Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 19

August 01, 2024

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

Save 10% on this Ruby goodness with "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. 

This is what a successful MLP weekend looks like

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 Texas Ranchers are coming in hot for that #1 spot!

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!

Texas Ranchers GM Ryan Dawidjan along with Christian Alshon, Tina Pisnik, Etta Wright, and Quang Duong.

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 Courts at The Millbrook Estate

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. 

The pickleball courts that dreams are made of

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 creator Jesse Boskoff, APU creator Phillip Klugman, and Founders League CEO Andrew Kaluza

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?

More touches = more improvement

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.

One of the many Picklr pickleball facilities

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. 

If you haven't been yet, the new Austin Pickle Ranch - Braker Lane is an amazing facility

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?

Hook 'em!

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

Community Events

Austin Pickleball Leagues

Austin Area Pickleball Tournaments

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November

January

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Share this newsletter with your Austin pickleball friends so that they stay up to date around everything pickleball in Austin! 

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:

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!✌️