Kitchen Feedback

N and A were the first people who taught me the rules of pickleball and, more importantly, how to play the game.

More than two years later, the married couple’s love for the sport has only grown. Like many passionate pickleball players, they travel for tournaments—not just to compete, but also to experience different pickleball communities and see how events are run elsewhere.

Their latest tournament took them 10,900 kilometres from home.

That’s roughly the distance between Singapore and Leeds in the United Kingdom, making it the furthest they’ve ever travelled for a pickleball competition.

For most of us, crossing the island for a tournament feels like a journey. N and A crossed continents.

Pure dedication.

Leeds marked N and A’s third World Pickleball Championship (“WPC“), but their first outside ASEAN after previous tournaments in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

The biggest surprise wasn’t the level of play—bangers, it turns out, exist everywhere—but how the tournament was run. Players managed their own scorecards, schedules and warm-ups, something the couple found surprisingly enjoyable.

On court, the standard felt similar to Malaysia, although players in Leeds were generally more selective about when to speed up the ball.

What stood out most to the couple, however, was the sportsmanship.

The prevailing attitude seemed to be “when in doubt, it’s in,” making line calls largely a non-issue. That’s the kind of pickleball culture we’d all love to see more of.

As for what’s next, the couple are already looking forward to their next WPC adventure—and hopefully a podium finish along the way.

Soundtrack

Almost every Kitchen Feedback article deserves a soundtrack.

Given that this story involves a trip to Leeds, the obvious choice is an MC Lars track. I still remember making the journey there in my twenties for a music festival and having the opportunity to interview him.

For this one, I’m going with “Signing Emo” by MC Lars.

Some journeys are measured in kilometres. Others are measured in memories.