Picklemania MMXXIII
Posted on June 13, 2023 by Ching under Community, Pickleball.
The pickleball tournament fundraiser for my Rotary club just keeps on growing. I remember the very first year we had it. We weren’t sure how successful it would be but we knew we needed to do something that spring because we couldn’t have our Haus of Brews fundraising event due to the COVID pandemic. We planned to have the tournament in May 2021 but then the weather didn’t cooperate so we had to move the tournament to June. It was so freakin’ hot!
We had much better weather the following year but it got really windy in the afternoon and one of the canopy tents flew into one of the courts. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Last year was the first year that we changed the event to a team format (instead of just a normal doubles pickleball tournament) but it was a completely made up team format that I came up with based on Wrestlemania. LOL. You could tag in and out in between points (not during because that would be way too crazy and completely unsafe). Anyway, it was weird but fun. We had 16 teams participate last year.
This year we ended up with 24 teams but we still only had 8 courts so I had to get seriously creative. We kept the team format but change it to MLPlay (rally scoring) because it takes less time and the match durations are more predictable. We also did games to 15 (instead of 21) to further reduce the amount of time to complete each match. We kept the dream breaker tie breaker round because it added a fun, unique element, but still kept the game to 15, win by 1.
Here’s a good summary of this year’s tournament format:
Anyway, the format worked out great. With 6-team pools in the round robin pool play, each team was able to play every other team in their pool. After pool play, the teams went on to 3 different brackets (Elite, Advanced, and Intermediate) based on their results. We started at 8 AM and wrapped up around 5 PM. We were right on schedule. Couldn’t have planned it better!
This is what the pool play schedule looked like with 24 teams and only 8 courts. We basically assigned 2 courts for each pool. This meant there were bye rounds but it worked out fine because it gave people an opportunity to visit, grab snacks/drinks, go to the restroom, etc.
Here’s a fun video that my friend Jonathan Thorne made using pictures and drone footage from the event. I feel like we really exceeded all expectations this year. So much work went into though, as it always does. I did get to salvage some signage that I made last year like these ones.
I’m glad I thought ahead and didn’t put a year on them so we can recycle them for use year after year.
An improvement we had this year is a bag sponsor. Our friends at Bodyworx Physical Therapy provided us with string bags and player swag (coozies and pens) along with sponsoring a team. It was great because then we had a bag to put the players’ tournament shirts and other swag (stickers, overgrips, etc.) in. Definitely a step up from the paper bags that I delivered everything in last year.
Here are some fun pics from the event…
I’m so glad we finally got to play with Tanner Rice (red-head on the left) because the times that Ramon (Lozano), Katie (Merrill), and I have played in team events we’ve had to pick up a different fourth team member because Tanner wasn’t available for one reason or another. Kyle Rinck played with us in the DUPR team event we did back in December in North Kansas City and Jared Smart played with us in the “One Last Dink” team event at the Pickle Club.
I am so grateful for Brian, who ran the tournament so I could play. Kyle Starkel came out in the afternoon and helped, too.
Our team missed making the Elite 8 bracket by one stinkin’ game! We were in a 3-way tie with Bodyworx (Jen Tiano, Mike Ellison, and David and Lori Belew) and Mid-Court Crisis (Ling Wei Kong, Natalie Lubbers, Noi Sourinthone, and Scott Wolford) in our pool. We each had one loss (4-1 tied record for all 3 teams) and they were to one another so we had to count games won. Mid-Court Crisis won 16 total games. Bodyworx won 15 total games. We won 14 games. Only the top 2 teams of each pool went on to Elite 8. Middle 2 teams went to Advanced bracket. And the bottom 2 teams went to the Intermediate bracket.
We ended up winning the Advanced (middle) bracket, but pretty whichever team in our pool didn’t advance to Elite 8 was going to win that middle bracket no matter what because the matchups were sooo close. We had an amazing team!
These were the pool play groups. In each of the groups, the first 2 teams listed advanced to the Elite 8 bracket. Except for in our group, which had a 3-way tie (Bodyworx and Mix-Court Crisis ended up advancing). In pool C, Team Equilibrium and FORVIS both had a tied record going into their final match so the winner of that ended up advancing to Elite 8. Equilibrium prevailed. FORVIS ended up in the Advanced bracket with us.
