TPL Season 3 Preview

 I was sharing a meal with my great friend Phil Imholte over the weekend when he imparted a bit of wisdom he had heard on a recent podcast episode. He explained that when you take a vacation, it's really like you're getting 3 events in one. First, the pre vacation anticipation. This is the period where you plan everything out, tell your friends all the fun things you want to do, and dream about how great it's going to be. The second event is actually being there, being present, and living out your visualizations and dreams. The third event is the reminiscing upon the vacation after it is over. Showing pictures and videos to friends and family, thinking back upon fond memories, and sharing stories with those who will listen.

For Season 3 of The TPL, we are officially in the first phase, the anticipation phase. 21 days ago six brave souls met at Pints and Paddle to determine the fate of The TPL's finest competitors. The pre draft jitters were creeping in, as their palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy. They were nervous, but on the surface they looked calm and ready to drop bombs. 

And bombs did they ever drop.

 Many are calling this the finest work of drafting in TPL history. This was the first time in the history of the league that we called upon an all female cast of captains to choose the teams, and they certainly delivered. All six teams look like they can make a run at the coveted TPL trophy, and all six teams have been off and running with practicing, figuring out team names and colors, and some even creating team logos. It's going to be another highly contested event, with people coming from near and far, to watch some of Minnesota's finest pickleballers decend upon Sta Fit to forever have their names engraved as a TPL Champion.

The TPL Logo, made by our very own Kyle Jordre!

Let's meet the teams:

ICE

Team Ice, captained by season 1 champion Beth Trout, has a team of veterans who are no strangers to TPL Championship appearances. The team features Trout, Alissa Spaniol (season 2 silver medalist), Jason Krueger, and the only two time champion, Boo Bear's boyfriend, Chris Mavetz. While the rumor has it that this team may not sneak in any full team practices, it would be foolish to take this team lightly. 

Will we see a repeat season 1 mixed lineup of Trout/Mavetz, who sealed the season 1 title together? Will Krueger join his teammates and make his first appearance in a TPL final? Will Mavetz win yet another title, to further cement his TPL legacy? Surely he can't keep winning these things, can he?!? All burning questions that have the talk radio shows buzzing. 

YAAK Pak

We are privileged to have a few TPL first timer's for season 3, with Yang Lo making his long anticipated debut. The YAAK Pak features a powerful lineup of Yang, Alexis, Adam, and Kris (the YAAK in their Pak). Mother/daughter force Lexi and Kris are back on the court together after teaming up in season 2. While keeping it close to home with her female draft pick, Kris decided to look across the globe for her men's teammates. She chose the Laotian Laser Yang Lo, and went down unda to grab the Australian Authoritarian Adam Couzens. 

This team also features two esteemed medical professionals in Yang (MD) and Lexi (DDS). While we won't feel safe playing against them on the court, we can feel safe knowing all our urgent care and cavity needs will be met off the court.  

23 and MO

Whether it's in the car flying down highway 23, or on the pickleball court, this team is no stranger to driving. When crafting her team, captain Nicole Idalski was looking for a specific blend of speed, strength, experience, and wisdom. She crafted just that landing Dee Johnson, Matt Otto, and Kyle Jordre. 23 and Mo officially comes in as the team with the highest combined age in season 3, but you'd be foolish to overlook this team for such a silly reason like that. Picked by many TPL beat writers as a championship caliber team, they're looking to make a deep run in season 3.

Interesting tidbit on 23 and MO, they feature two different pairs who have teamed up in the TPL before. In season 1 Otto and Johnson were both on the Rebel Bat Fuzz, while Jordre and Idalski both wore the all black of team Dink em in season 2. Will this on and off court comradery from the past two seasons push this team to TPL greatness?

No Rodillas No Problemas

Captained by the Rich Cat herself, Jenny Johnson assembled an absolutely beautiful squad (I'm not biased at all). The team includes JJ, lefty's John Michaud and Emily Schadow, and myself (Thomas Richard Spaniol). While each member of No Rodillas No Problemas has dealt with knee surgeries in the past, they currently show no signs of hinderances on the court. This team is also the only team that has two lefties on it, and could be the first TPL squad in league history to trot out a lefty lefty mixed doubles combo. At the time of this publication, team captain JJ could not be reached to confirm or deny the lefty lefty possibility.

