Tuesday, January 13, 2026 (Court Day #891)

So, voice to text decided that “Skypark” really meant “scary part.” So funny!

It has been a bit of a meat grinder at work for the past month. One of my buyers has been on vacation for five weeks, and to top that off, I’ve had at least one person out sick—and sometimes two or three—on any given day. I’ve had maybe one or two days with a full complement of staff in the past month and a half. Today, for example, I was missing two.

I dropped my brother Matt off at my parents’ house after work, hung out for a little bit, then made my way to Scotts Valley in the dark and nippy 55°F evening. I was tempted just to turn around and go home, but—as typical—I could use the exercise.

Skypark

When I arrived, I found one parking spot in the lot. I was thankful for that.

One of the courts opened up and I asked Ahbi if he wanted to warm up with me. After a few minutes, Matt and Paul finish up with the game and join joined us. Matt and I teamed up.

Games

Matt and I found ourselves down 3-8 in that game, but then came back and tied up 10-10 but then we went on to lose 11-13.

We switched sides and play it again, but this time it was Matt and I who won a close game. We switch sides and played a rubber match. This time it was a lopsided win in their favor, 11-5.

We switched sides again, and played the fourth game this time Matt and I won 11-3.

We played the fifth game this time Matt and I lost.

It was at this point that Matt pointed out that all of us had only won on the same side of the court, that is, with our backs against the fence. A funny coincidence.

We switched sides and played one last game to squeeze in what we could before the lights clicked off. True to form, Matt and I were ahead 5-4 and I had just gotten the serve back when the lights clicked off.

It was so weird how the games went. Most were lopsided. It just goes to show the effect of momentum, I suppose.

And?

I felt generally ok about my play. Not delighted, but also not dejected. I hit the white tape two or three times, served once into the net, and once, when an opponent popped up a shot, I angled it too wide and it landed out by about 2 feet. I was trying to hit that ball and a very sharp angle. I got jammed with a few chicken wings tonight.

It was a fun evening. Matt, Paul, and Ahbi are all entertaining to play with.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 (No Play)

I tell my students that it’s not necessary to always serve hard and fast and that it’s more important to have the serves land deep. Case in point, #1 women’s player in the world, Anna Leigh Waters, is demonstrating that exact same thing in this clip. High arching serves, but deep:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTd-o8ejzo2

In rec play, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen such serves throw off the receiver’s timing and the ball was returned into the net!

Thursday, January 15, 2026 (No Play)

Speaking of hitting high shots into the net, it happens to the best of us!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTjPKOqjJAa

High School Varsity Pickleball?

Crossroads, a high school varsity in Los Angeles, has been pushing to make pickleball a varsity sport:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTgIHdSAaWR

I did an A.I. inquiry and got this back:
“Yes, students from Crossroads School in Santa Monica, led by twins Boone and Ford Casady, along with Samantha Leeds and Hannah Carey, founded the L.A. High School Pickleball League to establish pickleball as a varsity sport, creating a framework for other schools and securing early recognition, with plans to become a CIF-sanctioned activity by the 2026-27 school year.”

Here’s their Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/lahspb_league/

Friday, January 16, 2026 (No Play)

Yesterday, Carmel finalized the ban of pickleball in their city, making it a misdemeanor to be caught playing. It formally goes into effect in 30 days, though pickleball has been banned there on a temporary basis already.

Saturday, January 17, 2026 (No Play)

Host on late night television, Jimmy Fallon, talked about Anna Leigh Waters new Nike sponsorship on the Tonight Show. Fallon said he likes to play padel, but then his band leader said that he prefers pickleball instead, which lead to an amusing interaction:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTl-oxyDlOU

Reality TV Pickleball

This week, the first episode of the pickleball reality TV show—Pickleball Kingdom Paddle Battle—dropped on YouTube:

Number of days on a court: 891
Number of total hours: 3,365.5
Number of paid coaching hours: 188.5

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