Category: Pickleball (Page 227 of 326)

Saturday, August 10, 2019 (Court Day #294)
Cabrillo Tournament – Mixed Doubles

54th day out playing lefty. Tennis elbow.

I arrived at Cabrillo about 8:20 a.m. Mike Hoxie, the tournament director, said in an email that we had to be there by 8:30 and that all matches were starting at 9 a.m. regardless of bracket.

The business area of the tournament. The near tent was for injuries. The two right tents were hospitality with food and drinks and chairs to hangout in.

There were a bunch of courts! I was impressed! There were at least 16 plus another handful for warm up. Karen Long was there and I gave her some Santa Cruz Pickleball Club informational signs that I’d made up on behalf of the club. She was going to pass them along to Dave Allenbaugh for laminating and posting at our local courts.

Carrie got Mark G. (who was volunteering today) to take our photo on her phone.

There were plenty of empty courts to warm up on, so Carrie and I did some dinking until we all got called over for the group tournament instructions.

Mark Ramsay, welcomes the competitors while Mike Hoxie (in red) looks on. Olga’s head is in the lower right corner. She was playing with Binh in the 3.5 under-50 bracket.

After Mike Hoxie (TD) and Mark Ramsay (the Athletic Director of Cabrillo College) spoke, Karen Long, an official USAPA Ambassador and current president of the Santa Cruz Pickleball Club, was given an opportunity to address the competitors. She thanked Kim and Jennifer (Watson Yoder) for spearheading this event.

We had the National Anthem (a recording) then dispersed to our courts to play. We’d be playing games to 11.

Here was our bracket:

Eight teams, seven rounds of games. For whatever reason, they decided to hold it as a round robin instead of double elimination, which is great, we are all guaranteed seven games instead of two.

Match #1

We had our first match right off the bat at Court #3. We played against Lorraine—she said only her friends call her “Rainey”—and Ed, both from the south San Francisco area. We lost that first game 11-5. It wasn’t really ever close. It was a disappointing start.

Match #2

Becky and Roy from the Monterey area were our second opponents. We lost 11-0! I hit two service returns into the net and another two service returns long. That was 4 points right there. Miserable. Becky hit one shot between us which was my fault for not tracking enough to the left. Becky hit one shot at my shoulder from the kitchen off a high ball from Carrie and I wasn’t ready and my return sailed out. A consistent theme for the morning—and most mixed matches—our opponents were very much targeting Carrie. 

In a match. Honestly, I’m not sure which one. This photo was taken and shared later—along with other photos—with the members of the Santa Cruz Pickleball Club.

Match #3

In a game against locals Jim and Sharon, we lost 11-3. This game should not have been nearly this lopsided.

Of particular note in this game was during warm up, Jim hit a shot down the right sideline. I switched my paddle to my right hand to get it back to him and—PAIN! The ball sailed wide to the right. This intense and surprising pain was in my right shoulder. Wow. I really need to get it looked at.

Match #4

Locals Kristin and Mike were our opponents for the fourth match. Kristin is funny. While we were all hanging out in the shade of the injury tent, She jokingly asked how my car was. (She backed into it at the Scotts Valley courts about a year ago.) We kidded back and forth as Mike enjoyed the exchange. Oh, and Kristin early had said they’d won first game 15 to something. “15?” I told her that we were all playing to 11. She said Jennifer had told them that they were playing to 15. Oops. A little administration confusion!

Carrie and I took the lead off the bat and held it for quite a while, it was 6-2 in our favor. We continued to lead most of game including to the point of 9-5. But then they went on a run and came back and won 11-9. Bummer! So close.

Match #5

Our next game was against Lori Cambridge (lives in Aptos) and Roger (Pleasanton). Being that they were from two different towns, I figure that Lori and Roger had signed up independently without a partner and were thrown together as a team.

Someone had taken and kept the starting server band from the basket so there was only one which our opponents took. There wasn’t one for me to wear. After a few points, Lori was obviously irritated about me having no band—especially with Carrie and I stacking—so she walked over to the next court and since it was between matches, she took a band out of its basket and gave it to me to wear.

Carrie and I  lead early and chugged along and won 11-8.

After the match, I asked Mike Hoxie if he had some extra bands since one of the courts was missing one and he produced a whole bag. I took a couple—one for court we’d just played on and another for me just in case another court was missing bands.

Match #6

Lisa from Danville and Ed from Walnut Creek were our next opponents. After our win, we were feeling more confident. But after not very long, we were down by a lot of points. We came back to 10-6, but they got that last point and we lost 11-6. 

A panorama of one side of the courts.

We had a rather long wait until our last match. I think it was almost 45 minutes.

Match #7

Husband and wife team Rick and Kelly May from San Juan Bautista were our last game. They set up a camera on a tripod to record the game. They steamrolled to a 11-2 win. It was never in doubt. Carrie and I made our only stacking mistake in this game. Our score was even and Carrie got the ball and served from the right side—I didn’t even think to check if she was the correct server and just assumed she was right . . . a dumb mistake since she was relying on me to tell her what to do with regard to stacking. After the point—which we lost anyway—Kelly called us out on the mistake and Carrie served again but as the correct (second) server from the correct court. It would have been a real drag had we won that point and had to have given it up!

