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