TPL Season 8

(estimated read time: 29 minutes)

THIS LEAGUE!

If you've never seen this expression used on Twitter or elsewhere online, it is "used to express a sense of astonishment or amusement at a surprising, illogical, or outrageous event."

While I wouldn't call The TPL illogical (maybe it is to some), I would describe it as astonishing, surprising, and outrageous. Every single time. We've completed 8 of these historic events now, and the only thing we've learned over the past few years is this league is completely unpredictable. The matchups are too even, the variables too capricious. Guaranteed victories just don't exist in The TPL.

Leading up to the tournament after the draft happens there's always the barber shop talk, the predictions amongst friends. People so confident in who they think will be the teams to beat. While fun to do, it's rarely correct, as THIS LEAGUE doesn't care what your predictions are. We're here to be surprising and outrageous, and this past Saturday we got more of the same in season 8.

Pool Play

September Reign

A team many predicted to be tough as nails came out of the gates proving those folks right, as they opened with two dreambreaker wins over The Avengers and The Buckthorns, winning both dreambreakers in tightly contested battles, 22-20, and 25-23! My eyes witnessed the 25-23 dreambreaker win as Kitri/Adam pulled it out over Jenny/Jay Kedrowski in a phenomenal back and forth battle where each team had game point chances on their paddles. 

In round 3 they decided they were sick of the dreambreakers, and took down Dink Floyd 3-1, winning both gendered games before splitting the mixed in close two point finishes. But by round 4 they realized they missed playing that 5th dreambreaker game, so they reverted to their old strategy against The Talls and split both the gendered and mixed games, before coming up short against the tall people in the breaker. Their gendered lineups were clicking, as both Adam/John and Kitri/Jen finished 3-1 in pool play. As a squad, September Reign would also finish pool play 3-1, and secured the #1 seed in Pool A heading into the playoffs. Perhaps they lost that last game as they didn't want to deal with the curse of the undefeated. But what about the curse of the top seed?

I finally get it, they were dressed as the changing fall colors

Dink Floyd

Finally the day had come and it was time to See Emily Play. And play did she ever. Emily G/Lexi came out of the gates hot with a 21-12 win over the Funky Bunch gals setting the tone. However, after the men lost and they split the mixed, they found themselves in a round 1 dreambreaker, coming up just short to Marky Mark. They decided it was Time for The Hero's Return in round 2, sweeping the defending champion 4 Talls No Smalls. 

In round 3 they took a tough 3-1 loss to September Reign, before deciding to save their energy for the playoffs, and took a 0-4 sweep loss to The Buckthorns. Dink Floyd finished pool play 1-3, and secured the #3 seed in Pool A. Despite the 1-3 record, hey had High Hopes of Coming Back To Life in the playoffs.

The Happiest Days Of Our Lives

4 Talls No Smalls

A few weeks before they hit the courts to defend their title, The Talls got some tough news. TPL veteran Justin Dering would miss season 8 due to a celebration of life event for a family member. How would they ever replace Justin? Could they find someone close to as tall? Luckily their network of great pickleballers and great humans is vast, as The Talls snagged Brandon Schenck a week before the event. 

Having a new lineup and throwing a lefty into the mix proved to be an early challenge for The Talls, as they lost the opener 3-1 to Volley Llamas, lost round two 4-0 to Dink Floyd, lost 3-1 to The Buckthorns, before finally getting back in the W column with a round 4 dreambreaker win over September Reign. The Talls would finish pool play 1-3 as the #4 seed after losing the head to head tiebreaker with Dink Floyd. But you wouldn't overlook the defending champions when things moved inside to The Shed, would you?

Whispers- "I see tall people"

The Buckthorns

Invasive AF. That was the motto for The Buckthorns. And while they lost their first two matches in tightly contested dreambreakers, you knew they weren't going to just go away. These are The Buckthorns we're talking about. One does not simply get rid of The Buckthorns. The first two "extra innings" dreambreakers, where they lost 22-20, and 25-23, did nothing but excite the Buckthorns, as they knew it was now their time to deplete their opponents of all their nutrients and leave them starving. And deplete them did they ever as Jenny/Kris started to heat up. In round 3 they cruised to a 3-1 win over The Talls, before sweeping Dink Floyd 4-0 to end pool play. Spaniol reminded his team of a quote legendary high school baseball coach Bob Karn would say each spring, "Our record doesn't matter, our goal is to just be playing our best ball heading into the playoffs." 

With that in mind, The Buckthorns were feeling great about their 2-2 record, slotting them as the #2 seed in Pool A heading to The Shed.

So invasive of our partner's court space, or maybe that's just me

The Avengers

As Coach Herman Boone said in Remember The Titans, "You cannot replace a Gary Bertier." The same could be said for TPL staple Nicole Idalski, who had played in each of the first 7 seasons, winning the title twice. But with just a few weeks to go, Nicole had to drop out due to injury, and captain Dan Forsythe was left with the monumental task of filling the void. Dan and squad picked up Faith Lee who made her TPL debut, and the rookie stepped in and had a great showing. The Avengers lost a tight 22-20 dreambreaker in their wild card round to September Reign, and dropped another dreambreaker in round 2 to Volly & The Picklecats. 

They found their footing in round 3 with a tight 3-1 win over Marky Mark, with three of the four games being decided by 2 points. The Avengers won their round 4 matchup in a dreambreaker over The Volley Llamas, meaning their 2-2 finish would hand them the #3 seed in Pool B. Much like the aformentioned Buckthorns, they were feeling strong heading into the playoffs with some momentum at their backs, led by their undefeated mixed squad of Dan/Jasmine. 

I really like this patio photo backdrop

Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch

Front runners for best dressed with Mark looking jacked as ever, Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch won their opening wild card match in a Dream Breaker over Dink Floyd, lost a round 2 dreambreaker to Volley Llamas, before deciding they've had enough of going to 5 games, as they got their next two matches done in four games. Round 3 they lost a barnburner to The Avengers 3-1, and ended pool play with one of the wildest scorelines we've ever seen against The Picklecats. The end result looks like domination, as they won in a 4-0 sweep. But looking at the scores, the 4-0 sweep consisted of: 

Womens: 25-23

Mens: 23-21

Mixed 1: 22-20

Mixed 2: 22-20

I can't say I recall ever seeing a sweep with all 2 point games! With that wild sweep, they earned themselves the #2 seed in Pool B.

