(Estimated read time: 27 minutes)
There's a Tony Robbins quote that reads, "Most people drastically overestimate what they can do in a year, but drastically underestimate what they can do in a decade or more."
Well, The TPL must measure years in decades, because I don't think any of us could've predicted what this could become in the short time it's been alive. Having only started 348 days ago, on June 24th of 2023, The TPL is still in its infancy. Yet, in many other ways it looks and feels like it's been around for decades. It has more than 5x'd in size in less than a year, already on the verge of outgrowing all of the local facilities. What will that mean for the future of The TPL? I have some ideas, but that's not what we're here to worry about today. Today, we reflect upon the successful recent events of the last few weeks.
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| That TPL merch though 😍 |
We're coming off not just one, but two, great TPL events. The first ever TPL Open was held on May 18th, a chance for all pickleballers to sign up and come experience the magic of The TPL. And on May 18th, magic was delivered. We had 56 participants across two different divisions battling it out for cash prizes and TPL glory. We had 5 local event sponsors (thank you Rich Cat Supply, Bernicks Pepsi, Good Life Chiropractic, House of Pizza, and St. Cloud Financial!) We had father/son, mother/daughter, mother/son, and husband/wife duos on display. We had dramatic points, dreambreaker finishes, and post pickle pizza. But what had me the most proud was all the smiles, the laughs, and the genuine excitement for the game of pickleball and for The TPL all day long. The play was great but the vibes were higher, and I can't thank each of you enough for making May 18th an incredible and historic day for myself and for The TPL.
The day was such a success that it is clear we must do it again, and the next TPL Open is currently being planned, so stay tuned for further announcements!
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| TPL Open 3.0-3.99 participants |
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| TPL Open 4.0+ participants |
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| Winners of The 3.0-3.99 division! David Herdan, Kim Herdan, Christine Lundberg, Phil Imholte |
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| Winners of the 4.0+ division! Justin Dering, Ali Brown, Genna Porter, Matt Bozoian |
After the high on May 18th, it seemed impossible to have another day of pickleball as fun and successful as that one. But that was a silly thought to have, as June 1st was right around the corner.
TPL Premier League Season 4
The preparations for Season 4 began aggressively early this time with the draft taking place all the way back on March 28th. Seven captains met at Pints and Paddle to claim their dream team in the quest to drink from The TPL Cup. While it felt aggressively early at the time, there was much beauty that came out of drafting teams months before the event. Right away, team text groups were formed, trash talk began, and the best part, practice sessions were held.
There's something magical about that time leading up to The TPL. We all play so much pickleball, but "needing" to get together for TPL team practice brings a whole new level of commitment and joy. We had multiple 12+ player practice sessions, many where the participants drove over an hour each way to be there. While figuring out on court team strategy was the goal, the silver lining of these sessions was the camaraderie and friendships formed. In a previous write up I talked about each TPL having three phases; the lead up, the actual event, and the post event reminiscing. The lead up to this TPL held some of my favorite moments of this spring season, and I thank you all for making these practice sessions so much fun and worthwhile.
June 1st
Eventually it was time for the practice sessions to end, for the trash talking to be set aside, and to play this thing out on the courts. While the porta pottys were nowhere to be found, the weather was perfect and the vibe was high as the 8 teams descended upon South Jr. High to put on the finest display of pickleball the TPL has ever seen.
Pool Play
The squads were put into two pools, picked out of a hat by TPL first timer Volly at a practice session a week before the big day. With how even the teams were, it didn't matter what pool you found yourself in. Each match and each game was going to be a grind, and the results backed that up.
Out of the 12 pool play matches, seven of them went to Dreambreakers! And on an individual game basis, 16 games were decided by only 2 points, with most of those needing to go beyond 21 to decide the winner.
Day Dinkers
The DD's were a team of familiar faces as multiple of their players had teamed up in The TPL before, with Lexi and Adam being on the same season 3 team, and Tom, Alissa, and Adam all being on the same season 2 team. Could this familiarity lead them to hoist The TPL Cup? It sure looked possible after their pool play run. The Day Dinkers finished pool play 3-0, winning rounds 1 and 2 in Dreambreakers before getting a 3-1 victory over E Squared+2. In that match, Alissa and Lexi got their first womens win of the morning over E&E after suffering a heartbreaking 25-23 loss to Missy and Nicky in round 2. When the pressure was on the women seemed to play at their best, as they went first in both of the Dreambreakers, and both times they handed it over to the men leading at the switch. Tom and Adam were able to finish it off each time, and finished the morning session undefeated in their mens games, as they looked poised to make another deep playoff run.
