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Good news: TSA has decided it’s OK for everyone to keep their shoes on in the airport.

Better news: You can now lose a DUPR match and still see your rating go up. We explain the algorithm update that “risked the status quo” (and why some people aren’t feeling it) below.

In This Issue:
— Speed-up tips from Anna Leigh Waters
— The $100K MLP Mid-Season Tourney
— Are ‘Quiet’ paddles a performance cheat code?

5.0 or bust.

You know pickleball has made it when it gets the Matt Lyons treatment. “Do yourself a favor, watch 10 to 15 minutes of Gunther McService highlights on YouTube.” Or, if you’re looking for a quick laugh, just take 90 seconds and watch this hilarious pickleball parody.

Last issue, we told you about a bunch of new paddles dropping this summer, many of which will feature a full-foam core. In addition to a host of performance benefits, this new material brings another added benefit: The advent of the one-year warranty.

What do you do when an inferior player offers you advice you didn’t ask for? You can shut it down in your best Ron Swanson voice, “I know more than you.” Or — and hear us out here — maybe accept it with an open mind? It might actually be useful, you know.

The Florida Atlantic University club team faced the Nashville Chefs and a collegiate all-star team clashed with the Las Vegas Night Owls in Wednesday MLP action. It was a tall task for the kids, who took their share of lumps. But good on them for showing out.

Anna Leigh Waters and mom/coach Leigh hit the court with Selkirk pro (and recent APP silver medalist) Kyle Koszuta for a quick lesson on speed-ups.

When ALW talks, we listen — especially if it can win us an extra point or 10. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom from the fiercest mom/daughter duo in the game:

When speeding up:

When defending a speed-up:

One final tidbit from Leigh that really resonates: It’s OK to get burned from time to time. Not every speed-up is going to be a winner. But take your foot off the gas and you’ll lose your edge. Trust the process and keep attacking.

👉 Watch the full video.

Some days, your body wants a long walk. Other days, it just wants a breeze and a little help up the hill.

The Velotric Discover 2 eBike gives you both. Smooth pedal assist, 75-mile range, and speeds up to 28 mph if you feel like catching the wind. You still get to move, just without the huffing and puffing.

It’s comfy. It’s quiet. And it turns errands, park loops, or your morning coffee run into something that actually feels like fun.

Colors are great, the charging is simple, and you can even find a local dealer to try one out in person.

Try it once and you’ll wonder how you ever rode without it.

If you’ve ever wondered what all this MLP fuss is for, this is it: The mid-season tournament begins today in Grand Rapids, MI. On the line: Vital standings points and $100,000 in total prize money.

All 16 Premier-level teams will be competing, as will all six Challenger teams. It’s a double-elimination bracket, but the winner of the consolation bracket can only finish in third place overall.

There are tons of fun matchups to watch out for, but this event sets the stage for a possible Sunday finals showdown between the top two Premier teams, the Dallas Flash and the St. Louis Shock. With $50,000 on the line for the winner, this is must-watch TV.

Round one for Premier begins Thursday. Here’s the full schedule:

👉 Read our full event preview.

DUPR dropped a buzzy algorithm update yesterday, one CEO Tito Machado championed as daring and disruptive.

The update is an effort to rate players based on how they perform relative to expectations, according to a DUPR blog post: “If you score more than expected, your DUPR rating will go up — even if you lose. If you score less, it will go down — even if you win."

Here’s a doubles example:

Machado said on LinkedIn he’s proud of his team for taking the risk to build something “this freakishly meaningful.”

The response, he said, has been insane:

“Yesterday, we did something most companies wouldn’t dare: we risked the status quo. We disrupted the peace, shook the market, and I’ll be honest—this wasn’t an easy call.”

The internet, as you might expect, has strong feelings about the change.

👍 Proponents contend that this should level the playing field over time — if you’re consistently playing close games with lower DUPR ratings, maybe your score is overly inflated and should be knocked down a peg or two.

👎 Critics refute punitive action for a win, regardless of the final score. They also think this will make it more challenging to find competitive games with better players, since even a win for them could result in a hit to their DUPR score.

What do you think? Drop a comment and let us know.

Not every match needs a medal. Sometimes, a cold one does the trick.

We’re teaming up with Cycling Frog to hook you up with their best-selling, fruit-forward THC seltzers for free. Just toss in $2 for shipping and you’ll have one on the way.

Zero pressure. Just a fun way to try something new.

In his latest “Pros vs. 5.0s” video, Zane Navratil teamed up with fellow pro Lacy Schneemann to test a theory: Do “quiet” paddles provide a noticeable performance edge?

Their opponents were given the Diadem Hush, a USAP-approved paddle for the “Quiet” category, but not for most USAP-sanctioned events.

Muted paddles like the Hush, the ProXR Quiet Luxury, and several models made by OWL are becoming more and more popular, especially as outdoor facilities around the country begin to enforce quieter play due to growing local concern — and even lawsuits.

The face of these paddles feels like woven felt rather than a hard carbon fiber. It’s noticeably springier, too, which often translates to increased power and pop.

Zane and Lacy squeaked out a win, but definitely had some trouble with the power coming from the other side of the net. The biggest challenge, they said, was the lack of sound. It was hard to track the ball or judge its speed without the familiar pop off the paddle face.

It’s worth noting, in what can only be described as a regulatory head-scratcher, some OWL quiet paddles are fully USAP-approved. We’ll just leave that there for now.

👉 Watch the video.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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