I think they won best dressed

The Volley Llamas

Also very well dressed with their matching custom Volley Llama tank tops, the llamas were ready to adapt to the harsh environment of The TPL. They came out of the gates hot with a 3-1 win over the defending champs, their only loss being a 23-25 mens thriller! Then they decided they wanted MORE PICKLEBALL, and went to dreambreakers for every match against their pool. They won their round 2 and 3 breakers against Marky Mark and The Picklecats, before losing a two point thriller to The Avengers to end pool play. We will not mention the shot that Chris Mavetz missed to end that dreambreaker. We definitely will make sure we do not mention that in the write up.

Volley Llamas were fine with the round 4 loss, as they too didn't want the curse of the undefeated. They finished pool play as the #1 seed in Pool B with a 3-1 record. 

But these Llama shirts also totally rocked

Volly and The Picklecats

With their cat ears ready to go, this squad got a full family matchup in round 1, as Volly squared off against her mother, and Jay was set to play his bride Kris. Volly and Jenny would trade blows in the doubles games, with Volly/Emily coming out on top in womens, but Jenny/Tom getting the win over Volly/Manny in mixed. Jay P/Emily topped Jay K/Kris in the Portz mixed matchup, forcing a dreambreaker. The breaker started with Tom/Jenny again getting the best of Manny/Volly, and as Jay K/Kris came on they widened the lead all the way to 20-13 at one point. But there these cats were, using up all 9 lives, as they just kept hacking away at the Buckthorns. Jay and Emily came all the way back to win it 22-20 in one of the finest comebacks in TPL history. It was not the first time Emily Schadow has come back to win being down 13-20, and probably won't be her last!

For the remained of their pool play session, The Picklecats continued to be in nothing but tight battles. They won round 2 in a dreambreaker, lost round 3 in a dreambreaker, before losing round 4 in that ridiculous sweep with every game being decided by 2 points and going "extra innings."

While they finished as the 4th seed in Pool B with a 2-2 record, this team was extremely battle tested, and they felt confident they could weather any storm that they playoffs would throw at them. 

Album drops on October 30th

Picklecat fans!

Standings after Pool Play

Pool A

#1 September Reign (3-1)

#2 Buckthorns (2-2)

#3 Dink Floyd (1-3)

#4 4 Talls No Smalls (1-3. Lost head to head to Dink Floyd)

Pool B

#1 Volley Llamas (3-1)

#2 Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch (2-2)

#3 The Avengers (2-2)

#4 Volly & The Picklecats (2-2)

(3 way tie, came down to games net)

Quarterfinals

Both top seeds chose to take a rest, which sent out the 2 v 3 matchups to get things kicked off at The Shed. On the far court, right out of the gates we of course had to go to a playoff dreambreaker between Dink Floyd and Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch. Emily G/Lexi won the women's over Sheedy/Nicki, before Marky Mark/Zach got funky on Jason/Julius. In the first mixed match Sheedy/Zach bested Lexi/Julius, setting up a win or go home game for TPL legends Emily/Jason against the lefty/lefty combo of Nicki/Mark. The local's TPL experience, Shed experience, and partnership experience all paid off, as they took down the lefties, sending this match to a playoff dreambreaker. The Funky Bunch chose gendered, and Dink Floyd sent the men out first. Jason/Julius avenged their men's game loss and handed it over to their ladies 11-8. In one of the most dramatic playoff dreambreakers we've had, Dink Floyd held on to a late 20-18 lead, before the Funky gals Nicki/Sheedy went on a 4 point run to seal the win, 22-20. While the members of Dink Floyd could have decided to Run Like Hell and get out of there, they all chose to stay until the very end, sink into their IPA's, and get Comfortably Numb while watching the rest of the TPL action. 

Dink Floyd held it down for the playoff watch party

On court 1, the other QF matchup between The Avengers and The Buckthorns got under way with the Buckthorn ladies starting hot as Kris Portz could not be stopped, giving their squad an early 1-0 lead. I (Tom) recall watching from the sidelines and yelling things like "Are you kidding me!?" And "Kris Portz everybody!" Multiple times.  The men came on and kept their streak going, as Tom/Jay K beat Dan/Yang, despite Yang growing an epic mustache nearly overnight. The Buckthorns chose to be the away team and sent out Jay K/Kris first, with The Avengers leaving their season in the hands of Yang and TPL rookie Faith Lee. Both played lights out with impressive angles and overheads galore, as they clutched up to set up a battle of the undefeated mixed teams, with both Dan/Jasmine and Tom/Jenny coming into the game 4-0 in mixed on the day. While The Avengers duo had the strength of the galaxy behind them, it still wasn't enough to get rid of the pesky Buckthorns, as Tom/Jenny secured the win sending their team to the semi finals.

The dynamic duo of Jasmine & Dan

After both #1 seeds chose to take a break following pool play, it was time for them to get back at it as top seeded September Reign squared off against low seeded Volly & The Pickle Cats on the far court. The two would split gendered with Emily S/Volly getting the win over Kitri/Jen, and Adam/John beating Manny/Jay P. Mixed would go in a similar fashion, as Adam/Kitri beat Emily S/Jay P, and Manny/Volly beat John/Jen. With another playoff dreambreaker set to take place, the home team September Reign decided to go with the new mixed dreambreaker format. They chose their lineups of Adam/Kitri, and John/Jen. The Picklecats then got to counter with who plays again whom and when. They decided to send out Adam/Kitri vs The Cat's Emily S/Jay P first, with September Reign leading 11-6 at the switch. John/Jen fought to hold on to that lead, but Manny/Volly kept on chip chip chipping away, again using all of their 9 lives, as they edged out John/Jen, 21-18, sending the top seed to the buffet early.

This is the type of form they advertise in magazines

Tough to beat a good kitchen hang at The Shed

On court 1 The Volley Llamas were looking to not fall prey to the curse of the top seed as they matched up against the defending champion Tall squad. Missy/Lake started off hot for the Llamas beating the Tall gals Genna/Jamie. Genna questioned her pickleball abilities for a solid 20 minutes after the game on the sidelines, but she would get her chance at revenge. The men came on and Kyle/Brandon found their groove getting the bounce back win for The Talls. The first mixed matchup was a battle as Lake/Corbin had been playing great all day, against Jamie/Kyle who were looking to get in synch. And get in synch just at the right time they did, as they handed Lake/Corbin only their second loss of the day, setting up TPL rookie Brandon and his tall partner Genna with the chance to secure the upset. But waiting on the other side of the court was 3 time champion Christopher Mavetz and veteran Missy Rosenthal, who wouldn't go down without a fight. The decompressing time on the sidelines worked wonders for Genna and Brandon, as they played a clean pickleball game, and sent the top seeded Volley Llamas to the showers early. (well, none of them showered, but maybe they should have?)

