Tag Archives: Northwood Middle School

Pickleball Enthusiasm

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Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee—by law—made pickleball the official sport of Washington. It makes sense. The game was invented in our state in 1965. But I believe the legislation was also made possible by influence that extends beyond Washington borders. Currently, the game of pickleball is red hot in our nation. The Parade cover story that was published yesterday acknowledging the fact was just a formality.

Pickleball might be the hottest sport in the country right now. Parade Magazine ran a big story about the game yesterday.

With enthusiasm continuing to grow, I suppose Washington declared it our state’s official state sport before another state swooped in and did the same, thus delivering a heavy dose of embarrassment to all Washingtonians.

Pickleball is a great game. My first time playing it was at Northwood Middle School in Spokane. The physical education curriculum offered a special racquet sports unit that a limited number of students could sign up for. As a seventh grader I successfully got my name on the list. Over the course of a few weeks, I improved my ping pong skills and dabbled in badminton. But the best part of the unit was an introduction to the sport of pickleball. The PE teachers running the unit set up a couple courts in the cafeteria gym and I felt the addicting nature of smacking the wiffle ball with the oversized paddles.

I repeated the unit in eighth grade, too. I remember my partner and I finishing second in the pickleball round robin tournament, losing to the eventual champions in a hard-fought match characterized by several long volleys that grew my admiration for the game even more.

Over the years I have not played pickleball as much as I would have liked, but perhaps now is the time to re-commit (because everyone likes the bandwagon trend adopter, right?). Spokane boasts parks with pickleball courts and if the enthusiasts who continue to write letters to the editor in the Spokesman-Review have their way, more might be coming.

Do you play pickleball? If so, let me know when you started playing and where you currently go to get your pickleball fix. Don’t Blink.

Turkey Bowl Soreness

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This past Thanksgiving my brother and I went and played some football. We shook off a fun Thanksgiving Eve and went to the middle school that we attended many years ago. Instead of reliving our junior high glory on the actual football field we competed on as young kids, we had to do it on the baseball outfield because another group had beat us to the punch and already had a game going on the real gridiron.

Glen and I goofing around before going to the Turkey Bowl.

Glen and I goofing around before going to the Turkey Bowl.

But that didn’t matter. Our group of 16 former Mead High School Panthers didn’t need an official football field to play on, we just needed grass. We chose our teams and got to playing. I balled out pretty hard. For almost two hours I ran routes, backpedaled, and caught passes. Not one to sprint that much anymore, I definitely pushed my body into a higher gear than what it has become accustomed to. But at the time it was needed, I had to win a Turkey Bowl championship. And win we did. Led by my brother at quarterback and a couple other former hot shots, our team came out on top. Joyful with the victory we left the field in great spirits as we had a day of relaxation and food ahead of us.

Late that evening while I sat in the movie theater watching “The Hunger Games 3” I could start to feel it. However, the term “rude awakening” never seemed to ring truer than when I opened my eyes early on that Black Friday morning. My legs ached up and down. It hurt to get out of bed and shower. Knowing I needed something, I took some Advil. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite do the trick.

As my brother and I went from store to store I dreaded getting out of the car, it hurt that much. Getting back in the car was a chore too. Walking through the malls was misery. Even the drinks I had while watching the games didn’t numb the soreness. I asked my brother if he felt the same way as me and he said not really. Little things have taught me that I am not so young anymore but the way I felt and the way my brother didn’t feel really drove home the point to me that I am oooooollllllllllllllddd.

The pain didn’t leave that day. In the evening when we went to the casino I still cringed when I got out of the car. Each step I took walking around the moderately-sized Northern Quest facility reminded me of what I did 36 hours earlier. Sitting down at the table with my feet dangling made my legs feel like cement. Later that night when I finally returned home to my parents’ house I patted myself on the back for making it through the day. I was excited to finally feel normal once I woke up in a few hours.

Only I didn’t. I was still sore Saturday also!! I felt like a total pile. One day sore was excusable, two days sore was an absolute embarrassment. I remembered back to my glorious high school days when I actually played real tackle football. On game nights I would get my body beat to hell. I would wake up the next morning feeling like a truck had run over me but after some light conditioning administered by our coaches I was good to go. Here I was whining and complaining the second day from less than 120 minutes of two hand touch, half speed football.