Depending upon how things go over these next two weeks, they're likely to win the preseason award for "most team practice sessions." Although we all know pre season awards don't count for shit, we'll see if that translates to wins on December 30th. One thing is for sure, the hype level is high amongst team No Rodillas No Problemas, and they'll be ready to go for Season 3 (again, no bias here).

Team Pond Johnson

While that likely isn't their team name, team captain Lake Johnson could also not be reached at the time of this publication, so creative measures had to be taken. And while we may be left guessing on their name, we certainly aren't guessing on this squad's pickleball prowess. After leading the Pink Flamingos to a season 2 title, Lake Johnson is back to reclaim her crown and to sip champagne from the TPL cup, this time heading a squad as team captain. And she's assembled a very dangerous group to help her do just that. Team Pond has newcomer Jen Sheedy, local legend Jay Portz, and the pride of Wilmar High Manny Obregon.

Vegas has high expectations for this team, even though it's all but guaranteed they won't be getting a full team practice in before the event. But hey, they don't need to, neither did Lake's Flamingos last season and look what happened there. Rumor has it Manny has just now gotten over his team's crushing semifinal dreambreaker loss from season 2, and he vows to never experience that feeling again. Watch out for this team to come out strong and make some waves on the 30th. 

Pink Flamingos

As I personally experienced from seasons 1 to 2, coming back as the reigning champion captain can be a daunting task. The pressure to win again from the national media, the fans, and fellow contestants can be a lot to withstand. But Emily Gerads thrives under this pressure, and is ready to defend her title in Season 3 with a new cast of characters. This year her squad has veteran Darrin Prince, and two TPL first timers, Missy Rosenthal and Mark Elliot.

3/4ths of this team has been spotted at Sta Fit many times prepping for the upcoming season, while we trust Mark has been prepping on his own out in cheese land. Emily heads into this tournament as confident as she's ever been, even volunteering to host the after party, already manifesting everyone coming over to celebrate her championship win. We shall see if the drinks on the 30th end up being celebratory or sorrow for her, but we do know for certain this team is going to be a force on the court, and has all the tools of a cup raising squad.

I hope you all have a safe and blessed holiday season, we'll see you on December 30th.

-Tom Spaniol

TPL Season 2

 On June 24th, 2023, the first ever TPL took place. It featured 4 teams comprised of 16 of the area's best pickleballers, battling to be crowed the first ever TPL Champions. Immediately upon the conclusion of season 1's event, the elite pickleballers of Minnesota were clamoring for more. Ideas to improve and grow the league were set into motion, new players came knocking at the door (or did we have to beg them to join?), and Season 2 was ready to begin.

The TPL, always looking to push the limits of what's possible, immediately took the leftover momentum from Season 1 and expanded the league from four teams to six for Season 2. The new season also brought new captains, as we saw our first female led teams this season. On August 14th, six highly regarded pickleball leaders met up at the Ultimate Sports bar to choose their teams. Emily, Jen, Nicole, Darrin, Jason (a last minute fill in for Mitch), and myself. Each of us filled with enthusiasm, hope, and confidence that we could craft that special team to be named Season 2 champions.

The magic was really what occurred between draft day and September 23rd (the big day). Many practice sessions were had, team names were born, banners were made (thanks Nicole!), and jerseys were designed. We also saw our first substitute player needed. With 11 days to go, I got a phone call from teammate Beth Trout, saying she was called down to Florida to help with a Red Cross mission. I was on my boat fishing at the time, and all in a matter of a few hours while slaying northern pike I was able to discuss options with our squad, get approval from other captains, and confirm our new team member. Emily Schadow was up to the task of filling the shoes of Season 1 champion Beth. She quickly made herself at home amongst our squad, helping craft our team name, and never missing a practice session. Thank you Emily for filling in on such short notice and becoming an integral part of The Kinda Big Dills.

September 23rd, TPL Season 2

After months of hype, it was finally time for the big day. 24 highly talented and highly motivated pickleballers gathered at our favorite indoor venue, Sta Fit, to battle for the opportunity to forever be engraved a TPL Champion. And boy oh boy, did the competition ever live up to the hype! Dare I say it even exceeded it! 

