Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 19
Hello, and welcome to Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 19!
In this issue of Austin Pickleball Update, we got the latest from Austin’s local pro team in the Texas Ranchers Roundup, local happenings in Community News, and (as always) a huge tournament and event update.
In this issue of APU you will find:
- Texas Ranchers Roundup - Climbing the Rankings!
- Austin’s Premiere Pickleball League for Founders and CEOs
- Community News - New club locations, hours, social directors, and UT Pickleball tryouts
- Tournaments, leagues, clinics, and community events
- Austin Pickleball Update social groups
Let’s dink on in!
Paddle Discount Codes - APU
Use code “APU” and get a 10% discount on all paddles and gear purchased from CRBN and Six Zero. This includes the CRBN 1x, 2x, and 3x paddles and the Six Zero Ruby, Double Black Diamond, and new Quartz paddles.
Tournaments of the Week
Capital City Pickleball Doubles and Moneyball Tournaments
Capital City Pickleball is hosting two stellar tournaments on Sunday, August 25 at Waterloo Pickleball.
Their CCP Doubles DUPR Tourney includes beginner and intermediate men’s and women’s divisions with a round-robin, single elimination format, and two Volair Mach 2 Paddles for each winning team. Save $10 off the $60 registration with the code “APU”.
The CCP Moneyball DUPR Tourney features an advanced 4.0-5.0 bracket with a round-robin, single elimination format. The winning team will take home $300 cash.
Texas Ranchers Roundup - Climbing the Rankings!
The Texas Ranchers had a HUGE weekend at MLP Salt Lake, finishing with 5 wins and 1 Dreambreaker loss against the MLP Mid-Season champions, the New Jersey 5s.
The Ranchers finished the weekend with 16 total points (the most of any team), and even more impressive is that all four Texas Ranchers players were ranked within the top 10 of Premier-level players according to MLP standings. Tini Pisnik finished with the #2 spot while Christian Alshon finished at #3.
Here is the full match recap from the weekend:
- Lost 2-3 in a Dreambreaker against the Mid-Season champions, the New Jersey 5s
- Won 3-1 against the STL Shock
- Won 3-1 against the LA Mad Drops
- Won 3-1 against the AZ Drive
- Won 3-1 against the Orlando Squeeze
- Won 4-0 against the Carolina Pickleball Club
After their impressive performance at MLP Salt Lake, the Texas Ranchers currently sit in second place in MLP Premiere standings, only two points behind their rival club Dallas Flash Pickleball.
The high level of success shown by Texas Ranchers players is being recognized by members of the United Pickleball Association and PPA Inc. in their 2024 Pickleball.com Mid-Season Awards.
Tina Pisnik took home the award for most improved female player, Quang Duong took home the award for male breakout player of the year, and Christian Alshon took home the award for most athletic male player.
Congratulations to our Texas Ranchers on their awards and success so far this season!
The Texas Ranchers have a few days break before they are back in the saddle this weekend for MLP Kansas City from August 3-5.
Stay tuned to Austin Pickleball Update for the latest news and information about Austin’s professional pickleball team, the Texas Ranchers!
Austin’s Premiere Pickleball League for Founders and CEOs
Founders League, Austin’s Premiere Pickleball League for Founders and CEOs, has opened applications for their Fall 2024 Season.
If you aren’t familiar with Founders League, it all started with a group of friends who shared a passion for two things: building incredible businesses and playing pickleball. Combining these two interests, Founders League was born in Austin, TX.
Founders League seasons have 48 teams, and each team must have a founder or CEO who registers with the team and plays in 75% of the games. Teams are allowed two primary players and two subs, for a total of four players. Each season has 8 scaled divisions for different levels of play.
One of the best parts of participating in Founders League is playing at The Millbrook Estate, which hosts two of the finest and most exclusive pickleball courts in all of Austin. Additionally, Founders League members receive access to monthly pickleball mixers to connect with other founders and CEOs between the leagues.
While Founders League started and gained traction in Austin, it has big expansion plans across the United States. The league hired Andrew Kaluza as their full time CEO in April (as covered in APU Volume 11), and is launching Fall 2024 leagues in Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Santa Monica, and Calabasas. They also have plans in 2025 to open leagues in San Francisco, New York, and Miami.