But I guess the main point that I want to make out of this long ramble is not that I am getting old nor is it that I should have stretched beforehand. Rather it is to say that playing in that Turkey Bowl was totally worth it. Sure I have complained for almost 600 words on how sore I was for two days but that soreness reminded me of how much fun I had playing. Don’t get me wrong, I will stretch before next year’s bowl, but even if I am again sore for two days I won’t mind…just as long as my team wins. Don’t Blink.

My 2014 Thanksgiving Holiday

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I can say without a doubt that spending a long holiday weekend with my family after seven months in a state 3,000 miles away was very nice and rejuvenating. This evening I will hop back on a plane to begin a red-eye journey back to Myrtle Beach. But before all of that happens, I will briefly share what I did during my time in Spokane.

Tuesday: I arrived at the Spokane International Airport at 3:40 p.m. after a 12-hour travel day. My parents greeted me and took me back home. After some quick catching up, my mom and I went over to my sister’s house where I got to see my niece for the first time (I wrote extensively about this in my previous blog post). We then came back to my parents’ house and waited for my younger brother to arrive. Once he did a fabulous steak dinner was cooked up and I savored every single bite. After the meal I chatted with my family for the rest of the night.

The first night in Spokane was great. My mom picked me up at the airport, I met my niece for the first time, I got to see my bro, and I enjoyed a great steak dinner.

The first night in Spokane was great. My mom picked me up at the airport, I met my niece for the first time, I got to see my bro, and I enjoyed a great steak dinner.

 

Wednesday: Still on east coast time, I woke up at 2:30 a.m. but managed to stay in bed until 5:30 a.m. I got up and talked to my parents while they got ready to go to work. During this time my mom helped me take my Thanksgiving holiday greeting. I spent a relaxing morning watching sports talk programming. I later met up with my sister and niece at their home. We then went to my dad’s work and said hi. From there we went to my mom’s work and also said our greetings. Co-workers at both places were thrilled to see Mikayla and actually happy to meet Miranda and I as well. My mom got off early and after the four of us had cold cut combos at Subway, Miranda and her daughter went home and my mom and I went to run some errands. We braved the Costco frenzy, looked around the mall, ordered a take-n-bake pizza at Papa Murphy’s, and picked up ice cream for a dessert pie at Cold Stone.

We took Mikayla to both the workplaces of my parents.

We took Mikayla to both the workplaces of my parents.

 

Once back at the house my dad and brother arrived home from their workdays. My mom cooked the pizza and we all sat downstairs and watched “Jeopardy” while eating. After watching the Gonzaga basketball game, my brother and I went out on our Thanksgiving Eve watering hole tradition. We saw a lot of old friends and encountered some new ones. It was definitely a fun night.

My mom making her ice cream pie and my brother and I right before we went out.

My mom making her ice cream pie and my brother and I right before we went out.

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! The day started with my brother and I going to the field of our old middle school to play in the 9 a.m. Turkey Bowl (aka two-hand touch football game with former friends and teammates in high school). On a gorgeous Thanksgiving morning, we ran around for two hours playing our washed-up hearts out. My brother and I played on the same team and with him at quarterback we connected on numerous completions. It was a lot of fun and our team came out on top.

My brother and I right before the Turkey Bowl.

My brother and I right before the Turkey Bowl.

 

We arrived back home and showered up. We watched the second half of the Lions’ win over the Bears and then watched the first half of the Cowboys-Eagles game. Right when halftime hit, it was time for our Thanksgiving feast. My mom once again outdid herself as she prepared turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, sweet potato balls, salad, lasagna, stuffing, and gravy. We chomped away and I must say I don’t think I can ever remember a better tasting Thanksgiving meal. We then watched the Eagles put the finishing touches on the Cowboys. My dad then had the chaplain from the hospital he works at come over for some Thanksgiving cheer and dessert.

On Thanksgiving we had a great feast and got to take some family photos.