Acting important by fake reading something off my clipboard

Round 1 

The competition started off even hotter than the teams looked in their well coordinated uniforms, as round one saw multiple intense battles. Team Dink'Em, dressed in all black, came out hot against the 4 P's in a Pickle, hopping out to a 2-0 lead after the gendered doubles games. But team Portz's + Prince came roaring back with a commanding mixed doubles win, before falling in the final mixed game 22-20. The Idalski led Dink'Em also featured two new TPL participants. Kyle "Net Cord" Jordre, and the winner for longest commute after flying across the country to join us, Dany Brunsch. The 4P's were also the first time a team featured 3 (3!!) family members on the same team, as Darrin just couldn't stop drafting Portz's to his squad. It was wonderful to see the family squad go to battle, and to welcome Lexi to her first TPL event. It is my sincere hope that she chooses to return for more TLP action.

4 P's in a Pickle 

On a neighboring court, The Swifty Cats, dressed in a few shades of blue and led by team captain Jason Krueger, won their opening match against team Drop'Em, led by captain Jen Markling and dressed in Red, White, and Blue. It was 1-1 after gendered doubles with Jenny/Max taking the win over Jen/Karen, before the Krueger led squad was able to secure both mixed games to come out victorious. 

Amongst these two teams we welcomed 5 new competitors to the TPL! Jenny J, Max, John, Karen, and Manny all made their debuts, and shall never leave us again!

The Swifty Cats themselves

Round 1 also featured what would turn out to be the eventual championship game preview. The Pink Flamingos, looking flashy in their pink shirts that Scott spent hours finding at the local Walmart, took on The Kinda Big Dills. And even more impressive than both team's jerseys was the play on the court. It was 1-1 after genered doubles, with the Flamingo's women and the Dills dudes coming out victorious. In mixed, Christopher Mavetz and Lake Johnson beat Adam Couzens and Emily Schadow, leaving it up to team Spaniol to try to force Season 2's first dreambreaker. In an intense back and forth battle, Alissa and Tom were able to sneak out the victory over Scott Thome and Emily Gerads, 22-20. The Dills got the choice in the Dreambreaker, and sent the women out first to race to 11. The women's portion did not disappoint, as they left the court with The Flamingos up 11-10 at the switch. After a hard fought second half battle by the men, the Kinda Big Dills came out on top 21-18 to secure the round 1 match win.

The Dills in their dill shirts

Round 2

Round 2 featured three different 3-1 match victories. 

-The Kinda Big Dills took the match over 4P's in a Pickle.

-The Pink Flamingos beat Drop'Em, with the lone win in that match for Drop'Em being a 26-24 victory from the boys in red white and blue, Manny and John. The highest scoring game of the day!

-Team Dink'Em continued their hot start as they were "Back in Black," winning both gendered games for the second match in a row before splitting the mixed, and earning the victory over the Swifty Cats.

Team Dink'Em featured the only squad to have siblings

Round 3

The final round of pool play was another intense round of pickleball by everyone involved. The Flamingos found their stride and earned the first 4-0 sweep of the day over Dink'Em, but only doing so with narrow 2 point victories in both mens and women's doubles. 

The Kinda Big Dills were looking to finish pool play undefeated and came up against a firey Drop'Em squad looking to avoid going 0-3. Both gendered doubles were close, with the Dills earning a 3 point victory in womens, and a tight 2 point victory in mens over John and Manny, handing them their only mens double's loss of the day! After splitting mixed, the Dills secured the match win and wrapped up the number 1 seed heading into the playoffs.

In the best match of round 3, we all got to witness the day's second dreambreaker between the Swifty Cats and the 4P's. After a hot opening start with the 4P's winning both gendered doubles, the Swifty Cats came purring back with mixed wins of 21-10 and 21-15, setting up what would be a great dreambreaker. The women went first, and the mother/daughter duo of Kris and Lexi started the 4P's off hot and gave their squad a lead heading into the mens half. Father Jay and adopted member of the family Darrin never looked back and held on for a 21-17 victory. 

