Pickleball The States

  April 29 2023 We had checked IL off our list of  Pickleball the States back in June 2018, however, it wasn't quite the way we like to do it. For more info, you can open up up  Morton IL #4 - When it rains , We were on our way home from our Southwest Pickleball the States Tour and had spent the night in the Quad Cities area. Curious about possible pickleball play in the area on a Saturday morning, we checked Places2Play. The Riverside Pickleball Courts looked like they might be a welcome place to get in some open play before finishing our drive home, and we were right, it was a fantastic place to play. Eight dedicated courts were fenced off with shaded seating in the middle. Even though the courts were fairly new, they had replaced the previous smaller umbrellas with these new larger umbrellas and benches. All the courts this Saturday morning were full which was hopefully a sign we would be able to find some players willing to play with us.  Shortly after arriving, we

  April 26, 2023 If you watch HGTV, you may be familiar with Fort Morgan CO as one of the towns that they performed a Home Town Takeover on. While the pickleball courts were not part of the Home Town renovations, Joe who is a pickleball player and retired judge made sure that when the pickleball courts were in the approval stage they used the recommended specifications rather than the minimal specifications. This provided for ample room around the courts to go back for a lob or to try for an ATP. Caryl was our contact and was instrumental in seeing that there were players available when we arrived. After playing in Raton NM in the morning, we drove to Fort Morgan CO to play in the late afternoon. Tracy, Lynn, Joe and Caryl were there to provide some great play. Not only were they skilled in placing their shots, they were a delight to play with. The two dedicated courts in Optimist Park opened in June of 2018 and were still in excellent shape. They had lights for evening play and a fenc

  April 26 2003 The weather on this particular Wednesday was cold with a possibility of rain so play was scheduled inside at the Colfax County Event Center. Lobbing the ball inside was not going to be successful for those who like to lob. Our first game was against Leslie and Barbara. Leslie was our contact for play in Raton and she was faithful in seeing that players showed up the day we visited. Her pickleball partner Barbara was previously a tennis coach and her tennis skills transferred well to the pickleball court. Our next game was a bit different and something new to us. Leslie called it Chaos. On the sideline for each team was a third player who would replace the next player on their team that made a mistake. The photo at the top of the blog shows me, Leslie, Barb, Barbara, Jeanne and David just after our Chaos game. It was a great way to get players into the game and keep the game moving. We have used this method occasionally for play after returning home. We had a great group

  April 25 2023 - According to The Weather Station Experts , Amarillo TX is the windiest city in the USA. That could explain why we were unable to find players at the Amarillo Tennis Center for some outdoor play. The staff there was friendly but it didn't look like any players were going to show up. We had already struck out at the Warford Activity Center. Fortunately we had been able to play a game of pickleball in Denton TX, but we were not wanting to add TX to the list of states we had played pickleball in with just the bare minimum of one game. While at the Amarillo Tennis Center, we called   Amarillo Netplex . There was open play going on so we headed that way.  Just as we arrived, play was winding down and they were ready to call it a day. The staff walked back to the courts with Barb where she shared our story with four lovely ladies that were gracious enough to stay for a few more games. The staff was very friendly and also interested in our adventure. We were blown away wi

April 24 2023 - The weather is always an unknown variable when traveling to play pickleball on a tight schedule. This Monday was no exception. Recent weather had local courts questionable for outdoor play. Only indoor play at one location was scheduled in the late morning and attendance at that was questionable. As the morning began it was sunny and in the mid 50s. We took another look at the listing of weekly play that was posted on the Shreveport - Bossier City Pickleball FB page. We noticed Bellaire Pickleball and that they used Court Reserve. Before long we were accepted to their Court Reserve group and were in contact with them about finding some open play. When we arrived no one was on the courts, but we were hoping some players would show up. We went inside and were warmly greeted by the staff. The four courts were a little over a year old and were in immaculate condition. There was a nice shaded area with tables and chairs between the courts. The courts were lighted for eveni