Monday, September 2, 2024 (Court Day #710), Labor Day
Last night, I tried to arrange some people to meet with me at Derby Park to play to avoid the boatload of people that I’d expect to be at club play at Brommer. Nearly everyone was busy, although Ying said that she and Larry would be a Derby Park in the morning. I said I’d probably come around 9 a.m.
At about 9:15 a.m., Larry texted and asked if I was going to be at Derby Park to meet with them. I told him that I would be there in about 15 to 20 minutes.
Derby
I arrived at Derby Park at 9:30 a.m. Parking was relatively easy and when I walked to the courts, only half were in use. Larry and Ying were in a game with barefoot Terry S. and her husband Gary.
Games were a mix of challenging and not challenging. An example of not challenging was myself in barefoot Terry against tall, older Mike and another man named Gary whom I’d never met. In that game, I played entirely left-handed and we won 11–0.
On the more challenging end was me partnered with Terry in my first game against Ying and Larry.
There are definitely some good rallies in some of those games.
Ying between games.
Pauly
Pauly arrived and Larry and I played a game against him and Ying. Larry and I won but it wasn’t an easy game.
Larry and Ying were done. Larry said he had come at 8 a.m. (He had his new Titan ball machine there.) Terry and her husband Gary were playing with some friends at the opposite end of the courts. Pauly agreed to a game of skinny singles with me. Pauly ended up winning 11–4. It was a good drilling situation.
We finished that game shortly before noon and I was debating whether I wanted to go to Brommer, or wanted to go home and have lunch, or if you want to go and have lunch and then go to Brommer. I checked my backpack and I had a snack bar. I decided to go directly to Brommer.
I was pretty sweaty from my 2 1/2 hours at Derby… and a bit tired from playing 3 1/2 hours yesterday.
Brommer
I arrived at 12:24 p.m. Club play had wrapped up at noon and I greeted Andrew McLeod on his way out as he was chatting with Oscar. Andrew said he wanted me to print out some club forms in bulk for him.
Pauly showed up after riding his e-bike and I was still waiting on the wall to get into a game. He and I played a game against a couple people. It was an OK game.
Pauly and I played three games against a couple of guys, I’d never met before, Carson and Ben. We won the first one, lost the second, and also lost the third. Those are good games. Carson and Ben played better than I was expecting. I’d say Carson is a stronger of the two, just as I was a stronger of Pauly and myself.
At 1:55 p.m., I decided to call it a day. I could have rolled easily into one more game, but Carson was willing to be a fourth, so I was free to go.
It was warm and I was beat.
Quiet Balls
I discovered a package in our mailbox yesterday. I assumed it was something my wife ordered, but when she opened it, she was annoyed that I’d handed it to her. It was a package of pickleballs. Not ordinary pickleballs, but special soft and quiet Ninja pickleballs for drilling. The original green versions have been superseded by this never version which, according to a third party review, bounces more like a real pickleball. I’ll need to do my own testing.
Number of days on a court: 710 Number of total hours: 2,946.5 Number of paid coaching hours: 69.5
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My son Nicholas came to town for the holiday weekend. He’s been taking some pickleball classes (of 20 students) in the San Jose area once a week for a couple of months. He finished their beginner class and moved to the intermediate class, but the instructor told him he should sign up for the advanced class next time. My wife texted me yesterday saying Nicholas wanted to join me at pickleball. He was a bit concerned that I was going to a Brommer and if he’d be able to fit into games with the stronger players.
I had to stop by work (actually twice) this morning though our family business was closed. The first time to record a message about being closed for the holiday and also upload our September Buyers Guide to our website. The second time, with Nicholas, I discovered that I’d accidentally set the alarm on our bookkeeper who had come in to do some month-end duties!
Brommer Park
By the time Nicholas and I arrived at Brommer and were inside the gate, it was 10:40 a.m.
That’s Pauly at the right with William behind him along the wall.
Oscar saw me taking a photo of the courts and joke that I should take a photo of him. So I did!
“You should take a video of this point!”
First Game
Nicholas and I got into our first game. It was William and Anne (Erik’s wife). William seems to be a Sunday regular and is a very strong player. Anne is a 3.0. Nicholas was playing poorly and after a few points by our opponents, he said that his confident was shot. I was playing poorly myself and with Nicholas playing like a newbie, we got clobbered in an embarrassing fashion! 11-2? Regardless, it was bad.
John & John
We played 4-5 games against two guys named John, whom I’d never seen before. They are solid 3.0 players and one would occasionally hit 3.5 level shots. Nicholas and I won all but one of the games.
