We are beyond excited to announce that we have teamed up with our friends at Chicken N Pickle to co-sponsor Kansas City’s first-ever Minor League Pickleball teams! The JustPaddles + Chicken N Pickle Minor League teams will consist of eight players divided into two separate teams by their cumulative skill levels. They will compete in separate events (at the same venue) for the first-ever Minor League Pickleball championship!
The inaugural “Minor League Pickleball Battle at Dreamland will be held on October 29th, 2022, and will consist of two teams within each Minor League team. Each team will be separated by their collective DUPR ratings. The DUPR 20 team will combine all four players’ DUPR ratings and the total of the four players’ ratings cannot exceed 20. The same goes for the DUPR 22 team, where the collective ratings of the four players cannot exceed 22. This will ensure every team is at an equal level, which in turn should make for some on-court battles!
The M(inor)LP teams will compete in the 4-match MLP format, with the tie-breaker going to a singles Dreambreaker tiebreak (if the teams are tied 2-2). The first-ever Minor League event will be a test run for future, potential Minor League events!
Is this going to turn into each Major League team having a Minor League affiliate, with the opportunity to be “called up” in case of injury, illness, or lack of performance? Or is this just going to be an incredible way for amateurs to experience the magic of an MLP event, inspiring those that are right on the verge of turning pro to keep fighting for a coveted spot on a Major League team? At this point, the fun and opportunities for amateur players seem endless!
We don’t have all the answers at this time but what we do know is that we are a part of something awesome, exciting, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be involved.
Want a closer look at our team? Here’s a list of the eight competitors for the JustPaddles + Chicken ‘N Pickle team set to compete on October 29th.
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