I had fun playing with a rotation of partners, including: MD (pickleball princess, who since removed me off her speed dial), CM (taco belle, because she's a bit spicy), JC (younger version of Brad Pitt...LOL, he knows it, too), LE (can’t play on Fridays, which is inconveniently when all the good tournaments are), ED (we won the Provincials, but I should apologize to), PB (lefty, which is both a blessing and a curse), SJ (hit hard and harder, dink?  What's that?), CC (every ball is coming back, like a terrifying boomerang and JH (it’s not badminton out there.).  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention SA or SM (the same person - the Queen B of organizing) - tries to include the old man when she can.  

Let's be honest: pickleball can be incredibly frustrating. I’m putting it out there because I know I’m not alone. Anyone who's tried to learn a new skill, whether it's a sport, cooking, or building something, understands that progress isn’t always linear. Some days, it clicks; other days, you just shake your head in disbelief. And yes, there's also a thing called "pickleball politics," which we'll delve into later.  

One and done and its in the books.  I have now officially played my first “outside” pickleball tournament and it was an interesting experience.  Lot of great observations from playing it.  So…where to begin.  When I say first outside event, I mean that its the first event not played at the club where I am a member.  One that would involve playing people you have never played again

Yes, I can well imagine that probably no one cares about anyone’s recap.  As 2024 came to a close the media, especially old style print would provide all kinds of the “best of” in various categories.  The best movies, TV show, theatre, books etc…etc.  I wouldn’t look at all of them but when I did I usually would realize that I had actually not seen or read many of the best of the best.  The Toronto Star listed the following movies as the best of 2024.

What I have not told you that near the end of August I was stil playing - remember I had not had the shots. I had my usual game with JB and I remember hitting a serve and I felt this terrible pain in my elbow. I finished the game and it got worse….and worse. Over the next few days, I was not feeling so great.

Wow…what a difference a year can make. The picture I took above is of Roger Federer playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium in last year’s event. I was fortunate to be able to go to the tournament and I had great tickets courtesy of @wilsontennis . This year - not so lucky. Of course, no one is lucky because the tournament is taking place without any spectators. The arrival of Covid 19 has meant most sports were either stopped completely or just recently introduced again (with severe restrictions). We have been able to watch hockey, baseball, basketball and now tennis with the players living in a protected bubble.

What is it…….it’s really is a personal ball machine. You can carry in the car and wheel it up to the courts. It looks like a large travel tennis bag. It’s also rechargeable and it holds about 144 tennis balls. Of course there are a number of ways to alter the performance of the product including the speed, height and it can also be purchased with an oscillator that that will ensure you are running from side to side.