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TAHOE GALS— SERVING UP FRIENDSHIP
By Lisa Brochetti, Ambassador, Kittanning, PA
Susan Kaminsky, Gigi Guerra, Claudia Fontana, Stephanie McDonald,
Theresa Connaughton, Lisa Brochetti at the first Ambassador Retreat, Club Med, FL.
In June 2015, at the First Annual Pickleball Ambassador Retreat in Lake Tahoe, CA, six adventurous solo travelers, myself included, were randomly paired together thanks to Audrey Phillips, retreat coordinator, and her committee. We six women from diverse backgrounds were united by our passion for pickleball!
Hailing from California, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, this melting pot of personalities felt an instant connection. Our camaraderie grew as we shared our pickleball experiences— community involvement, successes, struggles and our best practices.
As the retreat came to a close, we agreed to meet at the Second Annual Pickleball Ambassador Retreat. But a few months later, a surprise invitation came from New York Gal, Susan Kaminsky, for a mini-reunion at The Villages in Florida, a well-known pickleball destination. We“ Tahoe Gals” readily accepted. It was an amazing week of fun activities— and each day began with pickleball play and instruction.
Our friendships continued to grow and we agreed again to meet up at the next retreat. Then another impromptu invitation came from Colorado Gal, Stephanie McDonald, and our adventures continued over the July 4th holiday with whitewater rafting, ziplining, hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, relaxing in the hot springs and, of course, pickleball play!
In September 2016, we Tahoe Gals met again at the Second
Annual Pickleball Ambassador Retreat at Club Med, Port St. Lucie, Florida. While attending the retreat, we planned our next meeting, which took place in fall 2017 in College Station, Texas, at the home of Texas Gal, Theresa Connaughton, to celebrate her 70th birthday! Yes, 70 years young and still playing pickleball and loving every minute! We enjoyed a tour of Texas A & M, the Bush Library, horseback riding and hayride and at a beautiful ranch as well as dinner and a show in Houston.
We met again at the Third Annual Pickleball Retreat, which also took place in Port St. Lucie, Florida. We all attended and extended our stay a few days in Ft. Lauderdale. Each time we meet, we pick up where we left off and make plans for the next adventure before we leave.
We will meet again in Cancun, Mexico, in December for a vacation with more than 200 pickleball enthusiasts! It will be a fun time of catching up, laughing and playing lots of pickleball— the wonderful sport that brought us all together to begin with!
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