A 167-pound professional paddle testing machine, the Pickle Press, worth $60,000, went missing in the US. It was supposed to travel to last weekend's MLP Phoenix event. It was last seen loaded onto a truck at the end of the Major League Pickleball (MLP) Austin event. The police are on the hunt for the costly tool. But the question is, who would steal the Pickle Press—a large black case full of pickleball paddle testing equipment—in the first place?

It disappeared after being loaded into a truck in Austin, and since then, it has vanished from the moving truck.

The Pickle Press is a paddle testing machine developed by Pickle Pro Labs and used by the United Pickleball Association (UPA) America for onsite testing at their professional events, including the PPA Tour and MLP. It remains unknown what led to the theft.

The crew packed up the truck on May 27 at the Austin Pickle Ranch. It was supposed to depart for Mesa, Arizona, the following morning. Overnight, the equipment was stolen.

The Pickle Press is stored in a black, heavy-duty protective case that measures 19 inches long, 10 inches wide, and 30 inches high. It weighs 167 pounds.

An FIR was filed with Austin Police, who are on the lookout for the Pickle Press, but they have not yet found any clues.

So, with the press now stolen, how will the UPA-A conduct its testing at events?

Pickle Pro Labs has three machines at its disposal. One stays at their lab at all times, and the third will now be deployed to MLP Daytona and subsequent UPA events to continue regularly scheduled onsite testing.

These machines were rolled out by the UPA-A as a paddle testing protocol earlier this year. All players have to take their paddles through this machine to get them approved before the start of MLP and PPA Tour events. UPA-A also issues certification. During an event, players can challenge a paddle, which then needs to go through the test.