Brooke returns from the 2025 Minto US OPEN with 2 more medals.

Brooke was selected to play in this year's US OPEN in Women's Doubles Age (50-54) Open, and Women's Doubles Age (50-54) 5.0 level. The US Open Pickleball Championships is held at East Naples Community Park in Naples, FL. This facility has over 60 courts and they needed it for the 4300+ competitors and over 60,000 spectators that were to arrive during the week.

This year's US Open was scheduled 2 weeks later than last year, which meant for much warmer conditions than 2024. Much like last year, we left PA in the rain and cold weather in the high 40's and arrived in Fort Myers to weather almost 50 degrees higher than what we were accustomed to. Brooke's first scheduled match Monday April 28th around 2:00PM and her partner was Tokiko Yamasato. Brooke had never played with Toki, only had played against her once in last year's US OPEN, where they met in the gold medal match in Women's Singles. After that match they waited a year until they could make their schedules meet and play together in the World's largest pickleball event. Having never played together, they decided to meet at 9:00am and get some practice in playing with each other. After an hour or so of hopping around on open courts, they got some practice together. Toki herself coming from Michigan, was in much warmer climate than she was used to, as well.

Brooke and Toki battled their way through double elimination bracket play. Even though it was double elimination, if you lost, you were playing for bronze. There was no coming back for gold or silver, so you had to be the top of your bracket to get into the gold medal match. Each match was a best-of 3 games to 11, win by 2. Several matches went to 3 games including the match before the semi-finals that lasted over an hour. It was brutal heat and humidity, but they kept chipping away at the competition. After this long 1 hour match, they were called immediately into the final match that would send them to GOLD/SILVER, with no time to rest. Thier competitors had been setting for 45 mins and had time to rest and watch the girls play. In the end, they lost this match which sent Brooke and Toki into the BRONZE bracket. In this bracket, the games were a single game to 15, win by 2. They had to win the next match to go for BRONZE and won that match very convincingly. In the BRONZE match, they faced the team that took them an hour to play and they knew what it would take to beat them. This game lasted 27 mins, with Brooke and Toki taking home the BRONZE in a 15-9 final score! Their first time playing together and they were able to medal, finishing up around 9:02PM! What a long day of pickleball...

Congrats Brooke and Toki

Bronze Women's Doubles 50-54 OPEN, Congrats Brooke & Toki

I forgot to mention Brooke has a habit of shutting down tournaments, and we finally rolled into our Airbnb around 10:30PM!

We had a little time to recoup from this long day, so Brooke and I headed to Orlando the next day and get a little mini-vacation in at Universal Studios. It was a much nicer overcast day, but helped with the conditioning to the warmer weather. Brooke and Toki's next match was schedule for Thursday, 5.0 Skill Age 50-54. We spent Wednesday enjoying Naples, FL.

Thursday rolled around and they were scheduled to start around noon. Thier first match on day 2 was the team the beat in the Bronze match, three days prior. They lost the first game 10-12, won 11-5 the second and then lost the third game sending them right into the Bronze bracket. Brooke and Toki battled their way through winning the next three games, 15-10, 16-14 and 15-13 ultimately taking home a second BRONZE in Women's Doubles 5.0 (50-54)! Two days and two medals in the World's largest pickleball tournament was quite a feat for two ladies that never played with each other before! I sure enjoyed watching Brooke play, and as usual was there filming the matches. I hope to get video of her medal matches uploaded, so stay tuned!

Brooke played this year's Minto US OPEN, using the Engage Pursuit Pro1 6.0 paddle. Shout-out to Engage for making such fine paddles that continues to put Brooke on the podium!

Congrats again to Brooke and Toki!

Brooke and I returned home with plenty to do, from attending our son's college graduation and moving him out of his place to mowing knee high grass and getting the house ready for summer. It probably took us a week to get back into the normal routine. As I write this, Brooke is on her way to NC with our daughter, for a little mini-vacation and to play in another National Qualifier with mixed doubles partner Jose Ale La Vecchio. Good luck guys! Bring home another Golden Ticket!