Illinois Take 2

 

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 engaged Michelle and Janet in conversation while waiting for an available court. One soon opened up and the four of us were quickly engulfed in a match where we were all equally skilled players and we were confident we gave our opponents a worthwhile game. 
Our next game was against Steve and John who were preparing for an upcoming tournament where they would be playing at the 3.5 level. The wind was a factor as you can see from the orange windsock in the background. While some players don't like the wind, Harold is good with some wind to make the game exciting. Even though we lost, we gave our opponents good competitive play.
Our final game was with John and Michelle (from the two previous games) for a good mixed double match. All the players we played with this Saturday morning were skilled players and gave us enjoyable challenging games. We would definitely recommend these courts and players for a place to play if you are in the Quad Cities area.
While in the Quad Cities area, we had enough time to ride the Duck Creek Trail which is an enjoyable 13.5 mile one way paved trail from Davenport IA to Riverdale IA. The section at the Riverdale end of the trail had some beautiful scenery. In this photo, we are close to the Davenport trail end.
Location: 3300 5th Ave, Moline, IL 61265, USA

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