The win ended up bring crucial for seeding purposes, as math was needed to determine the seeds for the first time in TPL history. Final pool play standings were as follows:

#1 Kinda Big Dills, 3-0

#2 Pink Flamingos, 2-1

#3 Dink'Em, 2-1

#4 Swifty Cats, 1-2

#5 4P's, 1-2

#6 Drop'Em, 0-3

It all game down to "games net" to determine seeds 2/3 and 4/5, with the Pink Flamingos having the edge here +6 to Dink'Em +0, and the Swifty Cats (-1) over 4P's (-3).

Dink'Em strategizing before a match

Quarterfinals

The first quarterfinal match featured a rematch of round 3 between the Swifty Cats and the 4P's. And just like round 3, they found themselves in yet another dreambreaker! They arrived there in a different fashion this time, splitting the gendered doubles, and splitting the mixed. The "win or go home" dreambreaker did not disappoint, as it went extra innings, before seeing the Swifty Cats men Jason and Matt finish it off 22-20. The Portz's then indeed did go home, but not out of frustration, they left to setup what would become the greatest championship/afterparty event the TPL has ever seen. More on that later.

The second quarterfinal game featured the mighty 3 seed Dink'Em against the winless Drop'Em. But they must have just been punking us all during pool play, as the 6 seed came out hot and got a clean sweep to earn their first match win, and a spot in the semifials. Both gendered doubles games were incredibly close, 22-20 and 21-19, before the team dressed for America came out on top 21-14 in the first mixed game to seal the victory.

The team of TPL newcomers found their stride right on time

Semifinals

The TPL was once again blessed by the pickleball Gods with two tremendous semifinal matchups. In the first match the #1 seeded Dills took on the Spicy Cats, who were feeling "rich" coming off their recent dreambreaker victory. The Dills hopped out to an early 2-0 lead after winning both gendered doubles games. Being the away team, they had to declare their mixed team first. While initially the thought was to put out team Spaniol, the Wonda from Down Unda Adam Couzens said, "I would like a shot to finish this off." And who was I to argue with a determined man on a mission? Adam and Emily took the court against team 3 J's (Jenny Johnson and Jason), and gave us what I personally determined the best game I watched all day (I may be a bit biased.) 

Facing multiple game points down 20-18, with both teams "frozen" and only able to now score on their serve, the Dills just would not go away. It almost felt like we got a whole second game once the score reached this point, as it became a defense battle with neither team being able to budge. But then we saw the Australian surge just as the waves do off the coast, as he penetrated (17) the defense and the Dills came roaring back. Lefty "The Shadow" Emily was a rock over on that right side, and the Dills prevailed 23-21 in one of the finest games The TPL has ever seen, and secured them a birth in the championship game.

While that game may have been one of the finest, semifinal #2 provided one of the best matches of the day. Team Drop'Em came out of the gates on fire, as Karen and Jen handed Emily and Lake their first and only women's doubles loss on the day, 22-20. John and Manny followed that up with a two point victory of their own over Chris and Scott, as the Pink Flamingos found themselves in an 0-2 hole.

They showed no signs of panic however, and came back with two extremely tight mixed doubles wins, with Chris/Emily topping Manny/Karen, and Scott/Lake beating Jen/John to force another playoff dreambreaker! The men went first, and Chris/Scott hopped out to a commanding 11-5 lead, handing it off to Emily/Lake who were able to seal the victory and send The Flamingos to the championship match.

TPL Season 2 Championship

At the conclusion of the semifinals, I was able to utter the sweetest line of the day, "To the Portz's we go!" That's right, for the first time in TPL history, we would have our own private championship court to feature the title game. The atmosphere, the crowd, the vibe, and the game, would not disappoint. 

The Drive to the championship

Capacity crowd of pickleball enthusiasts 

Gorgeous championship court setting

The women started things off with Lake and Emily giving the Flamingos a 1-0 lead in a great opening women's game, 21-18. Needing to get on the board, the male Dills kept their undefeated run going in a game where it seemed like everything was going their way as they cruised to a 21-9 victory to tie the match at one a piece.

The first mixed matchup featured Emily Gerads and Christopher Mavetz against Alissa and Tom Spaniol. If you would've been at Friday's practice sessions where these two teams played, you would've though the Flamingos had this one in the bag easily, but it turned out to be a heck of an opening mixed game. It was a back and forth game that the Flamingos held the lead for most of the contest, but in the end the Spaniol's found a way to make a run and come out on top 21-19. Again interjecting my personal opinion into this writeup, I must say that was my favorite game of the day, and I am very proud of how Alissa and I played in such a big moment in front of the near capacity crowd. What a thrill to be a Dill.

