2023 MLP Draft Recap: Anna Leigh Waters to New Jersey 5's

 

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The top-ranked female and male players in pickleball were the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, in the first of two Premier-level drafts for the upcoming season.

By TENNIS.com 

In a ceremony that aired live on Tennis Channel, the 2023 Major League Pickleball Draft sponsored by Margaritaville brought together the game’s best players and a constellation of celebrity owners to Las Vegas on Thursday evening to select teams ahead of a historic season.

Anna Leigh Waters, 15, and Ben Johns, 23, the top-ranked female and male players in pro pickleball, were the No.1 and No. 2 overall draft picks, respectively.

Waters recently clinched a triple crown at the USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Wells—winning the women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the same event—and will be heading to the New Jersey 5s (YouTube Channel)

The Delray Beach native, who made her pro debut at the age of 12, told reporter Hannah Johns it was “an amazing feeling” to be named first.

“Honestly [when I got the call] I was here in Vegas, and it was super loud. I got the phone call and I was like, ‘Wait, what did you say? Like are you sure?’ I was super excited,” Waters said.

“I'm super excited to be a part of the 5s as well. It's just an amazing feeling to be picked number one overall, both men and women.” (Read More)

Jupiter is planning for pickleball courts: Town council awaits county approval

 

JUPITER ― The town has a spring training stadium, a competition-sized swimming pool, a sparkling beachfront, nearly a dozen parks and even miniature golf — but for a municipality that prides itself on outdoor recreation, there are no public pickleball courts. (Read More)

MLP 2023 Mock Draft – Season 1

 

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Round 1

(1) Anna Leigh Waters – The 15-year-old has the biggest gap between her and the #2 female. She is the only female out there who can win a match all by herself at this stage. (NML Blog)

Pickleball Magazine Cover

 

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She's Golden! 

Anna Leigh Waters wins Triple Crown at the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships 

Teenage phenom Anna Leigh Waters may be the most dominant athlete in women's sports today.

The tournament venues may change. The competition may look different and pose diverse challenges. But the end results have mostly been the same for the past few years. Ben Johns capturing gold amongst the men, while standing atop the medal stand for the women is the familiar face of 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters. (Pickleball Magazine Dec/Nov. 2022)

Pickler The Newsroom: Latest News & Headlines in Pickleball

 

A huge shoutout to 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters for making Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list (not to mention being the youngest by about a decade!). You heard it here at Pickler first—in 2017, we told you that she would be the “future of pickleball.”

Podcast: Kitchen Konversations With Connor Pardoe PPA CEO

 

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15:15 Ben and Anna Leigh Dominance

Jason Aspes: So, let's talk about the Domination by Ben and Anna Leigh this year. Anna Leigh had seven Triple Crowns.

Ben had four I believe.

They won 12 mixed championships out of 18 tour stops and they only participated in 13.

Connor Pardoe: Catherine and Riley got them once. Other than that, they were perfect.

Jason: I mean domination, right? They pretty much dominated the sport.

Is that good for the PPA?

Is that something that worries you at all or is that good because we're building superheroes?

Connor: I think both answers to those questions are right... (Watch Clip)

Pickleball is a hit with kids, but interest in team sports drops

 

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Washington Post KidsPost By Fred Bowen

ASPEN INSTITUTE’S NEW ‘STATE OF PLAY 2022’ REPORT SHOWS POSITIVES BUT ALSO DISAPPOINTING TRENDS IN YOUTH SPORTS.

The Aspen Institute recently issued its annual report on kids’ sports called “State of Play 2022.” The Aspen Institute is an organization that studies lots of important issues, including kids’ sports.

The report is full of interesting facts and trends that have occurred in the games kids play. So let’s take a look.

Here are the five favorite competitive sports among kids ages 6 to 12:

1. Basketball
2. Baseball
3. Soccer
4. Tennis
5. Football, if you combine tackle and flag.
(Bike riding is still kids’ favorite activity.)

Another racket game that grew like wild is pickleball. The sport with the funny name is popular with grandparents, but kids like to play, too. Pickleball grew an amazing 83 percent from 2019 to 2021, attracting almost a half-million regular players among people ages 6 to 17.

One reason for pickleball’s popularity among young people is that a big star in professional pickleball is a teenager: 15-year-old Anna Leigh Waters. (Read More)