On October 9, 2019 I was both lucky and unlucky enough to play pickleball at the Fretz Park Recreation Center in Dallas, Texas.
The positive? Almost everything. The indoor courts consist of several temporary nets set up on a traditional basketball court. There were at least six courts that were all busy with people waiting. When I arrived, everyone I met was nice (as always with pickleball people) and I placed my Selkirk Invikta paddle in a pile with others. Moments later I was on a court with a gentleman named Barry, who was very nice and welcomed me immediately to the group. We won our first match and he took my paddle….placing back in the next pile with his making sure we would play together again. This was very kind of him. I appreciated that very much! We won the next match we played and went to play our third match.
The negative? It was in the third match I fractured my right ankle. We were up 8-6 and ended up losing 11-8. Yes….I am that competitive that I kept playing. And yes….I am upset that we still lost.
Regardless, the drive back to my hotel was quite an experience. And the night was long.
Overall I truly enjoyed Fretz Park. I believe they only play on Wednesday nights there, but it is worth the visit! They also have numerous tennis courts there, a beautiful park, trails, a pool, soccer field, basketball courts, a gym, a baseball field and a library. There is literally something for everyone! Highly recommended!
Also, another special shout out to Fitness Connection in Mesquite, Texas. It is a HUGE gym with a wide assortment of free weights, hundreds of machines and lots of aerobic equipment upstairs. They were very nice and helpful at the front desk and I had a great workout the only night I went. There are so many options (it was back day) that you just keep lifting and lifting! If it wasn’t for my ankle I would have gone back for more! I highly recommend this facility!