Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2025 (Court Day #847)
I was thinking that it was going to be a warm day again today, but not nearly as hot as yesterday. As I was driving to Brommer a few minutes after 11 a.m., there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was 75°. So, yeah, warm.
I was in no mad rush to get to the park given that today is a holiday and it would also be a club day at Brommer. While I was kind of hoping that the heat would maybe keep a few players away, I still anticipated being extremely busy.
René happened to text saying that she’d be coming around 12:30 p.m.
Brommer
And it was busy. During the hour club play, I played three games, mostly with 3.0 and 3.5 level players.
Once noon rolled around organized club play ended and, as typical, waiting moved outside the courts to along the wall inside the courts.
Post-Club Play
I checked the time. At 12:20 p.m., I patiently sat on the wall waiting for a game of Mark Dettle, Hugh, Anthony and René to end.
After their game, Mark stepped out and let me take his place. René and I lost a close game to Hugh and Anthony. That loss was mostly to my errors.
The courts were full, so it was a sit and wait scenario.
René slipped off to a desirable game somewhere else and so Hugh and I played together and beat Art and Marin 11-3.
In a stronger all-around game, lefty Aaron B. and I won 11-5 vs René and Evan.
Then we lost 12-14 on rematch. Like my game with René, it was more on me than Aaron.
Then Evan and I won 11-5 vs. René and Aaron. René played in a tournament yesterday and was a bit tuned out.
Last Game
Casey and the younger Jordan were playing against bearded Aaron and another guy with blond hair who I don’t know but I think his name might be Chris. I waited for that whole game to finish to get into a game because the foursome on another court rolled right into a rematch without come off the courts and checking to see if anyone—like me—was waiting.
When their game ended, I asked if I could get in one more game before leaving, and Jordan agreed that was fair.
I ended up playing with stocky, tan, tattooed, bearded Aaron as my partner against young Jordan and Casey. Initially, we were up 4-1, then we were up 6-3 but unfortunately They came back in won 11–8. Still, it was a respectable game.
Casey and Jordon were formidable, as you’d expect. I made errors. Aaron made errors, including missing several serves. I felt I played decently well, but there were shots I wanted back, of course. It was a great, challenging game.
I had my “shot of the day” in that game. From the net, Casey drove a low shot to near our baseline. I was on the left. I stretched out low and hit a beautiful shot that passed low over the net in front of Casey.
I was done about 3:15 p.m. I’d been there for four hours.
Pro Upset
So, it’s no secret that Anna Leigh Waters has been a force in women’s pickleball for several years now, regardless of her partners. She’s consistently dominates and expected to win every time. This is what makes any loss by her an upset. The surprise this weekend was ALW and her current partner Anna Bright losing to Tyra Black and Jorja (pronounced “Georgia”) Johnson. AFW and AB had a long win streak of 45-0 going into this match!
Here’s a video by Zane Navratil breaking down the match and to save you some time, I’m dropping you midway into the video where he starts talking about it. (He discusses other matches earlier in the video.)
Monday, September 2, 2025 (No Play)
Now, it’s the turn for another body part to give me trouble. While my left hip appears to be back to normal, now my right ankle is bothering me. It doesn’t ache, it only mildly hurts when I move it. The pain is on the outside of my ankle underneath my ankle bone.
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 (No Play)
Andy Roddick compares pickleball to tricycles:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN1B3KwYrsf/
Really, Andy? Is that nice?
Pickleball Growth Slowing Down?
According to according to SFIA (the Sports & Fitness Industry Association):
Pickleball remains the fastest-growing sport, though early indicators suggest its explosive growth may be slowing. After a remarkable 45% increase in 2024, the projected growth rate for 2024-2025 is 14.7%, potentially signaling a new phase of stabilization for the sport.
You can read more here:
https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/report-is-u-s-pickleball-participation-leveling-off/
Thursday, September 4, 2025 (No Play)
Rick Arnold had shared a link on the local Facebook group for a free paddle being given away by Humana. I entered my name and address, then promptly forgot all about it.
Today, I got a package in the mail. It was the free paddle.
Nothing to write home about, but a paddle is a paddle!
Friday, September 5, 2025 (No Play)
The problems of rollout courts at the Pro events in Las Vegas this past weekend:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOJaMclkXRq
Frabrizio sent me a direct message via facebook about San Diego closing a street for pickleball, suggesting it for Santa Cruz:
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0p4gPWDKp3gewA6CkwcGe4bX4K8rXg3taQpPZbd8JCCzw412naVB5dgKLcHjTczvBl&id=100064875780454
Here’s a link to their official website:
https://gaslamp.org/news/gaslamp-urban-pickleball
Gaslamp Urban Pickleball is making history as San Diego’s first-ever street-style pickleball event — right in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego.
From August 21 to September 25, Fifth Avenue transforms every Thursday into a vibrant, open-air San Diego pickleball court, complete with live DJs, a game day market, and Paddle Hour specials at local restaurants and bars.
Whether you’re a local or visiting San Diego, this is one of the most exciting new things to do in Downtown San Diego this summer.
My mother-in-law lives in San Diego. It might be fun to go down and visit her sometimes and participate in some future pickleball event down there.
Number of days on a court: 847
Number of total hours: 3,270.5
Number of paid coaching hours: 161.5
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