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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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