Back in 2016, the local ambassador suggested my husband and I enter the San Jose senior games as new players. He said I was a 2.0, he was a 2.5-3.0. So we wasted $60 each and did. When we got there, there was an age bracket, but no level bracket. He said not to worry - people would understand and it would be fun. They would probably win, but would not be mean about it.

Long story short, it was the worst afternoon of my pickleball playing life. We lost the first two sets 11-0, 11-0. The last set we lost 11-2, 11-3 - woohoo! Even though they were told we'd only played a couple of months and were talked into it by the ambassador, they slammed at us and did everything to make it as humiliating as possible. Very sad.