Wait, who is this guy?

Semifinals

On the far court we had a round 4 pool play rematch featuring The Picklecats and Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch. You know, the famous 4-0 sweep where each game went to "extra innings." Things would end up working a bit differently this time. Well, quite differently. Emily S/Volly avenged their 25-23 loss by topping Nicki/Sheedy in the opener, 21-16. Zach/Marky Mark came out blazing and had the Funky Bunch up with a 13-3 lead. When you're watching at The Shed you can't always hear the score on the far court, and if you caught the score at 13-3, you might have thought, oh okay, that one is over, I'll watch the action on court 1. If you heard the score a bit later at 16-8, you might have still thought the same thing. But those damn Cats kept clawing away, as Manny/Jay P were not to be denied. They brought it all the way back, and after losing to Zach/Mark 23-21 in pool play, they beat them by that exact score, 23-21, to secure a 2-0 playoff lead for their Picklecats. The Funky Bunch sent out Sheedy/Zach to keep their season alive, but Manny/Volly had other plans, as they topped the Funky Bunch 21-17, avenging their pool play sweep loss with a sweep victory of their own! For the first time in his TPL career, Jay Portz would play for The TPL Cup. The rest of their team had been there before, behind Volly's season 5 title, and Emily's 4 championship appearances. Would that experience, and the momentum of their playoff upsets be enough to hoist the cup!?

More impeccable form

Court 1 also featured a pool play rematch, as 4 Talls No Smalls met up with The Buckthorns in round 3 at Apollo. The playoff match started with The Tall ladies avenging their 16-21 pool play loss, getting a win over The Buckthorn baddies (am I allowed to call them that?) The Tall men, who also lost 16-21 to Tom/Jay K during pool play, looked to be on their way to avenging their loss as well, as they were up 17-12 when The Buckthorn boys took a timeout. Whatever they talked about during that timeout seemed to work, as they rattled off 5 straight points, tying the game at 17 all. It continued to be a back and forth thriller, with Tom/Jay K pulling it out 22-20, keeping their winning streak alive. The Buckthorns, who chose to be the away team, sent Kris/Jay K out first, and The Talls matched with Genna/Brandon. Genna, now on fire after figuring it out during the quarterfinals, and Brandon playing like a veteran in his TPL debut, got the win, setting their team up with a chance to once again play for the TPL Cup. It would be up to Buckthorn Captain Tom Spaniol and two time cup chugger Jenny Johnson to try and clutch up against defending champs Jamie Voelker and Kyle Jordre who were now playing their best pickle of the day. After not having the desired control on her 3rd shots, Jenny said something to the effect of, "If it comes to me, I'm just going to rip the shit out of the ball." Rip away she did indeed, as Tom/Jenny got the W to remain unbeaten on the day, and more importantly, send this semifinal to a playoff dreambreaker. 

Tall gals taking up the full court

The ladies went first, and crazy Kris Portz was back, defending off blow after blow from The Talls, as The Buckthorn gals handed it over to their men on fire, 11-9. No epic comeback would be necessary this time, as Tom/Jay K commanded the lead, and held on to send The Buckthorns to the TPL Season 8 Championship Match.

Invasive and in synch

Championship

The storylines were aplenty for the championship match as The Buckthorns took on Volly & The Picklecats. It was a rematch from round 1 that went to a dreambreaker with Emily S/Jay P pulling out that epic DB comeback. We knew some sort of Portz/Johnson combo would be winning the title, but who would fare best against their household? What were Tom, Jay K, Manny, and Emily S supposed to do- sit back and not get in the middle of it, or help stir up the family drama?

"You ready to rumble young cat?"
"Sure am old buckthorn."
-Me and Volly, probably

Both squads decided to put ancestry aside and go for it all, as the championship match was underway. The Picklecat ladies backed up their round 1 win over Jenny/Kris by doing it again, giving the cats an early 1-0 lead. But The Buckthorn boys would not be denied, as they cruised to a 21-14 win, finishing the day undefeated in men's doubles. Buckthorn captain Tom once again chose to be the away team, and The Buckthorns trotted out Jay K/Kris to take on Emily S/Jay P. The Picklecats had more than just the on court storm to weather, as much of The Shed collective was yelling and booing any time Jay Portz hit the ball at Kris. But they kept their heads down and continued to play spoiler, as they beat Kedrowski/Kris, setting up the all important game 4 mixed showdown. 

I find that a good lunge really helps the pickle game

Clutch city from these cats!

In round 1 these two played, with Tom/Jenny cruising to a victory over Manny/Volly 21-16. They would then see them again in the round 1 dreambreaker, and again bested the two youngins in their half. Perhaps Manny/Volly had learned along the way, as they had a different energy on the court this time, now 9 hours later. The heavyweights exchanged blow after blow, for much of the game it seemed no one could score on offense, as points were traded one at a time. Tom/Jenny led 11-10 at the switch, but The Picklecats did what The Picklecats do, and they hung in there, refusing to give any ground to The Buckthorns. With Volly ripping speedups and angles, and Manny being a brick wall, The Picklecats were just too much in this family affair, as they came out on top 21-18, securing The TPL Season 8 Title!

Sunset champagne, come on!

And incredible "worst to first" run for The Picklecats, as they went from the last seed in their pool to hoisting The TPL Cup. But an even more impressive "worst to first" individual story for Jay Portz, who told me after the match that he went 0-10 during season 7. To go from not winning a game, to being so clutch in the playoffs and helping lead his team to victory, has to be the finest comeback story The TPL has ever seen. So I once again say- THIS LEAGUE.

This man found the luck of the troll while in Norway!

And of course a big congratulations to the rest of The Picklecats squad! After finishing second 4 times, Emily Schadow finally won The TPL Cup, and she went 2-0 in the championship match to make sure there would be no second place this time. Manny also won his first title after playing in 7 of the 8 TPL's. And Volly won her second title, even though her mother completely forgot about her season 5 win while posting on Instagram the next day. Worthy champions all around, who will forever have their names engrained upon The TPL Cup as our Season 8 winners!