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| The Day Dinkers in their crisp home whites |
E Squared + 2
One of only 4 teams to stop for a group picture, E Squared+2 was a well organized and strongly led team all day behind their veteran captain Emily Gerads. With all four players living within a 7 mile radius of each other, they were able to get in quite a few practice sessions leading up to the big day, and it showed on the court. They came out of the gates hot with wins over MOPP and Mitchel's Barber in their first two matches before dropping their first to the Day Dinkers.
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| E Squared and their misfit men |
Mitchel's Barber
While that wasn't actually the official submitted name for the team, the commissioner's office made a first ever executive decision and stuck with the choice, paying homage to the finest barber shop in all of central Minnesota. Nicky Pomeroy made her TPL debut, and you wouldn't have guessed that she hadn't gotten any practice sessions in with her new squad, as her and Missy won all three of their women's doubles games in the pool play session.
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| Mitchel's Barber! (Plus cameos from Mark and Amanda) |
MOPP Em Up
MOPP Em was carefully crafted by Kris Portz to grab the local veterans and St. Cloud pickleball legends in an aim to use experience and wisdom against youth. They found themselves taking their time and learning their opponents weaknesses during pool play, using it more as a scouting grounds than as a seeding mechanism. MOPP Em lost their first two matches in Dreambreakers before falling to Mitchel's Barber 3-1, but only after both mixed games went to extra points. Jen and Jay lost to Mitch and Nicky 23-21, but Kris and Matt got their first mixed win of the day in a 26-24 BATTLE with Darrin and Missy, and perhaps provided them just the spark they needed heading into the bracket play...
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| 2/4ths of MOPP Em is the closest we got to a team picture |
Hot DAMN
Comprised of defending champion captain Nicole Idalski, Mark Elliot, and two TPL first timers Dan Forsythe and Amanda Trunzo, Hot DAMN found themselves in a Dreambreaker in all 3 of their pool play matches. They lost heartbreakers to Big Dink Energy and The Blue Ballers before topping The Fickle Pickles in round 3, finishing pool play with a 1-2 record. Hot DAMN looked damn good and played damn good all day long. They are also a group of damn fine folks, and the TPL is damn proud to have them. Dammit.
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| Hot DAMN loved going to Dreambreakers |
Big Dink Energy
Arriving with their TPL tattoos and matching tie-dye shirts adorning their team logo, BDE truly lived up to their name and brought the energy all day long. Captained by Season 3 runner up Jenny Johnson, BDE was on a mission from the moment they stepped on the court. JJ not only picked up two time TPL Champion Chris Mavetz and her Season 3 teammate John Michaud in the draft, but was also able to snag her sister, and TPL first timer, Meg Knutson.
Their first match with Hot DAMN was a drama filled battle that went to a Dreambreaker. After being up 2-0 from their gendered doubles wins, they dropped both their mixed matches, going with the lineups of season 3 teammates JJ and John, and Chris and Meg, before winning a nail biting Dreambreaker, 22-20. Moving forward they switched their mixed lineups to JJ/Chris and Meg/John, and that proved to be their perfect recipe for success as they won their next two pool play matches vs The Fickle Pickles and The Blue Ballers without needing to go to another Dreambreaker. Big Dink Energy did not lose a gendered game during pool play, as both Mavetz/Michaud and the Whalen sisters went undefeated.
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| Temp tattoos are cool, but the word on the street is real tattoos could be coming!? |
The Fickle Pickles
Captain Jen Sheedy drafted for both experience and youth when she took TPL Champions Kyle Jordre and Scott Thome, along with TPL first timer and the youngest player in the league Volly Johnson. The Fickle Pickles proved that pickleball can indeed be a fickle game, as their overall record didn't reflect how incredibly competitive each of their games were. They went to two Dreambreakers, in round 1 against The Blue Ballers, and round 3 against Hot DAMN. In the match against Hot DAMN they found themselves in a quick 0-2 hole after gendered, before tying it up with two clutch mixed wins. One from Scott and Volly over Mark and Nicole, and the other from Kyle and Jen over Dan and Amanda. Unfortunately, the momentum from mixed just wasn't enough to carry them to the match win, as they fell in a tight Dreambreaker 21-18.
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| The Fickle Pickles rockin' their TPL blues |
Blue Ballers
The Blue Ballers were coming in riding a high after earning their way into the TPL Premier League by way of the TPL Open held on May 18th. Opposed to the rest of the league, their team was formed not by a draft, but rather by careful free agency selection from captain Justin Dering. It was the first time we tried this method, where we had a play in for the final coveted spot of the Premier League, and it worked flawlessly.
