2019 Pickleball Rocks Player of the Year Announced

During the year, people throughout Pickleball Nation email us or use our NominateAPlayer.com website to tell us about their favorite players. They tell us about players who have dominated in tournament play, but many times they also tell us about players who have had tremendous impacts on their communities or towns or even the game of pickleball overall.  (We really like those.)

Throughout the year we may recognize a player, club or community of the month, or we may give a simple Facebook shout out. They are all deserving.  But once a year, we pull together all the nominations and feedback, to finally determine who is most deserving to be called the Pickleball Rocks Player of the Year.     It’s certainly not an easy task.

Past winners include:
Enrique Ruiz, Jim and Yvonne Hackenberg, Jennifer Lucore and Alex Hamner, Daniel Moore and Scott Moore, Kyle Yates, Aspen Kern and Simone Jardim as well as Lucy Kovalova and the fabulous Dick Johnson.
You’ll notice all our past winners are definitely great players, but you will also immediately recognize they all are very giving of their time and talents to “help pickleball grow”, which of course is the foundation of our Pickleball Rocks mission.

This year we are recognizing a team and an individual as Pickleball Rocks Player(s) of the Year. 

As everyone knows, this was a changing year for pickleball. 15-20 tournaments now occurring every week and we cleared 3 million players in the continued player growth explosion.  So you would think it would be tougher and tougher to choose the Players Of The Year, but this year it was quite the opposite.  The voting and responses were so overwhelming for these two selections that this was the easiest choices we’ve ever made.

Our first award winner this year exemplifies all the good things that have helped pickleball become such a fun and growing sport. This team has a 12 year old who has not only caught the competitive attention of players at every level, but also endeared herself to everyone with her great attitude and example on and off the courts. Her hashtag #EatswithAL is quickly becoming legendary and she has also helped everyone easily understand how to move up the ratings ladder.  She simply started out the year at the 4.5 level and, with her mom as her partner, proceeded to beat such iconic pickleball teams as Kovalova/Tereschinko and Jardim/Carr and Parenteau/Irvine.  The UTPR computer took notice and elevated her rating in a hurry.  Nine times this year her ladies partner happened to be her mom and from all the responses we received, the pickleball world is in love with this partnership.  People loved watching the obvious positive connection and the way they worked perfectly together to win tournament after tournament, including the world’s biggest pickleball stage, the USA Nationals at Indian Wells. Besides all the people who cast their votes for Team Waters, what caught our attention, was the wonderful mother/daughter and family connection that was present every time we personally saw them on the tournament trail.  The perfect example for future family pickleball teams.

This pair entered 9 Open Women Doubles events, playing against the strongest women’s teams in the world
and came home with 9 medals:         4 Golds, 4 Silvers and 1 Bronze.

We want to personally thank Leigh and Anna Leigh for helping us all grow pickleball in the most positive ways.

Congratulations to 2019 Player of the Year: Team Waters: Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters

TEAM WATERS:  Anna Leigh and Leigh Waters

The 2019 Men’s Pickleball Rocks Player of the Year was another no-brainer.  The people who voted at www.NominateAPlayer.com simply overwhelmed the process with one name.  Ben Johns!

It is hard to believe Ben is only 20 years old because it seems like he has been around our great sport a long time.  But believe it or not, he is just hitting his stride.

Throughout the year we always poll Pickleball Nation to see the opinions of the people who play the game.
When we asked “What Pro Player Do You Admire Most?”, the answer came up Ben Johns.
When we asked “What Pro Player Would You Like To Be?”, the answer came back Ben Johns.
When we asked “What Pro Player Gives Referees and Line Judges the Least Amount of Trouble?”, Ok, we didn’t ask that one, but Ben’s demeanor and attitude on and off the court would surely place him at or near the top of that list too.

Players across the country and the world love the way he plays the game and made it clear there was no close number two this year.

Ben’s playing statistics for 2019 were simply amazing:

In 8 Pro Singles Events, only one player was able to beat him (Tyson McGuffin – twice), so Ben came away with 6 titles, including the coveted USA Nationals Gold Medal at Indian Wells.

But as dominant as Ben was in singles in 2019, his domination in men’s doubles was almost unbelievable.
16 Pro Level Mens Doubles Events:  13 Gold Medals.  WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

So we want to thank Ben for being such a great example of what a great pickleball player should be and congratulate him on being overwhelmingly selected as the 2019 Pickleball Rocks Player Of The Year!  You Rock Ben Johns!