Season 8 Champions: Volly & The Pickle Cats

No more silver medals for Emily!

Stats for the nerds:

Top Performing Gendered Doubles Teams

• Lake Johnson and Missy Rosenthal: 4-1
• Adam Couzens and John Michaud: 4-1
• Tom Spaniol and Jay Kedrowski: 7-0

Top Performing Mixed Doubles Teams (min 5 games)

• Jasmine Lindberg and Dan Forsythe: 4-1
• Volly Johnson and Manny Obregon: 5-1
• Jenny Johnson and Tom Spaniol: 6-1

Top Individual Performances

• Lake Johnson: 7-3
• Tom Spaniol: 13-1

The following quote is Jenny Johnson's, and she said I have to put it here otherwise she won't play with me ever again- "And that's why it's called The TPL, bitch."

Getting locked the F in before The TPL

Other Stats

• Highest scoring game: 25-23 (twice!). Sheedy/Nicki over Volly/Emily S, and September Reign over The Buckthorns in a dreambreaker. Once again Sheedy was in the highest scoring game!
• Dreambreakers: 12. There were 11 last year!
• 39% of pool play games were decided by 2 points! (29 out of 73)
• 73 pool play games were played. The max would be 80 if every match went to a DB
• People who stayed until the championship ended: Tons of you, well done folks!
• Outfit changes from Genna: 5. Saturday driving outfit, playing outfit, afterparty outfit, sleeping outfit, Sunday driving outfit.

For all that "curse of the undefeated" talk, it looks like that doesn't just pertain to teams, but also individuals. Perhaps I should have thought of that and dropped an early pool play game. Taking your first loss in the championship, in the game that was needed the most is always a heartbreaker, but that's sports. I'm still mighty proud of The Buckthorn gang. We set out to be invasive, and we remained invasive all day. I've loved all 8 TPL's, but this was some of the most fun I've had, despite losing a soul crushing championship match.

32 of us want to win this thing each time it rolls around, and 28 of us will leave disappointed. Well, "leave" disappointed isn't quite true. For the most part, it seems as though the heartbreak and disappointment is there for the first 30 minutes or so. You question whether you want to ever play in The TPL again, and even whether you ever want to play pickleball again. But then you have some pizza and maybe a beer or two, you sit around and laugh with your 32 best friends, and by the time the night is over you're already looking forward to the next one.

Dan had a great quote after he and Jasmine lost their first game all day and their Avenger's playoff run was over. He said to me, "Man, I really wanted to beat you guys (Jenny and I). I really like winning against my friends."

Ain't that the truth, and so relevant in The TPL. In other tournaments, you'll play games where you have no idea who the other team is. But in The TPL, we're all great friends. And whether we all want to admit it or not, there is something great about beating your friends 😂. On the court, I want to beat you, I think you're stupid, and your face is dumb. But as soon as the game is over, we're back to being great friends and are laughing and joking about who knows what. 

Just look at how intense these two are

This really seems to be the spirit of The TPL. Somehow we gather 32 people that mesh and truly appreciate each other. We give each other plenty of shit, and will have our fiery moments on the court, but the day always ends with laughter and hugs (and maybe even some tears!)

As the Buckthorns were reminiscing on this past event in our group text, Jenny was describing why it was such a great day, and she added "Can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it's because I just felt like I was at home with my family."

💖

A family indeed. Thank you all for fostering this environment where we all care for each other, all want the best for each other, except for those few minutes when we're across the net from each other. What an exceptional balance of competition and camaraderie- the motto of The TPL. Both have only gotten stronger as the seasons have gone by, and that's due to all of you and how you choose to approach this event. Thank you for making it what it is. It is a great honor of my life to play a part in cultivating the movement that has become The TPL.

Thank you, from the both of us

I can't want to see you all for season 9 on January 31st!

(and hopefully before then too! Please hang out with me!)

I love you all and will miss you like crazy.

-Tom Spaniol

p.s.

A special thanks to Troy Poetz for not only creating the waivers to make sure you guys don't sue me, but for also helping all day long with scorekeeping, hauling gear, filling coolers, taking down nets, and cheering on The Buckthorns (maybe he was also cheering for your team, but I doubt it.) 

More photos:

TPL Season 8 Preview

 After drafting eight talent packed teams for season 7, the women decided one draft a year was enough for them as they handed the season 8 draft back to the fellas to see what they could mix up.

Not being the brightest bulbs, the dudes met up at the then A/C-less Shed on June 22nd, one of the hottest days of 2025, with humidity levels reaching 100%, to not only draft the season 8 squads, but to first play to determine the draft order.

After each participant going through multiple shirts, the Franklin balls turning to mush, and nearly losing a few gentlemen due to heat exhaustion, the guys proved to still have a bit of their brains left as they compiled a very, very competitive lineup of squads for season 8 of The TPL. Each team with one goal in mind; take down The Talls and get their names forever engrained upon The TPL Cup.

How beautiful is it to see the TPL family gathering (and dominating) at other tournaments!

Let's meet the squads:

4 Talls No Smalls. Captained by Jamie Voelker

Jamie Voelker, Genna Porter, Kyle Jordre, Justin Dering

The season 7 champions are back to defend their title, and look to be the first team to do so after The Grinches could not repeat in season 7. They are sticking with their pre event training schedule that they devised for season 7, which includes never practicing together as a full squad. But this team is still playing plenty of pickleball. It's tough to see a tournament go by this summer without at least one of The Tall people playing in it. But none of those tournaments carry the same weight as The TPL. Will The Talls be able to perform under pressure in season 8 with a target on their backs? Can they go down in history as the first team to ever repeat at The TPL? Rumor has it, Genna has gotten even taller during the off season, and many are pointing to this development as a potential dealbreaker for the rest of the field. Bring out your measuring sticks, as we see how high this team can fly on the 27th.

Just two tall gals ready to defend their title

September Reign. Captained by Adam Couzens

Kitri Boser, Jen Markling, John Michaud, Adam Couzens

September Reign comes in with plenty of familiarity amongst teammates as Michaud/Markling competed together in season 2, and Adam/Kitri have partnered up in numerous non TPL tournaments. Shed brethren John/Adam have played thousands of pickleball games together throughout their careers, but it will be a first for Kitri/Jen on the women's side. How will this first time partnership fare against the gauntlet of TPL opponents? Is Kitri's achilles insertional tendinitis 100% healed? The latest injury report from September Reign had her listed as "highly probable" for season 8. All eyes will be on Millstream park this Saturday to see how she's moving on the courts. In other stats, the last two times Adam has been a captain (season's 5 and 6) he won the title. Can he make it 3 for 3 with a title in season 8, adding to John's tattoo?

