Largest prize payout ever in a New England pickleball tournament
Pickles NE, LLC, an indoor, first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art, climate-controlled pickleball-only complex, recently crowned the first-ever, Major League Pickleball (MLP) 4-Player Team Amateur Champions and distributed $6,000 in prize money.
After 10 weeks of individual competition throughout the summer, 12 teams of four players each were created based on each individual’s Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), and categorized into one of three levels: 3.5 DUPR, 4.0 DUPR, and 4.5 DUPR.
The 12 teams competed on Sunday, September 4, at Pickles. The competition featured double elimination and rally scoring, and over 60% of the matches ended with a DreamBreaker – an innovative pickleball tiebreaker with modified rally scoring. In this tiebreaker, one team first discloses its four-person singles rotation order, and then the opposing team with that knowledge counter-designates its single rotation order. Each player then rotates in for four singles points, until the tiebreaker has a winner.
The 3.5 DUPR winning team, with a combined DUPR of 13.33, is Rich Martini, Rick Knight, Wendy Spiziri, and Peggy Bryan. The 4.0 winning team, with a combined DUPR of 15.64, is Ryan Puntiri, Jacky Lau, Mike Bruny, and Maria Melone. The 4.5 winning team, with a combined DUPR of 18.89, is Lee Lindemuth, Tacyanno de Brito Silva, Andrew Burdick, and Tabitha Johnson.
“Congratulations on being a part of one of the most innovative clubs in pickleball, not just in America but in the world,” said Jill Braverman, CEO of DUPR. “I’m so excited to see what the next couple of months hold for you and for DUPR in New England.”
“Thank you to everyone who makes this possible,” added Lisa DeMeritt, co-founder of Pickles. “MLP, the DUPR dream team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, the volunteers, Steve Kuhn (who if not for this vision none of this would be possible), and last but definitely not least, the players! Your commitment, grit, passion, and perseverance are simply unmatched!”
“Congratulations to all of our winning teams, and thank you to all of our players for helping to make this the greatest summer pickleball has ever seen!” said Wanda Melampy, co-founder of Pickles.
For more information and video of the tournament, please visit www.picklesne.com.
About Pickles NE, LLC
Pickles was founded by Lisa DeMeritt and Wanda Melampy, two women with a passion for the sport of pickleball. After being introduced to the sport and observing its huge following, they identified a need for indoor courts exclusively designed for the sport of pickleball. Pickles also offers beer and wine in their café area, and a small retail shop carrying the latest pickleball gear. Pickles is also available for functions and corporate events.
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum as a game the whole family could take part in. Year over year the sport has experienced growth as more people become familiar with pickleball; today, over 5 million people throughout the United States play pickleball, and it has grown 650% over the last five years, making it considered the fastest-growing sport in the world.
Pickles is located at 357 Columbia Road in Hanover, MA. For more information, please visit www.picklesne.com.
About DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating)
DUPR is the most-accurate global pickleball rating system trusted by the PPA Tour, and the world’s premier pickleball clubs, tours, and professionals. Using an innovative algorithm on a scale of 2-8 designed for accuracy, transparency and adaptability, the DUPR rating system factors how close a match was, making every point count. Developed by a renowned Applied Sports Algorithms Expert, DUPR rating is truly universal – both ageless and genderless – and focuses on the margin of victory (number of points won), not just whether a player won or lost. For more information, please visit www.mydupr.com.
About Major League Pickleball
Major League Pickleball (MLP) is the elite professional pickleball competition that sees teams of two women, two men, compete in a unique format that has set new standards in the fastest growing sport in America. MLP’s first-ever event, which took place in November 2022, raised the bar for pro pickleball, introducing broadcast and event production innovations that saw MLP awarded the title “Event of the Year” by The Dink. In addition to MLP’s goal to create engaging new platforms to showcase the best professional female and male pickleball players worldwide, MLP is also focused on helping build the grassroots of the sport, attracting both new participants and fans to pickleball in the USA and worldwide. For more information on Major League Pickleball, go to www.majorleaguepickleball.net and follow Major League Pickleball on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube.
