Archive for "Pickleball"
EPIC Pickleball Tournament 2025
Posted on May 23, 2025 by Ching under Pickleball.
We had another successful pickleball tournament for the Wichita Children’s Home at the Wichita Country Club again this year. It was EPIC!
Here are highlights from the event last year and highlights from the 2023 event. This was my fifth year helping with the event (my first year was 2021).
I usually team up with my friend Jody Vinson but she was busy with other commitments this year so our team consisted of Michael Bond, and Bryce and Lindsey McClung. They really are the backbone of this event. They help year after year, I think even before I started helping. Sometimes they even get roped into playing like when Harvey Self had to leave in the middle of the tournament last year. This year Bryce actually signed up to play – intentionally.
There are a couple of Spring (early Summer) tournaments that I help with annually. EPIC (formerly It’s a Big Dill) and the Rotary Club of Andover’s Picklemania event. EPIC happens in April and then Picklemania in May. Here are highlights from a past Picklemania tournament:
Recently people have been asking me if Picklemania is happening — because it is that time of year. Unfortunately, I had to step away from it this year and there really wasn’t anyone in our Rotary club who had the interest or capacity to take it over. I normally start planning for the May event around November/December but, as many of you know, that was during Brian’s cancer treatments so I didn’t really feel like doing anything. I didn’t want to think of anything.
It was a tournament that I’ve been really passionate about. However, since my friend Ryan DeSantis and Chris McGill, the two members who were very passionate about hosting the pickleball tournament fundraiser for our club, have left the club, much of the responsibility for planning and organizing and facilitating the event ended up falling to me. Honestly, I was feeling burnt out. I didn’t even feel like doing it last year except Chris Heck (another friend who had helped with our tournament in the past) said it wasn’t happening so I took it as a challenge. LOL. If people don’t want to help me, fine. But, if I want something to happen, I can make it happen. I truly believed that. Of course, that’s because I have Brian and he is equivalent to having 10 volunteers. I realize now that I can do and achieve all the things because I have him by my side.
When Brian got sick and I no longer had my one person I could truly count on for anything and everything, it made me realize just how challenging it is do all the things without his help. I didn’t even want to think doing Picklemania without him. I think I was burnt out.
I’m still happy to help with pickleball tournaments and fundraising events, just not to the extent I was doing. It was too much. Anyway, the next pickleball fundraising event is Picklepalooza which benefits both Senior Services of Wichita and Wichita Cancer Foundation this year. It’s on Friday, June 6, at Chicken N Pickle. You can learn more about and register for the event here. Hope to see you all there.
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National Pickleball Month Recap
Posted on May 14, 2025 by Ching under Pickleball.
I got to play quite a bit of pickleball last month in honor of National Pickleball Month. I organized several open play and ladder events at Chicken N Pickle, Tap N Paddles, and at Seneca Park.
I also got this giant cardboard paddle and used it as a guestbook.
Here are some pics from the kickoff event at Chicken N Pickle.
Jenni participated in a leadership program at Wichita State University and invited her cohorts for beginner pickleball at West YMCA.
Here’s a picture from our April Chicken N Pickle ambassador open play.
Laurie Hagen from Overland Park and her friend Jenn came to visit.
We tried to have all day open play at Seneca Park on April 26 to wrap up National Pickleball Month but Mother Nature was having none of it. The rain started about an hour into the event. Anyway, we’ve decided to have a do-over (a literal rain-check) on Sunday, May 18. Incidentally, May 23 is the 3rd anniversary of the Wichita Pickleball DUPR club so there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. I hope you can join us!
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Training Academy with Brady Randall
Posted on April 28, 2025 by Ching under Pickleball.
Year after year I always struggle to figure out what to get for dad for his birthday. Often, he just has to settle for a birthday card or a gift card of some sort (if that) because I can never figure out what to get him. This year I thought outside the box and got creative. I booked a Training Academy session with Brady Randall at Tap N Paddles for both mom and dad as an early birthday celebration.
I think they both enjoyed it. I mean, what do you get someone who already has everything?
Here’s a picture of the instructor, our friend Brady Randall. You might remember him from the Tres Palapas trip last November.
