In Episode 91 of the KewCast, we break down one of the wildest weeks in pickleball—from Anna Leigh Waters’ paddle sponsor shake-up, to pro contract drama, to where paddle technology is heading in 2026. John also shares some exciting news about new lab gear, and updates to the paddle database.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

4:10 Latest News/ Gear Gossip: Anna Leigh Waters and PaddleTek split. Next sponsor?

14:13 Dekel Bar signs with 11SIX24

18:16 Gabe Tardio leaving PIKKL

21:42 Quong Duong leaving Sypik

22:24 Vivienne David & Thomas Wilson leaving CRBN

27:19 Parris Todd fined $50K & suspended for 2 events

29:25 Paddle of the Week: Mark 02 R3

43:48 2026 Predictions: Pro Scene

44:25 Best Men's Player

45:27 Best Women's Player

46:41 Men's Zero to Hero

50:12 Women's Zero to Hero

53:24 Will Quang Duong sign a new contract with the PPA?

55:29 Paddle Predictions: Will foam be king at end of 2026?

59:15 Honeycomb polypropylene: continue to decline, or resurgence?

1:00:43 Biggest driver of paddle innovation for 2026?

1:06:51 Will USAP develop direct spin testing and eliminate/alter Starrett limits?

1:10:52 Paddle testing – less controversy in 2026?

1:15:22 What will be the biggest durability issue?

1:16:38 Innovation (currently unknown) that will become popular in 2026?

1:21:00 What will JOOLA’s next big hit look like?

1:24:57 Will Selkirk have another hit as big as the Boomstik?

1:28:29 Will CRBN have another hit as big as the TruFoam Genesis?

1:30:47 Deep Dive - Big things in the works for the paddle database and metrics

We start with the latest gear gossip and pro news, including the ALW–PaddleTek split, what paddle she should play with next, and why she’s been spotted using Franklin gear. We also dive into major sponsor moves involving Gabe Tardio, Quang Duong, Dekel Bar, Vivienne David, and Thomas Wilson, plus the implications of Parris Todd’s suspension.

Then we put the Paddle of the Week under the microscope—the Mark 02 R3, a full-foam design using floating EPP in EVA, internal voids, and reinforced neck foam that delivers a connected, semi-dense feel without going mushy.

From there, it’s full 2026 prediction mode:

Will foam still dominate paddle design?

Is honeycomb polypropylene officially on the way out?

What will be the biggest durability and testing controversies?

Will USAP change spin testing standards?

Could 3D-printed foam and elastomeric cores become the next big thing?

We also get nerdy with data science, explaining why we’re shifting from percentiles to Z-scores for paddle metrics—and why that matters when RPM differences are small but clustered.

Finally, we wrap up with listener Q&A, paddle shape discussions, swing-weight variability, and how we stay sane while constantly demoing new paddles.

This one’s packed - nearly 2 hours long! Only the diehard will listen front to back.

🎧 Listen, learn, and nerd out with us.

Keywords / Topics Covered:

pickleball podcast, ALW paddle sponsor, foam pickleball paddles, 2026 pickleball predictions, paddle technology, spin testing, full foam paddles, Mark 02 R3, paddle durability, Z scores vs percentiles, pickleball gear news, pro pickleball contracts