Big J always brings his best on TPL day

The Buckthorns. Captained by Tom Spaniol

Kris Portz, Jennifer Johnson, Jay Kedrowski, Tom Spaniol

"Buckthorn trees are one of the most destructive invasive species in North America, often described as cruel to the ecosystems they invade. They choke the life out of surrounding trees and plants by forming dense thickets that block sunlight, stealing water and nutrients from the soil, and altering the natural habitat. Their roots spread aggressively, making it nearly impossible for native plants to compete. To make matters worse, buckthorn is notoriously hard to kill—cutting it down usually isn’t enough, as it quickly resprouts from the stump or spreads by seed."

And so this team shall be. Destructive, invasive, cruel to those around it. Stealing water and nutrients, making it impossible for others around us to compete. Notoriously hard to kill. I (Tom speaking) drafted this team with these exact qualities in mind, and appropriately named us to reflect that. Also because I have a lot of buckthorn in my backyard. But mainly because this squad is ready to be destructive and not give a buck about whose day we're ruining. This squad brings both fire and familiarity, with Kedrowski/Portz going way back to the Tech tennis days, and Johnson/Spaniol having shared the court during season 3 as the runner ups that year. The last time Portz/Spaniol were on the same team, they left with their names on The TPL Cup. And Kedrowski has been getting better by the minute, leaving a wake of depleted opponents in his path. Could this be the squad that gives JJ her 3rd championship, tying her with Mavetz for most all time? It's hard to say right now, but what we do know is this team won't be going down easily.

Kris is always pushing the boundaries, and will be on September 27th

Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch. Captained by Zach Driscoll

Jen Sheedy, Nicki Pomeroy, Mark Elliott, Zach Driscoll

Quite the fun team name. Quite the fun team. Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch are ready to play and party in season 8, running back two different gendered squads from season 7. Sheedy/Pomeroy were on the same team last season, as were Elliott/Driscoll. Did Zach realize this as he was drafting, or was he just picking names off the sheet due to his heat exhaustion? We'll never know for sure, but in his captainship debut Zach was able to assemble a heck of a squad worthy of a championship run. And if they don't win, you can still count on them to be living it up at the after party. Well, at least the female portion of their team we can count on, as Zach/Mark are flight risks for an early exit from The Shed.  

Marky Mark himself

Volley Lamas. Captained by Christopher Mavetz

Missy Rosenthal, Lake Johnson, Corbin Bentz, Christopher Mavetz

Watch out folks, Chris/Lake have finally found themselves back on the same squad for the first time since Lake's TPL debut back in season 2. A season which ended in a championship for the two of them. Paired up with the dynamic duo is Missy/Corbin, who found great success sharing the court together back in season 5. This is a team the TPL beat writers have had high on their list since draft day, but questions do still remain. Mavetz hasn't played pickleball since the draft back on June 22nd, how sharp will he be? Will Missy/Corbin be able to retain the magic they found together on Abraham Dinkin? After his hot start taking 3 out of the first 4 TPL titles, Mavetz hasn't found himself past the first round of the playoffs. Could this be the squad that takes him back to the promise land? Boy am I sure excited to find out.

Chris is ready to eat in Season 8

Volly and The Picklecats. Captained by Manny Obregon

Volly Johnson, Emily Schadow, Jay Portz, Manny Obregon

Two teams with Volly in their names this season!? High praise for the young buck, as Volly finds herself on a squad that had all played together back in season 5 (minus her), and played well suffering a narrow dreambreaker loss in the playoffs. This will be the 3rd time Jay/Manny have teamed up in The TPL, looking to turn that familiarity into some wins for their squad. Things will look a bit different this season as Volly, usually seen on the right showcasing her patented cross court roll dink, will (likely) be playing the left alongside lefty teammate Emily Schadow. And what TPL preview article would be complete without mentioning that Schadow has now played in 4 championship matches, and gotten second 4 times, tying the Minnesota Vikings on that feat. Will this be the season she hoists The TPL Cup? The pride of Wilmar High Manny Obregon sure thinks so.

Jay is also trying to find TPL inspiration in Norway

Dink Floyd. Captained by Julius Mejia

Emily Gerads, Lexi Portz, Jason Krueger, Julius Mejia

Well well well, look what we have here once again. It's Emily Gerads and Jason Krueger on the same TPL team. A tale as old as time, occurring now for the 4th time. Another tale as old as time, Emily Gerads and Jason Krueger appearing on the same TPL team, and having a team name consisting of a pickleball/musical artist crossover. First it was Dink 182, then The Red Hot Chili Dinkers, and now here we are with Dink Floyd. Our investigative team has uncovered that this squad was able to get some full team practicing in, showing quite a bit of dedication to do so. Lexi traveled to the area on a Wednesday afternoon, with Mr. Krueger calling in "sick" to work. Let's see how his fellow Minnesotans feel about their tax dollars going towards his "sick" days practicing for The TPL. Other questions loom large for this team as well. Will Julius Mejia, in his debut as a captain, return to the championship match for the 4th straight time? Or will this squad be left with Sorrow, and Lost for Words at the after party, trying to drown themselves in IPAs to be Comfortably Numb?

Emily recently found herself atop the podium. Will she in season 8 as well?

The Avengers. Captained by Dan Forsythe

Nicole Idalski, Jasmine Lindberg, Yang Lo, Dan Forsythe

This team is appropriately named, as Dan the man Forsythe is not playing like a human right now. He is a superhero on a mission after his team (I was on it) got swept in the playoffs of season 7, Dan not even getting a chance to go out for mixed. He balled out at the draft selection day, and got the exact squad he wanted. Both Lo and Idalski (x2) have their names engraved on the cup, as The Avengers will look toward their experience to guide Dan and TPL sophomore Lindberg to the title. This squad is set up to trot out any mixed lineup and be competitive, and has the potential to come out as the best dressed, depending on how far they push this Avengers theme.

Avenger Dan ready to rock

Side note-

Will Mavets and Spaniol's time with Lord Stanley help or hurt their chances in hoisting The TPL Cup?