You can catch Brady every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Tap. Here’s the full Training Academy schedule:
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2.5 – 3.0 Training Academy
- Tuesdays at 5:30 PM with Parrish Gumeringer
- Thursdays at 12:00 PM with Ed Egan
- Mondays at 5:30 PM with Dave New
- Saturdays at 10:00 AM with Brady Randall
- Mondays at 10:30 AM with Cindy Egan
- Thursdays at 5:30 PM with Ramon Lozano
3.0 – 3.5 Training Academy
3.5 – 4.0 Training Academy
4.0+ Training Academy
There are lots of options for lessons, and all the instructors are great. I hope mom and dad sign up for a full series.
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Wichita Premier Pickleball League
Posted on April 16, 2025 by Ching under Pickleball.
Earlier this year Michael Farlow organized the Wichita Premier Pickleball League (WPPL). It’s a best in class league hosted by Chicken N Pickle. Even though I completed a player interest form to enter the draft, I really didn’t think I would be drafted because the league only had room for four teams. And, we have sooo many great players in Wichita. Despite having submitted the form, I originally didn’t sign up for the combine. But then, the Thursday before the combine, I ran into Michael while Keith Lietzke and I were drilling at CNP. He said he was short ladies for the combine on Saturday so I ended up getting talked into playing.
Despite not being drafted, I’m still really glad that I played. I had a blast! All the players were amazing and it was easily the best games I’d played in a long time. It was $15 well spent. LOL.
Here are the Teams:
Fast forward to this past weekend – WPPL Week 1. Zach Nguyen had to attend a funeral in Chicago and asked me to be his assistant, basically represent him and cheer for his team. Our first match was against the 316 Slammers and our second match was against the Wichita Warriors.
I made a short highlight video for Zach since he couldn’t be there. It was a great showing for the ICT Shock!
Our team beat 316 Slammers in a very tightly contested dreambreaker game, and then beat the Wichita Warriors 3-0. ICT Shock is currently at the top of the standings after the first week of play. Here’s the scoring breakdown for reference:
The next matches regular season matches are on May 10 and June 14 with championships on July 12. It is shaping up to be a great season!
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The End of My Tournament Sabbatical
Posted on March 11, 2025 by Ching under Pickleball.
My tournament sabbatical officially ended this past weekend when I participated in InPickle Nation‘s Under Armour Championship Series 4v4 Team Tournament at Genesis Health Clubs Clayview in Kansas City. I did play in a 3v3 team tournament at the Goddard Sandbox last month but I’m not counting that one because I didn’t actually sign up for it. I just got a text from Kimberly and PK the night before the tournament saying they needed one more team and I just happened to be available that day because the IPN mini tournament was canceled. I wasn’t planning on playing but since they needed one more team, PK put Kimberly, Danae, and I together to make the 4th team for the event.
We called our team “Last Minute” because we literally were last minute additions to the event and weren’t even supposed to play. Actually, Danae and Kimberly hadn’t even met until that day. Despite this, the three of us have an absolute blast.
Fast forward to this past weekend to a tournament that I did actually sign up for with Susie, Monica, and Alice. Susie came up with our team name — Putting the SMAC Down. SMAC for Susie, Monica, Alice and Ching. Clever, right?
Check out our fun uniforms. The design was made by Copilot so, yes, it was AI-generated and it needed some help. Apparently AI can’t figure out what a pickleball looks like so that ball in the center was weird. Thankfully, the talented Julie (Egy) was able to clean it up for us before Drew pressed the design on our tanks.
Our adventure started on Friday night at Jason Walker’s private court at Wee Tri Farm. However, we were late leaving Wichita so by the time we got there it was late in the evening and it was freezing in the pickle barn. We only lasted 3 games. LOL.
The next day, we competed in the team event and finished 4th. Not the results we hoped for but also not bad for a first time team. I honestly hadn’t played in a tournament with Monica — ever — and it had been over two years since I had played in anything with Alice and well over a year since I played in a tourney with Susie, or just a tourney period due to my self-imposed tournament sabbatical.
I had more losses that day than I care to admit but I still had a great time playing the gals. What made the weekend even more fun is the all women tournament fell on International Women’s Day. How fitting, right?
Anyway, the seal has officially been broken. I might play in a few more events this year. Not going crazy like in years past but maybe one tournament a month would be just the right frequency. What do you recommend I play in next?
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