Pro League combined with MiLP proves to be a blast!

June 1st we found ourselves at Pictona for the second stop of the All Florida Pro League and the Aetna Minor League. The venue was full of energy as the amateurs and pros battled simultaneously. There were a lot of epic moments on and off the court where players laughed and cheered for the friends and favorite pro league team.

The Minor League portion of the event consisted of three different divisions DUPR 14, 16, and 18. Teams were not just competing on the court but off it as well, with fun prizes for Best Team Name and Best Dressed. Some of the names we found hilarious were “Big Dill Energy” and “Closet Dinker.”

“Closet Dinker” may have had a great name it was “PB4L” that emerged victorious in the DUPR 14 division finishing undefeated on their way to the gold medal. All four of the team members found themselves in the top 5 best players for DUPR 14. The DUPR 16 division had two pools gunning for a playoff spot. After some tight games in group play,  the final four were “Hit and Run,” Chicks N Dinks,” “Big Dill Energy,” and “Team Tennis Sucks” (Graham you actually have some fans!) After all was said and done “Big Dill Energy” came out on top. To close out the amateur event the Aetna Elite DUPR 18 division which was sponsored by Aetna medicare solutions. Aetna is focused on improving building a healthier world by making health care easy, affordable and all about you. With $3000 in prize money on the line teams were chirping and roaring, every point felt like it was the deciding point of the match. Despite not winning it all one of the stories of the day, was team “Drop It Like It’s Hot” who’s oldest member was 16. The team consisting of four teenagers fought hard but fell short losing in the semi-finals. “Got Dinks” took a commanding 3-0 victory against “Net Ninjas” in the finals and walked away with the cash! There is nothing like team tournaments to bring out the infectious energy and raw competitiveness that pickleball can provide.

It was stop number 2 of the All Florida Pro League portion of the event. All 8 teams were split up into Morning and afternoon sessions. In the morning we saw the Miami Blaze, GNV Swamp, St.Pete Iceburgs, and the Fort Myers Flamingos duking it out to improve their regular season standings. The story of the morning session was the Flamingos cleaning house and going 3-0, even taking out the Miami Blaze who were previously undefeated. Despite the team losing, Michael Forster of the Miami Blaze found himself at the top of the individual rankings going 6-0 with a 58.06% of points won. With their first victory of the season coming against GNV Swamp, the IceBurgs solidify themselves in the 7th spot of the league standings. 

           Going into the afternoon sessions we had 3 of the top 4 teams competing, Lakeland Palms, O-Town Bangers, and Jacksonville Suns. Despite being in the bottom half of the league going into the event, the Sarasota Manatees got 2 wins against these top half teams. Lakeland Palms had a surprising 0-3 finish after starting the season undefeated. The O-Town Banger women duo of Samantha Greenhut and Ellie Skingley finished top two in the individual rankings. 

To watch these events check out our YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@allfloridapickleball?si=LYtVBviSkO_QjVtj.

Next Event will be July 13th at Bardmoor!