what a beautiful way to kick off the day—watching the pros warm up at Pickler Universe. The energy was already buzzing, and you could tell it was going to be even busier than Day 1. The parking lot was packed, and yeah… they charge for parking (major bummer). Pro tip: always double-check event details ahead of time and carpool with your squad to save that cash.
The venue was just as lively—if not more. Definitely more laptops out today too… feels like half the crowd was “working from home” 😏.
E and I did our usual vendor lap before the matches kicked into high gear. We were early, so it gave us time to wander and soak it all in. The vendor village was solid. Big shoutout to the Avil booth for handing out pain meds—I needed that for my leg. Too much walking, not enough stretching.
One of my favorite parts: getting to see The Phooebi Flames practicing on the 12-court side. We stopped by, said what’s up, and watched them warm up for a bit. It’s wild seeing that level of play up close. E just got a new paddle and was itching to try it out, but we stayed put to watch the action. Some of my friends were out there competing, too—especially in the Road to Minors bracket for Saturday. I’m hyped for them and definitely rooting them on.
I had courtside seats, but somehow ended up sitting in the reserved area with friends who were just rolling in 😂. Right place, right time? Either way, the view was 🔥. The match that stood out? Women’s Doubles: LA Mad Drops vs St. Louis Shock. These women were absolute pickleball baddies. High pace, smart shots—just fun to watch.
Oh—and yes, I brought my giant sign 😎. Big thanks to our printing sponsor for making it happen. Bodhi.pb and Dallas Flash were running a promo: bring a sign and get noticed to win a set of 12 grips. So of course, I went full-on Whatabangers promo mode. Was it peacocking? Maybe. Was it worth it? 100%.
Fun moment—on our way out, a girl stopped us and said, “You’re the one with the sign! They zoomed in on you a few times.” That made my day. Whether or not we win the grips, I’ll take the hype. And let’s be real… pickleball math: the sign cost more than the grips, but the attention? Priceless.
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