My Friend Chris Wilson
Posted on August 21, 2020 by Ching under Community, Hobbies, Toys.
My friend Chris Wilson and I recreated our Wichita Corporate Challenge picture from last year. So much has changed since then. At the time, I was playing with my first big girl pickleball paddle – a Selkirk S1C. I’ve switched to four different paddles since then. I first switched to playing with a Prokennex Pro Speed because I ended up with really bad tennis elbow. Then, when my tennis elbow started to feel better, I let my friend Jon talk me into switching to the Onix Evoke Premier, which is the paddle that local pickleball superstars Lucy Kovalova and Matt Wright use.
Then, all of my friends started playing with the Engage Encore MX 6.0, which is the paddle you see in the pic below. Both Chris and I started playing with it around the same time. Almost everyone in our Friday night pickleball group plays with this exact paddle. I think there are only a couple of people who use different ones.
Anyway, I’ve since moved on and switched to playing with an Electrum Pro. It’s the first pickleball paddle that I’ve fallen in love with and chosen for myself. All other paddles I’ve ever played with were recommended to me by other friends (Selkirk – Gregg Smith, Prokennex – Jimmy Cho, Onix – Jon Maugans, Engage – Debbie Fanning). The Electrum is the first one that I’ve chosen for myself after demoing. I actually thought I would be the first person to play with one as my regular paddle (Patrick Smith has one – it’s actually the one I demoed – but he wasn’t playing with it because he was still playing with his Engage) in town but my dad actually beat me to it. Dad bough and got his Electrum Pro about a week before me.
Back to Chris Wilson. I met him at Paul Haas’ (another pickleball friend) church about a year and a half ago. I had no idea that he and Paul both worked for Evergy (Westar Energy at the time) until Paul actually retired. Anyway, I was looking for a partner for the pickleball tournament portion of the Wichita Corporate Challenge and I was going to ask Paul at first and then Paul told me that Chris also works for our company. Unlike Paul, he isn’t retired, so the two of us teamed up.
Anyway, Chris is a really good pickleball player. When I first started playing, I was mostly playing at the West YMCA with a bunch of beginners. There were some better players but then they started not coming around. I found out later they were playing at the the West Heights United Methodist Church (Paul’s church) down the street instead. It was like a secret place. It wasn’t published on the USA Pickleball Places2Play site. You just kind of had to know about it either through a friend or you were invited. I remember being so excited when I finally found the church.
I met Chris on my first time there. I was still very much a beginner so everyone was so much better than me. My friend Gregg Smith, who I know through Brian (because he is an Edward Jones client), paired me with who he said was “the best player” there on my very first game, and that “best player” he gave me was Chris. I think our first game was me and Chris vs. Gregg and another guy. I was a newbie who needed some “babysitting” so I was grateful to have Chris as my partner.
A few months later, Chris asked me if I would play with him in a tournament. I was so flattered that he thought I was good enough to play with him until I found out it was a pickleball tournament for senior citizens. And then I wasn’t sure if I should feel insulted that he thought I would be old enough to play in it.
Another funny story I have about Chris happened a few weeks ago. We have been playing in some recreational (but still somewhat competitive) mixed doubles at the park on Sunday mornings. The first time we did this format, I played with my friend Michael Cheung who I have played with in past leagues and tournaments. Jimmy Cho, who organizes this play, makes it Sadie Hawkins dance style where the girls ask guys to be their partner. I assumed we were picking partners from “Jimmy’s boys,” a group of mostly Asian guys who Jimmy has been training and mentoring. Anyway, I noticed that other people invited non-Asian guys to be their partner so I decided that I would invite the best player I know for the following weekend and texted Chris Wilson.
Anyway, he immediately replied back that he was already playing with Kim Knotts. About that same time, I saw that Kim replied to the group chat with the ladies that she is playing with Chris as her partner. It was understandable as the two of them have been playing in tournaments together so it only makes sense that they would want to continue to team up even for rec play so that they can have lots of practice. But, not to be outdone, I decided to ask another really good player who also happens to be left handed same as Chris.
When Chris turned me down and I found another partner, I texted him back saying that I found another lefty to play with me. Well, we have a famous lefty in town, Cody Courter, who is super amazing. So he texted back and asked if I was bringing Cody. I didn’t reply because I wanted him to chew on that little niblet for a bit. I also wanted the element of surprise.
That Sunday I played with Tom Pham, another great pickleball player who happens to be a lefty. Tom is amazing and we did really well that day. I might not have brought Cody but I got the next best thing. LOL. Tom and I have since teamed up for mixed competitive league at Chicken N Pickle on Thursday nights and are also doing well in that league.