There we have it folks. 8 ridiculously talented teams set to square off and battle for an eternity on The TPL Cup. The anticipation is officially starting to rise as we inch closer to the 27th. Food has been ordered, libations secured. The shed is looking as beautiful as ever, and it can't wait to host you all again. Many dreams will be shattered, while only a few come true. But fun will most certainly be had by all.

Can't wait to see you. Love and hugs.

-Tom Spaniol

A few other notes:

1. We will be allowing the option for mixed doubles to take place in the dreambreaker. Here's how it will work- If the match goes to a dreambreaker, the home team will decide if they want the dreambreaker to be gendered doubles or mixed doubles. If they select gendered doubles, nothing is different than previous seasons, and the away team chooses who goes first, the men or the women. If they select mixed doubles, the home team then has to say who is playing together on their team, and the away team gets to choose who they want to play against, and choose which half of the dreambreaker each pair will play. 

For example- Manny's team is home and he selects for the dreambreaker to be mixed. He then declares Jay/Emily S will be playing together, and Manny/Volly will be playing together. My team, as the away team, gets to look at that and decide who we want to play against and when. We can say Jay K/Jenny will play against Manny/Volly first, and Tom/Kris will play against Jay P/Emily S in the second half. 

If you are confused by this, text me and we can discuss. Only one person on your team really needs to understand it, hopefully your captain 😂.

2. The season 8 fee will be $50 again. Cash or venmo to me works. Water/gatorade a few snacks will be provided throughout the day, as well as the after party catered by House of Pizza (don't worry, I ordered more wings this time!)

3. Pool play will be played at Apollo again, followed by playoffs at The Shed. Pool play will start at 9am, with nets up by 8:15am. 

We will follow the same format as last time, with 1 wild card pool play match, and 3 pool play matches against the rest of your pool. 

The one change is the first quarterfinal matches will start right away after pool play has finished, rather than taking a long break before we start them. Those who play in the first QF matches will automatically have a break after their match (either they are eliminated, or they have a break while the second QF matches take place), so this will be a good way to keep the day moving.

4. If you need a place to stay Saturday night, please let me know, or coordinate directly with your host family if you have someone in mind 😂

5. For those that love planning ahead, season 9 of The TPL will be December 27th and 28th, a two day event, all at The Shed. We did this last December, and it was awesome. I fully understand if it doesn't work for everyone due to holiday plans, but wanted to throw it out there early to get it on your radar. I do not need RSVP's yet, just wanted you to know.

TPL Season 7

 YOU get a dreambreaker! YOU get a dreambreaker! Dreambreakers for everyone! It was the season of the breakers and extra pickleball, as the ladies took over the draft and crafted exceptionally equal teams. After some late predraft shuffling, and some pre-event name changes, everything settled in on June 7th. We had the best weather pickleball enthusiasts could ask for, 32 participants raring and ready to go, and an empty Shed calling our names. It was a long, exhausting, and exhilarating day as you all once again poured your heart and souls into The TPL. Let's talk about it.

Find yourself a man who looks at you the way Dan looks at Chris Mavetz eating pizza

Pool Play

Dink Happy Thoughts

With a few off season blunders, like adding a random person to the team group text instead of the first round draft pick, and not choosing their team name until two days before the event, it looked like Dink Happy Thoughts (formerly known as the Ass Clowns) would come into season 7 a bit out of sorts. However, once they stepped onto the court, they were anything but lost. When they weren't dinking happy thoughts, they were ripping happy drives, as they came out of the gates hot against Eat a Bag of Dinks, beating the defending champions 3-1 in the wild card round. They lost a tough one in round 2 to the Red Hot Chili Dinkers, before winning a grueling dreambreaker match against Hook Line & Dinker. 4 of the 5 games in that match were decided by 2 points, and the only game that wasn't a 2 point margin was a 21-18 mixed win for the happy thinkers. After the electric round 3 dreambreaker win, they decided it was time for another, as they topped Rainbow Sprinkles in a breaker as well, rounding out their pool play session with an impressive 3-1 record. Ass Clowns no more, the gang was fired up and ready to get Mavetz his 4th TPL championship.

I kinda liked their first team name better. But highly appreciate the custom TPL gear!

Rainbow Sprinkles

Dressed in their fresh pinks, this squad was coming in ready to earn their sprinkles. In the opening wildcard round they split the gendered against team Tall with Dan/Tom getting the win over Justin/Kyle. In mixed, Jen/Dan lost to Jamie/Justin, needing a victory from Tom/Volly to keep their breaker hopes alive. Volly/Tom led 11-4 at the switch, but the tall ones Genna/Kyle came crawling back to take the victory in a heartbreaker, 22-20. Round 2, they secured a 3-1 victory over Hook Line, before losing their next two matches in dreambreakers. First to the Red Hot Chili Dinkers, in a match where multiple games needed more than 21 points to be decided, and a dreambreaker that almost saw an epic comeback from Dan/Tom. Down 14-20, they brought it back to 19-20, before falling 19-21. The second dreambreaker loss came at the hands of Dink Happy Thoughts, with Dan/Tom not being able to pull it out in the second half over Matt/Chris. The Sprinkles remained optimistic after finishing pool play 1-3, knowing that the battle tested teams always seem to do well in the playoffs at The TPL.

Pretty in pink

Hook Line & Dinker

Also sporting fantastic matching custom uniforms, and setting up a tent, Hook Line & Dinker came in as a highly coordinated squad. It didn't immediately translate to the pickleball court though, as they lost their first two matches 3-1 to the Puckin Picklers and Rainbow Sprinkles. In round 3, they produced one of the best thrillers of the day, suffering a dreambreaker loss to Dink Happy Thoughts, where the scoreline read 23-21 (WD), 19-21 (MD), 18-21 (MX1), 22-20 (MX2), 19-21 (DB). After that grueling dreambreaker loss, they dropped a 3-1 match to the Chili Dinkers, but this looked like a team that might be finding their stride right on time for the playoffs. 

Captain Kitri made sure the team struck a pose

Red Hot Chili Dinkers

Adorning their Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirts (the second time Emily and Jason have named their team after a band for those counting at home), The Chili Dinkers started the day living up to their name playing Red Hot, with a wildcard dreambreaker win over Where's Julius. To get there, they split the gendered and then split the mixed, with both mixed games going well over 21. They cruised to a 3-1 win over Dink Happy Thoughts in round 2 before going for another tight dreambreaker win in round 3 against the Sprinkles. The Chili Dinkers finished off pool play as the only undefeated team heading into bracket with a round 4 win over Hook Line & Dinker. Would anyone be able to beat them on the Otherside, or would their lack of Scar Tissue during pool play become their downfall?

