Thursday, August 31, 2017. (Court Day #63)
Work got a little busy around closing time and so I wasn’t going anywhere fast. I did a pitstop at home then out to Scotts Valley and I got there about 7 p.m.
Like clockwork, I was the one odd man out and found myself sitting on the bench by myself watching everyone else playing games. The pickleball gods are having a laugh at my expense. “Watch this! He’ll show up and there will be no one to warm up with again!”
It wasn’t long though.
Terri and I played a game against a tall, fit man named Jack and his wife. I’d put them in their late 50s. Jack has a very strong forehand and gets around the court. He uses his height and reach to his full advantage. Jack has fast low serves that can be difficult to return. Jack and his wife pulled out ahead until Terri and I got our groove. It was a close back-and-forth game, but Terri and I came back and won 13-11.
I got to play a game with Jerry Louis as my partner against Jack and Larry. This was a challenging close game. Point by point, each team clawed their way up. There weren’t any long “runs” in this game. Jerry and I were leading 9-8. I was playing well. Not perfectly, but not badly. Then . . .
. . . BLACK.
All the lights went out. Oops. The lights didn’t get tended. If the timers aren’t reset, they go off after 15 minutes. Then the lights take at least 10 minutes to warm back up! You could tell who really wanted to play by those who didn’t leave. At least half the players took off.
Eric and me vs. Larry and Rick
Eric and I were losing (maybe 4-1). We were both not playing sharply. Between points, I walked over to him: “Scenario. We’re in Palo Alto. We’re in a tournament.” We tightened up our game in short order and went on to take the lead permanently and win.
Last game
Eric and Terri played against Rick and me. Rick has solved his serving problems—he’s serving backhand these days. I don’t think he missed a single serve. They weren’t difficult to return, but they were reliable. I should do more of that! Rick and I did out best to hold on, but it wasn’t happening. Rick is improving. A class or some coaching could take him up a notch from intermediate to adv/int.
As I was about to leave, I told Oleg and Olga: “There are up days and there are down days. This was a down day.” There were some bright spots, some glimmer of hope for continuing the climb in skill level.
9:22. With the waiting, a little over 2 hours of play.
Number of days on a court: 63
Number of total hours: 181.5
Recent Comments