There are several guys who are really good and super fun to play with and I am grateful that they are willing to play with me. Kim has Chris pretty much on lock but I did get to play mixed doubles with Chris some over the summer. And, I also get to play with (and against) him every week in our normal Friday night group at Nahola that Debbie organizes.
One last little story about Chris. I’ve gotten a lot better at pickleball since the very first time we met and don’t really need much “babysitting” anymore. Whenever Chris and I play together, he actually lets me handle things instead of taking my shots to help me out. Anyway, he’s noticed that I actually play better against him than with him and he’s made a comment about it a couple of times.
After one particularly good game where me and my partner beat him and his partner he asked, “How come you don’t play like that when you’re playing with me?” I think I revert back to “beginner Ching” when we play together and still want him to do some “babysitting” because in my mind I think he is amazing and his shots are going to be way better than mine so I end up not taking shots I should be taking and just expect him to take care of everything.
For instance, I’ve gotten a lot better at chasing down lobs and he’s seen how much progress I’ve had in this area so then we get lobbed he expects me to “handle” it whereas before when we first started playing he would have to chase all of them down (because I simply did not have the skills to deal with them properly). So now that he knows I am capable he expects me to take these but in my mind I’m still thinking he will take care of these. I don’t think I have this same mental challenges when I’m playing with other guys who didn’t know me as a beginner. And I think this is why I seem to play much better when I’m playing with other people. Because I don’t expect them to “babysit” me like does.
Anyway, that’s pretty much my Chris Wilson stories. It’s Friday and that means we’re playing tonight. I am so excited! I love Fridays because I get to play pickleball for four hours nonstop. Until next time. GNG.
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League Update
Posted on August 18, 2020 by Ching under Hobbies.
I know I swore off leagues for a while but I missed it so I’m actually in three different leagues this time. On Tuesdays I play in a competitive league at Nahola. The format there is different. You don’t have a set partner. You play 5-6 games each night with different partners each time and then you report your game results. They tally it all together and match everyone up for a tournament on the final night.
On Wednesday nights, I play in the women’s competitive league at Chicken N Pickle. I wasn’t going to do it because I swore off Chicken N Pickle leagues for a bit but all my girl friends were doing it and my friend Ryan’s wife Renae who I have been wanting to team up with for a long time is finally available to play so I couldn’t pass it up. I absolutely had to play this season.
Here’s a pic of me and my partner Renae in our matching CNP tie dye shirts.
These two lovely ladies are Kim and Brooke. They play as B & K.
These are the Jens — Jen R and Jen T — also known as Jen Squared.
These are Kimberly and Tiffany. They play as Tiff & Berly.
Karen and Jenny play as 501 Dinkers. Although, we talked about them possibly changing their team name to JK (for their initials Jenny and Karen or it could also stand for Just Kidding) in the future.
These are Chris and Jan. They play as ChrisJan. They’re probably the only two ladies I don’t know as well as the others in our league.
Above are our current league standings two weeks in. Renae and I play as Backhanded Compliments. We are currently in second place, behind B & K. We suffered a disappointing loss to Brooke and Kim last week. Hoping for a good night tomorrow so we can stay competitively close to the number one team.
However, I’m not really as concerned about our record. Mainly, we just want to play well and learn as much as we can so we can do really well on our final night which is the league tournament. That’s when the wins and losses really matter.
Anyway, I’m super thrilled with this league because I’m playing with women who I normally play with on a regular basis. Another league that I have is mixed competitive on Thursdays nights. I play in that league with my friend Tom Pham. We’re both Asians so our team name is Asian Invasion. That’s another fun league because it’s pretty much our Sunday morning mixed group plus two other teams.
Will keep you posted on how it goes this season. Until then, GNG.
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Anniversary Weekend
Posted on August 12, 2020 by Ching under Relationship, Things to Do.
It was an interesting anniversary weekend. We didn’t really have any major plans because flying anywhere is out of the question right now. And then I had already committed to meeting up with Teresa and Ross for manis and pedis (we’ve had to reschedule our couples manis and pedis at least twice so we were all eager for this to happen) so we really couldn’t go on a road trip. We kept our anniversary weekend this year simple and low key.
We started by having some drinks at Bigs before our group appointment at Nails and Beyond. My friend Debbie had mentioned Bigs to me before because they would sometimes go there after Friday night pickleball at Nahola. This was before the pandemic hit. Anyway, I’d heard others mention the place but I’d never been there. Saturday was my first time. It was interesting.
Brian and I got there first and his first impression was, “Wow! We are the youngest people here by 20 years!” LOL. It’s definitely an older crowd. The drinks are strong and cheap, though, so I can see why people (including my friend Debbie) go there.
