Hey everyone, welcome back to Third Shop podcast.
We've got another great episode in store for you. But again, before we
get into it, please go to our social media, Instagram and Facebook at Thirdshop Podcast. Also on X at
thirdshop pod. You can check out our website, thirdshopodcast.com, where you can see
all of our previous episodes, read some blog posts, and check out our third shot apparel.
Yeah. Greg, you ready? I'm ready, Bridgie. I've got a special toast today.
Oh, we're gonna have to hit that. Cheers. Cheers.
So, what is that that you are drinking? H. Oh, I see a face.
This is a very special new drink from Dutch Bros.
Um, Dutch Bros is I think it's a West Coast. It started like in Oregon, a West
Coast coffee company. Um, but they also specialize in like You have to
clear your throat after that. I'm like tearing up and choking. People will have to watch this on YouTube to see Bridget's face as she took a drink and as she's trying to say stuff right now, it's distracting. Oh my gosh. So, they also have their own line of energy drinks where they have like all these different flavors that they can mix in and they are very fun and they do sticker promos and everything. But something that they do also is create kind of like new fun drinks and it usually goes along with like the season. So during winter time, a lot of like s'mores and um like wintry type flavors, cinnamon and stuff. And this one I saw on Instagram. It's the pickleback Rebel, which is their brand of energy drink. So okay, a pickle flavored energy drink is what I just tasted. It's it's straight energy drink. They're not mixing it with anything. It's just a pickled energy drink.
So the Rebel is their basic line which tastes very very similar to Red Bull. Okay. And then they have all of those different you know those like pump syrups. Yeah. Come in so many different flavors. I think they mix those in with it to create like different flavor combinations. So, this one is I don't know if they sell a pickle flavored syrup, but it tastes just like I took a shot of Red Bull and then took a shot of pickle juice.
Whoa. Okay, you made a face. So, is it sour or what? What are we What are we describing here? It's not sour. It's more like that dill flavor that you get from pickle juice, but you don't taste it until after you take the fir like after the Red Bull energy drink flavor kind of settles. Then it tastes like pickles. So like almost like you're eating pickles at the same time as the energy drink. Drinking a Red Bull. Okay. Okay. Taking a second sip here. No, not my favorite. I like pickles a lot, but I don't know if I can like enjoy that drink. It doesn't make me want to spit it out, but it also doesn't make me want to keep drinking it, you know. Oh, okay. Well, uh, when we had Finn on, right, our super fan, he had with the pickled puffs and you got to try those. Yeah. Well, when I came down to Vegas, uh Finn was nice enough to buy me a big old bag of pickled puffs and they are delicious. They're addicting. Like, I was driving around town and I had it in the car with me and I was just popping them because it was so good and I couldn't stop and I was like, "Oh my gosh, they're so good. Thank you, Finn." So, it's all these different pickled like flavors. I think there's like a pickled was it KFC or Burger King came out with something recently. Popeye's has a whole line of pickle stuff right now.
Sandwich, right? And then pickle chips, I think. Maybe like the fried pickle.
Yep. So I I know. So you just tried Dutch Bros. We just mentioned Popeyes.
There's somebody else, and I can't I can't remember who it was that came out with a pickled sandwich or chicken sandwich or something that sounded like, "Oh, I got to try that." I know it's kind of like the craze right now. Pickled everything. It does kind of seem like that. And every time I see it like on Instagram, I always send it to you.
So your inbox is always flooded with just like pickle flavored things for us to try.
A good idea. I should look at my Instagram to see what else you sent me. Okay, go ahead. I'm looking. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then it's not recent, but Trader Joe's, I think it was, has a a fried pickle dip. So, it's like dilly kind of ranchy because like you would dip it in ranch.
So, I don't know. Do you think that because pickle ball is so popular right now and it's springtime so people it's like it's getting warmer, people are outside playing that this is
company's opportunity to kind of get on the bandwagon with pickle ball without
directly like being pickle ball related. I think so. You do?
I do just because you you know you can't watch television anymore without seeing
a commercial that has pickle ball related something in it. They're not mentioning pickle ball but you see people playing pickle ball or they're holding a paddle or at the court, right? Whether it's alcohol or retirement stuff or whatever, right? Uh beer, right? We saw it on the Super Bowl. We had had the beer commercial with the uh around pickle ball. So anyway, I just think that everybody's trying to cash in on the popularity of pickle ball right now because it's relatable, right? In marketing, you're just looking for something to hook people to make them feel like, oh, I have something in common with this product. And pickle ball is so popular. How many what tens of millions of people are playing right now in uh the United States? So, I think these, you know, marketing companies are going, "Okay, we got to relate to these pickle ball players. Let's go with a pickled flavor or let's put pickle ball in our commercials or let's say it in our radio spots. Anything pickle ball
right now or pickle something is grabbing people's attention.
Yeah, I believe it. And kind of funny, too, when I pulled up to order my drink this morning at at Dutch Bros. I called
it the pickle ball drink and I was like, "Wait, no, it's not the pickle ball drink." He's like, "The pickle back."
And I was like, "Yeah, that one. That's funny. That's funny. It just rolls off your tongue now, right? It's
pickle ball. It's not pickle bag. It's not pickle whatever, right? It's pickle ball that exists except pickle ball.