The Blue Ballers impressed both on and off the court, and instantly fit in with The TPL family. Justin put together the perfect squad of great pickleballers and even better humans with Genna Porter, Ali Brown, and Matt Bozoian. On the court the Blue Ballers won their first two matches in Dreambreakers, which came as no surprise, as they're used to the pressure having won The TPL Open on a Dreambreaker just two weeks earlier. They rounded out round 3 with a 3-1 loss to BDE, and proved they were certainly Premier League worthy with a very strong pool play showing.
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| The Blue Ballers in their grey shirts |
Standings after Pool Play:
In the semifinals E Squared+2 wore down MOPP Em, as they must've used up all their energy and magic in the quarterfinals, ending the MOPP Em run and sending E Squared+2 to the championship game, earning Emily Schadow her third straight championship match appearance. In semifinal #2, it was a matchup of heavyweights with The Blue Ballers looking to get to their second TPL championship match in as many weeks, taking on the undefeated Big Dink Energy squad. The match did not disappoint, and held some of the closest scores of any match all day. The Blue Baller ladies, Genna and Ali, handed the Whalen sisters their first loss of the day 21-19, before Chris and John swung their Big Dinks and hammered down Justin and Matt 21-16. The mixed games that followed were both TPL classics, with Chris and Jenny edging out Justin and Genna 22-20, before John and Meg topped Matt and Ali 23-21 in a heartbreaker.
The Championship
On the short drive from South Jr. High to The Portz Pickle Palace the storylines for the season 4 championship match rang through my head. Would Emily Gerads successfully back up all her off-season smack talk and claim her second title? Would local PB legend Jason Kruger claim his first in his first championship appearance? Or would Christopher Mavetz further separate himself from the rest of the field on his quest to be the MJ of The TPL, and win his third title in only the fourth season of this young league's existence? The near capacity crowd was sprawled around the court, fresh beverages in hand, primed to find out.
The women's doubles game kicked things off and it was a back and forth doozy. Emily and Emily gave everything they had, but the Whalen sisters were just too much to handle. With their matching outfits, matching paddles, and identical appearance, members of the crowd were left guessing just who it was they were watching on each side of the court. Was it Meg who just ripped that two handed backhand? Was it Jenny who just hit that forehand roll? Regardless of who it was, they were in synch, just like they were all day, and came out on top giving BDE an early 1-0 lead.
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| E&E with their matching shoes |
The men followed with another brilliant game for the TPL crowd. After being listed on the injury report for weeks leading up to the event, starting at doubtful, then upgrading to questionable, and finally being listed as probable after their Friday night practice session, John Michaud played some of the best pickleball of his life alongside Mavetz. The lefty dazzled with deception at every opportunity, and powered through the elbow injury like it was never there. Jason and the Laotian Laser Yang found themselves in a hole before finding a rhythm and started to chip away at the lead down the stretch. But just when we thought we might be heading into mixed with the score tied, the men in blue slammed the door and put Big Dink Energy up 2-0, just one game away from hoisting the cup.
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| The men put on a show for The TPL faithful |
E Squared declared their mixed matchup first and went with their dangerous Schadow/Lo combo, and BDE answered with Mavetz and Johnson. After losing both doubles games in his last appearance on The Portz Court in season 2, Mavetz was hungry to flip that script and go 2-0 this time and help lead his team to the championship. He took the court alongside the red hot Rich Cat, and neither seemed like they could miss. The impenetrable force was just too much for Yang and Emily to overcome, and BDE secured the championship in a three game sweep. The Coors Light was poured, the Championship Chug went down, and BDE cemented their place in TPL history.
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| Prepping the Championship Chug |
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| John's first time winning The TPL Cup, but certainly not his first time slamming a beer! |
That was really the story for BDE all day. After making the change in round 2 in their mixed lineups, JJ and Chris never lost a mixed game, going 5-0 down the stretch. Chris and John never lost a mens game, finishing the day 6-0. JJ and Meg only dropped one women's game all day, finishing 5-1. The captain and her first pick of the draft finished the day 10-2 and 11-1 in doubles games, respectively. Christopher Mavetz and Jenny Johnson, what you did that day is nothing short of historic, and could be a performance we never see again from two teammates. But one could argue that the true key to BDE's success was the fire that Meg brought and the gutty performance from John. This truly was a complete team. Not only with their on court play, but with the intangibles as well. Their dedication with the matching outfits and tattoos, the enthusiasm and energy they brought to The TPL, the way they picked each other up and supported one another as teammates. BDE embodied what it means to be a TPL champion, and will be studied by the historians for decades to come.