These were the other medalists:
Intermediate – Drop It Like Itz Hot
Frank and Kim McCormick, Tiffany and Donnie Lesperance
Elite 8 – Chicken N Pickle (No surprise!)
Michael Harris, Kim Blackman, Jack Oxler, Lindsey Vermillion
You can read more about this year’s Picklemania tournament here. More pictures here. That’s all for now. Until next year, GNG.
1 Comment
1400 by Elderslie
Posted on June 9, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink.
My friend Chris Townley and I went to check out 1400 by Elderslie at the Wichita Art Museum a few weeks ago. It is a pretty unique dining experience. You don’t just walk in. You have to make reservations in advance.
Their hours are pretty limited. They’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and all holidays. They’re not open past 5 pm, except for on Fridays. So, if you want to go, you kind of have to plan ahead and really schedule it.
We tried to go the first time but then I ended up getting invited to some meetings around lunch time. We didn’t really know how long lunch there would take. It seemed like a leisurely kind of place so we ended up having to cancel that first reservation. We did finally get a chance to go and it was totally worth it.
First of all, the lighting in there is simply phenomenal. Because the wall is all glass, the natural light that comes in to the restaurant is simply amazing. It’s perfect for taking food pics.
Here’s a pic of Chris in the fabulous lighting.
Here’s a couple of snaps of the menu.
Here are some pics of our food.
Chris had the egg tartine.
I had the herby chicken salad.
I also had their blackberry lemonade, which I thought was deliciously refreshing and I wish I could have gotten some free refills. Anyway, despite the limited hours, this restaurant is not to be missed because the food is fantastic and it’s a truly memorable dining experience. Until next time, GNG.
Comment on This
Cincinnati Quickie
Posted on June 8, 2023 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.
I traveled to Cincinnati last month to play in the APP Vlasic Classic in Cincinnati. I saw that someone I knew from Oklahoma was listed in mixed doubles without a partner so I asked if I could play with them to try and earn my “golden ticket” to Nationals for mixed doubles. I already had my “golden ticket” for singles and women’s doubles so I really just wanted to play mixed. It was a quick a trip as it could ever be. I literally flew in to Cincinnati on Saturday, played on Sunday, and flew back home on Monday.
Brian dropped me off at the airport early on Saturday morning, May 13. I arrived in Cincinnati in the afternoon. Went to the hotel first to check in and then went to Sawyer Point Park (tournament venue) to watch the guys — Ryan Luelf and Eric Bunch — play. They played amazing the entire day. They went undefeated in the winner bracket and I honestly thought they would win the whole thing. However, they ended up losing to a team that they had already beaten in the championship match and finished in second place.
Here’s a picture of Caroline Luelf, Ryan’s wife.
Due to some rain delays throughout the day, the matches ran late into the evening. I think we were the last people to leave the park that night.
Here’s a podium pic of the guys. Ryan is on the left and Eric is on the right.
I’m glad that I didn’t have to play until the afternoon the next day so I could sleep in a little bit since we were there so late. I think Ryan and Caroline got to their Airbnb around midnight and then had to get up early the next morning because they were scheduled to play at 8 AM. I didn’t really end up sleeping in because I wanted to go to the park and watch their matches. I also need to get some feminine hygiene products (aka tampons) because shark week unexpectedly started early for me. I ended up taking an Uber to a Walgreens that I found on Google that (a) was in the same direction as the park, and (b) according to Google was open. Yes, I really did check. Unfortunately, Google let me down. The information online was outdated and the store turned out to be closed. It absolutely sucked for me because I paid money to Uber over there and they weren’t even open.
Instead of taking a chance on Ubering to another Walgreens that may or may not be open, I decided to call Brian to help me navigate the downtown area. I thought, surely there’s a Walgreens nearby that I could walk to. He couldn’t find anything. Anyway, I saw this young woman walking and asked her if there as any kind of convenience store nearby (because most convenience stores carry tampons) and she pointed me in the direction of a store which I never did find. Lucky for me, I came across a Marriott hotel. I’d stayed at many Marriotts before and they always have a stash of tampons. I went in the lobby and they were able to help me. They let me take as many tampons as I wanted so I didn’t even have to go to Walgreens anymore. LOL.
The Marriott wasn’t that far from the park so, rather than taking a car, I decided to just walk over there to save money. I walked by the Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, and a few other sights. It actually worked out great.
I walked along the river that separates Ohio from Kentucky and followed the path to the park. It was a nice day for a walk and I actually quite enjoyed my little adventure.
