Week 289-291 - Bye, Bye, Arizona - 03-11-2012

Winter is over!

Really? Well, our season of Pickleball is over. Our wintertime travels have been curtailed for the last two years as we have been playing Pickleball tournaments in the South West. This year's PB season started at the 25th Annual Huntsman Senior Games in St. George, Utah. After playing eleven tournaments in the 2010-2011 season, our skills greatly increased. At Huntsman 2010 we went Bang-Bang-Out, meaning that we lost our first and second matches and that event was over. We were excited to see how much better we could do this season 2011-2012, playing again at the 3.5 skill level. Well, we guess that others got better also, as we went Bang-Bang-Out again!

Oct 10-14, 2011 25th Annual Huntsman Senior Games, St. George, Utah
Pete/Ellen: Bang-Bang-Out

The rest of the season went better.

Oct 28-30, 2011 1st Annual Surprise Skill, Surprise, Arizona
Pete/Ellen 3.5 Mixed Doubles - Bronze

Nov 25-27,2011 Thankspickling Skill Tournament, Oceanside, California
Ellen/Pete 3.5 Mixed Doubles - Bronze
Ellen/Deedee 3.5 Women's Doubles - Bronze
Pete/Gordon 3.5 Men's Doubles - Bronze
Ellen Singles 3.5 Women's Singles - Bronze

Jan 5-7, 2012 2nd Annual Mission Hills, Rancho Mirage, California
Ellen/Deedee 3.5 Women's Doubles - Bronze
Pete/Gordon 3.5 Men's Doubles - Gold
Pete/Ellen 3.5 Mixed Doubles - Gold

Jan 19-21, 2012 Voyager Tucson Senior Games, Tucson, Arizona
Ellen/Carol 3.5 Women's Doubles - Bronze

Feb3-5 1st Annual Mission Royale, Casa Grande, Arizona
Ellen/Rosemary 3.5 Women's Doubles - Silver

Feb11-13 Palm Creek Golf & RV, Residence Tournaments, Casa Grande, Arizona
Ellen/Joyce 60-64 Women's Age Group - Bronze
Ellen/Joyce 4.0 Women's Doubles - Silver

Feb25-26 Grand Canyon State Games, Sun City, Arizona
Ellen/Elizabeth 3.5 Women's - Bronze

Mar3-5 Palm Creek 9th Annual PB Tournament, Casa Grande, Arizona
Ellen/Sally 3.5 Women's Doubles - Gold

Mar8-10 Cat Spa PB Tournament
First tournament after Pete & Ellen advanced to the 4.0 skill level - Had fun!

So, it's been a great season with Ellen winning twelve medals and four for Pete. Now, at the 4.0 level, we have been warned that it might take quite a while before we see the medal rounds again. But, it is all for fun. Ellen and Sally had a great time at Palm Creek. In an 18-team bracket, they started off losing 2 out of 3 games in the opening match. But then in the loser's bracket, they won seven matches to get back to the Gold/Silver finals. They won three games in a row to take the Gold. Ellen, welcome to the 4.0 skill level.

Mandy, however, was not quite as amused by Pickleball. At times she pouted and one day let us a few complaint notes.

As a parting shot Mandy sent this message, "If you make me sit through months of Pickleball again, you'll regret it" and "Oh, yeah, could you get this velcro arm band off my face?"

Never mind Mandy. No matter how old, or how small, how short or how tall, it is always fun to play Pickleball.

Next week we are off to somewhere, we will see you then.

Love, Pete, Ellen and Grumpy.

By Pete . Ellen Mattson