With the Dills up 2-1, the second mixed pairings took the court. Adam Couzens and Emily Schadow were going against the undefeated mixed partnership of Lake Johnson and Scott Thome, who were battling to keep their team alive and send this match to a dreambreaker. After yet another incredible back and forth game, they did just that, securing a 21-18 victory and sending these two teams to their second dreambreaker of the day!

The women kicked off the breaker and the Flamingos came out hot as they flew away to an 11-6 lead. With the men taking the court, it looked like it could be anyones game still after the Dills had a commanding win in the mens doubles game just minutes before. But the Flamingos had other plans, as they got the first three points and the Dills found themselves in a 14-6 hole. The gap stayed the same as the Flamingos inched closer to victory, finding themselves up 19-11. But the Dills had one last fight in them, as they started to make a run. Everyone in the stadium could feel the momentum starting to shift toward the Dills, and baby cucumbers everywhere started pickling. Could this be the most insane comeback The TPL has ever seen, in the biggest spot The TPL has ever seen!? It looked to be headed that way, as the Dills all of a sudden found themselves down 18-20 with the serve on their paddle.

 Then, just as quickly as the run had started, it ended when Spaniol missed a 3rd into the net and Christopher Mavetz, always the strategist, spoke sweet whispers into Thome's ear telling him to switch up a pattern they were stuck in. Chris's idea, and Scott's execution, ended up being the final blow as Scott sent a beauty down the line uncontested as all I could do is sit there and wonder what sport I was playing, where I was, and what my purpose in life is. The ball landed in by 5 feet, and The Pink Flamingos were crowned The TPL Season 2 Champions.

The Champs and their trophy

As a competitor and member of The Kinda Big Dills, I was, and remain, crushed by the outcome. It's not so much just the loss, but the knowing that it is likely that the team of Emily Schadow, Adam Couzens, Alissa Spaniol, and Tom Spaniol, will never again put on the green shirts and go to battle as a team together. It's possible, but highly unlikely we'll be lucky enough to find ourselves on the same TPL team again in the future. To the Dills, I said this to you privately but I will repeat it publicly, I am so proud of our squad and how you all played. It was an honor and a privilege to share the court with you, and I love you all.

After we lost I sat in a folding chair courtside, and while I was sad as a competitor, as league commissioner I was proud. What an incredible tournament. We gathered 24 of the finest people and pickleballers this country has to offer, we battled for nearly 7 hours, we overcame a location change due to weather forecasts, and we played the championship at an epic home court. It certainly was all one can ask for. And right when I didn't think it could get any better, I walked inside the Portz residence, and I saw the most glorious taco bar I've ever seen. Three different kinds of meats, toppings for days, sides, desserts, and homemade salsas (Jen!). 

Man, are we all lucky or what!? Portz's, we'll really never be able to thank you enough for hosting all of us. While the tournament was the reason we all came together, and the play on the court was top notch all day, the after party was equally wonderful. We saw magic tricks, we learned life stories, Adam discovered the word penetration, and bonds were formed for life. To everyone who played in this season's event, I thank you. You are what makes The TPL special. The enthusiasm and passion you hold for this great tournament is what makes it stand out amongst the rest. I already can't wait for the next one. We have our work cut out for us to top Season 2's event, but I have no doubt that this crew is up to the task.

A Few Statistics For You Nerds

Top Performing Gendered Doubles Teams:

• Emily Gerads and Lake Johnson: 4-1
• Manny Obregon and John Michaud: 4-1
• Adam Couzens and Tom Spaniol: 5-0

Top Mixed Doubles Teams: (Mixed results weren't recorded by names, so it's tough to know exactly, but here's what I could gather. Minimum of 4 games played)

• Adam Couzens and Emily Schadow: 3-1
• Chris Mavetz and Emily Gerads: 3-1
• Lake Johnson and Scott Thome: 4-0

Top Individual Records (not including dreambreakers)

• Adam Couzens: 8-2
• Tom Spaniol: 8-1
• Lake Johnson: 9-1
• (each of those three also went 1-1 in dreambreakers)