The nearly final bracket grid. For the bottom sheet, you read the columns down for a particular team’s score in a game and to find the opponents score in a game with us, you go down their column until you meet our horizontal line.

Tennis Elbow

I did take maybe a dozen service returns with my right hand—those that came significantly to my right side. Everything else was left-handed including all of my serves.

After our last, I walked over to the Mays and chatted for a minute. Rick said he had really bad tennis elbow and tried a bunch of forearm bands until he settled on the Bandit. It’s the same brand that Stuart had recommended to me months ago. I’m going to have to get myself one of those.

Wrap-Up

I feel bad that I got Carrie into this, even though she was a very good sport about the experience. She wasn’t looking to get into tournament play but I asked her. If you do the math, we averaged just over 5 points per game—5.142 points to be more exact. It wasn’t a fun experience for us losing games 11-0, 11-2, 11-3. Me, playing left-handed, and her less than a year into pickleball and her used to her tennis-based drive shots being more effective against run-of-the-mill players. Tournament players are much better handling drives. We were the second worst team out of eight. Carrie wasn’t quite ready in her skill development and I’m often optimistic to a fault and thought our opponents wouldn’t be as tough as they were.

Men’s Doubles

As I was on my way out around 1 p.m., Binh said, “We’re going to have some tough competition tomorrow.”

Forearm Band

I found a Bandit online and ordered one. I still need to get a more elbow-friendly paddle too for the day I get to return to playing with my right hand.

Number of days on a court: 294
Number of total hours: 813.5

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

Wednesday, August 7, 2019 (Court Day #293)

53rd day out playing lefty. Tennis elbow.

Carrie texted me in the middle of the night, which I slept right through. She was really stressed over the tournament and was suggesting that I find another partner—though she’d play if I couldn’t since she didn’t want to leave me in a lurch.

After trying to encourage her last night: “it’s just a game”, “the goal is to have fun”, etc. This morning, she was still wanting to back out but not leave me without a partner. She was suggesting that Janet might be available.

Derby

I arrived at Derby Park pretty close to 9:30. Moving slowly.

There are days where you just want to take up another sport. Except for the last couple of games, today was one of those. I was simply not playing well. No ifs ands or buts.

Carrie and I played a game against Binh and Olga. We got clobbered.

Carrie and I played a game against Cal and Ron. Cal was his reliable self. We lost 11-0.

Things were not going well. Bing suggested Carrie and I play a game against Ron and newbie Jazmine. We won that one but it wasn’t as decisive as it should have been.

Carrie and my last game was against Kevin and Rich. Surprisingly, we held our own, leading 3-2 at one point. We did eventually lose 11-5 or 11-6, but that was expected. Afterward, Rich asked if we wanted some advice. He and Kevin then suggested to Carrie that she stay closer to me and not leave a hole down the middle. (Rich had hit two or three winners down the middle from my right to my left.)

Close to noon, Carrie had to leave to teach an art class.

Binh and I played a game against Rick and Ted B. We were fairly solid. Like most of the morning, I was returning right side serves with my right hand. I hit a high ball to my right side right-handed off the court for a winner. Binh and I won probably something like 11-5. I don’t recall.

Eric and played a game against Olga and . . . was it Janet? I can’t remember. We lost. Eric said, “I’m not fast enough to cover for you like Binh is.” Yep, Binh has to clean up my “messes” sometimes. But Binh isn’t perfect either, of course. But he does get some shots that you might not expect him to get.

Tournament

After some play today and talking to Carrie, she was far more comfortable with the idea of playing in 3.0 instead of 3.5. After figuring out who was playing in 3.5—like Olga and Jane—she didn’t want to play in 3.5. She was feeling very outclassed. And, to be honest, after playing crappy today, I’m thinking 3.5 would be a stretch for me also . . . so since we are playing as a TEAM and Carrie is the weak link—though after today I have to wonder about that!—3.0 makes the most sense.

I emailed Mike Hoxie of Pickleball is Great, the tournament director, and I received a call a couple of hours later from Gigi on my home answering machine as I was getting ready for work saying they’d moved us to 3.0. Success. I texted Carrie and she is ready to play and is much happier.

There are far fewer locals in the lower bracket. Kristin Long and Mike Ballard. I’m not sure if I know Mike. I know a Mike, but I’m not sure if he’s the Mike. The Mike I know is closer to a 4.0 than a 3.0. The other local-ish team is Sharon Goldau and Jim Dal Porto. I’ve seen Jim at Brommer fairly regularly. Sharon, I can’t picture, but I bet I’d recognize her.

