The Kitchen Report: March 2nd
Hello Pickleball Family Welcome to this week’s Kitchen Report.
Watch the video first… then come back and read this. There is a method to my madness. It’s organized chaos — but it works. Trust me!
Fair warning… This week’s Kitchen Report is a little long.By “a little,” I mean grab a coffee. Actually, grab two. Maybe a bagel. Toasted. With cream cheese. You’re going to need fuel. Kick off your flip flops. Put your feet up. Get comfortable. This is not a speed read — this is a mini-series. Think “binge-worthy,” not “commercial break.”
There’s drama. There’s victory. There’s possibly a mild rant.
So settle in, sip slowly, and enjoy. Niko already found the best seat in the house.
Click below 👇👇👇👇👇👇
Saturday: From 24 to the Sweet 16
We started with 24 incredible women.
Twenty-four competitors entered. Brackets were set. Friendships were temporarily paused. Game faces were ON.
After fierce matches and kitchen warfare, we narrowed it down to our very own…
Sweet 16 of Trilogy
Sixteen women who earned their spot the hard way. No shortcuts. No sympathy points. Just solid pickleball.
The rallies were long. The dinks were precise. The lobs required oxygen clearance.
And when it was all said and done…
Here are your Elite Sweet 16:
First Place: Elenor Baker
Second Place: Wendy Tannenbaum
Third Place: Joanne Spina
4. Pam McCutcheon
5. Rita Coronado
6. Helen Dalzeil
7. Cindi Cervini
8. Teri Burguan/Cindi Ribera
9. Suzy Hall/Lois Krieger
10. Robin May
11. Lori Tooker
12. Robin Jaques
13. Sue Stamberger
14. Cindy Braa
15. Diane Weitzman
16. Phaedra Norton
5 Rounds, 15 games plus Championship Round of 3 games for Medalists!
Ladies, you were fierce. From 24 down to 3 — that’s championship stuff!
And here’s the best part — if you’re looking for advice or help with your game, tap into any of these players. They’ve proven they know how to compete under pressure. We’ve got talent all over these courts — use it. That’s how we all get better.
Sunday: From 32 to The Dirty Dozen
Now for the men We started with 32 competitors. Thirty-two brave souls. Thirty-two sets of competitive fire. But only 12 survived bracket play to earn a place in…
The Dirty Dozen
From 32 warriors… to these 12:
First Place: Jacob Greene
Second Place: Anthony Abney
Third Place: Jarrod Burguan
4. Dan Hodge
5. Khola Herbert
6. Dan Russell
7. Sam Sides
8. Bill Kenard
9. Don Fuller
10. Todd Weitzman
11. Sam Spina
12. Greg Bardin
There were speed-ups that broke sound barriers. There were kitchen stare-downs that felt like high noon. There were line calls that deserved slow-motion replay. And when the dust settled…
Gentlemen — from 32 to 12 to 3. That’s not just a tournament. That’s a storyline.
And just like with the women — if you’re looking to elevate your game, these guys are great resources. Grab one for open play. Ask questions. That’s how we grow this club stronger together.
Huge shout out to John Jaques, Dave Miller, and Mike Deary
John — for running a shootout so competitive I’m pretty sure we needed waivers, ice packs, and maybe a referee with instant replay. He doesn’t just organize brackets… he orchestrates full-blown pickleball warfare. And somehow it runs like clockwork.
Dave — for keeping our courts looking so good they practically glow at sunset. I’m convinced the balls bounce better out of respect for how pristine those courts are. If it looks beautiful, it plays beautiful — and Dave makes sure of that.
And Mike — ohhhhh Mike.
Two full weekends with us capturing every single detail. Nothing — and I mean nothing — got past him. Not a serve, not a speed-up, not a toe on the line, not even that face you make when you pop one up into the net. If there was drama, Mike caught it. If there was a championship moment, he froze it in time. I’m slightly concerned he now has evidence on all of us.
We truly couldn’t do this without the three of you.
One runs the chaos.
One keeps it beautiful.
One documents it forever.
That’s a dream team right there.
We have a brand new Next Up sign-up board arriving this week for the stadium courts.
She’s shiny. She’s beautiful. She deserves respect.
Now here’s where I need all of you.
I need each and every one of you to take responsibility for making sure that board is completely cleaned off before you leave the courts. Not “mostly.” Not “someone else will do it.” Completely.
If we don’t wipe it down, the writing embeds into the board and ruins it over time — and I really don’t want our beautiful new board looking like a ghost of pickleball past.
This is not a “Wendy will handle it” situation.
This is an all of us situation.
Last game of the day?
Last one standing?
Closest one to the board?
Grab the eraser. Wipe it clean. Done.
If we all take 30 seconds, that board will last a long time. If we don’t… well… you know I’ll be talking about it in the Kitchen Report.
Thank you for helping take care of our courts and our equipment.
3 ON 3 SIGN-UPS START TODAY AT 10:00 AM for Saturday, March 14th Event!
This is not a drill.
Set your alarms. Stretch your thumbs. Hydrate.
Here’s how it works:
One Captain
Three Players Total
Only the Captain signs the team up
That’s right — not three people signing up. Not “I thought you were signing us up.” Not “Wait, are we in?”
ONE captain. ONE sign-up. THREE players. Boom. Done.
And if you don’t have a team?
Relax. Breathe. We will try to match you up. No one gets left sitting on the bench staring at the Next Up board.
This one’s going to be fast, fun, and slightly chaotic — just how we like it.
See you on the website at 10:00 AM sharp.
Sign-ups are still OPEN for our March 21–22 Cancer Charity Tournament
And I’m looking at you, 2.5 players +
We need a few more of you to jump in. Don’t be standing on the sidelines that weekend saying, “I was thinking about it…” Thinking about it does not earn you a medal.
This is your moment. Your time. Your “I can totally return that serve” era.
Don’t be left out in the cold while everyone else is out there having a blast, playing great pickleball, and supporting an amazing cause. Trust me — watching from behind the fence is way less fun.
Grab a partner. Click the link. Sign up.
http://www.pickleballtournaments.com. HERE.NOW.FUND
Let’s gooooo.
That's it for this week's kitchen Report!
Play hard, Be Nice. And wipe the board off!
Niko and I are out!
Paddles up,
Wendy Tannenbaum
Polo Club Pickleball President
925-548-1980
Email: wendy.pickleballpres@gmail.com
Website: http://www.poloclubpickleball.com/
