Monday, June 8, 2026 (Court Day #935)
This morning didn’t quite go as planned. I conducted an interview at work (which went well), followed by coordinating some things at work and then I ended up on the phone with AT&T for over 40 minutes trying to navigate all kinds of billing headaches before telling them that I just couldn’t continue to wait and I really needed to leave for a meeting. It was unresolved, so I’ll need to spend some time on the phone with them again in the future.
Board Meeting
As it was, I arrived at the SCPC board meeting about 20 minutes late. The meeting was pretty routine. Nothing earth-shattering. Talk about the website and the upcoming club social event in August and the condition of various court venues, etc.
A few of us stayed to play after the meeting ended.
Games
Mark and I played against Allan Goldberg and a middle-aged Asian woman whom I don’t know. We finished up that game and I still wanted to play.
On a court nearby, a mother and her daughter were playing. I didn’t recognize the mom with the hat and sunglasses, but it was Julie A., a good friend of my wife… plus Julie was part of a private group that I coached last year. I’d never met her daughter Jillian.
Mark played with Julie and I played with Jillian. It was Jillian’s third time out.
Mark and I have differing opinions about what serve is easier for a beginner. Ultimately, each person is different, but I’m inclined to start with a drop serve versus a volley serve—especially after Jillian was initially having trouble with the volley serve. Mark was very vocal of his opinion that the volley serve is easier to learn. In my three years of teaching rank beginners, I’ve found most people have an easier go of it with the drop serve and hitting the ball off the bounce. All that said, Jillian did eventually seem to have an easier time with a volley serve after more attempts. Of course, she might have had faster success with more practice on the drop serve… but as I said, each person is different.
After the first game, we switched partners played again.
Once that game was finished, Mark needed to go and I needed to make a return to work.
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 (No Play)
Womens #1 player, Anna Leigh Waters, was named to Time Magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026“:
https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026
And here’s the link directly to the snippet about her:
https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/anna-leigh-waters
“As pickleball popularity has soared since the COVID pandemic, and the sport has become a ubiquitous presence in communities across the United States, one player has set a standard of excellence. Anna Leigh Waters, 19, the top-ranked player in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles on the PPA (Pro Pickleball Association) Tour, is not just the best; she’s nearly unbeatable. Waters, who lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., discovered pickleball in 2017 when her grandfather introduced her to the game in Pennsylvania–her family had evacuated up north during Hurricane Irma–and she and her mother started playing at a local club back in Florida. Waters turned pro at 12, making her the youngest professional pickleball player ever, and climbed to the top of the rankings at 15. In January, Nike signed her as its first pickleball athlete, which has only raised her profile. During Super Bowl week in February she appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and snapped a photo with Joe Montana.”
A quick story.
Back in the 1980s, my uncle Ed’s second marriage was to a woman (who did modeling) and he gained two blonde teenage step-daughters, the slightly older one being Kim. The younger one, Kiersten, was walking after school when a man in a convertible stopped and, with sparkling smile, asked her if she needed a ride. She shared that she, in fact, did need a ride home. The man had her get into his car and off they went. After a few blocks, he asked how old she was.
“17.”
He immediately pulled over and gave her an order: “Out!”
The driver of the car? Joe Montana, famous quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. (In fact, Joe Montana appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in the early 1980s—I remember pulling that issue out of my parent’s mailbox when I was in high school. I also recall the photo looking obviously airbrushed!) This took place within a few miles of where Dwight Clark—the legendary wide receiver on Joe’s team—quietly lived in Capitola.
Joe was divorced in 1984 and married to his third wife in February 1985. I don’t know exactly when the above event happened, but I’d hope it was in the small gap between his second marriage and his third marriage.
My uncle Ed and his second wife later divorced and I lost close contact with that family. (Though I am still Facebook friends with my former cousins.) From what I heard, Kiersten went on to do a little of her own modeling before getting disillusioned with the demands of the field.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 (No Play)
So my daughter Charlotte, recently graduated from medical school, is in the process of moving to Ventura for her residency in orthopedic surgery. This involved clearing out section of our living room and part of her room of her belongings after a year or two of storage. We packed her car within an inch of its life. I was very happy to spot the contents of one of her storage tubs… pickleballs!
Thursday, June 11, 2026 (No Play)
This is interesting. A couple players setting up pickleball court and playing at the Great America amusement park about 40 minutes north of my house in Santa Clara.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZb8zZ_SkAm
Friday, June 12, 2026 (No Play)
John McEnroe talking smack about pickleball:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZc7iR3jjLD/
Seriously, John? Towing the tennis party line…
Saturday, June 13, 2026 (No Play)
Two of my staff got together and bought me a pickleball pen. Obviously, not a big investment, but, hey, it was very thoughtful nonetheless!
Number of days on a court: 935
Number of total hours: 3,475
Number of paid coaching hours: 212.5
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