There’s a new celebrity buying in to pickleball. Any guess who? Here are some hints…

1) He’s part of the “Frat Pack” along with fellow actors Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Owen Wilson, & Luke Wilson

2) He was once considered for the role of Chandler on “Friends”

3) He apparently despises cell phones and is typically given a loner when he’s working on film sets

If you got it in one, congrats, you know you’re early-aughts filmography (that’s a freebie right there)!

More details below on who it is and what he’s doing.

Also in this issue:

• Toe-to-toe with greatness

• Varsity pickleball?

• You CAN handle the heat

• PPA goes global

• The Kitchen = official media partner of Pickleball World Cup

• Pickleball auction for scandal victims

• Giveaway winners announced!

Let’s cook. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Fancy Footwork

This is easily one of the most energetic pickleball points we've seen in a long time.

There aren't many people who can go toe-to-toe with Anna Leigh Waters & Ben Johns, but Parris Todd (front right) and her partner Riley Newman are battle-ready.

Pay attention to Todd's footwork in this point. She's in lockstep with the rhythm of the point and the punch volleys of her opponent Ben, watching him and anticipating where the ball goes next.

It's almost like dancing.

POLL

This newsletter's final segment discusses the merits of pickleball accessories you didn't know you needed.

So, we're curious:

FEATURED STORY

Varsity Pickleball Has Arrived...

...At least, it's arrived at a single school district in Maryland. But ya gotta start somewhere.

Last fall, Montgomery County Public Schools piloted pickleball at 11 schools as part of their corollary sports program, which offers participation for students with and without disabilities.

This fall, they'll expand the program to all 25 high schools.

“We believe this will continue to provide opportunities for success and advancement for all students, including being a lifelong sport," says athletic director Jeffrey Sullivan.

While we’re excited for the Friday Night Lights effect to reach MD, in the meantime, it’s good to know rising high school pickleball stars will already have plenty of options if they want to play at the collegiate level.

CELEBRITY

It’s Vince Vaughn!

The 54-year-old star of Wedding Crashers, The Break-Up, Dodgeball and more has acquired a majority stake in the Coachella Valley Scorpions pickleball team — part of the National Pickleball League we told you about a few weeks ago.

The Scorpions’ Co-Owner Kim Jagd, who is also plays for the team, will remain with them as a minority owner following the transaction.

Kim has played with Vince before and says, “you can feel his energy and excitement for pickleball.”

Do we sense an NPL celebrity pro-am in the future? Let’s hope so.

Find out more about Vince & the NPL here.

INSTRUCTION

Master the Fast Game

A pro pickleball player can volley a ball over 80 mph. While the average rec game might not clock speeds nearly that fast, it's still important to learn how to handle a little heat.

Pro Catherine Parenteau has some tips for volleying at the kitchen line, where the fastest balls happen in pickleball:

• The ideal ready position at the kitchen line: Keep your paddle aimed towards the imaginary "11 o'clock" if you are right handed and towards "1 o'clock" if you are left handed. In other words: tilted slightly toward your backhand. It’s easier to defend with your BH volley for most people.

• Return to this position: Always remember to return to this position between every shot while you're volleying at the kitchen line. Utilize "paddle tracking" (from our last issue) if the point returns to soft dinks and resets.

• Keep your swing compact: If your swings are too long, you will not have enough time to get back to your ready position in between volleys.

More volley tips available here. If you like the video in that article, subscribe to Catherine's YouTube channel.

TRENDING

We're finally about to see how other nations' pickleball athletes measure up against North American players.

—> UPA, the org that operates PPA Tour & MLP, will hold five international events in 2025 where local players will take on PPA athletes, in addition to lower-level matches.

—> The Series offers a platform for competition across continents, culminating at the World Championships in Dallas in November 2025.

Check out the schedule here.

Meanwhile…

We are stoked to announce that The Kitchen is the official media partner for Pickleball World Cup 2024 in Lima, Peru.

This exhibition of over 500 competitors from 30+ countries takes place this October. More details coming soon!

DON'T MISS THIS

Auction to Benefit Victims of $50M Pickleball Scandal

"Rodney Grubbs" - this infamous name in pickleball belongs to the man whose business took money from investors that it could not pay back.

While he claims it was his intention to make good, some of his investors claim they felt pressured by Grubbs to dip into their nest eggs.

But an online auction of the Pickleball Rocks warehouse will hopefully bring at least some of the money back to those victims.

Thousands of paddles, nets, hats, and other gear is up for grabs until this Sunday, July 28. Details here.

GEAR

Helpful Pickleball Accessories

You've got paddles, balls, and a bag to hold them. You've got safety glasses, grip tape, and shoes...but are you fully equipped for the court?

There are some game-changing pickleball training products out there that you might not have considered:

➝ The Drop Trainer is a simple but effective solution for those looking to master their drops & dinks once and for all. It keeps your wrist stationary, forcing you to use the hinge-swing motion needed to nail the soft game.

➝ See-Spin Training Balls help you recognize & react to the type of spin coming from opponents' shots.

➝ Training Paddles encourage you to get the most out of your regular paddle while improving both hand-eye coordination and shot consistency.

➝ The Dink Pad & Dink Master offer stationary or mobile target practice. Use them to accurately practice your dink and speedup placement.

Learn more about all of these products and find out where to get them here.

Thank you to all who participated in the giveaway! We’ll reach out to these winners shortly.

QUICK HITS

• Easy Breesy: Drew Brees' pickleball facility is coming

• Inspiring: Every good pickleball story starts like this

• Impressive: The reload speed here is incredible

• Face It: you're definitely one of these pickleball archetypes

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