On Thanksgiving we had a great feast and got to take some family photos.

 

We all went down to the basement and watched the Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers game. A good time was had by all as we ate pumpkin pie and ice cream pie and watched the Hawks beat the 49ers in San Francisco. After the game my brother, mom, and I went to the movie theater and watched “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1.” As with the previous two installments, it was an excellent movie. Despite a huge Thanksgiving feast we still managed to fill our faces with popcorn. We then came home and talked into the wee hours of the morning.

"Hunger Games 3" was a great movie.

“Hunger Games 3” was a great movie.

 

Friday: My brother and I left the house at 8 a.m. to join in on the Black Friday mania. Although it wasn’t exactly mania. Thanksgiving sales have taken a big bite out of the Black Friday rush. But we still had a good time going to a couple malls, Sports Authority, and Old Navy. Before noon hit, the two of us honored another longtime tradition as we bellied up at the Mustard Seed bar in Northtown Mall to watch football. We watched several games including the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry tilt. The highlight though was when our good friend Siera came and hung with us. I met her at a volunteer opportunity about 7 years ago and we have remained friends since then. It was great to catch up.

My brother and I had our annual Mustard Seed Black Friday tradition and we got to see Siera.

My brother and I had our annual Mustard Seed Black Friday tradition and we got to see Siera.

Glen and I returned home and my mom heated up all the Thanksgiving leftovers. The four of us (me, mom, dad, brother) made plates and had a great meal. After letting the food settle for a little bit, my brother and I went out to Northern Quest, a Vegas-style casino on the outskirts of town. We had a wonderful time hanging in the beautiful sports bar and at the tables. Although I lost a little, my money stretched for a long time. My brother was a little luckier than me and cashed out ahead. The ending table we were at was a lot of fun with some colorful characters sitting next to us. After Quest we went to downtown Spokane and met up with my great friend Jessie and her friends. More catching up was done as both of us have gone our separate career paths since last time we hung out.

We had a great time at Northern Quest in their ultra fancy sports bar and casino and then had a wonderful time meeting up with Jessie.

Leftovers were once again delicious. We had a great time at Northern Quest in their ultra fancy sports bar and casino and then had a wonderful time meeting up with Jessie.

 

Saturday: I woke up in time to see the 9 a.m. kickoff between Clemson and South Carolina. I watched most of that game while also flipping around to the other early morning rivalry games. During this period I heated up Round II of Thanksgiving leftovers. My brother and I then went to a northside restaurant called Poole’s where we watched the FCS Playoffs. We sat right up at the bar that let us see both the Montana-San Diego and Montana State-South Dakota State games. Both contests were played in snow and both contests had great results. The Griz smashed San Diego and South Dakota State defeated the undeserving Bobcats.

We returned home and watched Florida State barely edge Florida to remain undefeated. My mom, brother, and I then went to St. Thomas More for 4:30 p.m. mass. I enjoyed celebrating mass in the parish I received my first communion in. After church we went to my all-time favorite restaurant, Tomato Street. I love this place so much because the food is great but the atmosphere is top notch as well. I ordered angel hair with pesto sauce and marveled at how good it was. With full bellies we returned home and watched the football game that matters most in my household, the Apple Cup. Although the first half was close, Washington pulled away in the second half to beat the alma mater of my dad, Washington State.

Tomato Street was delicious!

Tomato Street was delicious!

Sunday: So here we are at the present day. My mom made a terrific brunch for us that included biscuits and gravy, hash browns, eggs, and sausage. We then went downstairs and watched a combination of NFL football and “Bar Rescue.” As I sit here at our kitchen table right now I am watching my mom make turkey soup. In a few hours it will be off to the airport but I am sure we will do something meaningful with the short remaining time.

Enjoying the last few hours with my family.

Enjoying the last few hours with my family.

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What an awesome time I had here in Spokane. No reason to feel sad about leaving though, I will be back in a few short weeks. Until then I am anxious to get back to the beach and return to work at Coastal Carolina University. I can’t thank my family enough for hosting me and treating me to such a memorable Thanksgiving. I love you all. Don’t Blink.