This week on Tennis Tuesday: Sectionals! Sectionals were held at a few locations in the Monterey Bay Area. We hadn’t been in the area in a few years so we were excited for tennis and to do some exploring in between matches.

Hubby and co played at Chamisal Tennis Club in Salinas and at the Carmel Valley Athletic Club in Carmel. Chamisal had a ‘by the water’ feel; I admired all of their landscaping and spectator seating areas (including the lawn where you could view up to four matches at once).

Carmel Valley Athletic Club felt more ‘woodsy’ – like a log cabin in Tahoe feel and they had signs throughout the facility that said ‘members only’ – basically ‘keep out.’ I preferred hanging out at Chamisal; I felt more welcomed there. Also, Chamisal had really good fries in their cafe (so good we ate them twice…) and better-at-their-job tennis officials. Chamisal for the win! 😉

Like Districts, there were four matches in three days. Competition was tough, but this made for some exciting matches! By Sectionals I was a little better at navigating scores and keeping track in real time. Also, all the players were supportive of each other, even on opposing teams. There’s real sportsmanship at this level.

Unfortunately, Hubby and co didn’t win first place at Sectionals but they met some new tennis friends and can check ‘be awesome at tennis’ off the bucket list. And, since the weather was more our style (sunny and breezy, not too cold or hot), we got to enjoy the beach. So, technically, we all won! Hubby took me to two beaches – Carmel Beach (above) and Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove (below) – so I could walk barefoot in the sand and feel the chilly waters on my toes. 🙃

I’ve already started making a list of places to visit and things to do for our next visit to the Monterey area. There are so many cute shops and outdoor spaces to enjoy and explore. And the tennis boys are already planning their next tennis adventures. So proud of SPP for making it this far!

Tennis wifey, out.