With me not teaching today due to the holiday, there was no time pressure to leave.
We called it a day at 2:20 p.m. after 3 hours and 40 minutes at the courts. Nicholas said he usually only plays 90 minutes at a time since that is the length of his class.
Of note, I tried some backhand slice shots. They were effective. I hadn’t really used them since tennis in my 20s. Forehand, sure. Backhand, not so much.
Nicholas
I have to say, I was impressed with Nicholas’ play. He got better and better as the session moved along. I even had a passing thought later about maybe the two of us doing a tournament together. Ratings might be an issue, so maybe when he gets a little bit better, we could consider that.
PPR
Tonight, I renewed PPR membership for $212. I’ll stay listed on their website as a certified instructor and get their insurance coverage for the next year.
Number of days on a court: 709 Number of total hours: 2,942.5 Number of paid coaching hours: 69.5
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Last night, my brother John decided to go for a walk shortly after 9 p.m. and he figured that he’d spend that time talking to me on the phone. When he called, I quietly moved into our garage so I wouldn’t wake up my wife. I should have turned on the light! Instead, I missed a step in the dark, fell, dropped my phone, and slammed my merely socked left foot into a metal and wood shoe rack. My phone was fine, my foot hurt like crazy, so I just talked to my brother while lying on the garage floor for a few minutes as I gave my myself some time to diagnose my foot. Then I told my brother that I’d call him back. I retrieved one of my pickleball ice packs from the fridge for my foot, then hobbled back into the garage—with the light on this time!—and spent the next 45 minutes talking to John about pickleball—he had questions—and his kids and life.
Visit at Work
This afternoon, Ethan and his friend Caitlin stopped in at work. I showed them around the store and they ended up buying some Lenz Arts T-shirts. Ethan bought one shirt in charcoal and one in sage—a lighter subdued green—and Caitlin bought one in sage. I told them that I’d be wearing my sage one tonight. Ethan said they would be there and wear their matching shirts. Fun! Ethan said he is moving home to San Luis Obispo on Saturday. That’ll be a bummer. I like Ethan, plus he’s a very strong player.
Coincidentally, Barb J. stopped by while Ethan and Cait were there and dropped off a pickleball related item as a gift or to donate toward the fundraiser dinner in about six weeks.
Foot
Today, my foot wasn’t feeling too bad. Sure, it was a little sore, but certainly playable.
Early Departure
I left work at 4:45 p.m. to pick up medication for our dog Pepper from the vet, which closes at 5 p.m. My mission was a success and given that the vet office is in Scotts Valley, it is easy to roll right into pickleball. Fortunately, one of my staff was willing to close the business for me today.
I got to Skypark, it was sunny and in the mid 70s. I don’t know for ever been to the courts this early, that is, about 5 p.m.
Casey and his dad Tim were already in a game with Kiko and his dad Carlos.
One of the father and son vs. father and son games.
The Big Boys
Drew, Marquis, and Chayton arrived. They are part of the group that is considered more elite and it’s hard to get into games with them. And they are all over 6-foot and I’m a measly 5’8” in comparison. I asked if I could warm up with them. There was no one else as a fourth, so it was an easy “yes.”
I warmed up “against” Drew with Chayton to my right across from Marquis. We were soon in a game and since Chayton happened to be on my side, that would be the teams.
It was a back and forth game, but Chayton and I won that first game 11-8.
We had a rubber match, switching sides of the court. Chayton and I went up 7-1. Chayton the made a series of mistakes and they started targeting him. But we tightened it up and won again 11-9.
We moved off the courts to get water and Drew then left at 5:47 p.m. to be somewhere by 6 p.m., but he stopped while exiting the gate and he shared, “You whipped my butt!” I have to say, there was satisfaction in outplaying my court mates. Maybe I’ll have better luck getting into more challenging games.
Sean Lynch and some another player appeared and Chayton and Marquis were soon in a game with them. Later, I noticed Chayton was no longer playing with them and I asked him about it. He smiled and said something about recognizing when you are the weakest player and knowing when to leave a group. I respect that.
More Games
Paul and I played against Jax and Mike, who is retiring at the end of the year. It was a pretty close back-and-forth game, but Paul and I pulled off a win.
It was busy tonight, but the waits weren’t too bad, there was only probably 3-6 minutes between games.
Spencer, Jax, Chayton
Spencer and I played a game against Jax and Chayton. Spencer and I had taken a lead early but they had come back to make the score close and they eventually won 14–12. A very balanced game. My game wasn’t as tight as the very first two of the night, and it was Spencer’s first game.