Ran into Brendon Long at the tournament. He is an amazing pickleball player who I had seen on YouTube and Facebook livestreams several times. I met him for the first time at the US Open in Naples and it was a real treat to see him again at the Cincinnati tournament.
The tournament itself was fine but I didn’t get the results I’d hoped so I still don’t have my mixed doubles “golden ticket” — we are back to the drawing board. Eric is an excellent player but not having played together much prior was a disadvantage. I’m going to try to qualify again in Kansas City in a couple of months. Hopefully, I’ll get my “golden ticket” for mixed then.
Until next time, GNG.
Comment on This
Roots Seasonal Cuisine
Posted on June 5, 2023 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Got to try a new restaurant in Lee’s Summit while in Kansas City for work last month. We got there just in time for the tail end of their happy hour (literally, I think it was ending in 5 minutes when we arrived).
Here are a couple of pictures of their drink menu.
We enjoyed some delicious appetizers and small plates with our cocktails.
We also got to try several desserts.
Everything was so good. I thought the drinks were great. The food was good. The desserts were amazing. It was tough to pick a favorite. Anyway, I will definitely go back for another visit next time I’m in the area. Until then, GNG.
Comment on This
Wild Night in Rockwall
Posted on June 2, 2023 by Ching under Travel.
We had a wild night in Rockwall and it’s not what you think. Spring is known to bring a few thunderstorms through the area. Well, as luck would have it, a storm rolled through Rockwall while we were sleeping on Saturday night. Around 2 AM on Sunday morning, we were both startled by a loud crash. It literally sounded like someone had thrown a brick through the window. My immediate thought was someone was trying to break in. Of course, I screamed really loud because I’m a screamer. Brian, the take-charge guy that he is, goes “Don’t move!”
I had woken up Wes who was sleeping outside in the living room. He knocked on the door to see if we were okay and we were like, “One sec.” I like to sleep naked so I had to put clothes on first. Then the three of us got to work to figure out the damage and what to do next.
Brian and I put shoes on before tackling the clean up so we didn’t step on any broken glass pieces. Wes went to grab the vacuum cleaner and also started looking for supplies to help us cover the window (scissors, trash bags, tape, etc.). The entire time Saki was nowhere to be found. She jumped off the bed and hid in the closet when she heard me scream. She was completely terrified and would not come out. When we were done with clean up, I went in the closet to get her and she was still shaking. It took me a good 20 minutes to get her to come out and come back to bed with us. I’d never seen her this scared since her first 4th of July as a puppy.
Here are some pictures of the broken window.
Brian picking up the bigger pieces of glass before we ran the vacuum..
After we got the glass picked up, he went outside to take some pics and it was this tree limb that caused the damage.
The window got pretty banged up..
We couldn’t find any tape. Wes did find these little sticker dots that people use to put prices on yard sale items so we used it to stick trash bag plastic on the blinds to keep water from getting inside (in case it rained some more).
This is Brian trying to comfort Saki so she would come out of the closet.
The poor girl was absolutely terrified. Saki hid in the furthest corner of the closet in the dark the entire time we were cleaning up. We looked everywhere for her when we were done and, when we finally found her, she refused to come out.
We eventually got her to calm down and the three of us went back to bed. But it was short-lived. Even though it wasn’t raining, it was still super windy outside and the rusting of the leaves and the trash bag on the window was freaking her out. She eventually hopped of the bed and ran back in the closet to hide. We tried to get her to come out again but she would not and, it’s like 3 AM-ish at this point, we really wanted to go back to sleep so we ended up just moving her dog bed into the closet (it’s a pretty big walk-in closet) so that she could sleep in it.
Everyone on the other side of the house slept through the commotion so they didn’t even know the ordeal that we went through in the middle of the night (or, I guess, that morning). We told the Sagers about it when they got up. Here’s a picture of Molly trying to get Saki to come out.
We got some better pictures of the storm damage in the daylight.
We think this is where the broken tree limb came from..
It was so wild. We’d never even experienced anything like this at home. But then, I guess, there aren’t any big, mature trees in our neighborhood so something like this isn’t likely to happen. We all survived and no one was hurt and Saki seems fine now. She is such a jittery dog. It probably won’t take long for something to happen that scares her again. Here’s hoping not. Until next time, GNG.
Comment on This