Hey, you know those pickled puffs that Finn got me? Are they called pickle balls? I didn't even look at the bag.
They are. Yeah, they are called pickle balls. Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, they are ballshaped. They are ballshaped
as well. So, I am all about the fried pickles, right? I love fried pickles.
The first time I ever had them was at Hooters, like years and years and years, like I don't even remember like in at least 20 years ago. I went and I was entertaining a client. They said, "Hey, let's go have lunch over at Hooters."
Right? This is down south somewhere. I think it was in Georgia. And um they go, "We got to get some fried pickles." I go, "Fried pickles? Never had fried pickles before." and they ordered them and I'm like, "Oh my gosh." And they had
the dip, right? I don't know. It wasn't a pickled dip, but it was kind of a ranchy something type of dip. And it was I couldn't stop. Like the next day, the next day I had on my own I went to a Hooters to order some more fried pickles because I was so hooked on them. Oh. Do you Okay. So, they come in like the chip version, like the the slice of a pickle, but then also spears. Have you had the spear kind before? Yes, I I think I like the chip version better. I do. I do, too. Because it's it's like it kind of u controls how much pickle you're putting in your mouth at one time. Sometimes when you get the spear, you're kind of you bite a little off too much and it's too much. But the chip is just the right amount of Yeah. Hey, I didn't mention to you, this is totally off topic of pickles, but I went to a um pizza joint by your house when I was down in Vegas. It's over there by Teriyak Madness and that Mexican Takaria Okay. And they had these French fries that are cut in like little kidneyshaped, you know, pieces. Mhm. Super crispy, like a potato chip on the
outside, but still French fry on the inside. Oh my gosh. And then they gave
it to me with some ranch dressing. I was like, "Oh my gosh, I got to come back just for these." And I had a smash
burger. I was in heaven. I was like, I got to tell Bridgie and I forgot to tell you until just now I remembered. Is it that shopping center where EOS Fitness is? Yes, it's right across from EOS. Try it. It's so funny whenever you come here because this the restaurants and stuff that I've picked out to be like my go-tos is different from what you picked out. And so it's really great to hear some feedback on the other ones. So then it's like, "Oh, I I will have to try it." Because you know, you get so stuck in your ways of like going to your certain places that you already know is delicious. Yeah. Like that Fat Shack place that you found near my house. Yes. So good. Like their burgers there are amazing. Okay, if you don't care about
like calories, go try the Smashburger because they put a lot of sauce on and stuff, so
it's a messy burger. I got it with the grilled onions. Their Smashburger was
worth trying. I have been to Smashburger. They used to have one by campus, but it it's closed now, but they do make a pretty good burger, too. But go to that place I just told you about and order their Smashburger. Oh, that place is Smashburger. I thought you went to Cuz there's one by my house, too. That's so funny. No. Go to that place,
order their smash burger. It is, in my opinion, one of the best smash
burgers I've ever had. Whoa. All right. So, definitely check it out. While I was
also in Vegas, I went to one of the um indoor facilities just to kind of check it out. And you know what? It was super loud in there, right? Oh, really? I can imagine because those facilities are really big. They've got the tall ceilings and then you have like tons and
tons of people in there with their paddles and playing. It was very very loud. They did not have pickled burgers or chicken sandwiches or pickled chips. I wish they did, but it was loud. And I'm thinking, okay, you know, first of all, you know, where I'm going to go play later today, they have this whole thing with the the neighborhood and the sounds too loud and right, big lawsuit going on and these indoor facilities are dealing with this noise issue as well, right? I think I think more and more um of the industry, the pickle ball industry is going towards quieter play, whether it's paddles, whether it's
balls. I've seen different things out there and we were lucky enough to try
the Quietplay paddles and um you know we have Steg one of the people over at
Quiet Play joining us today. So I can't wait to get into the technology of how
they make their paddles quiet because it does not affect the performance at all. We both tried it out and you know we're we're into these paddles. So, we'll hold back on our review until we bring Ste on from Quietplay Paddles. And in the meantime, gives everybody an opportunity to go on to our social media and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Thirdshot Podcast on X at Thirdshot Pod. YouTube, look us up. I mean, literally look us up on YouTube. It's a lot of fun. You have to see Bridg's face when she's drinking the pickleback uh energy drink from Dutch Bros. Nothing against Dutch Bros. Dutch Bros is fantastic. This one might not be the hit, though. I don't know. We'll see. Anyway, go check
it out. Go check us out. And let's bring Stg from Quiet Play Paddles on with us.
Hey, we have Steg from Quiet Play Paddles and Eric from LCube Lifestyle
joining us. Welcome to Third Shot. Thank you for having me. Hey guys from the east coast. Yeah, we love to see both of you. Before we jump into all of our questions to hear more about Quiet Play, um let's do a little toast to Eric and Ste. Cheers.
Delish. I like that little routine. Yeah. Yeah. Get us in the mood.
So stay without further ado, please tell us as well as all of our listeners a
little bit more about your affiliation with Quiet Play Paddles and what the brand is about. The brand is about a paddle that is truly the next generation. A T1100 carbon face u on the whoopass model, a K49 Kevlar. Um, we've we've made a paddle that has got quality. It's it's more durable. It's got outstanding performance power. We've just kind of built a better mousetrap is what we've done. And um it's it's just I've had nothing but fun and met people like Eric over the last year getting out and just getting this paddle out. I'm I'm PR testing testing um marketing some sales. Uh we just uh got into a brick and mortar down here at Kiwi uh uh Tennis and Fitness Center in Indian Harbor Beach. We just got in there with some demos and uh I believe Eric is uh working on something in Pictona.
