Author: andrewlenz (Page 239 of 330)

Thursday, April 25, 2019 (Court Day #259)

Today was Day 20 playing left-handed.

I pulled into the parking lot of Skypark in Scotts Valley right around 7 p.m. There were five courts set up. I didn’t have to wait long to get into a game and played solid through until I went home.

Janet, a woman whose name I can’t recall, Bruce (in blue), someone I can’t tell, Allan (shading his face) and Lauren.

Stuart was there. I have to remind Stuart that I’m playing left-handed on occasion. He likes to coach his partners.

It was a bit breezy, enough to affect lobs and gentle shots.

During one game, Bruce exclaimed from the sideline, “You jumped up in the air and swung and hit that left-handed! You are getting the hang of it!”

It was a frustrating evening. Drop shots were dropping into the net. Serves were inconsistent. Occasional shots were flying sideways off the court. Shots are still not reliably going where I want. And while some strokes are fine, for a few shots tonight, I had my paddle in a completely wrong position—like one quick shot where the end my paddle was pointed at the net . . . you won’t get many balls back that way!

I was in my car by 8:55 p.m. and on my way home.

Number of days on a court: 259
Number of total hours: 707.5

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Wednesday, April 24, 2019 (Court Day #258)

I have been trying to ride my bike trainer. I rode in the morning as well as the evening yesterday and got a sore right calf as a result.

I got to Derby Park around 8:55 a.m. It was a beautiful day and with no clouds, it was almost too warm. It would climb into the mid-80s today. Attendance would be light . . . I think we hit 24 people, but we never set up the last of the six courts—very unusual.

I missed 6-8 serves today—just one of those off days. Still, I am playing better overall left-handed.

Josh—the older Josh related to one of my college tennis coaches—borrowed my Prince Response Pro paddle then later my Paddletek Tempest Wave paddle. He is considering a purchase. I let him borrow the Prince on Sunday. (I didn’t mention that previously.) He said he found the Tempest to have more “pop.” I don’t find a whole lot of difference between the two. They are similar weights and made by the same manufacturer. The Prince is a more round shape which is supposed to provide a larger sweet spot . . . maybe so. The Prince handle cross-section is more round and the Tempest is more rectangular. Either way, I should add another layer to grip tape to both of them . . . it’s supposed to help with tennis elbow.

I got a game in with a gray-haired man and a blonde woman whom I have never seen. Both were of average height. Josh was my partner. The man used about the most spin I’ve seen on a serve. The woman was decent/reliable, but not a particularly strong player. Afterward, I told the man, “Now I can tell you my secret. I’m not left-handed.”

The crowd thinned out early. It was likely the higher temperatures. I figured it was around noon, but when I checked my phone it was barely 11:30 and most of the players were already gone. I got in one last game and was heading out by 11:50.

My sore right calf didn’t affect my play and I only felt it once during the morning.

Today was my 19th day out playing left-handed. (I was curious, so I figured it out.)

Number of days on a court: 258
Number of total hours: 705.5

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

Sunday, April 21, 2019 (Court Day #257)
Easter Sunday

I went to an early Easter service with my wife then was off to open Derby Park. For once, I arrived very comfortably early. I had asked Dave and John P. via email this week if either could close today, but both had family obligations—like me! But Stuart was available and willing.

While I blew off the courts, I noticed just how bad some spots were getting. It’s good that the city is planning to refinish them: 

There were several things of note today. I didn’t miss a single serve today. Impressive playing left handed! A woman named Laurie was visiting. When I shook her hand as my partner, she said that she believed that she’d met me at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto. “I have been there once.” (Later, as I was on the path leaving Derby, I passed her daughter emerging from the Port-A-Potty. Then it clicked. Maree and I had definitely played against them in Palo Alto.) Janet and I  played against Laurie and Cal. Laurie plays much better than you’d expect for a larger, 60-ish woman. Were she a local, her play would fall in the top half of the club. Janet and I got clobbered in that game. Though for one point, Cal was whipping his tennis instructor forehand drives at me from the back court while I was at the net. I staved off three and on the fourth, he drove the ball into the net. Later, he said, “You play well left handed.” That’s the second time in a week that he’s said that. I wish he’d started showing up when I was still playing with my dominant right hand! Some day, he’ll see what my normal play is like and not struggling playing lefty.

The most important news of the day was when I picked up my phone about 11:15, there were missed calls and a number of texts from about half an hour before. My mom had passed out at home and was unresponsive and was rushed to the hospital. By the time I called my brother Mike—who had been next to my mom when it happened, an Easter blessing, he caught her and kept her from bashing her head—she was in the ER awake and diagnosed. She was having AFIB and they’d given her medication to address that. Her heart still was irregular, but nothing life-threatening. Mike said I could keep playing if I wanted since everything was under control and there was nothing I could do, and I was tempted, but I instead headed home, showered then headed to the hospital. Pickleball pales in comparison.

Monday, April 22, 2019 (No Play)

Today, my mom’s heart returned to normal rhythm naturally and she was released to go home and rest—a day earlier than the doctors had originally figured. Excellent news. She’ll be permanently on blood thinners, but that’s a small price to pay.

This afternoon I shook a customer’s hand and it immediately struck me that I hadn’t experienced any pain. Quite a milestone. Maybe it was “just right” to avoid the pain that I typically experience. There’s still significant pain when I stick my arm out straight and bend my hand up at the wrist and I expect handshakes to hurt again—there are ups and downs—but progress is progress!

At closing time at work, pickleball came up in discussion. (Surprise, right?) The two clerks right there didn’t know what it was—one had confused it with bocce ball—so I found a video on YouTube about how to play it. After showing them that, mostly talking over the video, I did a search for “Andrew Santa Cruz pickleball” and a match from last summer appeared, one that featured Eric and me against Oleg and Jeff. I started that and they watched all of about one or two minutes. I watching it, I said, “Boy, I just hit a nice drop shot… wow, this is a really good point…” I was getting pretty good back then. Perspective is an interesting animal. There’s a certain amount of respect and admiration from afar for where I was compared to where I am now playing left-handed. There’s some frustration too. I want to be playing that well now! And how much of a slide will manifest itself when I switch back to my right hand? Where would my play have been had I not had pain for the last five months?

As it is, my right shoulder is sore. I’m far more aware of it now after my visit to the physical therapist. I can lift my upper arm to about 25 degrees below level with the ground before pain starts.

I’m harboring hopes that I’ll be back to right handed in time to play in the Cabrillo tournament in August. As always, time will tell!

Number of days on a court: 257
Number of total hours: 702.5

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