On April 15-16, Minor League Pickleball headed to the Oasis Pickleball Club in Rockwall, Texas for the Dallas Showdown.
The Oasis Pickleball Club has become a premier tournament venue in Texas, with more than 40 permanent outdoor courts and home to many high-profile pickleball tournaments. This was the second Minor League Showdown event to occur in 2023 filled with plenty of highs and lows throughout the weekend in both the DUPR 18 and DUPR 20 divisions. All the teams who competed did not disappoint and brought the same hyped and upbeat team energy to this event as we’ve seen at previous Minor League events.
From customized jerseys to color-coordinated outfits, we saw some unique styles all around. Team names were nothing short of creative with some notable team names such as “Baby Got Backhand”, “Big Dink Energy”, “Dink 182” and “Not Another Podcast”. Minor League teams traveled from near and far to compete in this event, with players traveling from cities around Texas and even out of state from California, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida to name a few. On Day 1 on Saturday, the weather brought less than ideal conditions with 20 mph winds at times and large gusts which was challenging for most players throughout the day. Certain players adapted to the conditions and those teams proved to be successful throughout the weekend.
On Day 1, the 12 teams in the DUPR 18 division competed in pool play and the two top teams in each pool advanced to the Semi-Finals on Sunday. The Oklahoma Outlaws advanced to play the 501’s and Baby Got Backhand advanced to compete against Risky Biscuits on Sunday. The remaining teams that didn’t advance played a compass backdraw on Sunday. Both Baby Got Backhand and the Oklahoma Outlaws advanced to the finals with Baby Got Backhand coming out victorious after winning a fifth game dreambreaker and securing a $1600 prize for their team. The Oklahoma Outlaws took home $800 for second place.
For the DUPR 20 division, six teams competed in a round robin format on Saturday to determine seedings for Sunday. Dink 182 and the undefeated No Strings Attached moved directly into the semi-finals while the remaining teams played each other in the quarterfinals Sunday morning. Team Not Another Podcast and Team DUPR advanced, but Teams No Strings Attached and Dink 182 both advanced to the finals, with Dink 182 winning the final in three games. Dink 182 won the $2,800 prize and No Strings Attached took home $1,200.
All the teams who competed accumulated points based on how they finished towards Minor League Pickleball’s National Pathway Year-End Championship in December. Teams who accumulate the most points throughout the year advance to Championship and compete for large prizes. Thank you to all the Teams, Sponsors, and staff who made this tournament possible.
Written By: Sydney Steinaker - Executive Assistant
Edited By: Kevin Brown - Director of Marketing
Contact: Marketing@mydupr.com
