Private court on bow of massive yacht

PB on Netflix. MLP Preview

There was no pro pickleball on this weekend, so we dusted off the old Netflix account. Guess what we found? More pickleball.

Pickle is showcased in the new series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. Shout out to Loma Linda, CA, and their “Godmother of Pickleball”, more on that below.

And before we jump into it, how could we not mention the massive yacht adorned with a private pickleball court that’s circulating on social media.

Uhhhhh…what? Worth noting: the boat crew seems to include an official referee. Or is that a ball boy?

In This Issue:

👀 Major League Preview
🏝️ Maui raises funds
🤝 Winners of the merger

Let’s do it.

Talkin' Teamwork

Photo Credit: CNBC

Major League Pickleball Atlanta kicks off Thursday this week. The team-based competition puts together four pickleball pros via a snake draft meaning that most aren’t paired with their normal partner.

When playing with a new partner, or any partner, there are some guidelines you can follow to keep things running smoothly.

Call Lines for Your Partner

  • When your partner is returning serve, help call the lines so they can focus on the return

  • The same goes for shots near the baseline. If it's clearly their ball, take the initiative to watch the line and make the call if need be

Cut Down on Errors

  • Be the patient and consistent part of the duo. It's easy to appreciate the partner that plays great defense and sets the team up for easy put aways

  • This also means you might have to take less risks. It's fun to rip that winner down the line, but it's not fun to be the partner watching you rip the ball into the net 5 times as you go for that down-the-line winner

Paddle Taps

  • It's a simple concept but it helps. After a great shot, after a not so great shot, maybe after every point

  • Checking in with your partner and showing support no matter what just happened helps boost team morale

  • Many top pros swear by this. It's mandatory for a strong partnership

Bonus tip: Keep score. Be the one who always knows the score, knows who served first, and which side you're supposed to be on.

The Go-To Backpack for Pickleball Players

The Core Bag Line by Selkirk is the go-to backpack line for pickleball players looking for a well designed, well constructed, and functional backpack.

This line features three of the most well known and loved silhouettes in pickleball: the Selkirk Day, Team, and Tour bags in five vibrant colors; Black, Red, Purple, Green & Blue.

Elevate your game on and off the court with Selkirk's Core Bag Line. Get yours today and experience the difference!

Live to 100: Secrets of Pickleball

The Netflix series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones explores “five unique communities where people live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives.” One of these unique cities is Loma Linda in Southern California.

  • Physical activity and health are held in high regard by those in the area.

  • It is theorized that staying active late in life contributes to a higher life expectancy, and is one of the reasons Loma Linda was recognized as a Blue Zone.

Referred to as the “Godmother of Loma Lida pickleball”, Loida Medina is a huge advocate for the sport and grandmother to USAP board member Ernie Medina Jr. Even at the age of 84, Loida says that she and her friends feel like high schoolers when they get out on the court.

The takeaway for why Loma Linda residents have no trouble staying active late into life: “It’s not trying to muster the discipline or presence of mind, but it’s building the community around the activity.” No sport is better than pickleball for building a meaningful community.

It’s MLP Week

It feels like a year and a half since San Clemente, the last MLP event this year. It will be exactly 94 days from the Super Finals at San Clemente to the first day of MLP Atlanta.

Instead of billionaire tour disputes and non-players earning six figures from pickleball, we’re excited to see REAL LIVE MAJOR LEAGUE PICKLEBALL.

On Friday, we told you how the league’s top three draft picks all landed Group B. Today we will give you a look at Groups A and C. But if you’re an MLP nut, and why wouldn’t you be, you can find a full preview here.

Group A

  • Atlanta Bouncers: Parris Todd, Simone Jardim, Pablo Tellez, Hunter Johnson

  • Bay Area Breakers: Lea Jansen, Etta Wright, Rafa Hewett, Connor Garnett

  • Orlando Squeeze: Anna Bright, Andrei Daescu, Zane Navratil, Rachel Rohrabacher

  • Texas Ranchers: Dylan Frazier, Jorja Johnson, Lauren Stratman, Travis Rettenmaier

The Breakers men might have the best two-handed backhands in the game. Look for them to be ripping backhands and Roundin ‘Em Up on Friday as Garnett makes his Premier Level debut.

The biggest wildcard in this group is Rachel Rohrabacher. She had a strong singles showing at PPA Cincinnati but will need to get it done on the doubles court to help the Squeeze in Atlanta.

Group C

  • Miami Pickleball Club: Federico Staksrud, Tyson McGuffin, Hurricane Tyra Black, Mary Brascia

  • Columbus Pickleball Club: JW Johnson, Meghan Dizon, Maggie Brascia, Collin Johns

  • Brooklyn Aces: Catherine Parenteau, Andrea Koop, Hayden Patriquin, Tyler Loong

  • AZ Drive: Julian Arnold, Vivienne David, Dekel Bar, Vivian Glozman

Parenteau and Koop are the strongest women’s pairing in the group. A 3-0 performance from them would help push the Aces into the knockout stage.

We will see J-Dub and CJ paired up for the first time. Can they play textbook Johns’ Doubles and sweep the field for Columbus?

Edgeless Design. Limitless Performance.

Meet Stephanie Gaeta, aka @funktional_training, a powerhouse coach at Life Time Rancho San Clemente. She and partner Daniel Roditi are VELOZ sponsored players, armed with the Quadra 16MM paddle for the USA Pickleball Nationals.

What sets it apart? Four layers of carbon fiber and a monster sweet spot. Stephanie raves, "My Quadra offers fantastic control, with added speed and spin on my drives and serves—a perfect blend of power and control."

Elevate your fitness and game with code DINK10 for 10% off a VELOZ performance paddle at www.velozusa.com. Plus, enjoy a hassle-free 30-day return policy. Don't miss out!

Maui relief fundraiser raises over $33K

Pickleball brings people together unlike anything else. The members of the Big Island Rogue Pickleball Hui know that better than anyone.

Their 24-4-23 tournament on Saturday, September 9 provided support for Maui Fire Relief. To date, the marathon event has raised a total of $33,656 for Maui relief organizations.

“When we organized the event, we were hoping to raise $10,000,” stated Big Island RPH president Lea Carey. “As the final week progressed, we realized we would surpass that goal, but we had no idea that we would end up with over $33,000 in donations.”

The 24 players in the event played 23 round-robin games throughout the day. They each gathered sponsors prior to the event to contribute to the fund. After nearly 12 hours of play, a winner was crowned and the funds were passed along to 5 charitable organizations.

The event is a great example of how pickleball is making the world a better place. The sense of community and connection surrounding the game is one of the reasons pickleball continues to be America’s fastest-growing sport.

The Winners of the MLP/PPA Merger

Rob and Stone react to the news of a merger between MLP and the PPA Tour. The Tour Wars flipped pickleball economics on their head. The guys sort through the current state of the game and discuss who got the best deal.

Watch the new episode here or listen here.

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