Pickleball |
From digital to analogue |
Image Credit: Nick Obrien
It all began with a spreadsheet
The spreadsheet stared back at me with a face like this:
 Or perhaps it was my reflection in the computer screen. By that stage, it was difficult to tell.
Creating the draw for Coochie’s first pickleball tournament sounded simple enough. There were players, pairings, divisions, courts and available times. Surely we just had to transfer them from paper all into a spreadsheet and produce a neat little schedule. Apparently a pic or two and upload to AI is all it takes...
What could possibly go wrong?
Enter my AI assistant, who clearly was not feeling particularly intelligent or helpful that day. It kept hallucinating, moving people around, creating clashes, forgetting times and generally behaving as though it had been enjoying happy hour without telling me.
“Go home, AI, you’re drunk!”
Or perhaps just a little pickled? Did you see what I did there?
 According to conventional wisdom, whatever that is, AI is supposed to be getting better with age. All I could see were AI brain farts making more mitsakes than even I, a mere human with a severe aversion to spreadsheets, would ever make.
And that is saying something.
Fortunately, Dave stepped into the digital disaster zone.
By tournament day, he had somehow sorted it all out through his (obviously) very capable webs of brain cells. These were brain cells that had clearly made friends with spreadsheets many moons ago and, unlike my AI assistant, knew how to behave themselves.
It made me wonder about the usefulness of AI, although I must admit, wrestling with it had provided a rather entertaining catch-up.
Then real life kicked in, and digital became analogue.
The carefully arranged names and times disappeared from the screen and became twelve actual players stepping onto the court for the first round of the tournament.
Suddenly, it wasn’t about spreadsheets, schedules or wayward artificial intelligence. It was about people, paddles and pickleballs.
I truly enjoyed the camaraderie, the sunshine, the fresh air and that immensely satisfying dink of the pickleball on the bat when it hit the sweet spot.
There is something very pleasing about that sound, particularly when it is your own bat making it.
I made a mental note to thank Dave, who had encouraged me to join in.
Thank you, Dave. 😁
The laughs, the “dohs!” and the assortment of other noises I can’t quite describe were all part of the fun and community that is pickleball.
In my world, at least.
I’ve been told it can become considerably more competitive over in Australia, or even here on Coochie on Tuesdays. Apparently, there are times when the friendly little dink develops teeth.
For me, though, the first round was a reminder that real life generally works better than a spreadsheet. Sunshine beats screen glare, laughter beats error messages, and twelve people on a court are far more enjoyable than twelve names refusing to behave in little boxes.
Time constraints notwithstanding, I’m looking forward to spending more time on the court, improving my game and learning to serve properly.
Preferably without requiring a spreadsheet.
Need I say this masterpiece was written be me, pen on paper (actually, really, that, yes!) and given to my AI buddy for a second chance, just a light edit on this one....seems neither of us are good at spreadsheets....
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My neighbour talked me into trying pickleball last month. Still can't serve properly, but I keep going back!
First tournament with twelve players is a great start! Hope the next round gets another good sunny day.
I've made a tournament draw by hand before. Honestly, the spreadsheet might be the easy part once people start changing partners!
Tuesdays sound a bit fierce for me! I'll stick with the laughs and sunshine thanks.
Are beginners welcome on Coochie? I can serve, but where it lands is anyone's guess!
That little dink sound is so satisfying! Mine usually ends with the ball in the net haha.
Good on Dave for sorting that draw! Twelve players and all those court times would do my head in too.