Other Stats

• New Players: 11!! Max Thome, Jenny Johnson, Lexi Portz, Dany Brunsch, Kyle Jordre, Manny Obregon, John Michaud, Karen Johnson, Lake Johnson, Scott Thome, Emily Schadow. You best all be back for the next one!
• Returning Players: 13
• Returning Scorekeeper: 1. Thank you once again Kelli!!
• Players to get their name on the trophy twice: 1. Christopher Mavetz
• Draft Tidbit: The team with the #1 overall pick has won each season (although the player chosen was different each time)
• Full group photos taken: 0
• Fans: 22
• Tacos Eaten: 53
• Times "Penetration" was said by Adam- 16

Kelli the Scorekeeper Extraordinaire in action

Although this season deserved it, this write up has been long enough. In closing, I want to thank you all once again for coming and pouring your heart and soul into this event. For the great games, and even better comradeship. I love you all. Please enjoy these extra photos, and I'll see you out on the courts. Signing off.

-Tom Spaniol

Competitors on the court, friends off the court

Fellowship and food

Karen pumped for her first TPL

Kyle showing the proper 2 handed backhand followthrough 

Scott had no fun at all, all day

The next generation of The TPL!?

The Man, The Myth, The Manny

The TPL

In 2021, billionaire and pickleball enthusiast Steve Kuhn launched a new league; Major League Pickleball. Major League Pickleball (MLP) would promise to be an event unlike any other in the pickleball world, utilizing a four person team format rather than the standard "pick your partner" method that PB regulars were accustomed to. With this team format, he promised new rules (rally scoring), more compelling games, and higher energy. The tagline for MLP is "There's nothing else like it!" And after watching their first few events unfold, I couldn't agree more.

So naturally, being a pickleball enthusiast myself, and knowing we have what is the greatest pickleball community in the country right here in St. Cloud Minnesota, I knew we needed to give an event of our own a try.

In the summer of 2022 we sent out a few texts trying to get an event together, and quickly realized it was impossible to coordinate everyone's schedules, and so we gave up. But then the 2023 season of MLP happened, and the matches became more compelling, the energy rose, and my obsession reached new heights (even flying out to California to watch an event in person). 

It was back to the drawing board this spring, and somewhere amongst the unending side conversations in one of our pickleball group texts, we decided upon a date, June 24th. Through the keen recruitment skills of our crew (special shoutout to Nicole!) we ended up with 8 males and 8 females, eager to see what this team pickleball format had to offer. Also somewhere deep down in the thousands of texts that flow through said group text string, the name that started as "St. Cloud Major League Pickleball" was changed, and the TPL (Thomas Pickleball League) was born. If my memory serves me correctly, we have either Jason or Kyle to thank for that name change, but we may never know.

Captains were named, and in late May we met up at The Redneck Wonderland to sample some Hazy IPA's and decide the teams. What occurred over the next month leading up to the big day was simply a thing of beauty. Teams were strategizing, meeting up to practice, coordinating outfits, coming up with team names, and even creating team logos! Seeing the pride everyone took in their squads almost pushed me to tears. I could not have been more proud of this group's dedication.

But enough on the background of the league, let's talk about the big day.

TPL Season 1

The expert meteorologists, who are never wrong, called for a full day of rain on the day of our scheduled contest. I had been asked a few times if we had a backup plan, but my response was simple, "The pickleball Gods shall provide." And luckily for us, they did.

The vibe was electric as the teams gathered at South Jr. High. Mitchell had the music pumping, pink shorts were revealed, and per tradition, Adam was the last to show up. We had a clipboard (until it broke out of excitement) and a scorekeeper who flew in from California. Jitters of excitement were seen on the competitors faces, but once the first serves happened, the gang was right into doing what they do best; pickleballing.

Behold the Inaugural TPL Participants

EJ & The Dinks came out hot, both with their flashy pink shorts and their play on the court, as they rolled through pool play with a 3-0 record, winning each match 3 games to 1. The EJ portion of that team (Emily and Jen) would end the day with the overall best team record, going 4-1 in their gendered doubles. Rumor has it that they also logged the most practice hours, as team captain Darrin Price ran a tight ship on his squad, making sure they took care of themselves not only on the court, but off the court as well with a strict eating and fluoride free water regimen. 

