Brooke’s Journey Through the Inaugural Season of the US Legends Pro Pickleball League

2025 marked the inaugural season of the US Legends Pickleball League (USLPL)—a senior pro league featuring 12 teams, each with 14 players (7 men and 7 women), for a total of 168 athletes. Teams competed in four showdowns from September 2025 through January 2026.

Brooke’s Invitation to the Florida Royals

In July, Brooke was invited to join the Florida Royals, based in Naples, Florida, as a protected player. After several conversations with the team’s owners about the league structure, competition format, and location of the showdowns, Brooke accepted the offer and committed to helping the Royals make their mark in the league’s first season.

About the Florida Royals

The Florida Royals are Naples’ premier senior pro pickleball team, founded and owned by three dynamic entrepreneurs:

• Chris Beale

• Dean Packard

• Oto Hlincik

Together, they created a team built on excellence, entertainment, and community pride. Following the August Combine and Draft, Brooke joined 13 other exceptional athletes on the season roster.

2025 Florida Royals Roster

• Trish Brown

• Katie Carpenter

• Randy Halfpap

• William Harmuth

• Oto Hlincik

• Jeff Howell

• Jonra Jacoby

• Alejandro Massuet

• Dean Packard

• Wendy Peay

• Brooke Peters

• Sherry Scheer

• Carolyn Weed

• Ross Weinberg

About the League

The USLPL’s 12 ownership groups include nearly two dozen senior pro athletes—some of whom are also actors, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and community leaders dedicated to growing the sport. Many have earned multiple medals at major tournaments such as:

• The Minto U.S. Open

• USA Pickleball Nationals

• The Senior Games

• International competitions (Irish Open, Thailand Open, Rome Open)

  
  

USLPL Teams

• Boston Dragons

• Buffalo Blizzards

• DelRays (Delray Beach & Boynton Beach, FL)

• DMV Picklers

• Florida Royals

• Florida Storm

• Jersey Shore Shots

• Northern Virginia SuperNovas

• NYC Ballers

• Richmond Rocketeers

• Roanoke Shine

• Villages Heat

Teams compete for a championship trophy and prize money.

League Format

Each team is organized into three pods (A, B, C)—each containing 2 men and 2 women. Certain age requirements also apply for 60+ players. Pods compete in:

• Men’s Doubles

• Women’s Doubles

• Mixed Doubles

Each pod plays 4 matches, creating 12 matches total between teams. All matches are best of 3, to 11, win by 1.A team must win 7 of 12 to claim the match.

If teams are tied 6–6, the winner is decided by a Dream Breaker:A skinny‑singles race to 25, with players rotating every 3 points.

Showdown Locations

• Indianapolis, IN – The Picklr (September)

• Hatboro, PA – Dill Dinkers (October)

• Baltimore, MD – Bounce Pickleball (December)

• Robbinsville, NJ – Pickle House (January)

  
  

Season Summary: Florida Royals

Showdown #1 – Indianapolis (September)

Record: 3–1

• Defeated Jersey Shore Shots (9–3)

• Defeated Richmond Rocketeers (7–5)

• Defeated Buffalo Blizzards (9–3)

• Lost to NYC Ballers (4–8)

Showdown #2 – Hatboro (October)

Record: 3–1

• Defeated Roanoke Shine (7–5)

• Defeated SuperNovas (8–4)

• Defeated Villages Heat (8–4)

• Lost to DelRays (5–7)

Standing: Royals climbed to 2nd overall.

Showdown #3 – Baltimore (December)

Record: 2–1

• Defeated Boston Dragons (8–4)

• Defeated Florida Storm in a Dream Breaker (7–6)

• Lost to DMV Picklers (3–9)

By the end of this showdown, the Royals were seeded 3rd heading into the Championship.

Brooke herself ranked 9th overall out of 168 players heading into Championship Weekend—a tremendous accomplishment!

USLPL Championships (January 10–11, 2026)

Twelve teams competed in the inaugural Championship. The top four teams received first‑round byes. The Florida Royals were among them.

Quarterfinals

Buffalo Blizzards defeated Florida Storm in the opening round, advancing to face the Royals.

• Royals defeated the Blizzards 9–3 to move into the Semifinals.

Semifinals

• Royals defeated the NYC Ballers 7–5 to advance to the Championship Match.

Championship Match vs. The DelRays

Brooke delivered outstanding performances—winning every match she played in straight games in both Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.

After all matches were completed, the teams were tied 6–6, forcing a Dream Breaker.

Dream Breaker Highlights

• Brooke opened the rotation and secured the first 3 points, putting the Royals up 3–0.

• Oto added the next 3 points—Royals led 6–0.

• The DelRays fought their way back, taking the lead 21–17.

• Brooke returned and won all 3 of her points, tightening the score to 20–21.

Ultimately, the DelRays reached 25 first, winning the Championship.However, the Royals finished with a Silver Medal and a well‑earned cash prize.

Final Thoughts

It was an incredible season traveling and watching Brooke compete at the highest level of Senior Pro pickleball. The level of play was exceptional, and Brooke consistently rose to the top all year.

I’m incredibly proud of her and excited to see what 2026 brings!

Watch the Matches

All matches are available on the USLPL YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@USLPL/streams

Learn More About the League

Visit the USLPL website for standings, schedules, and news.