Emily is so good she doesn't need a paddle

4 Talls No Smalls

See the ball and look tall is what the team in all black set out to do. Led by newcomer and first time captain Jamie Voelker, the talls had an up and down pool play session, winning the first over the Sprinkles, before losing round 2 to The Puckin Picklers. They were back in the W column with a win over Where's Julius, before losing the final round to defending champs Eat a Bag of Dinks. While they were up and down with their match wins, they were consistent in the match scores. Each match they played in was either a 3-1 win or a 3-1 loss. No dreambreakers for The Talls during pool play. Would the lack of crunch time experience hurt them in the playoffs?

Tallest team I've ever seen

Puckin Picklers

With two newcomers on their team, most didn't know what to expect from the Puckin Picklers. But both Zach and Jasmine looked like veterans out there alongside TPL legends Kris Portz and Mark Elliott, leading the Picklers to a 3-1 pool play record. They recorded 3-1 wins over Hook Line & Dinker, and 4 Talls No Smalls, before snatching their first dreambreaker win over Eat a Bag. A match that gave us the highest score of the day; a 30-28 women's win for Jasmin/Kris over JJ/Missy. In round 4 they decided they wanted one more dreambreaker, going toe to toe with Where's Julius, but coming up just short and suffering their first loss of the day. While they were rolling into the playoffs as the top seed in their pool, would they have any energy left after the back to back grueling dreambreakers?

Double first timers = double the fun

Where's Julius

With yet another great custom uniform showing, Where's Julius was fired up and excited to be rewarded with most of their games being played on the exceptional net found on court 1. These guys love extra pickleball, and ended up going to dreambreakers in 3 out of their 4 pool play matches. First, a loss to the Chili Dinkers, then a win over Eat a Bag. In round 3 they decided to get it over quicker and took a 1-3 loss to The Talls, before hopping back on the dreambreaker train with a nail biting victory over The Puckin Picklers. After a battle tested pool play, this squad of veteran TPL'ers was ready to make a playoff run.

Outfits of the day!?

Eat a Bag of Dinks

The defending champs were back, and they picked up right where they left off in season 6; not showing too much in pool play. Eat a Bag went 1-3 in pool play, with their lone win being a round 4 W over The Talls. They thought they were fooling people with their easing into the day tactics, but everyone knew they'd be a different team once they stepped back into their championship arena- The Shed.

Not outfits of the day!?

Standings after Pool Play

Pool A

#1 Red Hot Chili Dinkers (4-0)

#2 Dink Happy Thoughts (3-1)

#3 Rainbow Sprinkles (1-3)

#4 Hook Line & Dinker (0-4)

Pool B

#1 Puckin Picklers (3-1)

#2 4 Talls No Smalls (2-2) *Tiebreaker over Where's Julius

#3 Where's Julius (2-2)

#4 Eat a Bag of Dinks (1-3)

Quarterfinals

We packed up our floppy nets, left the red/blue of Apollo behind us, and headed to the magical pickleball paradise of The Shed. Refueled by the Bo Diddly's subs and Dr. Peppers stocked in the fridge, the gang was ready to put on a show to crown the season 7 champions, and what a show these playoffs were.

Rainbow Sprinkles and 4 Talls No Smalls kicked it off, in what felt like the most intense 3-0 victory in TPL history. After a tight women's game with Jamie/Genna topping Jen/Volly, Justin/Kyle sought to avenge their round 1 loss to Dan/Tom. It was a back and forth electric game with all eyes on court 1, but in the end Kyle/Justin pulled it out 22-20, giving The Talls a 2-0 lead. In the first mixed match it was yet another championship game type atmosphere. Tom/Volly had the lead at the switch, but just like in round 1, Kyle/Genna grinded it out in the second half to take the victory and end the Sprinkles day early. It would stand as the only sweep of the day. After briefly contemplating never hosting another TPL again, I ate some food, had a picklebeer, and took a seat to watch some of the finest pickleball this tournament has ever seen unfold.

Out but not down

On court 2 in the first quarterfinal match we saw Hook Line & Dinker looking to pull the upset card on The Puckin Picklers, and damn were they ever close to doing that. It was a back and forth battle as Hook Line pushed it to a dreambreaker. The Jay/Jay combo started it off and handed it over to their women leading at the switch. But the Puckin Picklers weren't done yet, as Jasmine/Kris buried HLD in the back of the net to secure the victory for the green machine.

As if that wasn't drama enough, the next two quarterfinal matches provided us with more of the same. The Red Hot Chili Dinkers took on the defending champions Eat a Bag, and with a 2-0 Chili Pepper lead after gendered it appeared there would be no defending of the championship. But when Adam/Jenny cruised to a mixed win over Jason/Emily, and we saw the famous Yang/Missy trot onto the court, you just knew something magical was about to happen. Just as they did time and time again in Season 6, Missy/Yang caught fire right when their team needed it, as they topped Manny/Nicole sending this match to a dreambreaker. And break dreams is exactly what happened, as Eat a Bag came out on top and ended the undefeated run for The Red Hot Chili Dinkers, sending them to their IPA's early.

Coach Ryan imparting some wisdom, and legal advice, to Manny

The last quarterfinal of the day didn't want to be left out, so Where's Julius and Dink Happy Thoughts gave the crowd what they wanted and gave us yet another dreambreaker show. The women started the match with the second highest scoring game of the day, with Sheedy/Nicki topping Lake/Emily 27-25. Julius/John came back with a win over Mavetz/Matt, before the teams split the mixed. The squads battled it out in the dreambreaker, with Where's Julius coming out on top, keeping Mavetz and his quest for the 4th title in check.

It was also the end for pool A. All 4 teams were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs. A TPL first!

Semifinals

After an exhausting quarterfinals display, things cooled off a bit in the semifinals. The first match featured Where's Julius vs the mighty green machine Puckin Picklers. When they met in pool play, Where's Julius snuck out a dreambreaker win. But this time, no dreams would break, as they finished off the Picklers in four games. 

