By Virginia Soo (Karen’s Cousin)
The Nisei Ski Club Pickle Ball Event took place on Saturday, Oct. 29th at the Saratoga Country Club. It proved to be very popular as all court slots were full. The Country Club provided water and towels and hostess Jeanne Katsuro brought paddles for those who needed them. The weather was very pleasant, not too hot nor windy. We were told Pickle Ball is the fastest growing sport in the US for the past two years.
We were organized into beginner and intermediate/advanced playing abilities.
Qyunh Nguyen, the advanced coach for the afternoon is a past winner of National Pickle ball Tournaments. Other accolades include her being a National Vietnamese Ping Pong champion. Pretty cool! Qyunh certified Yvonne Lacinco who coached the beginners.
I can only speak for the beginners as I was part of that group. Yvonne started our lesson by instructing us on how to throw the ball to a partner without using a paddle. She showed us how to bend our knees, distribute our weight properly and follow through with our arm strokes. The key is to stay low. We moved on to aiming for a virtual target on our body (heart center). The hour-long lesson continued with a description of the court areas, placement of the players, how to release the ball when serving, where to move after play starts and how the score is kept. Yvonne told us the majority of the game is played in the kitchen. I found myself being in the kitchen at inopportune times and losing points for my team. Yvonne reminded us a few times to forget what we knew from playing tennis as strategy is not the same in pickle ball.
For the remainder of the afternoon, we played with each other while the coaches gave pointers and encouraged us from the sidelines. During games, more experienced players directed us on whose turn it was to serve after scoring a point and how to move into the kitchen once the ball bounced the appropriate number of times. I can say from personal experience that I had a really good time and learned a lot. Based on the turnout from the event, I saw folks had fun and would be interested in doing it again.
Jeanne did a great job of organizing the event. This included instructions on where to send our checks, directions to the club, court attire and etiquette. The Saratoga Country Club is a wonderful venue.
I did not attend the dinner afterwards at Golden Palace as I had a previous commitment.
– Virginia Soo
