SLAM JAM THE PODCAST

We discuss the exhilarating finals in the National Pickleball League, highlighting the championship win by the Outback who have been crowned Season 3 champions. Host Adam, joined by commentators Dylan Kimlin and Ash Williams dissect the gripping final between the Outback and the Heat. Ash and Dylan takes us through the moments they knew it was over for each team in the finals. We talk key matches, standout players, intense moments, strategic plays, the importance of coaching and the potential changes ifor the league next season. The episode wraps up with a discussion on players' professionalism and the evolving nature of pickleball in Australia. 00:00 National Pickleball League Finals Recap 00:38 Commentators' Insights and Highlights 02:59 Team-by-Team Breakdown 04:03 The Adders' Struggles 06:49 Queensland's Boroughs and the 29ers 08:25 The Brumbies' Downfall 12:36 The Tide's Challenges 20:11 The Stingers' Setback 20:42 The Heat's Defeat 22:25 Team Unity and Momentum Shifts 22:50 Strategic Switches and Key Moments 23:49 Outback's Adaptability and Key Players 24:57 NPL's Unique Structure and Key Matches 26:48 Harry Brown's Rise and Future Prospects 31:24 Speculations on NPL's Future Format 40:46 Professionalism and Criticism in Pickleball 47:24 Final Thoughts

Zane Navratil - Our biggest guest yet!!! The accountant turned pickleball pro, known for the chainsaw serve and podcasting success. We discuss Zane's journey from spreadsheets to MLP, his experiences at the Melbourne PPA, and his impressions of the Australian pickleball scene. Zane shares insights into his competitive experiences, views on MLP rule changes, and the financial intricacies of pickleball leagues. We discuss the irony of transitioning from tennis to pickleball and Zane reads a Picklers Parchment article your go to for entertaining fake pickleball news. Zane recommends the best Barbecue in Austin and even has time to give Adam and Colin some tips to take them from a 4.5 to 5 DUPR (hopefully!). 00:00 Intro: Zane Navratil00:33 How we met and first Impressions02:42 Pickleball in Australia: A New Experience05:53 Joey Wild's Journey to Pickleball and a clinic with Zane08:58 Proton Bankruptcy and the stolen flaming flamingo14:43 MLP Rule Changes25:34 PWR League and Player Payments29:16 The Pickle Pod: Evolution and Insights32:23 Discovering Austin's Best Barbecue34:39 Pickleball Training and Improvement43:18 Pickler Parchment Fake News49:00 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

In this episode Adam dives one on one into an inspiring conversation with Aaron Blitz, a pioneer of Australian pickleball. Aaron shares his journey from founding the Southeast Melbourne Pickleball Club to becoming the captain of the Melbourne Mavericks in Major League Pickleball Australia. Despite facing significant health challenges, including a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, Aaron's resilience and dedication have made him a leading figure in the sport. The episode covers his early days in pickleball, the growth of the sport in Victoria and his experiences as a pickleball ambassador. Aaron's story is one of resilience, leadership, pain and triumph over adversity.

What's up in Aus Pickleball in January?Well besides the NPL and MLP Drafts we've got big news about a new group who has formed and will be kicking off with 5 events in 2025 to promote a league format exclusive to the 40, 50 and 60 year old demographic. In an exciting movement this group will also be guaranteeing round robin format instead of an elimination draw so more Pickleball for all!We also chat about some other stuff involving DUPR's and an Aussie's tilt recently at The Masters in the US.

MATT CARTER is back to help us unpack the MLP Australia draft with DYLAN KIMLIN, COLIN and ADAM. We cover some of the more interesting picks in this years draft with only 5 Australian's picked in this draft. What was the controversial selection that raised the eye brows in the pickleball world? What does MLP Aus look like in 2026? What is the feeling amongst the Aussie pickleball scene? All these questions answered and more in this one!

MATT CARTER and DYLAN KIMLIN join COLIN and ADAM as special guest to unpack the recent NPL Draft for their first of two seasons in 2025! MATT CARTER brings valuable insights after crossing over from MLP to NPL in 2025 having been the Captain of the New Zealand Hustle he shares stories about what it's like drafting your own team to now being drafted into NPL team the Opals. DYLAN KIMLIN is the voice of Pickleball in Australia and has commentated basically every NPL match since it's inception. Dylan shares all the players to watch in 2025! We also have a SPECIAL GUEST INTERVIEW phone in, none other than JOEY WILD Captain of NPL team the Brumbies to tell us all about his new team from the draft!

