The New Jersey 5s Pickleball Team is Soaring!

For those of you who may not know, professional pickleball is alive and well -- and it's getting bigger and better! If you're interested in singles and doubles tournaments where one player or a doubles team goes up against other teams in a bracket format, then you'll be looking at the PPA and APP tours. But if you like the idea of bigger teams with city affiliations and team names competing against each other, then Major League Pickleball (MLP) is what you're looking for. 

MLP consists of 16 teams at the Premier level and another 6 teams just under that at the Challenger level. Just like in other professional sports leagues, teams are associated with cities or states around the country. Except in MLP, the teams do not yet have "home fields" where one team visits the other's facility. Instead, the teams gather together at neutral sites and play other teams there. 

Well, if you don't know, one of the best teams in the entire league plays for... you guessed it, New Jersey! They're called the New Jersey 5s, they're owned by local entrepreneur and social media personality, Gary V, and some of their players include Zane Navratil, Will Howells, and ANNA LEIGH WATERS! (Yeah, it doesn't hurt to have the best female player in the world on your team.)

In a recent MLP tournament held in Daytona Beach, Florida, the 5s actually started out with a loss to the Utah Black Diamonds. But after that, things changed. Led by Anna Leigh Waters, who went 9-1, and Meghan Dizon, who went 8-0 (the only player to play in more than two matches and go undefeated), the 5s went on to win their remaining four team matches. As a result, they are currently #3 in the MLP standings. Go 5s!