Founders League CEO Andrew Kaluza shared their vision with Austin Pickleball Update, “Our goal is to bring Founders League to every major city in the US and create a connected network for founders and CEOs across city and state lines. We plan to have a national championship each year at the Historic Millbrook Estate here in Austin, TX.”
Founders League has been running for 6 seasons, with two leagues per season year across the spring/summer and fall. Seasons run for 5 weeks total with participants playing one best of three match per week. After 5 weeks, top seeded teams compete in a week 6 battle for the championship title (and bragging rights).
The Austin Founders League Fall 2024 Season will run from October 2 through the finals week on November 13.
Are you a founder or CEO interested in joining Founders League for the Fall 2024 season? Check out their website and register here, as spots are sure to fill up quickly.
Master Your Dinks with The Dink Master
Did you know that 15 minutes of wall drilling is roughly equivalent to the amount of touches you would get in 2-3 hours of doubles play?
The Dink Master is the #1 training aid in pickleball, designed to help you practice your dinks, volleys, and shot accuracy. With the Dink Master, you can control what types of shots you work on while getting in thousands more reps when compared to a normal game. The Dink Master helps you improve your coordination, muscle memory, and overall gameplay on your own time.
Use code “APU” when ordering your Dink Master today for 30% off and free shipping.
Want to learn more? Check out our full review of The Dink Master in APU Volume 11.
Community News
New Austin Picklr Location Announced
As covered in APU Volume 17, national pickleball club franchise The Picklr is expanding into Austin in “fall 2024” at 8201 N FM 620, which is right off Four Points near Lake Travis. This location will be 39,000 square feet and have 11 total courts.
Austin Culture Map has revealed the second Austin location of The Picklr at Round Rock Crossing (3021-3023 S I-35 Frontage Rd). This second location will showcase 8 courts across 25,000 square feet of space.
The Utah-based company plans to open 5 total locations across Austin over the next year and a half, and the two announced Austin spots are now accepting applications for founding memberships.
Austin Pickle Ranch Uplevels Ranch Play and Is Open Late
Austin Pickle Ranch has announced new extended hours for their new Braker Lane location. They now open at 6am Monday through Friday, and stay open until Midnight from Tuesday through Saturday.
Austin Pickle Ranch has also announced a new Ranch Play Level 4, which guarantees matches with verified 4.0+ rated DUPR players. Interested parties will need to connect their DUPR account to register.
Waterloo Pickleball Nets New Social Director
Waterloo Pickleball has announced Virginia Dunne as their new Social Director. Virginia will take the lead on organizing tournaments, social mixers, community outreach programs, and more. We’re excited to see how the programming at Waterloo Pickleball will continue to develop under Virginia’s leadership.
Longhorn Pickleball Competitive Team Tryouts
Do you know a UT student interested in playing pickleball in one of the best college pickleball programs in the country, not to mention being teammates with Major League Pickleball pro Jack Munro?
Longhorn Pickleball is hosting competitive team tryouts on Tuesday, August 27 from 7:30-9:30pm at Urban Pickleball Club downtown. Interested parties must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours at UT. Learn more here.
Upcoming Tournaments, Leagues, Clinics, and Community Events
Community Clinics
- Local Austin coach Amy Yarbrough, featured in APU Volume 16, is running a number of group clinics in August for players of all skill levels that focus on different parts of the pickleball game.
- Austin Pickle Ranch is running numerous clinics throughout the month of August, including beginner, skill specific, advanced, and DUPR rating events.
- Dreamland's August clinics and events include dinking with a purpose on 8/2, serve and return on 8/9, transition zone and third shots on 8/16, and beating the bangers on 8/23.
- Austin Deaf Pickleball is hosting an Introduction to Pickleball clinic on Wednesday August 14 from 7-9pm at Texas School for the deaf. Paddle and balls provided.
- The Texas Ranchers are hosting a ladies only luxury 3-day pickleball camps on September 1-3 and September 4-6 at Sage Hill Inn and Spa.
- Pickleland is hosting an adult pickleball camp from September 27-28, and a kids pickleball camp from September 22 -October 13.