So, it's just it's kind of been a jack of all trades as um we grow and that's
what's been important. We've grown and uh meeting Eric was a pleasure. I'm I'm wearing his LQ Lifestyle hat here. Um he he's making a I love his shirts, too. I've got three of them and they're they're a great product and everything about this has been positive and the paddles are as good as anything I've ever played. Well, I'm glad that uh Eric is joining us today because, you know, obviously anytime we could have Eric from LCube Lifestyle on the show, we we jump at the opportunity. Uh but he has been raving about this whoopass paddle and he's like he's just blowing my phone up. He's texting me. He's calling me and he's going, "Uncle Greg, you got to try this whoopass." So, you know, Eric, tell us your experience so far and how you got introduced to the Quiet Play paddles. Yeah, like Steg said, I think um we're both newbies as far as companies. So, I think uh the public viewing who you partner with, right? I remember my father say, you know, pay attention to who your friends are. You're going to be judged by who you hang out with. I think that also is true in the business world. So, we're also very tickled as a new uh lifestyle company to partner with companies like Quiet Play Paddles. Um Devin and Ste keep me laughing. They laugh at my three jokes. So, it's been pretty cool so far. Um but as far as the whoopass, first of all, if you grew up in the 80s, that's that was something we said like I'm going to open a can of whoops. So, I just love how it rolls off the tongue. I like to be a little squirly and a little um mischievous. So, I love saying whoopass. I'm going to say it 12 more times on the podcast. But from my tennis playing background and coaching experience, when you first play pickle ball, the sound is jarring and then the ball escapes the face of the paddle so quickly that a tennis player is still wanting to cause friction to the felt or wanting to feel pickle ball. That ball is long gone because it's like plastic on a hard surface. What I really like about the Whoopass, of course, the the reduced sound and vibration on the arm. I'd like to tell a secondary story of what I really like about it. But the first component of the paddle that I really like, it's the first time I've had a pickle ball paddle with some feel because of the dwell time. The ball stays on the face of the paddle a little bit longer. There's Kevlar. I used Kevlar as a string when I played. So for me coming from tennis and missing the feel of the ball because it's kind of slippery a pickle ball against the the
face of a pickle ball paddle. I just love the dwell time because now it used
to be operator error when I would be like a spider monkey and the ball would go everywhere because I thought in my head I was playing tennis. But now I have a paddle that actually helps me control the ball. And I think the people I play with will tell you I'm bringing some whoop ass.
It's funny you mentioned opening up a can of whoop ass because I'm from that generation and I had a little Yeah, I had I had a little fun with the two of you when I got the paddle. I said, "Yeah, I just opened up a box of whoop ass." And I did the uh I was just at an event, a a pickle ball tournament in um Atlanta for Community of Homes called
Coulter Homes or Crestwood and there were a couple of ladies that would not
say it and then they finally whispered it. I was like, "Isn't it fun to say whoopass?" I think they thought they were going to go to the principal's office as like 60 year olds. I'm like, "No, you can say it. It's the name of the paddle now. It's legal." That's so funny. My my my doubles partner, you you met her, Dawn. Um we were hanging out the other day and she goes, "I'm getting comfortable with saying whoopass." I'm getting real comfortable saying that now. So it's it's fun. Devon named the paddle because it basically does exactly
You can name your paddle anything. This was literally the description of the paddle and Eric with his description. You literally can't open a can of whoop assass with this paddle and it still stays in, right? Like it's not going from Pictona up to Jacksonville anymore. And a lot of high school, college tennis players, coaches coming into pickle ball, we sometimes have more extreme grips. Like we're not the true shake hands grip. Like I have a semi-western because I grew up on the east coast on clay courts. And so that grip was really dysfunctional converting from tennis to pickle ball. And even Devon, even Stag have tried, even this weekend, Deon tried to get me to demo another paddle. I was like, I'm no thanks. Can't get the whoop ass out of your head. I actually I actually after I played with Eric, I actually I had the handshake grip and I I caught myself. Now I'm like a three quarter under. And it was funny during the match day three
right in the middle. My partner just goes I'm just getting out of the way because the it's it hits. It's got such a great grip and because of the technology and the fact the paddles are
baked and not sprayed. every paddle that you're playing, the the Carbon Pro and
the Whoopass, they were they were baked at 350 degrees. You can leave these paddles
in your car indefinitely. I put it in the my truck for a month to test it and
nothing happens. They're they don't warp. Nothing happens. They're they're
just they're just a really strong paddle. So Stig, what is the technology behind these Quiet Play paddles that keeps it quieter but keeps the performance so high? The T1100 Carbon
Face and the K49 Kevlar mix. We actually had Pickle Ball Science test our paddles, not review them, but test them. And they did exactly what Eric said. Um, one of the
final paragraphs was they seem to have as much or more power than all the standard paddles they were tested
against. And the dwell time, which you really can't test in a short amount of time, seems to be as good or better than
any other paddle. What Devon figured out was the proprietary core material, which I do
not know. I couldn't tell you if you paid me. Works with the T1100
carbon that it the word that people use is plush.
