PPA Kansas City Open
Posted on September 4, 2023 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.
I played in some PPA tournaments in 2021 but then, after I got them out of my system, I resolved never to play in them again because I found them to be completely overrated. After playing in a few of these, I’ve concluded they are way more fun for spectators than actual players. The local/regional tournaments are just as fun and provide way more value for amateur players. I did get talked into playing in one last year (PPA Las Vegas) but I told myself never again because I’m not a fan of how the PPA charges for every single little thing.
I had to eat my words this year because PPA ended up working out an agreement with USA Pickleball and ended up taking over the “golden ticket” events from the APP. “Golden ticket” tournaments are ones that guarantee gold medalists a spot in USAP Nationals. Since I didn’t have my mixed doubles “golden ticket” (Ramon and I only ended up with second place at the DAC in Florida where I earned my women’s doubles and singles GTs), I still needed to earn one. I tried to earn it in APP Cincinnati and failed so PPA KC Open was my last chance. So despite my best efforts to avoid PPA tournaments, I still ended up playing in one.
Anyway, I’m pretty adept at making lemonade out of lemons so even though this was more of a “have to” than “want to” do tournament I was bound and determined to make the best of it. Despite already having my GTs in women’s and singles, I went ahead and registered to play in these events as well to get some additional tournament practice. And since I was just playing for practice, I decided to play up in those events whereas I played my normal division for mixed doubles (’cause I was actually trying to earn my GT for it).
We drove down on Thursday so I could compete in singles in 100+ degrees. LOL. We decided to stay at Hampton Inn because they’re super pet-friendly and reasonably priced and, apparently, we made a good choice because the Kawamotos chose to stay there too.
Brian was actually the one who spotted Jade Kawamoto in the lobby as we were walking to the car. He signaled for me to look. I knew it was one of the Kawamotos (they are twins who play women’s doubles together) but I hesitated to approach because I wasn’t sure if it was Jackie or Jade and I didn’t know how to tell them apart. I didn’t want to miss my opportunity so I went ahead and asked for a photo and that’s how we figured out it was Jade.
It’s easier to tell them apart when they are playing together because Jackie is right handed and Jade is left handed, but I really couldn’t tell you how to tell them apart when you see them by themselves. Jade said she’s the one who usually has her hair in a bun but, as her hair wasn’t in a bun right then, that wasn’t really a fool proof way to do it. She said if you see them together then you’ll be able to tell them apart easier. I told her about how the Johnson twins (Hunter and Yates) wear different color socks — one wears white socks and the other wears black socks — to help the fans tell them apart so I requested she and Jackie come up with an easier way to tell them apart. You know for the sake of all the fans. LOL.
Speaking of fan-girling, had to get a photo with one of my favorite dudes Brendon Long. He is so nice. I just love him.
Also got a pic with some of my favorite senior pros, Mircea Moriariu, David Belew, and Julie Johnson. Not only is Julie an amazing player in her own right, but she is mom to JW and Jorja Johnson.
I got pictures with all my singles opponents on Thursday. My first match was with super fun lady Kecia Vekovius. It turns out we had the same idea. She also has her singles GT already. Like me, she’s playing 3.0 at Nationals but she played 3.5 at this tournament for practice. Great minds think alike!
My second match was against Grace Lee. She was also super nice. Even though I lost, I had a blast playing against her. After I lost to Grace, I had to play Kecia again in the back draw before moving on to play Melissa Slezak below.
This match was also super fun. Our division started at 6 pm and our match was well past 9 pm. I honestly didn’t have any more fight in me at that point and what little energy I had left (very, very little after playing in the heat all afternoon) was no match for how well she could cover the court with her length.
Ultimately, my most favorite photo from Thursday is this pic that Karen snapped of Ben Johns in the sidelines as I was playing my first round match against Kecia. The photo reminded me of this photo that Justin McClung took at the Smash tournament a couple of years ago.
I ended up earning bronze in 3.5 35+ singles. Grace got gold and Melissa got silver.
We didn’t get back to the hotel until almost 11 pm. It was a long day. Thankfully, I had a later start time (3 pm) for women’s doubles the next so I didn’t have to get up super early. However, this was also a bad thing because then we were playing during the hottest part of the day. I think I would have much rather sacrificed sleep had a 7 am start to avoid the heat.
Here are some pics from Friday…
The conditions were brutal and we almost withdrew partway through our first round match against Liz Wright and Karly Gleason (pictured below). We were down 7-9 in the second game when we took a longer timeout to give Kendra some time to recover because the heat was really getting to her. Part of me wanted to win but winning that game would mean we would have to play a third game and I wasn’t sure Kendra’s body could take it.