- Engage Pickleball Camps is hosting a Intermediate and Intermediate Plus clinic at Harker Heights Athletic center on October 4 and 5.
Community Events
- Capital City Pickleball is hosting weekly events throughout August, including ladies nights, DUPR nights, SARC Socials, clinics, and more.
- Let’s Play Pickleball has a number of clinics and events in August, including neon parties, Pickle Palooza, Sip & Social, ladies clinics, and more.
- Bouldin Acres is hosting a PeeWee Pickleball Workshop for kids on Wednesday, August 14 from 12-3pm.
- Pickleland is hosting their grand opening event on Friday, August 16 from 9am-4pm, which is free to attend.
- Open House Austin is hosting a Pickleball Meetup at Austin Pickle Ranch on Sunday August 18 from 2-4pm.
- Austin Deaf Pickleball is hosting a Bridgerton Queen(s) of the court women’s mixer on Wednesday August 21 from 7-10pm.
- Amy Yarbrough is hosting an indoor intermediate team event for 3.2-4.2 rated players on Saturday, August 24 at Hyde Park from 3-6pm.
Austin Pickleball Leagues
- Aug 20 - Sept 24: Austin Pickle Ranch Women’s Day League 3.0-3.49 - Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lan
- Aug 22 - Sept 26: Austin Pickle Ranch Women’s Day League 3.5+ - Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane
- Aug 24 - Oct 19: Austin Pickleball League (Doubles) - Pickleland, Pflugerville
- Aug 26-Oct 7: Austin Pickleball League (Singles) - Pickleland, Pflugerville
- Sept 11 - Oct 30: Fall Leagues - Austin Deaf Pickleball (link coming soon) - Texas School for the Deaf, Austin
- Oct 2 - Nov 13: Founders League Fall 2024 - The Millbrook Estate
- Ongoing - Austin Pickleball Cooperative - Austin Tennis Center, Austin
Austin Area Pickleball Tournaments
August
- Aug 2-4: Dynamite Pickleball Tournament - Heights Athletic Club, Harker Heights
- Aug 9-11: 2024 Texas Pickleball Y'all Tournament - Lost Pines Pickleball, Bastrop
- Aug 17-18: The Dink Minor League Pickleball - Lost Pines Pickleball, Bastrop
- Aug 24: Team Pickleball Tournament - Austin Tennis Center, Austin
- Aug 24-25: Summer Fun "Out of the Sun" Tournament - Eastside Paddle Club, Austin
September
- Sept 1: Summer Slam by Texas Ranchers X Zero Zero Fun - Lost Pines Pickleball, Bastrop
- Sept 7-8: Kitchen Battle 2024 (Indoor) - Lost Pines Pickleball, Bastrop
- Sept 14-15: 002 Pickleland Indoor Open - Pickleland, Pflugerville
- Sept 21-22: The Austin Amateur Open - Dreamland, Dripping Springs
- Sept 26-29: The Kitchen Open - Polo Tennis And Fitness Club, Austin
- Sept 28-29: Austin Golden Paddle Classic - Pickleball Legends and Friends Tournament - Austin Tennis Center, Austin
October
- Oct 5-6: Spooky Slam - Austin Pickleball Tournament - Austin Tennis Center, Austin
- Oct 18-20: 002 Dink and Slam Pickleball Jam - Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay
- Oct 29-31: 2024 Horseshoe Bay Resort Senior Fall Open - a USSP Circuit Event - Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay
November
- Nov 7-10: National Deaf PB Tournament 2024 - Dreamland, Dripping Springs
- Nov 15: Men's and Women's Singles Round Robin Tournament - Austin Tennis Center, Austin
January
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If you’re looking for places to play pickleball in Austin, check out our Austin Pickleball Courts and Clubs page here.
Previous volumes of Austin Pickleball Update:
- Volume 18 - July 18, 2024
- Volume 17 - July 3, 2024
- Volume 16 - June 20, 2024
- Volume 15 - June 6, 2024
- Volume 14 - May 23, 2024
If you have any Austin pickleball news, tips, or topics that we should cover or may have missed, reach out and let us know! We're always grateful to hear from our readers.
Look out for Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 20 on Thursday, August 15, 2024!
See you on the courts!✌️