And Brigy, the the reason I like the Carbon Pro, the Whoopass we find Eric is
a much better pickle ball player than I am. Harder, more spin. He's a much more
aggressive player and that paddle works for him. I like the one thing about the
T1100 carbon fiber face is that it's consistent there. The whole paddle is a sweet spot. Brieza, you played with it.
Did you have any off center hits? No, I didn't. Um I think to summarize into one word with playing this paddle is effortless where I didn't have to think about where I'm hitting it or
having to focus a whole lot on where on the paddle that I'm making contact. And what I did notice too is that my serve was like incredible. And I didn't change anything except for the paddle. And I was just killing it with it being like within inches over the net. And that's not usual for my serve. And I wasn't like I didn't have to practice or change anything. It was It was amazing. Did you turn to the camera like I did on social media and say, "Hey, you want some whoops?" And then you go, if if y'all seen that 4 second video,
it's absolutely in your face. Perfect. Cuz he turns and looks at the camera and
goes open up a can of whoop assass and then just lights up a serve. I've really learned something that people have like a 4 sec second window because that video has gotten like 3,500 views. Like nine million times more than anything I've ever posted, which I'm okay with. I take that personally, but whatever. But that four second video where I just turn and say, "Hey, you want some whoopass?" And then I pounce on a serve. You can hear it. Um, it's just it's fun to say. I think the name is fun, but the paddles
are serious. Like I think to Steg's point like when you can generate pace on your own and I feel like I've since 192 I've tried to bring some whoopass on my own. The paddle gives me control, right? The dwell time, the feel, how long it sits on the face of the paddle. So, I feel like my spider monkey shots are now finding the court. And it's kind of like pickle ball nirvana. Like, I sleep with it under my pillow. I walk walk to the park with my paddle. I just I literally love the whoopass paddle. What What I Well, what I found out as as we did this, I was I saw an ad from another company and they had like 12 paddles. forward power, forward performance, and forward something different. And I think with these paddles, you literally do get everything in one paddle. And it allows you, the paddle will grow with your game, but the paddle also allows you, like Breezy, you said on your serve, it
brings out the best. And you don't realize, I tell a lot of people when they try these, I go, "You're better than you think you are. Let the paddle help you." And Breezy, that was a perfect explanation you gave that you just went out and it all worked. We've actually
got a guy by the name of Drake Perry who plays, he just switched to the Whoopass,
but he was playing the Carbon Pro. He's one mile an hour away from breaking the world record on serve speed. And we bought a speed gun, which Eric is well aware of. I got a 53 yesterday in Atlanta. The only one to break 50. Yeah. And we're When you come to our
tournaments or where we're at, we try and have fun. Yeah. Come on. Let's Let's It's fun to watch these guys who think they're hitting 50 mph serves hitting 40ome. And it's kind of humbling, but it's weekend. We saw a couple of egos get crushed on the court when Deon's like, "Yeah, that was only 37 there, Stan." But we are creating like we did hit for prizes where where the the participants are hitting three balls across the court with the demo paddle. We've got music. We're doing a fast serve competition. So, we're trying to be a vendor section in vendor row that's kind of making some noise with the whoopass maybe as our moniker. But I I wanted to say a secondary passion of mine with the paddle is I've taught a lot of tennis. I've played a lot of tennis. I've played a lot of racket sports and I've had some issues with tennis elbow, pickle ball elbow going back and forth because um I like all racket sports and I don't want to give that up. But I've had months of issues with an achy
uh elbow as I played more pickle ball. I've played more pickle ball than ever before because I'm loving how well I'm playing with the whoopass, but I actually have no tennis or pickle ball elbow anymore. So, I think the paddle is not just sound reduction, it's also vibration reduction. And I think that Devon and Steg will partner with the physical therapist orthopedist that backs their product because it's not just sound reducing. I think it's going to be a paddle company that people go to for softer elbows. Um, I literally have no pain in my elbow and I've been playing more than ever. So, and I'm not holding back and I have the medical records to prove it. Before I picked up this paddle, I would take five in the elbow right here um about every four months because I played a lot of racket sports and I haven't had an elbow issue and like I said um they would give me five right in the nerve here uh cortisones and I haven't had it I haven't had a shot in two years and I played daily and Eric seen me play. I'm I'm no cream puff. I I want um Yeah, the right side very well, which is nice because then I can stay in my lane. I don't have to help him cover. But it's it it really is a stress reduction. Whatever Devin did, back to your original, whatever his proprietary core material is, he hit a home run. And we have a slogan, once you hit it, you get it. And I'll ask I'll ask all three of you. It's been a long time since I picked up a paddle and said immediately I feel something different. I mean, is that what is that what y'all felt when you when you hit it the first time? Went, this is different. Well, I I'll tell you my experience the first time. So, you know, we had all talked and you were going to send me a paddle and I told you I was playing a tournament coming up and I wanted to practice with the whoopass so that I could use it in the tournament. Well, for one reason or another, the paddle didn't show up, right, until the night before the tournament. Um, so, you know, I I did my open up a box of whoop ass video, right?