I reassured Kendra that she wouldn’t be letting me down if we had to withdraw. Ultimately her health is the most important thing. Anyways, we already had out GT and were mostly just playing in the tournament for practice before Nationals. We ended up pushing through and continuing on with the second game.
I was kind of relieved to lose that game because it meant Kendra would have a longer break so we could decide our next steps. Somehow the break allowed Kendra to regain some energy and she decided that we should keep going. We ended up defeating Molly Sager and Megan White in the back draw before falling to Jenny Corley and Carley Mitus.
Out of all the teams we could have played in our division (4.0 10-34 age group), I somehow only ended up playing against people I already knew. The only person I hadn’t met before was Carley but that’s still pretty much a Wichita team because she was playing with Jenny. This always happens to me at tournaments. I usually end up playing against either people from Wichita, people I normally partner with, or close friends and usually in the first round too.
Kendra and I didn’t get the results we were hoping for but got some really great practice. And, all things considered, I’m just glad we survived and neither of us collapsed that day. The heat was really getting to everyone.
Saturday was my break because it was men’s doubles day. The guys got to enjoy cooler weather because it rained. It was both good and bad. The weather was better but due to the rain delay some events ended up getting canceled. I hung out with Brian most of the day and then went to the tournament to get some rec games in the late afternoon/evening.
I was actually hoping to catch my blind date Bill McChesney but I only saw him long enough to give him his shirt. Because of the rain delay, their event started and ended super late and then he had to go. I did get some rec games in with my new friend Craig Morford who I had only met the week prior when we hosted him for the Chicken N Pickle mixed doubles tournament the previous weekend. He was nice enough to hang around even though his men’s doubles event was canceled. We got to play some doubles and a couple of singles games, which despite not being much of a singles player (or so he says), he still kicked my butt.
You’re probably wondering why I had to get a blind date despite knowing so many people. I was kind of in a weird situation in that most of the mixed doubles partners I play with are higher level. Because I was trying to earn my mixed GT, unlike in women’s doubles and singles divisions where I already had GTs so I had the luxury of “playing up” a level, I had to play as low as my rating would allow for mixed doubles. That meant playing 3.5 and I didn’t really know very many people who could still play 3.5 level because even those who could wanted to play up it seemed.
I ended up picking up Shawn Kirby, who I had met at Smash a couple of years before when he ended up playing with Jenna Hessert as his blind date in 4.0 mixed. She had just started playing and didn’t know how good she was (she’s playing professionally these days). I was thinking if he could get gold in 4.0 and was eligible and willing to play 3.5 then we would have a good shot at earning our spot for Nationals. As luck would have it (or misfortune in this case), he ended up getting hurt and contacted me literally two days before registration cutoff. I had to scramble and find someone from the “players needing partners” list so as not to get moved to the waiting list. That’s where Bill comes in.
I’m glad I came out on Saturday night, even though I didn’t get any games with Bill. I at least got to watch Chris Olson and William Chaing (the Pickleball Studio duo) play their 4.5 men’s doubles championship. They ended up earning silver.
At the next court, Kyle Rinck and Matthew Rochat were playing a match against a team from St. Louis.
Much like the first two days of competition, matches went on until late. However, there were several empty courts which made those whose events got canceled quite peeved. The only way you were getting a refund was if you paid for insurance. As someone who usually skips that part, I’m pretty sure there were several people who did not get to play and did not get their money back.
It wouldn’t be so bad if you signed up to play multiple events but, if men’s doubles was your only event and it got canceled, then you would have come to the tournament for no reason. That would have really sucked. I’m not sure how many were in that situation but, considering the backlash I saw online after and some of the grumblings I heard, I think there were quite a few people who were.
We had to check out of our hotel on Sunday so Brian and Saki hung out with me at the tournament. Thankfully, they didn’t have to be out there very long as Bill and I went 0-2 in our division. I didn’t realize it until that morning but this was Bill’s very first tournament. I admire his gumption for choosing a GT tournament for his first because the draws are that much tougher when everyone is trying to earn their spot for Nationals.
I was really bummed about failing to earn my GT (yet again) but lucky for me, because of the events getting canceled on Saturday, PPA decided to pretty much give everyone who played in the tournament that weekend a guaranteed spot for Nationals. They sent an email to everyone stating this and I immediately got to work on finding a partner so I could claim my confirmed spot for mixed.
It’s so funny because the day they sent that email to everyone, I think people were scrambling to sign up for Nationals and the PickleballTournaments.com website ended up going down. The site went back up later in the evening and I was able to update my registration to add my mixed doubles partners and we are now officially confirmed.
Although things didn’t go according to plan, I truly feel that everything happens for a reason. I had a great time hanging out with friends at the tournament, seeing people I hadn’t seen in a while, and making new friends. As they say, all is well that ends well. Until next time, GNG.
