Editor's Note: Liz Truluck, currently ranked 36th in Women's Doubles and 19th in Women's Singles on the PPA Tour, is documenting her trip Down Under for The Dink playing for the Fast Fours in MLP Australia.

Hi pickleball enthusiasts! I'm looking forward to taking you on my journey to Gold Coast, Australia, for Major League Pickleball Australia Season 2.

With a total of three flights and over 25 hours of travel time, I decided to get here a couple days early to adjust to the time change and get some practice in with my team, the Fast Fours, before competition time.

On my flights were some members of the USA National Ultimate Frisbee team, decked out in red, white and blue track suits, who too were heading to the Gold Coast for the WFDF World Ultimate Championships taking place this weekend.

Managing to get more sleep than usual on flights, I arrived to Gold Coast this week excited to be in Australia for the first time. Upon arriving, my captain and teammate George Wall was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and gave me a welcoming tour of the area.

We walked around Burleigh Beach, where a good amount of surfers were hitting up the clear and beautiful waves. We stopped for a little caffeine pick me up (well, I did 😄) where I got my go to order.

How Liz Truluck and Ava Ignatowich Went from Davidson Tennis Standouts to Top 20 Pickleballers

Both Liz Truluck and Ana Ignatowich took their tennis skills to Davidson College and yet wound up elite women’s pickleball professionals. We document their journey to the PPA Tour.

The Dink PickleballErik Tice

While sipping on my matcha latte, we drove by some gorgeous and tall residential buildings on the way to the pickleball courts, where we joined our other teammate, Lucas Pascoe, and several other talented local players for a warm afternoon practice sesh.

After pickleball, we loaded up on groceries at which point I decided to call it a day for an early night as the jet lag began to hit.

Day 1 complete in Gold Coast, and T-minus 3 days until competition day!

MLPA Gold Coast will start Friday, August 30, and will conclude on September 1. Coinciding with the MLPA is the PPA Gold Coast tournament (singles, mixed and gendered doubles draws) filled with very talented players from all over the world.

Catch me and the Fast Fours – George Wall, Lucas Pascoe and Ting Chieh (Jamie) Wei – take on the Western Vipers no earlier than 3pm on Friday afternoon.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on how’s it’s going down here!🦘🇦🇺