And then I um brought it out to the tournament, not planning on playing it because I had no practice time and it was a tournament. I it was a team thing, so I didn't want to let down my team, right? So, but you know, you get a
little bit warm-up time. So, I took the the you know, whoop ass out and I started thinking with it, right? You
know, typical warm-up, you're doing some drops, you're doing some dinks. And I'm going, hold on a second. There's this is
a whole level of confidence and comfort. Like I've played this paddle before.
This this did not take any time for me to adjust to it. Then I started hitting some ground strokes with it. Hit some
serves with it and I'm going, "Oh, there's no doubt I am playing this
tournament with the whoop ass." I mean, it didn't take me more than 10 minutes of warm-up for me to realize I'm playing
this battle in this tournament. And we and we did. We whooped ass. So, it was
to my I mean, like you said, it did it did not take any time at all for me to adjust and fall in love with the
whoopass paddle. So, I you haven't been able to take it out of my hands since then. Oh, it's yours. It's not going anywhere. It's It's I'm glad you're enjoying it. Breezy, how about you? Did you enjoy it first time? Yeah. Yeah, very similarly. So recently I hadn't been playing very much because of all the wedding stuff and so I was like I'm making it a priority to go out to test this paddle and I went out to test it and I hadn't played in a while so I was expecting that achy elbow and like the soreness afterwards and none of that was there. Uh then when I had my sister try it. So, she's not an avid pickle ball player, but she likes to go out with me every once in a while. And I gave it to er and I was like, "Okay, tell me if you like feel or hear any differences." And she was like, "It's kind of more
muffled." Um, and she was, "But what I really notice is that when I hit it, I don't feel the sound in my arm." And I as like, "What?" He's like, "You know, when you're hitting a p like hitting the ball," and she goes, "I don't know if it's just mentally or if that's really happening, but when I hit with this paddle, I don't feel the noise or like
the vibration in my elbow." And I was like, "It's probably because it's supposed to be like stress reduced and m muffling the sound and everything. So, it must be doing something." And now hearing the technology, sure I know
that's exactly what it's doing. Mhm. You know, the other thing that I noticed also is like when I'm at the kitchen and
somebody drives it and I punch it back because of that noise reduction and it
comes off so hot, people aren't expecting it. Like it it catches them off guard. They're late in in their
reaction to uh you know, my my quick punch shots now. Yeah. I' I've actually
had partners that were like I'll be behind them. They're they're at the the kitchen and I'm back court and they're
like, "I didn't hear what you hit." And your old partner's like, "I didn't hear." And just to add to that, we had a
young lady who I met in Rocklage two weeks ago. Um I gave her, she's a very
good player. Didn't know her much, but Deon and I talked and I gave her one of the the carbon pros. She had to be in
Puerto Rico the next day. Got a picture two days
later with the paddle. won the tournament, women's 40, Puerto Rico. Her and her partner and we've got pictures
are on, you know, we're on Facebook and X and Instagram. We're on all the for and she's her name's Valeria um from
Puerto Rico and she's standing there holding the uh the green the green paddle that I showed you earlier this
and she'd had it two days also. And before we go any further, I do have to tell you, I think the thing we're most
proud of is that we are 100% and we came up with from the
core to your door. We're American made. We're actually made in Florida. We don't
get anything from overseas. It is made in Sebring, Florida. And if you're
looking for an Americanmade paddle, this I don't think there's two paddle
manufacturers that can make that claim. And we are very very proud of that fact.
Um and it it just it's one of our our top points that we we need to let people
know that because um it means a lot to us and the how the paddle plays. I'm
overjoyed with your your reviews of the paddle and I'm I'm so glad that you're happy with them. Um and Eric, we haven't
heard his opinion yet, but I think we know where this is going. Yeah, I I have a similar story if I
could. Coming from tennis in the 80s and 90s where I we didn't totally have the
funds. We were always trying to make ends meet with tennis and Kevlar came around which you use on the north south
strings of a a tennis racket and Kevlar was a just a game changer in the late
80s and 90s because of the durability. So you could play so much more. You didn't have any feel. It's probably why
I ended up with a stress fracture in my back. La. But I was one of the first
probably that would do two or three rounds of putting in the cross strings because the Kevlar mains wouldn't break
and I wouldn't cut them out. So if you did a two-piece, meaning you had north, south strings and east, west strings
tied differently. Or you can do a one piece. I would cut two or three rounds of the cross strings out and use Kevlar
as the center strings. So then now finding a paddle I think part of the
magic for me it felt like coming home because of that Kevlar feel. So now I
use Kevlar during the period of my life where I played my best tennis and now I
picked up a paddle that has Kevlar in it. I literally I just don't put it down
because for me it felt like coming home if that makes sense. Mhm. And it's it's
a Kevlar carbon mix. Is that is that correct? It's not just all Kevlar,
right? The face. Devin calls it is a weave. It's a weave. And correct me if
I'm wrong, but it's a T1100 carbon with a K49 Kevlar weave. Yes. The Kevlar is
not 1100 because you would basically, as Eric just said, you would basically be hitting with steel. Yeah. So the Kevlar,
I think, is like 300. um with the 1100 weave and that is the
whoopass paddle. It's the com. It gives you the pop from the carbon fiber, but
the Kevlar gives it a little bit of a a softer feel and I think that probably adds to the dwell time. So, I don't feel
like I'm compromising power, but all of a sudden serves and western grip
forehands that were going 5 10 feet long are now going in. And literally every group I'm playing in, they're like,
"What are you doing differently?" I'm like, "Well, I'm playing a lot." They're like, "Yeah, it's something different." I'm like, "Well, I have switched pedals." And then they're wanting to use
it. So, it's just it's we all know this. It's fun to use a microphone for a podcast or be on a panel with people
that you're confident in. It's also nice to go to the pickle ball court and be confident in your equipment. And that's
how I feel. The the 1100 carbon face allows you to play more
aggressive because it does give you more spin. Uh, Breezy, you saw it on your serve. Um, right. If you ever try banana
slice like they show in the videos and kick it out, you can put people in another court. Yeah, Eric's done it and
we we've had some fun with it. It It just allows you to be a better player.