On the far court the semifinals matchup of Eat a Bag vs 4 Talls started out the same way the quarterfinals did for the Bags, as they found themselves in an 0-2 hole after gendered. But right on queue, Adam/Jenny won their mixed match, setting up Yang and Missy to once again send it to a dreambreaker. On the other side of the net, Jamie and Justin had other plans, and told Eat a Bag to go eat some pizza. It was a valiant effort by Eat a Bag of Dinks, formerly known as Resting Grinch Face. They made a run to claim the season 6 championship, and nearly got back to the ship in season 7. But as the kind people that they are, they decided it was someone else's turn to hoist the cup, setting up a showdown between 4 Talls No Smalls and Where's Julius. Would John add another line to his tattoo? Or would Jamie in her TPL debut steal the spotlight?

Try and spot the height difference. You can't.

Championship

With the tunes pumpin', the pickle beers flowin', and the crowd hyped up, it was what many are calling the greatest TPL championship match atmosphere in our storied history. For those that left early, I feel bad for you. I question you. I am confused by you. I wonder if you should be invited back for season 8. You missed a hell of a show. For those that stayed, thank you for your loyalty and fandom, and for bringing the energy!

On the court the women got us going, with Lake/Emily topping Jamie/Genna in an electric opener. They had us dedicated fans on the edge of our seats, with dink battle after dink battle. The men came up next, and Justin/Kyle fired back, keeping their playoff hot streak going. With the match knotted at one a piece, Where's Julius trotted out Julius/Emily S to meet the tallest team in the league, Kyle/Genna. Height didn't matter in this one, as Emily was determined to get her first championship after taking 2nd three times. Her and Julius took down Kyle/Genna in a tough battle that delighted the TPL enthusiasts, setting up an epic showdown between Lake/John and Jamie/Justin. A slugfest between two top rated squads. Jamie/Justin coming into the game with only one loss on the day, Lake/John with their storied TPL careers. It was a masterclass of pickleball, some of the finest The Shed has produced. In the end, Jamie/Justin came out on top, giving the people what they wanted; MORE PICKLEBALL! 

So much going on in this picture

With Areosmith's Dream On rocking over the speaker, we were set for the dreambreaker. One final game to crown the season 7 TPL champion. The men went first, with Justin/Kyle providing a slight edge at the switch. After losing in the women's game, Jamie/Genna came back with a vengeance, using their significant height superiority to their advantage. There just wasn't anything Emily/Lake could do, they were simply too tall to overcome. 4 Talls No Smalls finished it off, officially became the Season 7 TPL Champions, and got to enjoy their well deserved Championship Chug.

Your Season 7 Champs

Stats for the nerds:

Top Performing Gendered Doubles Teams

• Dan Forsythe and Tom Spaniol: 4-1
• Manny Obregon and Jason Krueger: 4-1
• Mark Elliott and Zach Driscoll: 5-2?
• Emily Gerads and Nicole Idalski: 4-1
• Lake Johnson and Emily Schadow: 5-2

Top Performing Mixed Doubles Teams

• Jamie Voelker and Justin Dering: 6-1
• I'm sure others did great but I have no idea due to lack of record but if you also did great I'm really proud of you

Other stats

• Highest scoring game: 30-28. Jasmine and Kris over JJ and Missy. For the first time in 3 seasons, Sheedy was not in the highest scoring game. She settled for the 2nd highest scoring game (27-25)
• Dreambreakers: 11. There were only 4 last season. Where's Julius played in 5 themselves! 
• This was the first season where the team that lost the women's doubles game in the championship match went on to win the match!! It is possible!
• 10 lbs of wings CRUSHED. More wings next time. Noted.
• 15 participants left before the champion was crowned. You all know who you are. Shame on you. Or maybe you hate good times? Maybe you're allergic to fun times with your friends? Maybe you're against having pickle beers and pumping tunes and watching the best pickleball match in the history of The TPL? That must be it.

But in all seriousness, it is you, the people, that make this event so special. Each time we have first timers join us they're always so pleasantly surprised by how incredible this group of people is, both on and off the courts. We've perfected that balance of competition and camaraderie. No other tournament do I want to win as bad as I do when I play in the TPL. But no other tournament do I have as much fun as I do at The TPL even when I lose, which I have now for 6 straight seasons, but who's counting. I really appreciate the enthusiasm that you all continue to have for this event, and for making it more than just a pickleball tournament. 

One of these days we're going to get some newbie who's a real bag of dinks ass clown short person, but that certainly wasn't the case for our newcomers in season 7. Jay K, Zach, Jasmine, and Jamie, it was an absolute pleasure welcoming you into The TPL family. You were all fantastic on the court, and somehow even kinder people off the court. I speak for everyone when I say we're all pumped to have you back for season 8 and beyond! And ya know what, I take that first statement back, we're never going to get a newbie who's a real bag of dinks ass clown short person, because you all wouldn't allow it. You'd never let someone undeserving to be in this cult. 

The joys of the TPL

From a competition and camaraderie standpoint the day almost couldn't have been any better. And yet there was a huge void felt. This was supposed to be Ivy's first TPL. It was a day I looked forward to when we found out we were pregnant, and got even more excited for when we found out she was a girl. I was so excited for you all to meet her, and even more so, for her to meet you. For Ivy to grow up around this TPL family, and see what a special group we built here. I was excited for her to learn from all of you. I wanted her to learn how to count by counting how many beers John has throughout the tournament. I wanted her to learn how to talk shit and back it up on the court like Lake, but then immediately be your best friend off of it. I wanted her to learn to rip a two handed backhand like Christopher Mavetz, because I'll never know how. I wanted her to be spoiled with her choice of home courts between Emily's back yard and The Shed. I wanted her to have unwavering confidence like Genna, a nonstop smile like Kitri, and a sometimes too loud personality like Manny. I wanted her to see the community that her parents helped build, and know that there's nothing more important than the people you surround yourself with.

I want to thank you all for being there for us these past 4 months. Those that made us dinners, dropped off baskets, sent texts even when we didn't respond. Thank you all for caring about us, and for caring about Ivy. You mean more to us than you'll ever know.

Ivy Mae Spaniol 💗

This is a tremendously special group, and has become much more than just a pickleball tournament. I'm honored that you all continue to want to do this thing. It's always fun having the past event to reflect on, and the upcoming event to look forward to. We're in that magical time again right now. Teams will be chosen soon, uniforms will be dreamed up, and practices will be had. Enjoy the summer off season, and don't be a stranger, The Shed is always a place The TPL family can call home. 

I love you all a ton.

-Tom Spaniol