January 29, 2023 - Earlier this month, Selkirk Sport teamed up with the ultra popular Dude Perfect, a sports comedy group widely known for their viral “trick shot” videos, to offer pickleball programming onboard “Cruise Perfect”, an activity-packed voyage to the Bahamas. The journey concluded this past weekend after a trip packed with pickleball fun which included clinics, open play games, and a tournament featuring the Dudes themselves!
“We were thrilled to work with the Dudes to bring the best pickleball programming and equipment onboard Cruise Perfect,” said Mike Barnes, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Selkirk Sport. “Their interest in our sport and industry leading products is a testament to pickleball’s approachability and versatility as a perfect vacation activity.”
Selkirk provided all pickleball equipment necessary, including their premium pickleball paddles and balls, for long lasting fun onboard the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship. Experienced pickleball instructor and coach Mark Rennesson lead pickleball instruction on deck, teaching participants of all ages the basics of the sport. Novice and regular pickleballers alike combined to create an energetic, fun, and family friendly event on deck.
Next, the Selkirk team led a Pickleball Battle Royale for cruise guests, where participants competed for their share of prizes and pickleball glory. The winning partnership of the tournament, a father and son duo, took on the Dudes in a final exhibition. The Selkirk team also roamed the ship on the roundtrip voyage from Miami, FL, challenging guests to show off their best pickleball trick shots.
The Dudes, Tyler, Cody, Garret, Cory, and Coby, gained their fame with mind-boggling trick shot videos on YouTube. They continue to bring their humor, sports concepts, and athletic ability to massive audiences. They have since developed a Dude Perfect HQ facility in Frisco, Texas, where they shoot much of their content. After picking up paddles for the first time, the Dudes were bit by the pickleball bug and became passionate about the game. Thus, they built a court within their HQ and like so many others, enjoy playing the game recreationally.
The partnership between Selkirk Sport, pickleball’s leading paddle brand, and Dude Perfect, the viral YouTube standouts, serves as a testament to the rapid growth of the sport and an example of its easy entry for participants of all ages and skill levels. Pickleball continues to grow not only from coast to coast, but also across the sea as cruise lines have begun offering pickleball on deck as a great outdoor guest activity to combine exercise, fun, and socialization.
Dude Perfect, experts in entertainment, and Selkirk Sport, experts in pickleball, proved to be a winning combination to add to the outstanding guest experience onboard “Cruise Perfect”. Selkirk Sport continues the push as industry leaders to bring the great sport to new places, land or sea.
About Selkirk Sport
Selkirk Sport, manufacturer of pickleball paddles and accessories, is a family-owned and operated company based in Hayden, Idaho, located in the shadows of its namesake, the Selkirk mountain range. Founded in 2014, Selkirk Sport was born off a passion for sport, as well as the great western outdoor leisure lifestyle that was afforded to the Company’s founders, Rob and Mike Barnes, along with their father Jim, who is Selkirk’s production manager. Backed by the philosophy of always pushing the limits, Selkirk Sport is committed to manufacturing products that deliver the highest performance with unmatched quality and service. As part of their early success, Selkirk Sport was the very first Pickleball manufacturer to offer an unprecedented lifetime warranty on its high-performance products. And, to meet the demands of the game’s premier professionals, the Company developed low-profile edgeguards that are lightweight and extremely durable. Selkirk Sport has become one of the industry’s fastest growing companies with paddles used by many of the game’s premier players, such as Tyson McGuffin, Parris Todd, Dylan Frazier, Mary Brascia, Maggie Brascia, Wesley Gabrielsen, Cammy MacGregor, and a host of others who are premier players and national/regional champions.
