On the Road…….to the U.K. Open…and beyond

I’m already packing my pickleball gear again, this time for a 19 day trip to England, Scotland and Finland.  Some people think I’m crazy, going so far away just to play pickleball. Rest assured, there’s so many more reasons I go than just to play pickleball.

My love affair with going to Europe started long ago when I visited a friend I met in college who lives in England.  I’ve traveled various places to visit or vacation with her several times.  Before visiting her in 2014, I did some research to find any pickleball play in England  and came across a club in Kidlington, just 40 miles from her home.  She t

ook me there one Friday night and the Oxfordshire Pickleball Club welcomed us with open arms.  Friendships made that night were the beginning of my now robust international pickleball family.  This is where I met Leo, my pickleball husband.  We have played together in Madrid, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Michigan, Toledo, and just last month in the US Open Championships in Naples, Florida.

Leo, who won silver and gold medals at the US Open, and I will meet again the end of May in Gillingham, England to compete together in the UK Open Pickleball Championships, hosted by Motiv8 Sports of Ramsgate, England.  I will also reconnect with US Open bronze medal winner Liz Easdale (Scotland) in this tournament where we will play the women’s doubles together.

Aside from the competition this tournament will provide with players from a dozen or so countries around the world, I will catch up with pickleball family friends from England, Spain, Scotland, Finland, and the Netherlands, and I look forward to meeting so many more players from other countries.

After the U.K. Open, my travels will take me to Glasgow, Scotland where Liz will show me as much as can be seen in three and a half days!  From there I will will return to England to visit my friend, Chris for a few days. I always enjoy hanging with Chris!  She says the same, but I know that my desire to pack a million things into our days together is overwhelming!

On day #14, I will fly to Helsinki, Finland for my second pickleball tournament with the Finland Pickleball Club in Espoo, Finland. I have never been to Finland so I am really looking forward to this part of the trip.  This time of year, the sun rises around 4:00am and doesn’t set until after 10:30pm.  Eighteen hours of daylight!  Wow!

Leo and I will compete together again in the FPC 2nd International Tournaments.  I will partner Gema Garcia Rodriguez from Madrid in the women’s doubles. Gema is a top player in Spain and I am excited to play with her.

I can’t promise I’ll post while I’m gone, but I will try!  If my days are as full as they were at the US Open last month, the time will fly by and I’ll catch you up when I return.

Thanks for reading!

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