After a couple of drinks at Bigs, we were off to Nails and Beyond just down the street. We would normally have to wear masks but we were the only ones there during our appointment so they didn’t make us.
Teresa and Ross are so fun. I just love ’em!
After our manis and pedis, Teresa and Ross went back to Bigs. Brian and I went to the Belmont, this new restaurant at Happiness Plaza on Douglas, hoping to try it out but they had an hour and a half long wait.
We decided to go to Carrabba’s, which is our “go to” place. We’re never disappointed with the food or service, and Joe is always so nice to us. We still had to wait but it was shorter – only 30 minutes.
We ate way too much that night. We had our favorite small plate/appetizer, the meatballs and ricotta. We both had Caesar salads and ate way too much bread before our entrees even came. Then, we usually share a Chicken Bryan but I was starving that day for some reason so I decided to order my own meal.
I got the salmon topped with crab. On the plus side, I got broccoli with it, instead of pasta so it could have been worse. I ate every bit of it, though.
Here’s a picture of the Chicken Bryan.
We got two things of dessert to go because we are ridiculous. One was a giant slide of rich chocolate cake that Joe just gave to us. He is so nice!
The other is the “cannoli cake for two” which we still have some of in the fridge.
Our anniversary weekend this year wasn’t too exciting but we had some new experiences and a ton of fun as always. We have another adventure planned on Sunday but, other than that, we are happy to celebrate another wonderful year of marriage and look forward to many more to come.
Until next time. GNG.
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New Pickleball Stuff
Posted on August 4, 2020 by Ching under Hobbies, Outfits.
My friend Karen designed the cutest pickleball pendant. It’s sterling silver with five little Cubic Zirconias that are supposed to be like the pickleball holes. The pendant is supposed to be a little pickleball ball. The chain is also sterling silver and identical to one that she has. So now we can match, down to our jewelry.
Speaking of twinning… Here’s one of our newest matching tanks. We actually copied it off Lori and Tiffany who got theirs first. It’s a Selkirk Sport ladies’ tank top. Lori was the first one to get it. Tiffany liked it so she got one for herself. Karen and I both liked it so had Dave (Lori’s husband) get us ours. Now all four of us can match next time we are together!
Saturday morning was super fun. Not only did I get to sport my new gear but we also had some awesome pickleball. We have “King and Queen of Court” format at Chicken N Pickle on Saturdays. The guys have six courts that they play on and you move up to the top court as win (or you move down to the lower courts as you lose). The Saturday morning play at Chicken N Pickle is where its at for the guys. They usually have about 24 guys who play regularly so they really need their six courts. As for the ladies, there are other games that happen. One of the big ones is the play that Debbie organizes at Riverside Tennis Center. So we are lucky to get eight girls to play. We use two courts and our “Queen of Court” format is basically just a winner and loser court. The winners play winners and the losers play losers with the pairs splitting so you’re not playing with the same partner each time. It would be more fun with at least three courts but it’s still plenty fun.
Saturday was extra fun because Cody celebrated his second 21st birthday on Friday so I brought birthday donuts for everyone on Saturday morning. The guys got two boxes because there’s so many of them. I got a separate box for the ladies.
Cody is a friend I met through pickleball who I didn’t know went to Derby High School also until recently. It’s crazy that we’d never met before considering he is only a year behind me (and we are technically the same age for a few weeks). He is really nice and amazing at pickleball. He actually started playing after me but improved so quickly. He’s actually playing with 4.5 and 5.0 players now. I have no doubt he is going to be a super famous pickleball player one day. He’s already well known in our circles. Anyway, I’m posting this here as proof that I knew him when he was first starting out. LOL.
Here’s a picture of Cody with a table full of “training food” at Chicken N Pickle. He and his son Caden started working there recently. He has a regular job so this is more of a side hustle for him. After seeing all the food you get to eat, I kind of want to start working there too! Everyone knows I spend a lot of time there already anyways. LOL. Until next time. GNG.
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Late Lunch with Karen and Brian
Posted on July 29, 2020 by Ching under Food and Drink.
After playing for a couple of hours with Chris Heck, Steve Vetter and Karen Fox at Chicken N Pickle on Sunday, Karen, Brian and I had a late lunch at Applebee’s. Brian is not a huge fan of the restaurant so it’s literally been forever (maybe over 10 years) since we last ate there. Here are some pictures of our food.
I honestly am not a huge fan of it either but it’s right next to Chicken N Pickle so it’s a good quick option. In fact, Karen and I just walked over from CNP. Brian came from the house and met us at the restaurant (although he went to the wrong one first). He went to Jose Peppers and then couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t find us inside. LOL. Until next time. GNG.
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