Browsing: Pickleball News

A little over a month after his postseason pitching heroics, Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo López has demonstrated his love for pickleball and pets. López hosted “Pickleball for Pets” at the Miami Shores Tennis Club, merging his passions in a fundraiser benefiting the local organization Paws4You Rescue. His “Pickleball Season” López picked up pickleball during the pandemic and kept at it with weekly sessions, humorously dubbing his baseball offseason as his “pickleball season.”. He and his wife, Kaylee, decided to buy a dog during the 2019 offseason, instantly falling in love with “Bennie.” Despite not having pets while growing up, López…

Approximately 100 pickleball enthusiasts gathered at a recreation center gym in Northeast Washington on Wednesday evening, eager to understand the plans of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation regarding their beloved sport. The community sought increased access – more courts, extended court hours, and broader opportunities for people to engage in pickleball. Turkey Thicket Recreation Center Dubbed a “Pickleball Summit,” the gathering at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center on Michigan Avenue, Washington, D.C., was expecting to see some of these requests become reality. However, the officials clarified that the $750,000 allocated for pickleball in the 2024 D.C. budget had just…

As we discussed in a recent article, pickleball’s current noise concerns, notably the harsh popping sound of ball-on-paddle, have prompted USA Pickleball to introduce the “Quiet Category.” This initiative, recently unveiled with the certification of OWL by OWL Sport, seeks to reduce the game’s noise significantly… but without compromising performance. Reduces Noise By 50% OWL, the first paddle to meet the Quiet Category standards, originates from OWL Sport, a new player in paddle sports. This paddle reduces noise by 50%, complying with USA Pickleball’s stringent criteria.  Unlike conventional paddles, OWL boasts hertz levels below 600 and decibel levels below 80,…

Margaritaville’s MLP has revised December’s planned MLP SoCal event, originally scheduled as the final event of 2023, to the two-day Season 2 Playoffs happening on Monday, December 4th, and Tuesday, December 5th. The focus is on crowning champions at the Premier and Challenger Levels for Season 2 while continuing crucial integration planning with PPA for sustained success in 2024 and beyond. Top Four Teams The top four teams at the Premier Level from MLP Atlanta and MLP Dallas – Orlando Squeeze, D.C. Pickleball Team, Chicago Slice, and Miami Pickleball Club – will contend for the Season 2 championship. Meanwhile, three…

It may come as a surprise to some, but pickleball superstar Susannah Barr was once a member of the U.S. Army. She now looks back on her days in the armed forces with mixed feelings. Before her pickleball career, she joined up primarily to enhance her Arabic speaking skills, a decision that coincided with a pivotal historical moment: September 9, 2001. The events that unfolded just two days later transformed her military commitment into something more profound. Unshaken Resolve Fresh out of college at 22, Barr found herself drawn toward military service, attracted by the Army’s reputable Arabic school and…

Many newcomers to pickleball attribute its explosive growth to how it promotes social inclusion and a sense of camaraderie. Joey Rogoff, a well-known figure on social media who competed as an amateur at the 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships, has found that to be exactly right. In fact, the sport reunited him with a childhood friend during the event held in Farmers Branch, Texas. A Huge Following As Stephen Hunt of Red Line Editorial reports, Los Angeles-based Rogoff’s TikTok and YouTube presence has garnered a huge following. His TikTok account (@joeyrogoff) has 4.6 million followers who can’t get enough…

Tennis has been an integral part of Carl Back’s life from childhood, going back to when he was in elementary school. His tennis journey has spanned visits to Marco Island in the ’80s and his former homes in Connecticut and Massachusetts until he settled on Marco Island six years back, although he had been a member of its club for a decade. However, the prospect of having to find a new home court looms for him and his fellow Marco Island tennis enthusiasts. Pickleball Replacing Tennis In October, the Marco Island City Council greenlit plans for Phase 1 of revamping…

We go from last week’s USA Pickleball National Championships right back into the PPA Tour’s race to the PPA Finals, which go down at the end of the month! This weekend’s Hertz Gold Cup, hosted at the legendary Pictona at Holly Hill in Holly Hill, Florida, is the last chance for players to earn themselves a spot in the biggest PPA tournament of the year. Essentially, “The Race” to the finals allows the top 8 players in each singles category will qualify for the PPA Finals, and the top 16 players in doubles will be eligible for doubles competition at…

Heading into 2024, the APP is leading the way in pickleball by introducing a new tournament format aimed at enhancing the experience for amateur players. The debut of this format will take place at the 2024 APP Midwest Open in January, and the change is expected to bring several positive impacts for players. Maximizing On-Court Time The new format will prioritize maximizing on-court time and minimizing gaps between games for amateur players. It involves a shift to round-robin or pool play with playoffs, ensuring that all teams or players engage in a minimum of four to six games. Round robins…

There is an intriguing back story to Spanish player Judit Castillo securing the bronze medal in the women’s professional singles category at the 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships held in Farmers Branch, Texas. In an interview with Stephen Hunt of Red Line Editorial, Castillo revealed her absolute elation at the achievement while also explaining the significance of this win: She only started playing pickleball in October 2022. Her Greatest Rivals She also defeated two of her greatest rivals at nationals: Megan Fudge and Salome Devidze. Our own Leland Orfield delves into Devidze and Fudge’s rivalry and why it was…