Wednesday, April 24, 2019 (Court Day #258)

I have been trying to ride my bike trainer. I rode in the morning as well as the evening yesterday and got a sore right calf as a result.

I got to Derby Park around 8:55 a.m. It was a beautiful day and with no clouds, it was almost too warm. It would climb into the mid-80s today. Attendance would be light . . . I think we hit 24 people, but we never set up the last of the six courts—very unusual.

I missed 6-8 serves today—just one of those off days. Still, I am playing better overall left-handed.

Josh—the older Josh related to one of my college tennis coaches—borrowed my Prince Response Pro paddle then later my Paddletek Tempest Wave paddle. He is considering a purchase. I let him borrow the Prince on Sunday. (I didn’t mention that previously.) He said he found the Tempest to have more “pop.” I don’t find a whole lot of difference between the two. They are similar weights and made by the same manufacturer. The Prince is a more round shape which is supposed to provide a larger sweet spot . . . maybe so. The Prince handle cross-section is more round and the Tempest is more rectangular. Either way, I should add another layer to grip tape to both of them . . . it’s supposed to help with tennis elbow.

I got a game in with a gray-haired man and a blonde woman whom I have never seen. Both were of average height. Josh was my partner. The man used about the most spin I’ve seen on a serve. The woman was decent/reliable, but not a particularly strong player. Afterward, I told the man, “Now I can tell you my secret. I’m not left-handed.”

The crowd thinned out early. It was likely the higher temperatures. I figured it was around noon, but when I checked my phone it was barely 11:30 and most of the players were already gone. I got in one last game and was heading out by 11:50.

My sore right calf didn’t affect my play and I only felt it once during the morning.

Today was my 19th day out playing left-handed. (I was curious, so I figured it out.)

Number of days on a court: 258
Number of total hours: 705.5

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