It That's what the paddles do. That's funny you mentioned the banana serve because you were saying that you
could curve it around the player. Somebody's crowding. You know what? On the returning team, somebody's crowding
that front corner. You can hit it around them and still get it in to the service court. That's crazy. I have done that.
Yeah. And uh they don't they don't crowd the corner anymore. It's got
that We implore people if they get the chance, please hit the paddle. It It
really does. It It really does. Like Eric said, it's like coming home. You just feel
comfortable with it in your hand. You do. And you know, I've tried other sound reduction paddles in the past and I
thought I had to compromise power when I use those other paddles and and there's no compromise here. You can bring the
best still. Yeah. Yeah. We we don't we don't and again, not going to bring up anything,
but we don't use an artificial material. We're not replacing u a carbon face. you
you treat this paddle any type of weather, humidity, cold, it's going to
perform. Yeah. And I think, you know, all of our testimonials kind of show that and what
we've gotten from other people, too, by sharing our paddles with them. It all backs that up. Um, we've thrown out a
couple of different paddle names, but just for our listeners to kind of break down what Quiet Play Paddles has to
offer, can you just simplify what the names are? what kind of paddles are out there for them to get and
where absolutely breezy and Eric jump in if I miss anything you I'm aware that
there's another paddle besides the whoopass sorry this is the paddle the whoopass this is
the kevlar carbon that uh Greg and Eric are are swearing by what we've done our
initial was the queue like you've got breezy and this is the carbon pro just like in your background
One thing we like about the company is we do our own printing. We did this for
a dink for the pink in Port St. Lucy and to support breast cancer. My mother's a
survivor as are a lot of women who have who have had that battle. And to every one of them, we we we wish them the
best. But we're able to do fun things. And then like just for the people that
are just listening, it's a beautiful pink hue on on the face of the paddle and it's it's a gorgeous paddle. Yeah,
it um we we got the pink and then I I I'm kind of a you look at me, you
wouldn't think it, but Eric has seen my kit. I've got 10 different colors of
overgrips and electrical tape from Home Depot just to kind of have fun. Like um
Ste has the first pickle ball tackle box. I do have 20 different types of
tape, grip, uh, everything you could add on to customize the paddle. And I was
going to wait for this, Steg, let me interject here. Absolutely. But what also separates Devon and Steg and
Quietplay Paddles first and foremost is their customer service is just it jumps
off the page. They consistently want their customers to be happy. They'll take a paddle back.
They'll adjust it. They listen to the feedback. So, I we're a new company. We're very aware of customer service.
And the paddles, yes. Steg's couple of jokes, yes. But most impressive is the
very personable and warm customer service with Quietplay Paddles. I put it against any big company in the country.
Man, I appreciate that. And as this paddle belongs to a young lady by the name of Lori and she bought a new boat
so she wasn't playing it and she loved what I did with I've got a yellow grip
and I put yellow tape on it to go with the kevlar and I took it from her and I
Amazon will be delivering her yellow grip today and I will deliver it to her because she wanted the paddle that
looked like mine and even if you're not playing our paddle and you're a nice
person and that's really all that matters. I'll regrip your paddle. I don't care if you're playing quiet play.
It's all about having fun and p moving forward
and helping people. I'd rather play with a beginner sometimes than a really good game because you're in you're building a
love of a sport that we all love. And that's kind of our kind of our mantra. You got to pay
it forward. But this is actually when I the grips come today, I'll be returning it just because she wanted it. Um, and
farther on, this is a prototype. You haven't seen this yet, but this is
going to be a carbon pro just like Breezy's hitting, but we've made
some small internal adjustments that are going to allow us to have a lower price
point and still create the paddle that y'all are used to. So, we're playing
with that. And and uh Eric, I believe you were uh privy to uh the orange. We
call it the orange right now because we haven't given it a name. Uh but that's going to be a hybrid coming out. And we
we kind of hybrid of what? Um first off, the shape. It's going to be a little
It's going to be a little The grip will be five and a half, but it's going to come out a little on the bottom and not
be if you put an elongated on top of it, you would see a very very small difference. Um, and we at the QPP
tournament in Melbourne, I I played with it and it's a very very nice. What we're
trying to do is get a few different price points. So, because not everybody's got the money to spend for
some of these high-end paddles that are coming out. So, it's it's it's about the
player and what can we do to get more people involved hopefully with our
paddle, but it is about the sport and that's kind of what we do. And and
you're being awfully generous uh for the listeners to this show because you're offering a discount code. Why don't you
share that with everybody because let's save some people some money. Absolutely. You go to
quietplaypaddles.com and use the code QPP20 and you immediately get 20% off of
any paddle in the store. You could go right now. The code's been up for a couple days because we knew this was
coming. But Q PPP20 that simple and it
um they'll you will get the paddle. Nice. And it I I think you'll be happy.
