Kennedee isn't the only one getting medals

 Ryan and I were introduced to PICKLEBALL last September by my dad.....who btw is incredible, playing at a 4.5 level. Within a few days of playing we were hooked. We introduced it to Ryan's parents and several friends and everyone that played went out and bought paddles.
Initially we just played a few times a month, then as it got cold in the winter, we took a break. In March this year we tried to get out at least 3 times a month and started playing more consistently with the Wrights. (Jena and Jason). By summer we started to play in pick up games on weekends.
In previous posts I shared our experience of playing with my dad and his wife, Lucinda in the Generation Gap Tournament. We had to play up to my dad's skill level and got clobbered. So we decided to enter a tourney at our own skill level and practice for it.

We did it last weekend with the Wrights in Oceanside Melba Bishop.  Jena and I played in the Women's Doubles. We had some wins, we had some losses, and overall had a great time playing together (first time, we never play on the same team).

The boys did better than we did, and they have had lots of time to practice together as a team.  They went undefeated winning all 6 games in a row against 3 teams. They then had to wait over 3 hours for the loser's bracket to catch up so they could play the gold medal match. It was so intense to watch them.  They lost the first game (I think because they were so cold). But they came back and easily won the second game. So it went to the third game. They played well and then choked near the end, losing the game 14-16.  So because that was their first loss, they had to play one more game to 15 points for the gold medal and they just couldn't hang with the pressure I guess. So it was a silver medal for Ryan and Jason. Still so proud of the boys. The gold medalists are also from simi valley area.  The bronze team left hours before........it was a long night.

The next day we played in the mixed doubles. It was my favorite day because I think I played my best EVER in my life. Ryan and I had some amazing wins. But in the end we didn't quite pull off a medal. I think we had a good shot of getting at least a bronze, but we fell short in our last match. Oh well, we gave them a good fun and they were actually ranked at a higher skill level and played down. BUT SO MUCH FUN!!!!! I was on a high for days. Jena and Jason also played in mixed doubles together, and luckily we never ended up having to play each other.