Pickleball The States

  January 9 2023 During the last 5 years we have actively been pursuing our quest to play pickleball in all 50 states. Our involvement in elder care necessitated making the most of our time when we had the opportunity. We finally completed our quest on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai in Hanapepe. It had rained the night before so the courts were a little damp, but players were working to get them dried off quickly. While the courts suffered from years of neglect and abandon by tennis players, the pickleball players were welcoming and we soon felt like part of their family. Lucia, the local pickleball ambassador, maintained communication with us as well as letting us know where play would be occurring. There was a broad range of skill level at Hanapepe and we felt right at home. As we played we could hear and see the waves crashing on the shoreline. In nearby Koloa, we had the opportunity to play with a family that was all in when it came to pickleball. The dedicated courts here were l...

  September 2 2023 On our way back to the Seattle Tacoma airport after playing pickleball in Wenatchee WA and Hood River OR we felt it prudent to take the opportunity to visit Bainbridge Island WA where pickleball began back in 1965. It was our hope that we would be able to visit "court 1," but after making some contacts we realized that was not going to happen. We opted for the second best thing and went to Founders Courts. As we walked down the path to the courts, we spotted four ladies sitting at an umbrellaed table between the courts. We shared our story with them and even though they had already played for hours, they consented to play a couple of games with us to enable us to count Founders Courts on Bainbridge Island as another successful location on our Pickleball the States tour. It was a beautiful day. The sun's warming rays poured down on us as we played. Chris, Shannon, Lisa and Suzanne, with radiant smiles, made us feel welcome. They were adept players that w...

  August 30 2023 The plan was to drive three and a half hours from Wenatchee WA and play pickleball in The Dalles OR that evening and then drive to Hood River the next morning for some play at Golden Eagle Park. Perhaps it was the blustery wind, but not one player showed up at Sorosis Park in The Dalles.  We were starting to get concerned about playing in OR in our limited window of time. Would anyone show up at Golden Eagle Park? Would we have to alter our schedule and head to Portland? Hoping to get some assurance, we posted on the Hood River Valley Pickleball Community FB page that we would be there the next morning. There was one response, and it wasn't from someone who would be playing. He wished us well, but had some concern that the courts might have puddles from a recent rain. Fortunately, there was only one small puddle on one of the three courts when we arrived. That one small puddle was the only thing on the courts at 8:30 am which was the time we understood play ge...

 August 28 2023 We are often asked how we choose our locations to play pickleball. For this trip, Barb's nephew Steve and family live in Wenatchee, WA so combining a visit with them and playing pickleball in the Wenatchee Valley was an easy decision. Communicating with players prior to our arrival also directed us to play at Eastmont Community Park where we would find players with similar skills to ours playing in the mornings. As soon as we arrived at the courts, we met Diane and Allie, a mother/daughter team. Diane brought us up to speed on the paddle system in use. Paddle handles pointing north indicated advanced players. Handles pointing east were intermediate and handles pointing south were beginners. The six dedicated outdoor courts were filled with players, however, courts became available rather quickly. We had placed our paddles down with Diane and Allie and before long we were on the courts. They made a formidable pair to play against. Diane's background in volleyba...

  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 aft...

  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 ...

  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 g...

  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 wer...

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...

 January 2023 With the permacloud covering northern Indiana, it was an expedient time to flee south for some sun, blue skies, palm trees and pickleball. For years we have desired to visit the Florida Keys but have never made the trip even though we had been to southern FL numerous times. With friends now living in Big Pine Key and one of them unofficially "The Mayor of Pickleball" in Big Pine we pulled together plans to visit the Keys. Our first play was in Big Pine Key, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to play also in Key West, the Southernmost pickleball court in the continental US. As we hung our pickleball bag on the fence in Key West and placed our paddle in the rotation rack, we were observing play and noticed that the three courts on the south side were more skilled than most of those on the north. This was not a coincidence. We soon found out that the south courts were 'challenge courts.' The two players winning a game stayed on the court while ...

 January 14 2023 Escaping to the Florida Keys in the middle of a northern Indiana winter is not a difficult decision to make. Blue skies, beaches and warmer climates are all good choices. Well, two out of three isn't bad. We happened to arrive when the temperatures were in the 40s and 60s, but still better than back home. Having friends Ed and Dar living on Big Pine Key made it an easy choice where we would spend some of our time catching up. With Ed having the popularity of being "The Mayor of Pickleball" on Big Pine was an added bonus. The three dedicated courts at Blue Heron Community Park were located inland and protected from much of the wind that was occurring during our stay. The players were friendly and challenging with most at or above 3.5.  They have a nice set up for their rotation system using a paddle holder and indicator of which group is next. Many locations use a paddle grouping system, but few look as good or are as sturdy as this system. Another aspec...