Thursday, August 8, 2019 (No Play)

So, my right arm is definitely not ready for a return. It’s been mildly aching up my forearm all day. And it’s sorer at the elbow bone with pressure. The aching is hard to describe. It’s a combination of a mild burning sensation and a dull ache.

There are times when I get depressed and frustrated about my pickleball universe. I want to play right-handed. I am so much better playing right-handed. Getting a taste of playing right handed was necessary since I need to know if I’m ready to switch back. But it’s also super frustrating. I play so much better right-handed, but I shouldn’t since it’s a chronic injury!

Friday, August 9, 2019 (No Play)

Tournament tomorrow. My right elbow is still aching some. A little better than yesterday, thought it’s still pretty sore when I press near the elbow.

Number of days on a court: 293
Number of total hours: 810.5

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

Monday, August 5, 2019 (Court Day #292)

52nd day out playing lefty. Tennis elbow.

I woke up. My body was still fatigued from yesterday’s five hour pickleball ordeal. Play? Not play? I was strongly considering just going to work. But with a tournament this weekend, I should get out there.

I put on my shoes but with two layers of socks, it was a bit tight on my toes. I grabbed one of the pairs I’d ordered recently. I removed one layer of socks and slipped on the new pair. I went to lace up my left shoe. What the heck? There was a knot in the lace that prevented me from tying the shoe. Grrrr. And it was a bugger of a knot too. Begrudgingly, I took off the shoes, put back on the second layer of socks and reverted back to my old pair. *sigh*

After my shoe adventures and moving slowly, I arrived at Brommer Park about 9:30. A couple of the eight courts were still empty. Leslie asked me to come be their fourth. I played ok. Missed a couple of serves and drop shots. Nothing to write home about.

Cal reaches for a ball at the net with Barb S. looking on. Binh and Olga are seen on the far side of the court to the right.

Chris and I played an early game against Jean and Judy. We were down a bit, but decisively came back and won the game. I played better as the game progressed. I told Chris so. “You know why right? They were hitting everything to you!”

Shawnte and I played a rotten game together. I think we lost 11-3 against Gregg and his partner. Shawnte enjoyed the game though and we played another against Tristan and a woman whom I forget. Going into the game, Shawnte and I agreed to try to hit almost everything as drop shots. Yeah. While it may have been ok practice, we lost 11-0.

At this point in the morning, my drop shot was horrible. Sometimes, the ball would even land somewhere between my feet and the net. The ball landing in the top half of the net was almost a victory. It was bad. If I play like this at the tournament, it’ll be a very short day!

The best game of the day was the last. Binh and I against Jean and Olga. Jean and Olga won gold in the women’s doubles last month. I think they should be in 3.5 but have been playing in 3.0. Olga said her rating is 3.4-something. Binh and I lost the first few points then had to battle back from an 1-5 deficit. Eventually, we did win 11-9. There were some very good battles at the net. “When your right hand is better, you are going to drive your opponents crazy being able to play with either hand.”

Binh suggested one more game. I saw Olga was wearing a device on her write that would probably give the time. “Olga. What time is it?” “11:40 . . .” . . . I got excited . . . “no, 12:40.” I turned to Binh, “I gotta go. It’s half an hour later than I thought it was!

Of note, I played much better when stacking. It felt “right”.

Righty-Lefty

Today, I continued to experiment a little bit with using my right to return serves coming to my right side. Switching can be confusing. On one right-handed return, I hit the ball into the net. Unheard of. With more practice, I got it down though. I probably half a dozen to a dozen returns I did with my right hand.

Evening

Tonight, an email came out from the club that someone had their bicycle stolen at Brommer today. The bike was locked by the picnic tables. Even with all the activity, a thief brazenly cut the lock. Santa Cruz. Such a bummer. My son Nicholas’ bike was stolen right out of our open garage door during broad daylight. The perpetrator had ridden up with a junker bike and hopped on my son’s which had been a nice gift from his grandparents. These days, we vigilantly keep our garage door closed. Such a shame. Santa Cruz has a inordinately high level of property crime. Especially bikes. Bikes are turned readily into cash for drugs.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 (No Play)

I’m trying to figure out what to make of my right arm. It’s not painful. Maybe it’s a bit more “off” than normal, but it’s hard for me to put my finger on it . . . no pun intended. I shook a person’s hand today with no pain. When I tried righty a few weeks back in Scotts Valley, the next day, shaking hands hurt. But I also limited my play quite a bit more this time. At the bottom of the humerus (upper arm) bone at the outside of the elbow is a round bump. Right in front of that is where some of the tennis elbow pain would manifest itself. It’s still ever so slightly sensitive to pressure. I didn’t notice my tennis elbow until late in the day when I was lifting and swinging something with my right arm, then it was unmistakably still there. Not bad, but residual.

Carrie texted me. She’s a good soul. She was getting nervous about not doing well at the tournament and letting me down, I told her it’s only a game and no one will die if we get “slaughtered”—her choice of wording. I’m just happy to be able to play at all!

Number of days on a court: 292
Number of total hours: 807.5

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