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US Open Recap – A Month Later

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.

I didn’t get the results I was hoping for at the US Open this year so, understandably, I’ve been holding off on a recap. I played in five events and got zero medals. To say it was a disappointing venture would be an understatement. I’m not particularly emotional when it comes to playing. I approach failures more logically and just try to learn from every single experience.

I basically played every single day except for Wednesday. It was very ambitious and probably not the best decision but I honestly didn’t think I would be able to get all of the events I signed up for — that’s Murphy’s Law for you.

My friend Katie Merrill who I registered with for both of my women’s events ended up with an injury and could not play on Monday so I had to find someone else to replace her. I thought it would be much easier to find her replacement but I forgot to take account how crappy I look on paper. I think my ratings being ridiculously low was a huge turn off for potential partners. I was lucky that Alan Hans and Whitney Lichtenberg from Nebraska remembered me from the year before and convinced Alan’s mixed doubles partner Katie Fagan to play with me on Monday.

We arrived on Friday this year so we could attend the kick off events on Saturday — mainly the Joola Party in the Park and Simone Jardim’s seminar.

Mom and I got a pic with Parris Todd, a top female pro pickleball player.

Also with Tony Roig and CJ Johnson, from Betterpickleball.com.

I got to visit with Jonny Pickleball Andrews during the rain delay. I met him a few years ago when he did the Jonny Pickleball Show at the Chicken N Pickle in Wichita. That was also around the same time I met to female pro Lauren Stratman for the first time and I learned about Electrum paddles (the brand I play with today – I used to play with an Electrum Pro and I currently play with an Electrum Pro II).

This guy is the best. There isn’t much more I can say.

I just realized that there are no pictures of me from Sunday. That’s the day I was playing singles. I ended up being dehydrated and getting a massive headache but somehow managed to make it to the bronze medal match.

I played 3.5 40+ division but I have to say, some of the women did not look a day over 40. Some of them looked like they were mid-20s at best. I lost to Heidi Sung (above) in the main draw and found out she worked for Joola so I asked her for a ball cap, which I earned by taking a game off her. We went 6-11, 11-4, 7-11. I finished on the good side but just could not overcome the hole I hug myself on the bad side. Had I won that match, I would have been guaranteed a silver medal. Sadly, it was not to be. I got a free Joola hat, though. Well, technically Brian did because I gave it to him. He’s been super supportive and was livestreaming the entire time, it was the least I could do.

I ended up facing Katie Taylor, the official pickleball pro of the Pretty Picklers, in the bronze medal match and, of course, she smoked me. I was completely gassed at that point and had a massive headache. But, even at 100 percent, I didn’t stand a chance. Anyway, 4th at the US Open is not a bad finish.

On Monday I swapped one Katie for another when Katie Fagan took Katie Merrill’s place for women’s age 35+ division.

I was completely out of my depth but enjoyed the experience. Katie was super amazing and supportive and probably the best female player I have ever had the privilege of partnering with. And to top it off, she is a lefty! So grateful to Whitney and Alan (below) for hooking me up with a partner. Otherwise, I would have had to withdraw from the event.

Even though she couldn’t play, other Katie (Merrill) came to hang out on Monday. We unintentionally matched.

Monday was a long day because we stayed and watch Mike Wolf and Jim Secrest win their championship match. They are friends of some of our Kansas City friends. I think Mike owns Elite Tennis and Wellness in Overland Park.

It was totally worth it because they won. Tyson got it all on livestream.

Go to see the beautiful ChiChi at the Lucky in Love booth at Vendor Village.

Also got to see Kasandra Gehrke.

And Brendon Long. We actually got to see him on Saturday, the first day we went to the tournament, and mom got a picture with him then. I didn’t get this picture with him until a couple of days later.

Twinned with Tyson Steele.

Hung out with fellow Chicken N Pickle ambassadors.

