Pickleball The States

 March 6-11 2020 This was our first major multi state pickleball tour. We combined it with a visit to Barb's sister's in Dayton OH and made OH our first of 6 states we would add to our Pickleball the States count. When planning this trip, minimizing the number of hours we would be in the car was our goal along with attempting to schedule play in two states in a single day. In order to do this, we needed to determine where there were locations along a general route, what days those locations play, what time of day they play and who we could contact to confirm our information was correct and obtain any additional knowledge that might be helpful.  Google Maps came in handy in determining routes and how much time we would need for travel between locations. We created a spreadsheet with a row for each day and each column represented a 15 minute segment of time with columns from 8:00am to 7:00pm. The cells would be designated by color for travel, play and other activities. This a

March 11 2020 The YMCA of Kanawha Valley in Charleston WV was our sixth and last stop on our 6 state pickleball tour making West Virginia state number 13. Getting there was much harder than it should have been, but more on that later. When we pulled into the parking lot of this fairly new and well built facility, we were feeling like we were going to be the champions despite Barb's back problems which had been plaguing her the last couple of days. We were wrong. We were defeated multiple times, and it wasn't due to our play, but the skills of our opponents. The courts were on the gym floor and the area behind the base line was limited on both sides; one side with a curtain and the other with bleachers. The overall facility was fantastic, one in which the community should be proud of and support. We had a good time with the group there even though they schooled us on pickleball skills. Above is Dave & Ann, and below is Dan & Kathy. Now for the description of getting ther

 March 10 2020 6:00pm The Carroll Recreation Center was our 5th stop on our 6 state pickleball tour and the 2nd stop for the day. The first was in Asheville NC and fortunately Hillsville VA was only a little over 2.5 hours away, but seemed much longer when you have back issues. Riding in the car for 150 minutes was not a pleasant trip and the thought of playing pickleball was agonizing for Barb. She was determined though to at least play one game. The center had three courts on the gym floor with a walk around track up above. The lighting had much to be desired. This was also a popular center for other activities like weight lifting.  The background crashing sound of weights dropped to the floor was deafening and distracting for pickleball play. Despite her back ailment, Barb and I managed to win our first game. I don't thing the younger generation appreciates being schooled on pickleball from a female in her 60s. Barb then retired from pickleball and took laps around the walking t

  March 10 2020 Asheville NC is the 4th stop on our six state tour. After playing morning and night yesterday, we will do it again today. It's a two state day. Our play is at the Shiloh Recreation Center where parking was at a premium. They had 4 courts on a gym floor and rotation was handled via a sheet of paper and putting your names down on the list. There were a number of players and we had to ask how to get into rotation. It seems that the locations with larger number or courts and players are not as friendly as the smaller groups we go to. Perhaps the players are not familiar with each other and visitors are not easily identifiable from the regular group. After playing a couple of games, Barb's back was in serious pain as a result of some work she was doing three days prior. She attempted to walk it out in another gym area, but it was not letting up and hours in the car were not going to be kind to it either. Fortunately we played a couple games together and then I played

 March 9 2020 Jacksboro TN was our third stop on a six state Pickleball the States trip in spring of 2020. This morning we played in Georgetown KY then headed to Jacksboro for our evening play on the same day. We located a place to play at the First Baptist Church. While the courts were not the most ideal, the players were extremely welcoming and friendly.  Ron and Buster were our first opponents and were a pleasure to play against. They gave us some good play and much laughter.   Even with the court limitations, we would enjoy playing with this fine group of people again. Here you can see that the space behind the base line is maybe a yard. You know how much a problem that can be serving or returning deep serves or returns. You can also see a table with food. This was a normal occurrence to allow for individuals to get nourishment and get playing as soon as possible. Sloppy joes and hot dogs were this night's menu items. It was very family like and in fact, there were many family

  March 9 2020 Back in the 60s the Mamas and Papas sang "Monday Monday so good to me. Monday mornin' it was all I had hoped it would be." These lyrics were appropriate for our second stop on our 6 state pickleball tour. After spending a few days in Dayton OH we drove to Georgetown KY Sunday evening. Our pickleball play was scheduled for Monday morning at The Pavilion which was just down the road from where we were staying. We made sure to get a good night's rest so we would be ready to play early Monday morning. It was a very nice facility with the courts on the gym floor and tall curtains surrounding them to keep any activity in that area. As expected, the players were older with a range of skill levels represented. Since the group was at 10 people, there was no structured rotation. After playing a few games together, Barb and I split to play with others. It was a friendly group and we had an enjoyable time.   Once we completed playing at The Pavilion, we returned to

  March 7 2020 The covid-19 pandemic was in its early stages. The experts were telling us there was no need to worry or wear a mask. We arranged to take Barb's mom, who was now staying with us, to Dayton OH for a week to stay with Barb's sister while we added 6 states to our Pickleball the States endeavor.  We located play at the Kroc Center in Dayton which was an easy 15 minute drive from where we were staying. We were pleased to see 6 courts for play and surprised at 48 players. The courts were painted on the gym floor and the lighting was good. There was seating on bleachers surrounding the courts.  The rotation was unique at the Kroc Center. You identified a court you wanted to play on, and then went and sat by that court. When a game ended, you rotated in. We were able to rotate in on a few courts and even split up to play at times. The level of play was good for us. We would definitely play there again if we had the opportunity. It happened that we were in Dayton around t