Coach Costin takes us through his thoughts leading into the MLP draft for season 2025 which includes 6 events in Australia and New Zealand.Ben shares some of his key coaching insights and strategies for picking the best NPL players as well as some key players who should be picked.

Coach Costin takes us through his thoughts leading into the first NPL draft of 2025. Ben shares some of his key coaching insights and strategies for picking the best NPL players as well as some key players who should be picked.

The Most Anticipated Guest of the Year: Vish Masand! The wait is over—Vishal Masand, aka Vish, aka Vishus, aka Brown Daddy, finally graces Slam Jam The Podcast with his much-anticipated debut! After months of Adam gatekeeping, much to Ty and Colin’s frustration, Vish is here to spill the tea and drop the mic. In this episode, Vish shares how a chance daycare connection with Ty sparked his pickleball journey and ultimately led to weekly battles on the court with Ty, Colin, and Adam. From that first game, Vish was hooked—pickleball’s most Vishus ambassador was born. We dive into his whirlwind year on the PPA/MLP Australia tour, packed with hilarious stories of tournaments, triumphs, and a few travel misadventures.

Vish takes us courtside to unpack the drama surrounding the controversial PWR exclusivity restrictions for players eyeing the PWR DUPR India League, set to shake up the scene in January 2025. (Yes, Slam Jam has an exclusive sneak peek at the terms!) Vish weighs in on Australia’s domestic leagues, which are gearing up for an epic 2025 season. Plus, he reveals his ultimate All-Star MLP Australia team for 2024 and shares what’s next for him as he looks ahead to the new year.

On the 23rd of October it was announced that PWR and NPL had reached an agreement that the NPL would be the exclusive tournament and league provider in the Oceania region for 2025 offering PWR ranking points to qualify for the newly established and highly lucrative PWR World Series offering tournament prize money as high as $1,500,000USD. We discuss what it all means and what it could mean going forward for pro players here in Australia.

Adam asks the boys to tell him if they'd pick Willy Chung over any of the male players drafted in Season 2 as if there was a re-draft today. Some very interesting answers in this one!

Adam, Colin, Ty and Joey Wild dissect the final between Northern Crocs vs Fast Fours where it was Somer Dalla Bona's team who won a third MLP Australia final for 2024.

How did Joey Wild and George Wall defeat Kyle Yates and Wes Gabrielsen in the Vietnam Open?

We chat to one of Australia's best Pickleballers JOEY WILD who is absolutely crushing it at the moment on the PPA Australia and MLP Australia tour. Joey talks about how he started Pickleball while playing in the USA during COVID having no background whatsoever in racquet sports. We chat about the current MLP season where Joey is playing for the Sydney Smash as well as how dominant he was in the Vietnam Open taking out the mixed doubles title and mens doubles title defeating Kyle Yates and Wes Gabrielsen the two Hall of Famers!We recap the Vietnam Open where it was the Northern Crocs taking another victory in MLP making it 3 MLP Championships in 2024 - Can they be stopped in Melbourne?Super sub Willy Chung get's a mention, we've got People Who, spicy on court and off court action and stories and so much more!

The boys talk about their match against 7 time US Open champion Kyle Yates and Shelby Bates, our newest MLP Australia stars. We announce the date of SLAM JAM 2024 our flagship tournament and the best god damn one in Australia. Has Coach K locked in Marcel Chan as his Season 2 man crush. How good were the South East Asia Surge to win the first tournament of the season on the Gold Coast. Is there a new Somer and Roos combination already forming in season 2 that will prove to be too dominant for everyone else. Ty's love note to Brown Daddy after being away for 111 days. We talk about all the key match up's for the 2nd tournament of Season 2 where the semi-final losing Gold Coast Glory get a chance for revenge against the Fast Fours straight up.

We talk about all the key match up's for the 2nd tournament of Season 2 where the semi-final losing Gold Coast Glory get a chance for revenge against the Fast Fours straight up. Who would have thought that the Western Vipers vs Sydney Smash would be a key match up after Season 1 but new season new teams and its Emilia Schmidt up against her old team and mixed doubles championship winning partner Mitch Hargreaves. Coach K brings out his new segment "Childhood Favourties" as well as old faithfuls Social Media Rockstars and Trivia.