Oh, I think they will, too. I may have to go on there with that promo code and order another whoopass. Even though I
saw Eric put up before I start looking. Hey, Eric. Eric, don't tell anybody, but I know the owner. I can probably work
with you on that. Yeah, I might have been in Atlanta with him. Yeah. So, we know each other's jokes by now. Yeah.
And what we're also doing is uh we'll starting Devon will kill me if I don't get this up
here. our first official paddle covers. They did come out. This is going to be
the new paddle cover and um we're we're doing grips. We're gonna get into the
accessories. Uh they'll also be on the website and I do believe the code is uh
I would check with Devin but I I think the code would be valid for whatever's in the basket because if if you order
two paddles obviously you you know whatever you do but the QPP20 will get you 20% off and that that puts us under
all the high-end paddles on the market by a lot and it it makes your line of
paddles accessible. I know. Um, additionally, just speaking to the
character of the company, I know that Devon and Quietplay Paddles donated 500 paddles recently to Special Olympics.
Um, so it's not just about making money off of the customers at all. It's about
growing the sport and giving back. I mean, the company and the people like
Steg and Devon and Deb are so gracious. It's not just about making money for
them at all. It's about the fact that Devon builds wings on an aircraft for
the government and all of the carbon fiber that would just be on the floor. Hm. Let's see. Let's make a paddle.
Yeah. Smart. So like that ripple of the story you hear it doesn't jump off the
page when you talk to them immediately but you hear about like the sustainability and the giving back and
growing the pickle ball community. Coming from tennis sometimes tennis can be a little
intimidating with country clubs and if you come from the public parks it's sometimes can be a little snoody and not
welcoming. Yeah. I can tell you and you know this story um Bridgie and and Greg
and Steg as well. I say it on every podcast, moving back from Chicago and Copenhagen, two worldclass cities, back
to Daytona for a lot of people was a headscratcher. Um, and a lot of my
former students in tennis were like, how's that going to work? Wanted to be closer to my dad who's turning 82, but
Picttona and pickle ball socially for my functional medicine doctor, for my
dentist, for new friends and business partners like Quiet Play Paddles. Picona and pickle ball has just been so
fantastic. The community is just so great and your dermatologist
and dermatologist. Yeah, Dr. Negron. Remember her shot was a shot glass of
sunscreen, folks. That's right. You partner your sunscreen with your LCube lifestyle.
Hey, speaking of LCube lifestyle, you're sporting a hoodie. Talk a little bit about what's new.
Never ask. Our hoodie is designed, as you know and can hear. I'm a former
tennis coach player and so our lifestyle brand moving back to Florida. We're trying to create a headtotoe look. So we
currently have the UV50 hats. We now have um blush champagne bridgy for the
ladies. It's a pink kind of a muted pink. It's not a hot pink. I love that color. Navy blue. It's not just for the
ladies. Come on. I'll wear that. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So, and then we have
our shirts. So, we have hats, shirts, hoodies. These just launched. We don't even have the photos on the website yet,
but our customers can go there early next week. We're going to launch them officially. We've made a launch video
with Ari here at Ptona. She's always fun to collaborate with on social media. And we are currently developing shorts,
skirts, and leggings. We're doing our final rendition of the short. So, our goal as a company is to continue to
partner with really cool um companies like Quiet Play Paddles that allow you
to say whoopass, but for the active lifestyle uh enthusiast is to help cover
you from the sun from head to toe so you don't have to get slathered in sunscreen every day. You can wear it in your
fabric. Yeah, I was I was going to say that I don't like wearing ointments or
sunscreens and I've been in Florida all my life and um the first shot shirt I bought from him was a long sleeve and I
played and at Pictona and it was uh Yeah, there you go. And it was um it's
it's so comfortable. And usually you want to take it off, but it just it just
it breathes, it protects, and it it's just a it's it's a high quality shirt.
And it allows you to what I love. It allows you to move it. You know, some
shirts you feel, but it it there was never an inhment in anything I did. And
it was just it was just great. We may have to launch a line called the whoopass since I like it some. I'm
telling you that would be interesting. I did want to crank it this one time.
The 500 started as a hundred in Florida for Special Olympics. They kept calling because more and more people wanted it
and it did end up being 500 in Florida. Uh but we just got over 400 for Arizona.
Nice. We're also looking because Devin, for some reason, is um a big Dallas fan and
we're looking next to Texas. So, it's it is about giving back. So, it um you
know, it's you got to feel good at the end of the day. You got to feel good about what
you're doing. We we know that pickle ball is not going anywhere. If you look at the growth in racket sports, I mean,
pickle ball, if it was a stock, we would all be just heaving money at it because it just grows 50% year over year over
year. And so, if you're wanting to grow with a pickle ball company that's going
to be around for a long time, that's generous, that cares, that gives back. Uh, I can't think of a better company
than Quiet Play Paddles. And our and our biggest hook, and thank you, Eric, that's very nice. Um, if you talk to me
or you talk to Eric, if you've got a problem, I have literally picked up the phone in the middle of a match and
called Devin, the owner of the company, and said, you know, in the beginning, the grip was an issue. Some people
didn't like it as square and literally by the minute. The next day, he had made
changes. So, we're not customer service in six months. I I and I've I've called
Deon and handed the phone to people and let them speak to them. And you're not going to get that anywhere else. You're
We know everybody who's bought the paddle and we're actually looking at a
customer appreciation day. DJs, uh Eric, uh Eric's developed some games, this the
gun. We want to give back. It's just more fun and that's what we're supposed
to be having. I think there's a care and connect aspect. Sorry, Craig. I think there's a
little lag. I think there's a care and connect aspect also that comes through with Quiet Play paddles. I think with um
the advent of mobile phones and COVID and Zoom calls, we get so far removed.
