Month: April 2022 (Page 2 of 3)

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 (Court Day #486)

This morning I was pretty tired and still may be a little bit sore from Sunday’s pickleball outing, so I wasn’t all too eager to go play tonight. However when I came home for lunch though I was feeling the same way, I grabbed my shoes and my pickleball gear just in case. As it was, I thought to myself, “if I really want to get better, I need to play“ plus I also need to exercise.

Work wrapped up quickly, and while the cashiers were counting out, I went ahead and changed. It was just about 6:30 p.m. when I arrived at Skypark and I took the next to last parking place. Both  tennis courts were full and there were two portable pickleball nets set up.

I got into a game fairly quickly. In my first game I was partnered with Sharyl. After I hit her with the ball and she wasn’t happy about it years ago, I prefer to play with her rather than against her! We played against Mark Dettle and Wendy.

Rob A., Tim, Sam, and Adrian were playing on a court adjacent to my game. I was looking at that game longingly, hoping I would be able to get in with them after a game or maybe two.

Sharyl and I won the game in a fairly lopsided fashion. During the game Wendy made a comment to Mark after one of my shots about how I was hitting hard as well as down. The ball hadn’t really been that high, but I put a lot of topspin on my drive and the ball landed near Mark’s feet and the rally was over.

Matt W. arrived around 7:30 PM, when I asked him whether his friend Paul was coming or not, Matt said that Paul was working and would not be making it tonight.

I did end up playing a game against Rob, which is always great. Rob makes for great competition. After that game, we ended up stepping out to let others play and so he and I drilled for about 15 minutes. Rob asked what I wanted to work on and I told him backhand crosscourt dinks, which is what we did.

Rob and I got back into a game, as partners this time. Not a surprise that we won that game.

Once 9 o’clock rolled around, my play started to deteriorate. It had been a long day.

I ended up talking with Matt W., Aaron, and Marvin on the courts after the lights went out, then with Marvin for another 15 minutes in the parking lot. Marvin works about a block from me in downtown Santa Cruz and we know a number of people in common.

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Friday, April 22, 2022 (No Play)

It was a bit rainy and cleared, but play was still questionable last night. I opted to stay home. Tonight, I drove to Big 5 Sporting Goods to pick up some new everyday shoes. Anytime that I’m there, I check out their selection of pickleball gear. They had a portable net and an assortment of lower-end paddles . . . most in the $50 range. There was one paddle that I strongly suspect was “illegal”—that is, not approved by the association for tournament play. This Gamma Quest paddle. The face of the paddle was like sandpaper. I’ve never felt a paddle like this. The texture has got to be beyond what is allowed by USA Pickleball . . . but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s legal but the grit doesn’t hold up. No idea.

No, I didn’t buy it. I just got my shoes and headed home for dinner!

Number of days on a court: 486
Number of total hours: 2,289.5

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Sunday, April 17, 2022 (Court Day #485)

Today was my first day playing in almost 2 weeks. Between traveling for a trade show for work in Orlando, Florida, and other assorted obligations, I hadn’t played for 12 days. I initially hoped to squeeze in pickleball on my trip to the eastern seaboard, however it was jam-packed for work with no chunks of free time—in fact, my flight home was scheduled for less than 2 hours after the close of the show. (With one of my staff leaving for vacation the next day, I wasn’t going to spend an extra day in Florida just to play pickleball!)

Derby

It was 46°F when I was about to leave my house, so I grabbed a sweatshirt. A visitor was walking in ahead of me and when I went to set up the courts, he helped. By 10 o’clock, all the clouds had burned off though it was still a bit chilly. It was really great pickleball weather aside from the fact that it got breezy later.

Newbies

We had four happy newbies in their 20s come today. They had never played pickleball before and hadn’t watched any videos or read anything online, so they were starting from scratch. There was James, TJ, Nancy, and Olivia. They are all UCSC graduates, except for Nancy, who is a Cornell grad. While waiting for the game I had signed up for, I explained to them the basic rules and strategies and since there were only three club paddles to loan out, I loaned Olivia my Paddletek paddle. I got a couple of balls and had them volley back and forth to each other outside the fencing to get used to the paddles and a ball.

When I went to play my game, I offered that they should watch and see how it’s played. I did warn them, “We’re advanced intermediate players, so don’t freak out with how we play.” (TJ later said that he had played pickleball in high school but it wasn’t anything like what he saw in my game with Adrian, Allen, and Wai. He said they were more goofing around in comparison.) They watched until our game shifted to a further court—as we do at Derby during club play—then the newbies left. Of course, I was worried. Did they give up? It turns out, they just were outside the gate somewhere, not quitting before they start.

When their box came up at about 11:30, I stood to the side of the net and watched them play two games against each other, giving them advice along the way. In the midst of one game, TJ said, “Thanks for your patience.” They very much seem to enjoy themselves, when I said I hoped they would be coming back in the future, they said, “Oh yeah, definitely!”

We have a Easter gathering today had my brother’s house with extended family and some of his friends starting at 12:30, so at noon I found someone to close the courts for me . . . Tom M. was willing to do it.

Rain is predicted for this week, we’ll see.

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Monday, April 18, 2022 (No Play)

It rained tonight. Even with a shorter amount of playing yesterday, and nearly all easier games, my body is a bit sore. My right glute in particular. Ah, the trials of a 2-week layoff!

Number of days on a court: 485
Number of total hours: 2,286.5

To start at the beginning of this blog click on “1st Post” in the menu above.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022 (Court Day #484)

I arrived at Skypark after work at about 6:40. I snagged that last parking place. This was a good sign—it’s been a bit light on attendance lately. As I approached the gate, firefighter Matt and his wife Carolyn were leaving, “It’s a bit clique-ish in there.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to break into games. They just want to keep playing with their own groups.”
I don’t typically hear that, but I can believe it happens.

Matt B. was walking in behind me. His friend Paul was hitting around with a woman named Marianne. Soon, the four of us were in a game. ”Which one of you is the best player?” Paul and Matt answered in unison, ”Andrew.” Marianne turned to me, ”You didn’t dispute that… I’ll play with you.” I did warn her that it’d take me a few games to get warmed up. Names were shared. Marianne exclaimed, ”You are all apostles!”

John and his wife Peggy arrived about 7:10. Matt, Paul, and I played 3-4 games with Peggy. I played with Peggy to help balance things a bit.

Challenging Games

Later, we got some strong games, with me playing with Scott against Matt and Paul. Those were fun. I recorded two games with my sports video device. The battery died part-way through the first game I tried to record, but I was able to catch the entirety of the next game.

Part of Game 1:

https://youtu.be/X5SGXpGB8cg

Game 2:

I asked Matt the time. “9:21.” Not enough time for another game, unfortunately.

I honestly felt good about my play . . . until I watched the video. Ugh. Depressing. It makes me wonder about my other games where I felt solid about my play. Bleh. I need to record more games!

Number of days on a court: 484
Number of total hours: 2,283.5

To start at the beginning of this blog click on “1st Post” in the menu above.