Greece NY #33 - It's Electrifyin'

 September 30, 2021

Greece NY was the first stop on our New England four state tour. Yes, we know that NY is not in New England, but it's close. Greece is on the outskirts of Rochester NY. We arrived in the area early afternoon. The original plan was to play the next morning, but we heard that there might also be play around 5:00 that evening. 

We chose to fill the afternoon with a bike ride on a portion of the Genesee Riverway Trail that runs from Lake Ontario through Rochester NY. We started our ride on the pier and rode to the lower falls. The trail took us along the harbor, past a light house, onto a lengthy scenic boardwalk, transitioning to an asphalt trail (some of which had a bad case of root varicose veins), past the Kodak plant and finally arriving at the lower falls of the Genesee River. It was a cool and overcast day, but despite that we thoroughly enjoyed the ride. 

After checking into our hotel, we donned our pickleball outfits and headed to the courts hoping to find some open play. The six dedicated courts were located behind the Town Hall and were in excellent condition. They were even lighted for evening play. When we arrived there was one court in play, and another player was arriving. Soon others came and we were ready to begin playing.  

We joined Steve and Aydin and quickly went down 5-11. "It was a warm up game." Other courts were playing and no one waiting, so we switched sides and played a second game. This time we reversed the tables and won 11-5. Well, you can't stop playing with each team winning one, so we switched sides and played for the tie breaker. We won the third game 11-7, but it's not about the win, it's about having good play. Steve and Aydin provided us with that. We would enjoy playing with them again.

Our next game was against Tom and Patty. Tom was left handed, so I had to adjust my returns so they weren't going to his easy forehand. Tom tended to leave a little too much court open favoring his forehand and staying back longer than he should. Patty knows what brand paddle to go with. :-) Paddletek is our choice of paddle also. Living so close to where paddles are manufactured and being friends with the owners and employees makes it an easy choice along with the fact that so many professionals also choose it. We like the Tempest Wave. You will see in the photo that we had a photo bomber, Meg, who is a little firecracker that we were able to play against next.

Trish and Meg had been watching us play, so they knew our good shots and were prepared for them. As we were getting ready to play the ladies, one of the other players referred to them as "The Tough Ladies." This was a reference to their skill level and likely to the fact that as a team they were formidable. Before long, we were down 3-10 and were hoping for a few more points before going down completely. Too often players who are down significantly attempt low percentage shots in desperation for a winning shot. It is better to remain calm and play "your shots" giving the opponent sufficient time to make a mistake. By the time we gave up the serve, we had climbed back to 10-10. I think this got into their heads and they turned the serve back over to us without scoring a point. We continued to remain calm and ended up winning 12-10. Meg and Trish were a delight to play against and are "The Tough Ladies." They are skilled players.

By the time we left, there were numerous teams playing. The courts are in excellent condition and the community of Greece should be commended for having dedicated courts and for lighting them for evening play. Greece NY Pickleball is an active pickleball group with great play.

While in Greece, we were not able to play with Wendy, but she was intrigued by our venture to play in all 50 states. We shared contact information and then called her while traveling the next day to talk about what we were doing and what some of our experiences. We are invigorated by individuals like Wendy who find what we are doing intriguing and exciting.