Watched the guys compete (above: Kyle Rinck and Matt Gerber). Kyle couldn’t make it until Tuesday night so Parker Ward played with Matt for men’s doubles age 19+ division on Monday. Then on Wednesday, Parker played with a blind date from Facebook, Dominic Osborne, in men’s doubles 4.0 19+ division. They ended up winning silver. Not bad for a blind date!

Katie and I played women’s doubles 3.5 35+ on Thursday.

Got to see Jenna Hessert who I first met at Smash a year and a half ago and is now playing in pro events. She is amazing!

Also saw Angela Porto, who I first met at APP Delray Beach a couple of years ago. Her boyfriend Brent Huff was my blind date at that tournament.

Brian was there with me the entire time, making sure that matches got livestreamed. Not just my matches, but others’ matches as well when possible.

In the picture below, he and Parker are making sure that we had the optimum viewing angle for the livestream.

Anyway, that’s pretty much the US Open recap. It’s a “must play” tournament for me because there isn’t any other tournament quite like it. There’s live music every single day, beer samples during happy hour, and all sorts of fun things. The party atmosphere makes it feel like you’re at a music festival — but sporty. I can’t wait to do it all again next year. Until then, GNG.

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Last Meal in Naples

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

Brian and I found an excellent Mediterranean restaurant close to the park and we had our last dinner there on our final day in Naples. I think it’s new because Brian and I love Mediterranean food and we don’t remember seeing it last year.

The place was pretty empty because it was more of a late lunch/early supper situation, before heading back to our Airbnb.

Kareem’s Lebanese Kitchen Menu

Brian perusing the menu.

I just love this man. He is adorable!

My $9 lemonade was expensive for a drink with no alcohol in it but so refreshing!

And now for the food pics…

The food was amazing. We will be looking to eat here again next year for sure. Until next time, GNG.

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Pinchers at Tin City

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

Because you can’t go to Florida and not have seafood…

We met the gang at Pinchers one night.

Katie Merrill, her sister in law, Kyle Rinck, Tyson Steele, Parker Ward, and Nicole Mathis. Below – just the guys (Kyle, Tyson, and Parker).

They had 2 for 1 drinks, so it was party time!

Some pictures of the food we ate below. Everyone had some sort of seafood except for Brian – naturally.

Pretty easy to tell which plate is mine – it’s the one with the double rice. LOL.

We did some exploring after dinner.

Obligatory group photo. Brian’s signature shot – the ultimate selfie.

One more group photo for good measure.

Had such a great time hanging out with these guys. So glad we had an opportunity for a group dinner. Can’t wait to go back next year. Until next time, GNG.

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Mocajetes Mexican Restaurant

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

After a late night of playing and watching friends play, there were very few restaurants still open. We found ourselves at Mocajetes.

This place was so authentic they didn’t even serve queso. Apparently queso is an American invention and it’s not even a true Mexican food thing.

They served chips and pico de gallo instead of salsa. First bowl of pico on the house but then you were on your own. Since we couldn’t get queso, I ordered guacamole instead. It was really good!

The pico looked super fresh. As did the guacamole. But I really wanted some queso, though. You can’t go to a Mexican restaurant and not have queso, even if it’s not really a Mexican thing.

Anyway, the service was slow but the food was excellent. I really liked my Mexican-style pork chops. Although, everyone was making fun of me because I told them to leave pretty much everything off that made it even remotely Mexican. The pork chops had really good flavor, though.

Regarding the service, Brian concluded that the service was slow for us because we were a bunch of gringos. All the other tables around us seemed to have great service but they were also all Hispanic. I don’t know. Could be a coincidence. I still really liked the place, though, and would probably eat there again next year.

Until next time, GNG.

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Beating the Heat

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

It was soooo hot in Naples last month. We wanted some ice cream but, by the time we were ready to leave the tournament venue, the ice cream truck onsite had already closed. We ended up at Naples Ice Cream Shoppe to satiate our ice cream cravings. Luckily, it wasn’t too far from the park and our Airbnb.