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| The Whalen Sisters |
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| Big. Dink. Energy. |
Stats for The Nerds
Top Performing Gendered Doubles Teams:
- Tom Spaniol and Adam Couzens: 4-0
- Jenny Johnson and Meg Knutson: 5-1
- Chris Mavetz and John Michaud: 6-0
Top Mixed Teams (min 4 games):
- Nicole Idalski and Mark Elliot: 3-1
- Jen Markling and Jay Portz: 3-1
- Jenny Johnson and Chris Mavetz: 5-0
- Jenny Johnson: 10-2
- Chris Mavetz: 11-1
- Wait a minute, what kind of commissioner lets them be on the same team!? Season 4 is officially under review for tampering and bribing the league office!
- Nicole and Mark beat Ali and Matt 28-26
- Emily G and Jason beat Alissa and Tom 28-26
Interesting TPL Tidbit
- In all four championship matches, the team who won the women's doubles game, went on to win the championship. Girls rule, boys drool.
Soon after the Championship Chug was finished, the smell of brats began to fill the air, officially signifying the third phase of the day had begun; The After Party.
Once again Kris and Jay Portz outdid themselves with an over the top display of food. The cheesy potatoes were a topic of great discussion around the dinner table and will be talked about for months to come. Amongst the obsession over the cheesy potatoes, it was those moments, sitting around the porch packed 15 people deep, where the specialness of the day really started to settle in. My personal depression from our soul crushing loss began to fade away as I looked around and saw all the smiles, the conversation, the mixture of "St. Cloud folks and Cities folks" blending together to become TPL folks. A glance down to the grass below showed more of the same, as people were spread out enjoying each others company, all feeling the same feels, knowing that this was indeed a special day.
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| You know the cheesy potatoes deserve their own picture! |
And then a familiar noise started from the court below, the soft knocking being heard over the music. I looked down to see all three of TPL OG Emily's kids hitting the pickleball back and forth. The next thing I knew a game broke out amongst Mark, Katie, Adam, and Will. Phase two of the pickleball games had officially begun, and the Portz Court would be used for the next 3 hours. As if people didn't get enough pickleball during the day, participants sat in the grass eagerly awaiting their turn to get back on the court. We saw outfit changes from Genna, singles battles from Volly and Meg, and three time champion Mavetz step back onto the court to give the crowd one last show. The continued games were the perfect background entertainment as the comradery, dancing, and chugging to Thunderstruck continued on the lawn. If the Portz family wasn't so popular, I'm sure the play would have continued until the ball could no longer be seen. But alas, they had their next party to get to, and so it was finally time to call it a day.
I walked in the house to use the restroom before taking off and I found the kitchen completely spotless and clean. I was left flabbergasted, wondering just who is this Kris Portz lady? She went from crushing the Day Dinker's hopes and dreams and knocking us out of the playoffs, to hosting 40+ people, to having the entire house spotless before anyone could even notice. Kris and Jay, on behalf of all of the people of The TPL, I thank you for once again hosting us. The moments spent at The Portz Pickle Palace are moments we will all cherish. We love and appreciate you and all you do for The TPL.
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| The ladies of The TPL |
With each event we hold, I find it harder and harder to encapsulate the day into words. With the greatness of each event rising, there comes with it the pressure to keep making each event "better" than the last. But I know that it isn't fair to try to compare any TPL event with another. After all, comparison is the thief of joy, and each event is whole and perfect in and of itself. There will always be different things that make each event special and unique.
One of the many reasons Season 4 was so enjoyable was all of the new people we welcomed to the family. Justin, Matt, Ali, Genna, Meg, Volly, Dan, Amanda, and Nicky. It was an honor to have you all! Thank you for making the commitment to join us for the day (some of you into the next morning!), and for bringing incredible enthusiasm to The TPL. Your energy was felt by all of us, and you are all officially welcomed back for next season!
Somehow each new person that we find seems like the perfect fit for this group. A great pickleball player, but more importantly a kind, curious, energetic, passionate, and talented person. It's really incredible the quality of people we have in our little TPL family, and I thank you all for building this community.
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| If you're noticing a lot of JJ, Meg, and Justin in these photos, it's because they're pretty much the only ones who sent me pictures!! And because they are great pictures! Okay!? |
Season 5 is being planned as we're trying to nail down a date and have the draft. Not because we need to this early, but for the joy that the coming months will bring if we do. The crafting of team names and jersey colors, the TPL Practice Sessions with 16+ people, the carpools to get to them, and the trash talk in group texts. These little special moments keep us going in between the big days, and I'm honored to get to share these times with you. I wish to see you all on the courts soon, and I hope we can linger after for a bit, share a beverage and a bite, and reminisce about how we are currently living in the good ole days, because we're currently living in The TPL.
I love you all.
-Tom Spaniol
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