Tournament time is the best time.
I mean, truly. Especially if it's a round robin format, am I right? Guaranteed games against high level competition, meeting new friends, and watching some kick ass pickleball. Doesn't really get much better.
The days can be suuuuuper long though, especially at some of the bigger ones. Or so I hear. So when it comes to being prepared, we have a couple of tips to make those long days a little easier...
*Put a pair of extra socks in your bag. Sounds silly, but changing your wet, sweaty socks for dry ones can put a little extra pep in your step just when you need it.
*All the snacks. Pack ALL of the snacks. Although most tournaments will provide some food in some form, you may not like it. And you simply may want more...I usually do, lol. To be perfectly honest, I keep a large bag of trail mix in my bag all the time, cause like...it's good to be prepared? Jerky is always a good bet, in my opinion, as are the old standby of protein bars. But basically anything that you like, that provides some nutrition, and doesn't need to be refrigerated should do the trick.
*I usually try to keep an extra change of clothes in my bag on tournament day as well, just in case. You could get too sweaty and feel like you need to change, you could spill coffee all over yourself (I may or may not be speaking from experience on that one), or you may just decide after the first couple of games that you hate your shorts. Things happen.
*A massage gun is another fantastic thing to keep in your bag as well. You're gonna get tired, muscles are gonna get sore, and those things are magic.
*Along the same lines, some Ibuprofren and maybe some icy hot type stuff can also be helpful.
*I also keep deodorant, a hair brush, extra hair ties, lotion, and lip stuff in there. Cuase like, that shit matters.
Do you have any must haves? Drop a comment and let us know, we're always looking to up our tournament prep game.
