Summary

In this conversation, Pickleball Today hosts, Patrick Batty and Mark Bittorf discuss their weekend activities and introduce their special guest, Sharon Ricci, the founder of Pickleball Chicks.

• Sharon talks about the challenges women face in pickleball tournaments and the need for a supportive and inclusive environment, and more about her organization and their tournaments, and more.
• They also discuss an upcoming tournament hosted by Pickleball Chicks in Canada.
• The conversation then shifts to a review of the CPA Pro Tour finals, highlighting the medalists in various categories.
• Mark shares some coaching tips, involving playing better players in recreational games to improve one's own game.
• He also a weekly training schedule for pickleball players looking to improve their skills.
• Finally, Pat wraps up with our weekly cross country Canadian Pickleball Tournament list.

• "We don't give out medals. We give out pickleball chick crowns." - Susan

Joola / USAPA GEN 3 Paddle Update, June 5, 2024: Episode 4.1 This is an update to our earlier podcast published today.

Subsequent to our earlier regular full podcast episode the this week, which was jam-packed with lots of cool discussion with Mark, myself and Yui See Lau, the USAPA and Joola issued important updates about all time best seller paddle, the Joola Gen 3 pickleball paddle. The new paddle submitted by Joola has again Failed it's testing and is not deemed Legal by USAPA.

Joola, in response had now offered customers refunds. You should contact your dealer for info. Also a recent class action lawsuit against Joola has been launched but in our estimation it would be better to just get the refund if you don't want to play with the paddle.

Pickleball Canada, the CNPL, CPA Pro Tour all use USAPA regulations and rely on USAPA to approve paddles. So effectively, these paddles can not be used in tournament play in Canada.

Thanks very much.

Let's play Pickleball

Patrick

Pickleball Today - The POD

• The Joola paddle controversy: The USAPA banned Joola paddles due to an administrative problem with the testing process. USAPA testing is somewhat fluid, but Joola messed up too.
• The CPA Pro Tour: Yui See Lau joins us today to discuss the CPA Pro Tour in Canada, which aims to provide opportunities for amateur players to compete at a high level.
• Catherine Parenteau is a top-ranked pickleball player in women's singles and doubles, and her training videos are now available on Pickleball Today.
• The importance of proper pickleball shoes: Mark emphasizes the importance of wearing pickleball-specific shoes for better support and movement on the court.
• Patrick's favorite pickleball books: Patrick recommends a book on court positioning in pickleball, which has helped him improve his game.
• Book recommendation: 'Mastering the Mental Game of Pickleball' by Joe Baker focuses on the mental aspect of the game and helps players avoid making mental mistakes.
• Tournament formats vary, but round robin style allows players to get more playtime and warm up before the playoffs.
• Watching tournaments can be a great way to learn from skilled players and get more comfortable with the tournament atmosphere.
• Trying different paddles is important to find the right fit, and there are new paddle brands coming to Canada that offer more options for players.
• Upcoming tournaments in Canada include the CPA Pro Tour, Atlantic Regionals, PB Sport Open, Tecumseh International, British Open, and Parkland Pickleheads Season Opener.

• The Importance of Proper Pickleball Shoes
• Patrick's Favorite Book on Court Positioning New Paddle Brands Coming to Canada
• The Importance of Trying Different Paddles in Pickleball

• "So we're going by the USAP rulings. So until we get an update right now, something that we're allowing at our events."
• "We've been able to be creative and stay in the game and then stay in the game in a big way still, obviously now expanding over to China where I'm also pretty actively working in as well."
• "Catherine Parenteau is number two. She's rated number two worldwide, both in women's singles and women's doubles."
• "At the Line Pickleball is the best book I've read out of maybe 20"
• "So many of my own mistakes are mental mistakes"
• "I personally like the round robin style"=