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Hampton Inn – Overland Park South
Posted on August 31, 2023 by Ching under Travel.
I don’t really write about the places that we stay much (if at all) when we travel because most of the times everything is pretty basic but, this past weekend in Overland Park, we were so happy with the hotel that we stayed at that it bears a mention. First, let’s talk about the location. The hotel was literally five minutes from Elite Tennis and Wellness (the tournament venue) and had a Raising Cane’s in the same parking lot that we could walk to (huge plus). Additionally, there were several great places to eat in the vicinity including Tanner’s and Hawaiian Bros. I would totally stay here again if I’m ever to play in another tournament in Overland Park area just for the location alone.
Second, let’s talk about the room because it was HUGE! We had a little bar area of the entry with the fridge, microwave, coffeemaker, etc. And then right off that, we had a pullout couch (in case someone needs to crash with you, I guess). We also had a nice desk that divided the couch area from the bed. The bathroom was also quite spacious. Although, I was not a fan of the door to the toilet room because that made the toilet area a little tight but I did appreciate that you could shut that door and go to the bathroom while someone was brushing their teeth or getting ready at the bathroom counter.
You could leave the toilet room door open (which is what we did most of the time) except then you’re staring at yourself going to the bathroom because you’re facing the closet with mirrored doors. LOL.
I did not get a picture of the bathroom so you’ll just have to trust me on the configuration. Everything in the room was laid out perfectly, otherwise.
My other favorite thing about this hotel is they were super pet-friendly. They even give you these hang tags for your door to designate that you have a pet inside. I enjoyed Saki being with us all weekend, even though it meant fighting for real estate on the bed.
Saki absolutely loved the bed. In fact, whenever we came back from being out, she wouldn’t even hop off the bed to greet us.
Outside, the hotel has multiple green spaces designed specifically for you to able to take your dog out to do their business. Each area had a waste station with poop bags and a receptacle so we didn’t even have to bring our scooper and bags down whenever we had to take Saki out. They really thought of everything to make it easy for those traveling with their fur babies.
Lastly, the free hot breakfast each morning was a very nice perk. Additionally, you could get fresh fruit, oatmeal, cereal, and waffles as well.
The waffle bar was great because you always had two options. Plain waffles are available everyday but each day there was a different secondary waffle batter. The first morning it was blueberry. Then it was chocolate the next, and apple cinnamon on our final morning there. They also had all sorts of fixin’s you could put on your waffles. It was great!
If you wanted hot food, there were plenty of options. The eggs were just okay but the potatoes were great and I was grateful for the sausage links. You could also make a bowl of biscuits and gravy if you desired.
This is the plate I made for myself one morning:
This last photo is of the juice dispenser because I was so happy for the flavored water. I drank multiple glasses of the grape raspberry infused water everyday.
Anyway, I really liked this hotel and it has now made our short list of favorite places to stay specially when we are traveling with Saki. Can’t wait until the next tournament so I can stay here again. Until then, GNG.
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2023 Wichita Corporate Challenge
Posted on August 28, 2023 by Ching under Community, Pickleball.
The 2023 Wichita Corporate Challenge kicked off on Thursday, August 17, with corn hole (bags) and pickleball events at Chicken N Pickle. They had so many more teams this year so, for the first time ever, there were 4 different divisions (instead of just 3 like we have had in the past).
I was excited to be able to compete in the pickleball event with Chris Wilson. I always look forward to opportunities to reunite with Chris because he was my first ever tournament partner. We have played enough together that he knows how I like to play and generally knows what balls to take from me.
Here are some pictures from that day…
Chicken N Pickle competed this year and won the pickleball event in Division 1.
We are normally in Division 3 but, because the event expanded this year, many of the Division 3 teams got moved up to Division 4. Once again, we took second to Koch. Not surprising, considering Koch has such a deep talent pool.
Fong Witte and Ev Kim beat out multiple players every year in their pickleball tryouts. This year, Koch had 40 teams (That’s an astounding 80 players!) compete for their pickleball spot.
Overall, I’m pretty proud of how Chris and I played. We lost to Koch in the main bracket so they were undefeated going into the championship match. We first had to get past Cargill in the backdraw before we could come back up and face Koch for a rematch. We were successful at beating them in the first game but, unfortunately, could not win a second time to take the championship.
It looks like Spirit was third and Cargill was fourth in our division last year. However, Cargill improved on their results this year and took third. Evergy has been second at least 2 years in a row. I’m hoping next year will be the year we actually take it but Fong and Ev are a tough team so stars would have to align.
