Ow.

Sunday, December 2, 2018 (Court Day #230)

I arrived at Derby Park to set up at 8:45. The courts were a bit of a mess with leaves and worms. I could have used another 5 minutes on the blower battery, but not bad. The weather would be fantastic. Sunny. Cool. Not too breezy. And only little downtime between games, the field maxed out at about 34 players, instead of 40-50.

I was happy to see some better players trickle in. Kim, Leslie, Kevin. And more my level, Dave Cox and Eric.

My lower back was pretty tight on Friday and it was again today.

A surprise, John P. and I beat Kevin and Dave Cox 11-0. Dave bore the brunt of the errors. Though, John and I had already played two games and Kevin and Dave were just starting.

Dave Cox and I played against Kim and George. Kim played extremely well. She was quick to poach and made good use of angles. She made a few mistakes, but easily outplayed Dave and me, no question. Dave was still warming up, I think.

Dave Cox and I signed up in a box with Leslie and Kevin. I figured we’d split, but Dave wanted to be partners. Leslie was questioning the pairings, asking, “Are you two doing a tournament?” No, just Dave’s request. We lost 11-5 to Leslie and Kevin. The final point was me returning Leslie’s serve into the net. Embarrassing, but Dave and I were outclassed.

Kevin and John P. (sunglasses) and my shadow. “Will we appear in your blog?”, asked John. “Do you want to be?” With a smile, Kevin said, “For a small fee!”

John and I played a game against Eric and Ted. Before the first serve, I asked John, “What’s your prediction for this game?” “I don’t know . . . 11-7?” I had a hard time arguing with that. But it was a balanced game. Last week, Eric was rusty. Today, he was playing pretty well. And Ted played well too. It was back and forth and in the end John and I lost 13-11. Good game.

Eric, MaryAnn, Ted, Christine (in fuchsia), Kim, Allan (leaning down), Chris.

The last game of the day was Susy and me against John and Eric. Eric wanted to play with my new Prince paddle, so we swapped. John wanted to try a different paddle too, so I gave him Eric’s Selkirk and took John’s Paddletek Bantem. When Susy saw that we were all playing with unfamiliar paddles, she grabbed a new paddle from her bag. Johns paddle was heavy. It was like wielding a hammer. (My new Prince Paddle is 8.0 ounces and felt light in comparison to John’s.) Susy and I won, but it was close and we all knew we were playing with a handicap. Eric liked my Prince paddle and offered to buy it from me if I opt to not keep it. In that last game, my elbow was really starting to ache. Not enough to keep me from playing, but there was pain with certain shots. Someone online said a heavier paddle cured their tennis elbow—my anecdotal experience is the opposite. Also, partway through the morning, it tweaked my ankle. The same one I’m rolled about a year ago. (I’m not sure what I did, maybe rotating on it, but it went on to give me trouble into the evening, as did my elbow.)

So?

If I had to pick one thing today to improve, it would be my dropshots. I had a number end up in the net. And some others were a touch too high and were attackable. As they say, “The hardest shot in pickleball.”

Eddie, the woman who asked at Brommer Park if I needed help when my car wouldn’t start, kindly followed up and asked how my car was. I told her it was just a battery and all was well.

Karl, whom I hadn’t seen for a few weeks, asked what was new. I told him about my tennis elbow. “Well, at least it’s the winter season.” Rain does take its toll on outdoor pickleball sessions! Forced recouperation! Rain is predicted for the middle of the week. Thursday night or Friday morning will likely be the first opportunity to play again this week. I am not happy about my elbow. I don’t want to have to sit out playing for some long period of time.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018 (No Play)

While at work, a customer shook my hand with a firm grip. Far from a crushing handshake but the corresponding pain my elbow was surprisingly intense. As much as I tried to hide it, I think it showed in my face, since a flash of doubt seemed to appear on his. Fortunately, it didn’t last too long, but, boy, did that hurt!

If I straighten my right arm and make a tight fist, I feel the pain on the back third of my forearm to my elbow. It’s kind of like a cramp or a charlie horse. The first time I do it, it’s very painful. If I do it repeatedly the pain subsides, but it has an ache that fades over a minute or so.

My wife has had a minor shoulder issue for some time, and recently has been seeing a chiropractor. She suggested I go see hers. Since the co-pay is only $10 and there’s was an early appointment, we set up an appointment online for Thursday morning. I doubt I’ll get a miracle cure, but any improvement would be a blessing.

Number of days on a court: 230
Number of total hours: 630.5

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