Sunday, July 26, 2026 (Court Day #947)

I was up early and dropped off my wife, my son, my son’s girlfriend, and a family friend for the big annual Wharf to Wharf race. Unlike last year, I didn’t even bother going by Brommer Park to see if I could play there. The evening before the race, the runners plant cars in the parking lot and all around the side streets since the park is fairly close to the finishing line. Unfortunately, that leaves no parking for anyone who would like to use the park.

So instead, I simply went home and took our two dogs for a long walk. A little bit before 9:30 a.m., I was on my way to Derby Park. It had been hot all week and today was also expected to be a warm one. Any clouds were low and mostly offshore and breaking up. There was no fog to keep us cool, but at least we were starting at 64°F.

Derby Park

When I pulled up on the streets outside Derby Park, there were still vestiges of fog barely reaching to the court. Par for the course for many months now, there was mild pain in my right knee with every step.

Dieter showed up today, it was nice to be able to play against him. He’s always a good challenge.

Ted B. adds his name to my box at 10:50 a.m. with Tom S. behind him.

I left just before 1:30 p.m. I had no games today where all four players were 4.0 or higher. The games were challenging at the end only because I was so tired. I didn’t want to move. Even after two hours, I was starting to get tired and by four hours, I was dragging on my feet.

Monday, July 27, 2026 (No Play)

The PPA has entered in agreement with the Pickleball World Cup, allowing signed PPA players to participate:
https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/tennis/pickleball-world-cup-opens-door-to-ppa-tour-professionals/ar-AA28HXz0

The PPA is notorious for their exclusive contracts with pro players. As far as I know, Anna Leigh Waters is the only PPA signed player with an exclusion clause that allows her to play at USA Pickleball‘s Nationals every year. If pro player goes off and plays in a tournament outside of the PPA umbrella without permission, they can be fined and suspended. And in some cases, the contract can be severed.

Number of days on a court: 947
Number of total hours: 3,504
Number of paid coaching hours: 221.5

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