Besides pickleball, I also got to play in billiards this year because we didn’t have anyone else to do it. We won a close one against a tough NIAR team and then lost to some professional billiard players on the Spirit team and then I think we lost to Cargill in the backdraw. I was not awful and actually sank some balls so I think with a little bit of practice we could probably improve our finish next year. That is, if no one else steps up to play and I get to compete in the event again.
We were short a couple of people to get all the points possible for the 5K walk event on Saturday, August 19, but those of us who came had a great time. They relocated the route to the Exploration Place area and it was a beautiful day for a walk. Some who wanted to challenge themselves actually ran the course.
Those were pretty much the only three events I could help with because my schedule has been pretty crazy but I’m glad I was able to contribute and get us some points. Here’s a link to the current standings. Participation has been low the last couple of years and I am hoping this will change because I would like to see us as one of the top teams in our division in the future. Until next year, GNG.
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Our Dinner with Champions
Posted on August 21, 2023 by Ching under Community, Pickleball.
Since all of the younger professional pickleball players were getting all the attention and hype from the pickleball tours, the senior pros created their own league. If you are age 50 or over (49 turning 50 that year counts), then you are eligible to compete in senior pickleball events.
National Pickleball League (NPL) is a professional tour created by champions (aka senior pros) for champions. A couple of weeks ago NPL was at our local Chicken N Pickle for one of their tour stops so I volunteered and got to watch and experience the team event unfold. It was electrifying and inspiring at the same time. If I continue to work to get better and improve my pickleball game, I could be part of this thing in five years (if it’s still around, hopefully – LOL).
When the event wrapped on Sunday, the OKC Punishers celebrated at Jose Pepper’s next to Chicken N Pickle. Brian and I got invited by the two members (now friends) who we were hosting that weekend so we got to spend some time and bond with the team which is currently #1 in the league going into the San Antonio event. Here’s a picture of their amazing team.
Note that their #1 female Beth Bellamy isn’t in the photo because she wasn’t feeling well at the end. Maureen O’Malia actually had to play her final match for her. O’Malia was up for the challenge and played lights out that last match.
Here’s a picture of me and Brian with OKC Punisher Carrina de Vera and her wife Deb. They stayed with us that weekend. They were wonderful guests and event brought a present for Brian and I with various goodies (handmade soap, loofah, lip balm, etc.) from a local soap shop in Ohio which I cannot wait to try.
Here’s a picture of us with Jenny Marcos, #2 female for OKC Punishers. She plays in the top matches with Beth Bellamy. I’ve actually known Jenny for some time through various mutual friends and we got to hang out with her a bit during the US Open this year in Naples. Jenny ended up not being able to stay for dinner because she wanted to drive home that same night and didn’t want to get home super late. We offered to have her stay another night (Carrina and Deb’s flight wasn’t until Monday morning) but Jenny had some lessons or appointments/commitments in the morning that she couldn’t miss.
This woman is amazing and I want to be an amazing senior pro pickleball player/champion just like her when I grow up.
We were lucky that Jose Pepper’s was able to accommodate our large group.
I wish Jenny could have stayed but getting home safely is more important. We had a great time overall. Brian and I are both grateful to be included.
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National Pickleball League in Wichita
Posted on August 19, 2023 by Ching under Community, Pickleball.
I had the best time when National Pickleball League (NPL) came to town for one of the NPL tour stops. We had a couple of pros from the OKC Punishers team stay with us – Carrina de Vera and Jenny Marcos. I’ve known Jenny for some time now through mutual friends and then it was my first time meeting Carrina. They are both Filipino so it was perfect.
Here are some pictures from the NPL kickoff party on Friday night. Jenny is in pink. Carrina is in black. The red-haired lady is Carrina’s wife, Deb.
This is Mark Milner, OKC Punishers GM and top male player along with Jaime Oncins (below). These two men are probably the most handsome men’s doubles duo in the entire league.
Two full days of competition followed the opening night party. Saturday play featured OKC Punishers vs. Indy Drivers. They split the matches and had to go into a super exciting teambreaker.
Check out this awesome scorpion that Jenny hits early in the game.
Karen Fox and Vickie Hancock were two of our best volunteers.
Day two pictures next…
Jen Reifschneider was such a trooper. She volunteered on both days.
Brian Evenson was on hand to take photos all weekend.
No one was volunteering for broadcast booth help so I signed Brian up for it on Sunday and he really enjoyed his volunteer job. It was right up his alley.
I was court monitor on court 6, which was actually a great volunteer job for me because I got to watch amazing matches all morning. I caught a snap of Jenny taking a nap in between matches. It had been a long two days.
It was a busy weekend but I had so much fun. It was great to see and meet all the senior pros and watch them play. I can’t wait until NPL returns next year.
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