Ben Johns

Introducing The SIMON-X Pickleball Machine: The Perfect Pickleball Practice Partner

So what do you want in a practice partner?

We think of things like:

 
1) Able to hit you the ball at any speed.
2) Able to hit any shot with you.
3) Able to hit the ball consistently to the same spot so you can work on your muscle memory that is soooooo important.
4) Willing to practice anytime, anywhere and tirelessly.
 
If that sounds like the partner you’ve been looking for, then
let us introduce you to SIMON-X.

The Biggest, The Fastest, The Slowest,
The Most Versitile Pickleball Machine on the planet!!!

NOW AVAILABLE!!!!
Simply the world’s best pickleball machine for personal or club use, and here’s why.

Simon X, The most powerful and advanced Pickleball Throwing Machine in the World.

  • Military-grade construction. Stainless steel and heavy-duty aluminum. Built like a tank, X is designed to last.
  • With a top speed of 70 mph it is the fastest machine in the world.  Deep penetrating drives and reaction volleys.
  • But with a low speed of 5 mph it is also the slowest throwing machine in the World.  Which means perfectly placed soft feathery dinks.
  • Spin?  X has it all.  Topspin and Underspin but most importantly, the most common shot, FLAT.  Get any spin at the touch of a finger.
  • The BIGGEST MACHINE with 120 ball capacity, more than any comparably priced machine.
  • “Stealth” Oscillation– An absolute game changer in ball machines.  Only X offers this very cool feature where the oscillation occurs inside the machine which is blacked out. You do not know where the ball is going until it shoots out of the front ball exit hole which helps your reflexes and mimics playing a real person. All other machines basically telegraph where they are going to shoot the next ball long before feeding the ball. Not with SIMON-X..
  • Incredible 10-12 hour standard battery plus AC is standard, just plug it in and let it go. Most other machines on the market will charge you extra to have both AC and DC available for you.
    •  
  • True wireless remote. Up to 100+ feet indoor or outdoor.  Again, an option on most other machines.
  • Ability to operate X without using the wireless remote or the wireless remote FOB controller, just press the digital “feed” button.
  • Revolutionary Tri Wheel/Mobile system with step climbing ability that also doubles as instant ball height adjustment. 
  • Patent-pending Super Ramp. Bolted on the machine like a weapon and coupled with the tri-wheel system it allows precision adjustments and infinite ball height variations. Quick and easy to use and the ultimate aid in developing a great soft game and working on your dink shots. Also, it is perfect for different height high forehand or backhand volleys and overhead practice. Simply any shot at any speed and any height is at your finger tips.
  • Dual heavy duty built-in carry handles for lifting and transport.
    •  
  • Large easy to grab pull handle to maneuver X easily around the court.
  • Ball feed speeds of 1.5-10 seconds.
  • Advanced digital control panel.
  • And here is the biggy. A lifetime guarantee on both pitch/throw wheels that shoot the ball out into the court. They are super heavy duty and will never wear out.  These wheels are without argument, the most critical part of any pickleball throwing machine. Check our competitors closely and you’ll likely find they will try selling you an extended warranty.  There is a reason for that.
  • Every thing else on SIMON-X is warranted for a full three years and the battery is warranted for a full year. 
  • And lastly, but equally important…SIMON-X is Made In The USA

So as you consider buying a pickleball machine, we hope this helps you be able to compare apples to applies in both your quality comparisons, but also your price comparisons. 

 

Quite simply, NO OTHER COMPARABLY PRICED MACHINE comes standard with all these features and has the guaranteed durability of SIMON-X.

 

The Bottom Line?

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT and A PERFECT PRACTICE PARTNER IS PRICELESS, EXCEPT IN THIS CASE.

SIMON-X is only $2095.00 with FREE SHIPPING if purchased at

www.PickleballShopping.com

 
OUR PROMISE TO YOU…YOU WILL LOVE SIMON-X!
 
 
Rocket, Josh, Zack, Abby, Stephanie, Wyatt, Jason, Cam, LeEllen and Mindy.
The Pickleball Rocks Team

WATCH SIMON-X IN ACTION:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmw4rfFZ13M

GREAT OVERVIEW OF X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMI2gN2UQWs

DIAGONAL DINKS. THE SUPER RAMP WILL THROW PERFECT DINKS AT ANY HEIGHT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2gxiHg7xZ8

PERFECT STRAIGHT ON DINKS AND “STEALTH” OSCILLATION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUYoCpnCwYk

PERFECT LOBS FOR OVERHEAD PRACTICE