Browsing: Pickleball News

The 2024 APP Vlasic Classic in Delray Beach showed what top pickleball talent was all about, drawing in a thoroughly engaged audience to witness the action-packed Championship Sunday on CBS Sports Network. Buzzing With Energy For five days, the Delray Beach Tennis Center buzzed with the energy of hundreds of pickleball enthusiasts, ranging from novices to seasoned pros, all vying for victory and a slice of the $100,000 prize pool. Among the standout performers were local favorites JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson, the Boynton Beach siblings, who clinched gold at their hometown event. They were joined by the victorious Megan…

The annual Minto US Open Pickleball Championships make a grand return to Naples on April 13. The week-long event promises to be an extra special occasion with a record number of participants and the biggest purse ever offered. Over 3,000 Participants With over 3,000 participants of all ages and skill levels, the tournament is primed to take over East Naples Community Park from April 13 to 20. Enthusiasts from every corner of the United States, including American Samoa and 31 other international destinations, will converge on the park’s sprawling 60-plus courts. More than 450 seasoned professionals will vie for a…

Donald Trump’s aspirations of adding a pickleball court to his Irish golf enclave have encountered resistance from an unlikely adversary: a diminutive, 2mm whorl snail. Endangered Species The scrutiny from Clare County Council regarding the status of the millions of Vertigo angustior snails inhabiting Trump’s coastal resort in the west of Ireland was initially disclosed by the Irish Times and subsequently corroborated by Fortune, following a missive from the council. The European Union protects these snails, which range from 1.5mm to 2.5mm in length, due to their endangered status. They boast a distinctive “narrow-mouthed” brown shell and serve a crucial…

The MLP Challenger Level Draft took place Wednesday, April 3, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. The 10 Challenger Level teams filled out their 2024 season rosters via a four-round, snake-format draft. The Challenger Draft Order was randomly selected, with teams picking in order from 1 to 10 in Rounds 1 and 3 and in reverse 10 to 1 order in Rounds 2 and 4. Predraft Exchanges Prior to the start of the Draft, Miami Pickleball Club acquired picks #9 and #12 from the Bay Area Breakers in exchange for picks #3 and #18. During Round 3, Atlanta Bouncers acquired picks…

As the popularity of pickleball has skyrocketed over the last few years, it was perhaps inevitable that its demographic would start to extend beyond the once-standard spectrum of retirees and older. Spearheading The Initiative At Arizona State University, the student demand to include the sport on campus was definite, and now multiple opportunities exist for students to get involved regardless of their experience. Spearheading this initiative is business sophomore Nathan Tang, who, along with other upperclassmen, founded the ASU Pickleball Club. Operating primarily at the Sonora tennis courts in Tempe, the club hosts open plays every Thursday from 5 p.m.…

The MLP Premier Level Draft took place Tuesday, April 3, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Pickleball TV and the MLP and PPA YouTube Channels provided live coverage for the first two hours. Dynamic Bidding Selection The 12 Premier Level teams filled out their 2024 season rosters via a dynamic bidding selection process. Teams received a maximum of one million Draft Points to bid with over four draft slots. Predictably, Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters were the first players selected. However, MLP Premier Level second-ranked male JW Johnson was surprisingly only picked in 12th place (behind Johns and seven others!),…

We reported recently that James Blake, as Tournament Director of the Miami Open, said, “We are delighted to welcome both wheelchair tennis players and MLP stars to this year’s Miami Open.” However, it would appear his first love is still most definitely tennis, as he took pickleball professional Christian Alshon to task for a comment the latter made on X a few days ago. “Pickleball Requires More Skill Than Tennis” “Pickleball has made me a much better athlete than Tennis ever did. Faster reaction time and speed are needed since the ball is only coming from 10 feet away. Point…

April is National Pickleball Month, and Palm Coast, Florida, is just one of the many places that will hold special events to celebrate the occasion. USA Pickleball is also getting in on the act with some celebrations of its own. Palm Coast National Pickleball Month, established in 2018, seeks to unite aficionados of the sport while introducing it to new audiences and sharing its inclusive, enjoyable, and health-enhancing attributes. Throughout April, Palm Coast will spotlight the recently revamped Southern Recreation Center, which boasts an impressive array of 12 cutting-edge outdoor pickleball courts. As part of the festivities, the city invites…

Initially, pickleball was merely a pastime for first-year students Ellie Jamison and Grace Collins from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Under Pickleball’s Spell Despite originating from cities where pickleball wasn’t as prevalent, Jamison and Collins soon found themselves under the sport’s spell while bonding over their visits to play pickleball at the Snyder Tennis Center during the fall of 2022. “But we just started playing pickleball and fell in love with it,” Jamison said. So much so they are now the co-founders of Play Henry, a pickleball paddle company. What began as a means of exercise and…

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and men and women with the condition are out and about showing their communities how they really lead their lives. Communities in Sandy Springs, Georgia, Glendale, California, and Capitol Hill Village in Washington D.C. are using the game of pickleball to spread the word that people diagnosed with Parkinson’s can still lead an active life. Carry On Undaunted Rosemary Freeman, a retired lobbyist, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease approximately two years ago, a discovery that coincided with her discovering pickleball. “I was trying to learn pickleball at the time,” she recalled. “I couldn’t play well…