No tournaments for me in November, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any drama! I celebrated my 27th birthday, spent some quality time with Jenny and Murray, and drove back to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. The 17 hour trip flew by.
Mesa Open was my last tournament of 2022. Susannah Barr and I finished 4th in Mixed Doubles, and Stefan Auvergne and I took home a 🥉 medal. Hard to believe we’re wrapping up 2022 already. Excited to see what the New Year brings for pickleball!
Buckle up…So, the Pro Pickleball Association created their own team league called Vibe, which was backed by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Within a week, Major League Pickleball and Vibe merged. Universal Tennis Ratings announced that they are entering into pickleball and partnering with the Association of Pickleball Professionals. Around the same time, the PPA and MLP announced that, in order to participate in MLP, players must play a minimum of 5 PPA events. The pickleball world is wild.
What’s going to happen next? Nobody knows, but I have a hot take: This is all good for the sport in general. While multiple tours, different formats, different rankings, different scoring, different players, etc. may be difficult to follow for your casual viewer, competition breeds innovation and excellence. The tours are all trying to win by creating the best product possible, and the competition over the past three years has done a tremendous amount to grow professional pickleball from increased player appearance fees, prize money, better playing conditions, better streaming, etc.
APP Academy is coming to a close for its inaugural year! Overall, we hosted 17 days of clinics, had over 1,000 participants, and we’re looking to expand! If you would like us to come to your club, let us know! Fill out the “request a clinic” form ⤵️. Additionally, make sure to sign up to get notified when the APP Academy will be coming to an area near you!
Yobow is offering $99 massage pistols for the holiday season! They’re a perfect gift for a pickleball playing friend, or just a friend in knead (see what I did there?! 🤣).
BONUS: Use code “Zane” for FREE shipping!
Banz are a perfect stocking stuffer for a pickleball lover! Get customized banz to differentiate your paddle on the courts! Check mine out!
Order 4 or more banz and get 50% off!
November saw lots of great stuff coming from DUPR! My alma mater, UW-Whitewater, participated in the first ever Collegiate National Championship for pickleball. The title, along with $10,000 in scholarships, went to UNC. What an awesome event! Additionally, Pickleball.com, the PPA Tour, PickleballTournaments.com, and PickleballBrackets.com, will adopt DUPR as the official and exclusive rating system. What’s your DUPR?! .
My time with the Franklin Family has come to an end after two great years! It has been my pleasure to represent an incredible company with a great vision. The enthusiasm for pickleball stems from the top at Franklin, and I’m certain that enthusiasm will lead to more and more great things for Franklin Pickleball!
“Zane’s APP Academy exceeded expectations! Amazing 2 hours of valuable skill instruction and practice in a fun group atmosphere. Plenty of personal help between Zane and his Assistant Pro. I highly recommend -just sign up!”
– Kelly Boyse Taylor (Cincinnati APPA Clinic)