But I think what I feel with Steg and Devon and Deb and the quiet play paddles
is that care and connect. that's almost like a throwback a few generations ago
where they really they do make edits to their product and want that customer
service and they pivot in real time where there are sometimes you call
customer service if you have a complaint you can't get a person on the phone it's a chatbot we'll call you back they never
do we'll send this but but Quietplay Paddles really listens to their customers and make make edits real time
which is just you don't I apply the next day. And I've always said in this world
we live in, you can pretty much get anything you want at any time from almost anywhere between all all the
online retailers. But what you're not getting much anymore is personalized customer service, feeling like you
matter. And with us, every person who plays I the reason I walked up to her
after I said, "Lord, hey, I love your paddle." "Well, I'd like it to be your color. We'll take care of it." I gave her one out of my bag in case she had an
impromptu game. It's all I got to look at myself every morning and I got to
make sure I don't somebody is doesn't want I've got a guy loves loves our
little hush and he says it it wore off the paddle because he hit the ground. Can
you get me stickers? Said absolutely they're on their way. It it's it's the
little things that we hope we're doing that set us apart. It sounds like you really go beyond at
Quiet Play Paddles, you know, for your customers and that's what's going to make you stand out in this noisy world
of the pickle ball paddle uh market right now. I think you are going to stand out and and let's take our third
shot toast to what both of you are doing with your companies, Quietplay Paddles and LCube Lifestyles, two fantastic
brands. Congratulations to both of you. Thanks, guys. Cheers.
I I do want to say before this ends that Eric coming on board has
been awesome. We we there were a couple times that we were like and then Eric
showed up and he's been as gracious as any human being I've met in sharing his
knowledge, connecting, um wanting to be a part of a team and have some fun. And
every time we see the guy, there's a smile on his face. He's always wants to do something. It's it's in the last
year, there have been some low spots, but with Eric, they're never low. And he
his clothing is an indication of type p person he is. It's quality. And if you
ever see him at a show, it's about the customer and what can I do? And it it's
it Devin and I were talking this morning going, "Eric has been a godsend. He's been a find and everything he's brought
to the table has been positive and there's no baggage." And that's kind of what we're looking
for in our brand and to be co-branding with him on some things which him and
Devon are talking and please but uh as a person who's dealt with him, he's come
down to Kiwi. We had a fun Friday night. We played some and he's just he's he
gets it and he understands without the customer we're really nothing. We really
aren't. And and that's I just want to say that because I don't know that he gets enough
for what he what he bring to our table. I said my piece now I just want to make sure that he knew he was appreciated.
No, I I appreciate that and I think that it's mutual and also with Craig and
Bridgie, I think this is we're getting into almost double digits. I I hope that
people see that I think there's a real value in not giving to get, just giving
and that energy will come back to you. And I think that pickle ball's a wonderful community. The podcast has
been such a fantastic community, co-branding, corporate partnerships. I think that we just keep moving forward
with this positivity. It's exciting. Absolutely. And this was I can't thank Greg and
Breezy enough for giving us the opportunity because this is I I've been excited about this for for days just
Thank you so much for your generosity and providing us a couple of paddles. Eric, thank you for introducing us to
Quiet Play Paddles and uh it's it, you know, it's been fantastic uh getting to
know you, Ste, and um playing the paddles. So, thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate both of
you. It's absolutely been my pleasure. Bridget, real quickly, have a fantastic wedding. Have a fantastic
honeymoon, all of that. And then sometime in 2025 or early 2026, we all
need to get together and play some pickle ball. Yes, we definitely It's in the works. As soon as I get back, I'll
have tons of free time. Yeah, you let us know. We'll make sure. We won't compete with your honeymoon, but we'll make sure
you have a good time. We'll bring some We'll bring some whip bass and some apparel.
We're gonna have a post we're gonna have a post honeymoon party. So, we'll all get together and we'll have some fun.
I'm excited for you. I And congratulations. Thank you so much. And thank you all of us for joining us
on Third Shot where Bridg and I would continue to share our pickle ball journey. Real special thanks to both Steg and Eric for joining us today.
Again, check out the Quietplay Paddles at quiet uhplay I'm sorry, quietplay
paddles.com on Instagram. It's quietplay_paddles and lcube lifestyle.
All the the fantastic gear they have. You got to check out their new hoodies when they get it on their website, which
will be on by the time that this show goes live, which is lcubifyle.com. And you can support this
show by subscribing. And we promise to have more amazing guests just like Ste and Eric in future episodes of Third
Shot. Let's continue to share our enjoyment for the game and grow this pickle ball community together like
we've been talking about this whole show. See you next time on Third Shot Podcast.