The boys talk about their match against 7 time US Open champion Kyle Yates and Shelby Bates, our newest MLP Australia stars. We announce the date of SLAM JAM 2024 our flagship tournament and the best god damn one in Australia. The People Who segment is back with not 1, not 2 but 4 very relatable People Who. Ty was on the ground for WPC in Bali and gave us the low down there including how Asia and Europe are revolutionising the game. Adam has a new toy to play with.

Has Coach K locked in Marcel Chan as his Season 2 man crush. How good were the South East Asia Surge to win the first tournament of the season on the Gold Coast. Who is hot in the kitchen already this season. Is there a new Somer and Roos combination already forming in season 2 that will prove to be too dominant for everyone else. Ty's love note to Brown Daddy after being away for 111 days. And what about the Western Vipers from dead last in Season 1 to 3rd place on the Gold Coast.

The one and only Sarah Burr from the Gold Coast is our in studio guest for this one. We talk with Sarah about MLP Australia season 2 kicking off in her hometown of the Gold Coast and her plans for the season ahead. We also chat about paddles, her role with Engage Pickleball and how she got started in Pickleball. Sarah lives and breathes Pickleball, she's travelled and played in the US and is currently designing and experimenting with custom Pickleball grips ahead of the back half of the 2024 season. Make sure to give this one your full attention!

Thats right just like Season 2 of MLP Australia we are back for Season 2 of SLAM JAM THE PODCAST. Adam and Colin dissect the picks, discuss the formation of new teams and try and pick a winner. The boys also have a special announcement about new found roles within the sport of Pickleball so stop reading and start listening!

Our chat continues after The Commish had to leave us. George gives a players perspective of the Gen 3 Joola controversy and we finally get to hear Danni's ode to the SLAM JAM.

What a season of PPA and MLP we were treated to and to wrap it all up we get not 1, not 2 but 3 in studio guests. The Commish herself joins for the first time - Sange Crater. We also pulled in two of the top dogs of season 1, Fast Fours Captain George Wall and fresh of her teams MLP victory in Brisbane we get Gold Coast Glory star Dannielle Townsend to joins us too. We start the show off hot with a heart stopping story for Adam before arriving to studio, Colin orders Jimmy Brings mid-show, there's a medal presentation live in studio, George tells us about his moustache, Danni reads her ode to SLAM JAM and Sange tells us how they came up with all the team names.

Catch Katy Hart as out in studio guest dropping bombs off the court to match her style on court. The Eastern Rush Captain talks about Season 1 of MLP Australia after her team play off in the final at the last event in Auckland. Katy isn't afraid to have a say and she makes some bold predictions for Season 2, she tells us who she thinks is the best player in the competition and what she's done with her winnings so far.

The debate rages on about how to pronounce Joola as Colin comes up with another interpretation. We also learned that Colin has been doing massages on the side to bring some money in for the podcast. We have a HUGE announcement involving one of our own who is on the campaign trail. Adam gets critical about one of the MLP Captain's tactics. Ty is Pickleball's newest Agent. And we dissect and recap the Auckland PPA and MLP event!

We preview Round 2 of Major League Pickleball in Auckland with SPECIAL GUEST from the NORTHERN CROCS the Queen of the court in Round 1 ROOS VAN REEK!Can the Northern Crocs go back to back. We've got more "People Who" as well as new segment Hot In The Kitchen. Ty's says some genius lines, Colin is in fine form with his word play and Adam is asking long winded questions.

Special bonus episode with the HOF (Hall of Famer) Wes Gabrielsen. Did you know he started playing Pickleball in 1998! We caught up with Wes after his first time EVER playing downunder in Australia.

We debrief after the first MLP tournament of Season 1 2024 in Sydney after the Northern Crocs won it in a Dreambreaker. We also introduce a new segment called "People Who". We've got our first SPECIAL GUEST the Captain of the Northern Crocs Somer Dalla Bona. Colin uses big words in weird ways, Ty jumps from thought to thought and Adam tries to slow the two boys down from alcohol consumption which threatens to derail the show.

Welcome to SLAM JAM the podcast where Adam, Ty and Colin debrief after the 2024 Major League Pickleball Draft and preview all the teams, all the players and discuss the first MLP event in Sydney from the 23rd to 25th of February hosted by Pacific Pickleball. We take a look at some of the more interesting selections made, some of the selection strategy behind the scenes as well as the slightly controversial selection of an injured player.