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- Drew Brees joins the Pickleballers Podcast
Drew Brees joins the Pickleballers Podcast
Heavyweight matchups on the schedule at MLP Dallas
We’ve had some big names on our Pickleballers Podcast in the past few months. Anna Leigh Waters, Federico Staksrud, Sam Querrey, Entourage creator Doug Ellin.
But this week’s guest is one of the biggest stars in sports history, and we couldn’t be more excited to share the episode with our listeners.
Drew Brees — a Super Bowl MVP and one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history — recently joined the Pickleballers crew for one of the most inspiring and wide-ranging episodes we’ve ever done. They discuss mental toughness and leadership, as well as Brees’ involvement in the pickleball industry over the past several years.
This episode is a masterclass in perseverance and passion.
Also in this issue:
Top teams will clash at MLP Dallas 👀
JOOLA show heads to NY for PPA Challenger event 🗽
This is why we love women’s doubles 🤯
The best power paddles on the market ☄️
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑🍳
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
This point had a one in a million ending
We’ve all been there: All four players on the court are playing a great point, and then somebody misses a sitter to end it.
Anna Bright and Rachel Rohrbacher earned every bit of this particular point, but the odds of Anna Leigh Waters (the greatest women’s player ever) missing the ball at the end are probably more like one in a bazillion.
PICKLEBALLERS PODCAST
Drew Brees on mental toughness & pickleball
Drew Brees joins the Pickleballers crew this week for one of the most inspiring and wide-ranging episodes we've ever done.
He opens up about his love for pickleball and racket sports, beating Roddick in tennis, almost quitting football in high school, battling through injuries, getting benched in the NFL, why he chose New Orleans over Miami and the mindset that helped him become a legend.
PICKLEBALLERS 24 HOUR GIVEAWAY: Every week The Kitchen & Pickleballers will be doing a 24-hour paddle giveaway to celebrate the latest episode. This week, we are giving away any JOOLA Pro IV paddle of someone’s choice! Enter here.
If someone offered you $1 million to quit pickleball, would you take it? |
THE PROS
Texas-sized matches on the schedule at MLP Dallas
Major League Pickleball heads to the Lone Star state this week for the penultimate event of the regular season -- MLP Dallas.
It's been a busy week for the league, as several big trades and a few upsets have turned what was widely viewed as a two-team battle for the top spot between Dallas and St. Louis into a free-for-all involving several teams.
In case you missed it, we broke down all of the recent trades here, and did our best to project where all of the new-look rosters fit in our Week 8 Power Rankings.
The good news for fans (and pundits like us) is that many of the top contenders are playing each other in Dallas this weekend, so that should provide some much-needed clarity on where things stand as the season inches closer to the playoffs.
PREMIER LEVEL TEAMS COMPETING IN DALLAS
Carolina Hogs, Dallas Flash, Los Angeles Mad Drops, New Jersey 5s, New York Hustlers, Phoenix Flames, SoCal Hard Eights, St Louis Shock, Texas Ranchers.
A few of the best matchups ⬇️
Friday: St. Louis Shock vs. Los Angeles Mad Drops
Saturday: Los Angeles Mad Drops vs. New Jersey 5s
Saturday: Dallas Flash vs. Texas Ranchers
Sunday: Los Angeles Mad Drops vs. Dallas Flash
Sunday: St. Louis Shock vs. New Jersey 5s
THROWBACK
Before Hayden Patriquin was Big H
Hayden Patriquin was the best player in the field at last week’s MLP St. Louis event, going a perfect 10-0, putting together several highlight points like this one and leading his team to an undefeated weekend. But before he was the swaggy, smack-talking Big H, he was just some kid happy to get a picture with Ben Johns. Shout out to Wes Burrows in the background.
FEATURED STORY
JOOLA show goes behind the scenes at PPA Challenger event in New York
The second episode of a new JOOLA video series called "Two Zeroes and a pro" was recently released.
The series is highlighting the players and stories from PPA Challenger events.
The PPA Challenger Series, which launched earlier this year, is designed to give lower level pros and aspiring amateur players a shot at earning PPA Tour rankings points and cash prizes.
Think of it like the NBA G League or the minor leagues in baseball.
There are more than a dozen stops nationwide, and JOOLA is going behind the scenes at the tournaments to document the stories of up-and-coming pros as they grind for cash and get all-important reps away from the spotlight.
In Episode 2, the show's two "pickleball newbs" -- Corey and Isang (DUPR: 0.0) -- travel with JOOLA pickleball pro and trainer Josh Jenkins (DUPR: 5.7) to a PPA Challenger event in Fairport, New York.
And this time, Jenkins returns to the court for the first time in over a year to compete in men’s doubles and mixed doubles. The Zeros are in full hype mode, cheering on their favorite pro while soaking in the charm, quirks and courtside energy of the Fairport pickleball scene.
GIVEAWAY
We’re giving away TEN AVOURA PADDLES and a luxury trip to San Diego — 3 days left to enter!
We are excited to partner with our friends at Avoura to give away 10 BRAND NEW AVOURA PADDLES + the GRAND PRIZE wins a luxury trip to San Diego.
THIS IS A NEWSLETTER ONLY GIVEAWAY and there are only THREE DAYS LEFT TO ENTER!
PRODUCT(S) OF THE WEEK
Add power to your game with these paddles
Last week we shared our updated list of the best control paddles on the market right now.
That’s great and all, but let’s be honest here: Most of us just want to show up to open play and hit bombs. We get it, and we’re here to help.
We also recently updated our list of the best power paddles, which you can find here.
STILL AT THE TOP: Adidas Metalbone LP S — This is truly a paddle made for players who want maximum power on serves and third-shot drives as well as great pop in hands battles and elite putaway power. We didn't ask adidas what the S in the name stands for, but it should stand for speed.
NEW TO THE LIST: Holbrook ARMA T — The latest release from Holbrook is firmly in the "power paddle" category and produces great serves, third-shot drives and pop at the net. The 14mm Dual Density Polypropylene core creates unique performance by situating high-density cells at the top and around the edges, with low-density cells in the center and near the throat. Bottom line: It hits hard.
JOOLA PICKLEBALL CELEBRATION
Take a clinic with top pros at Orlando resort
Several top JOOLA pickleball pros such as Ben Johns, Anna Bright, Tyson McGuffin and more will be on site at this year’s JOOLA Pickleball Celebration at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center from Aug. 29-Sept. 4. Organizers expect to have about 30 JOOLA pro players at the event, who will guide amateur players through an extensive clinic with individual sessions on dinking, court positioning, live drills and more.
DETAILS ⬇️
$1,199/per person (Maximum of 112 participants)
A ticket for you and a guest to the Pro Exhibition on Monday, Sept. 1
2 1/2 days of on-court instruction/play
Maximum 8:1 player/coach ratio levels
Open to players of all skill levels
All participants will receive a FREE JOOLA paddle or PRO bag of their choice and a FREE T-shirt, up to a $300 value!
QUICK HITS
Pickleball IQ: Is this the smartest shot of all time?
Youth movement: This kid goes beast mode
Disrespectful: This victory dance is over the line
What did you think of this week's newsletter? |