I was playing extremely well until the sun started setting. Then things started getting a little off. But still, I felt that I played fairly well. I went home quite happy with the level of my play tonight.
One Last Game
Ethan and Caitlin showed up wearing the shirts that they had purchased today, so all three of us were matching. We squeezed in one last game together with Paul as my partner. We’re taking it a little easy on Caitlin. Ethan was doing an exceptional job dropping the ball just over the net off of our shots from the baseline—dropshots or otherwise. He won three or four rallies with those shots.
Ethan, me, and Caitlin sporting our Lenz Arts T-shirts.And the backs!
Ethan said he would be coming back to visit. He has too many friends in town not to. I’ve gotten to know him quite a bit more over the last few months. He’ll be missed.
Friday, August 30, 2024 (No Play)
Pickleball on CBS News’ Sunday Morning. This isn’t new and I believe I’ve seen it before, but this popped up on social media today: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-acDXsO2gc
Hurt Foot
By late afternoon, my left foot was aching a lot. I had smacked it pretty good when I fell on Wednesday night. Today, I was limping by midafternoon. This did not feel normal. I messaged my doctor asking about a possible broken bone in my foot. Not long after, at 5:16 p.m., I got a call from his assistant. He said they consider this something to address very quickly and suggested that I go to Urgent Care.
Shortly after, I left work and, fortunately, it was quiet at the medical clinic. They got me in quickly, checked out my foot then sent me downstairs for an immediate X-ray.
I came back upstairs and sat in an examination room until a PA came in and reviewed the X-rays. No break. She traced the red area on my foot with a pen for reference, took a photo, applied a cream to the area on my foot where the skin got scraped off through my sock and applied a bandage. That was that. No break, but still hurt pretty darn good.
Saturday, August 31, 2024 (No Play)
The annual highland games in Pleasanton were this weekend, as always, Labor Day weekend. I typically give a ride to my bagpiping mentor, Jay, and that was the case this year as well. I told him I might not be able to go due to my foot, but when I woke up, it was dramatically better since yesterday afternoon. It still hurt, but I wasn’t limping.
Jay wanted to be there early to support his competing students and since his car wasn’t working, he wanted me to drive up Highway 1 on the coast and pick him up in the boonies then drive to the Alameda County fairgrounds. I woke up numerous times during the night then finally woke up for good at 5:11 a.m.
The coastal stop turned what would have been an hour trip into an hour and a half drive . . . plus an additional 20 minutes when Jay thought he left something on, so we had to go back and make sure it was off. But it was a very enjoyable day seeing friends and listening to good music. And my foot was doing reasonably well.
Cascadia Pipe Band out of Seattle. Canadian Shaunna Hilder, on the right, one of a number of judges. I first met her and her husband David, both elite band bagpipers, probably 20 years ago.
Funny
I have to tell a story.
While there—WUSPBA, the Western United States Pipe Band Association—had a row of tables and canopies to promote piping and drumming and provide assistance to competitors. On one of the tables were about a dozen practice chanters. For the uninitiated, a practice chanter (or “PC”) is a 2-piece reeded musical instrument somewhat similar to a recorder. It’s what bagpipers use to learn new musical pieces—referred to as “tunes” (or “choons” in Scottish brogue!)—and used to practice without having to pull out a very loud set of Great Highland Bagpipes.
I walked up to the table and innocently asked, “Are these for learning bagpipes?” The 20-something-year-old volunteer piper confirmed they were and I asked him to show me where to put my fingers. I blew into the PC and got a errant duck sound. *SQUAK!* “You might want blow a little harder.” *SQUAK!* “Or a little softer.” Then I sounded the note properly: “mmmmmmmm.” I slowly moved up the scale for a couple of notes… then ripped off a crunluath a mach… an advanced piping embellishment. “OH! Piobaireach!” Yes, it was an embellishment unique to piobaireachd (“pee-brock”), the classical music of the pipes. It was then he knew that I was toying with him. I won an all-around bagpiping trophy here at this very games probably 20 years ago now.
He was pretty cool about me teasing him. I explained that I was the former Executive Secretary (#3 in the leadership chain) for the association about 15 years ago. It turned out he, David Huxley, is the pipe major (leader) of U.C. Riverside Pipe Band. Respect. I can guarantee that he’s a better piper than I am!
Number of days on a court: 708 Number of total hours: 2,939 Number of paid coaching hours: 69.5
To start at the beginning of this blog click on “1st Post” in the menu above.
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