grew up in and out of the foster care system. I didn’t want to believe that it had an impact on me, but there were lingering issues that I clung to from my parents. Anger or a propensity to disconnect from people. Part of me always understood that athletics was an outlet for me but I also knew that it was just covering up my problems.”
"There have been tough moments in my life when my shadows have come between me and the people who care about me. My neglectful tendencies came to light over the holiday season this year. The past reared its ugly head. That wasn’t an easy time for me, understanding the hurt that I caused other people. I recognized that I was passing on pain that I had felt early in my life. I was able to put a name to what was going on and I was able to say, 'Hey, I wasn’t a good friend to you but this problem doesn't have control over me anymore.’ Identifying the problem helped.”
How do you cope with nerves?
He smiles through a coughing fit.
"I don’t have nerves! Nerves and excitement are the same emotional response in your body and so it's just a matter of which feeling you assign your experience. When I step out on the field against some of the best in the world, I feel excited. I know I have a chance. I know I have such a wide range of talents and abilities. I put myself in a position to succeed. Knowing that diminishes the nerves and turns them into excitement."
What inspires you?
“Man I guess it depends on the field. I think that's why the entertainment industry is so big because people like to see the best of what they do. Roundnet! Specifically Cisek and Showalter. I was fortunate to meet some of the best in the last few years, athletes who have been on ESPN. It was so cool being able to meet them, they're real people. It's inspiring to see how close I am to those guys. There isn’t that fame disconnect in Spikeball. Their status doesn’t feel unachievable like I might feel if I played football and I met Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. I inspire myself!"
He laughs.
"Just kidding."
What would you want to remind yourself in 10 years?
“It's important to remember the initial vision. The best part of starting NM Roundnet has been being able to help the youth. Athletics were such an important outlet for me and being able to provide that for the next generation, specially in ABQ where poverty is high, that's a value I never want to forget."
What something you haven’t done that you wish you could?
He thinks.
"Surf! Water sports in general. I grew up in a desert. I definitely want to learn how to do that one day."
What's on the horizon?
“Marriage."
He giggles.
"I’m planning on proposing to my girlfriend in the next couple months. We plan on being married by the end of the year! It's a completely new adventure and it's exciting. I'm beginning to understand the weight of it. Learning my responsibilities going into marriage has been really challenging and I hope it will be one of the most rewarding experiences, to build a family. There'll be little Slades running around one day!"