Emily, Jen, Darrin, and Mitchell; well done. You set the bar high for how a team should strive to look and perform on the courts in upcoming TPL events.

EJ and their "Dinks"

E&J after their 4-1 record on the day

NAJJ Mahal was said to be the team in royal blue, although not much royal blue was seen on the courts. However, while their matching outfits seemed to lack, their play did not. Team cornerstone Nicole Idalski went 6-2 on the day in her doubles matches, and lead NAJJ to the brink of a championship appearance, as they lost a heartbreaking semifinal match in the dreambreaker. A well fought dreambreaker by all, but especially Alissa as she had to play the role of "sacrificial lamb" and go against singles specialist Christopher Mavetz (a well thought out dreambreaker strategy by team captain Jason Krueger). She did exactly what NAJJ needed her to do each time, getting 1 point off Chris both times she came up in the lineup. 

Alissa, Nicole, Jay, and Jay's son (Jason?). Thank you for providing the TPL with multiple dreambreakers, the day wouldn't have been the same without it.

NAJJ and their matching blue shirts

While it was a close call after seeing the pink shorts of EJ & The Dinks, the best dressed team goes to Rebel Bat Fuzz. Not only did they perfectly match their green shirts, but they were the only team to have a team logo, and a sticker of said logo on their shirts! While it wasn't their day on the courts, they certainly looked the best, and each match they played in was a very tight contest. We were slim margins away from them taking the mighty pink shorts to a dreambreaker in the semifinals, in what would have been an action packed dreambreaker as each team is loaded with singles specialists. At the time of this writing, team captain Adam Couzens has hopped a ship somewhere near the US/Canadian waters, in search of the real Rebel Bat Fuzz, as it is known to possess powers currently not known to mortals. We wish him well on his quest. 

Thanks to Dee, Gloria, Adam, and Matt for bringing the energy all day long. And the trail-mix and salt water taffy!!

RBF showing why they won "Best Dressed"

And then there's the Krispy Dogfish. While we started the day off slow, and I got the worst sleep of my life the night before (rumor has it this was a coop from team NAJJ trying to throw me off my game), we ended strong. With our backs against the wall in the semifinal dreambreaker, Beth Trout came up big and rallied off three straight points to send us to the championship game. 

The championship matchup was looking eerily similar to MLP's "Super Final" that had occurred just 5 days before our event. In that match, the two time champion Seattle Pioneers were looking unstoppable as they were undefeated coming into the championship, taking on the LA Mad Drops. In the upset of the century, the Mad Drops won the crown 3 games to 0.

With a Mad Drops sweatband on my wrist, the Krispy Dogfish looked to channel our inner Mad Drops to pull off the upset over the pink shorts people. We were fortunately able to do just that. 

The good luck Mad Drops sweatband

Keeping the momentum going from her dreambreaker, Trout and Kris Portz handed EJ their first women's loss of the day in an intense 22-20 battle. Since the near capacity crowd enjoyed that game so much, the men decided to have their own 22-20 game, with Chris taking over and saving us after my many failed attempts to end the game, as we avenged our loss from earlier in the day to Mitch and Darrin. With a 2-0 match lead heading into game 3, it was nearly impossible to slow down the growing tidal wave of Mavetz and Trout, who took game 3, giving the Krispy Dogfish the title of TPL Season 1 Champions.

To Beth, Kris, and Chris, I'm very proud of you. 

"Bark like a dog, swim like a fish." -Chris Mavetz

Other numbers to note:

Participants- 16

Fans- 9

Minutes of rain- 6

Prize money- $4,250 (Special thank you to Darrin for providing all of the prizes!!)

Another special thank you to Kelli for being our scorekeeper/photographer/videographer for the entire event!

Pickleball, a true family game

In the end, the inaugural event was a blast. Everyone I've talked with said they had a great time, the pickleball was fantastic, and the camaraderie was off the charts. Thank you to everyone who participated. The TPL is forever grateful for you and your contributions. And as awesome as this event was, I have a feeling it's only going to get bigger and better from here! And so, the planning for the next installment of the TPL begins. Until then, we'll see you on the courts.

-Commissioner Tom