Behind the Brand
Stitch and the Story Behind High Roller
From a remembered racquet to four gold stitches: meet Stitch and the personal details connecting High Roller paddle, collection, and community.
We started working on High Roller in 2022. We wanted a paddle with a DOPE design signature: that reflective, metallic finish outline. Getting the look right meant late-night calls with manufacturers and round after round of samples. Stitch even sold furniture to help fund the work. We kept coming back to the same idea: make something that looked like DOPE.
On August 1, 2024, we launched. Our first 150 paddles sold out within two weeks. After two years of work, players were choosing the High Roller look for themselves. For us, those two weeks made the wait worth it.
Then came the approval dispute. On October 1, 2024, USA Pickleball’s equipment committee told us its reflection rule extended to the paddle edge. It cited a potential “distraction” and said our finish would not be allowed. We pushed back: what evidence supported that restriction, and where was the clear standard for a brand that had already spent years developing its design?
In January 2025, the equipment manual explicitly named paddle edges in the reflection rule. The 80-gloss-unit limit already existed for hitting surfaces; the update made its application to edges explicit. To us, that was more than a technical footnote. Independent makers need clear guidance before investing years in a product.
The Super Bowl moment began with a last-minute request: get five more High Roller paddles to a commercial shoot. We sent them by overnight courier. In February 2025, there they were in Michelob Ultra’s Super Bowl ad campaign. The DOPE design we had worked to bring into the world was on a national stage. The approval dispute was still unresolved.
Franklin’s C45 raised another question for us. Here was an established USAP sponsor with a metallic-looking paddle edge and an approval outcome different from ours. In April, we asked USAP to explain. Its April 26 reply said Franklin’s original reflective finish had also been rejected, and a revised matte finish was accepted. It said electroplating itself was not prohibited. That answer did not settle our concern about whether independent brands receive the same clear guidance as established sponsors.
On July 6, 2025, Stitch took the story public in a five-post thread. We wanted people to see the sequence and understand why we were challenging the process. We still believe the bureaucracy owes players and independent makers clear rules, equal treatment, and evidence behind restrictions.
High Roller brings a little court-side luxury to a design with a story behind it. A statement piece. A conversation starter. Buying DOPE supports an independent brand standing behind its design identity and your right to bring your own style to the court.
High Roller is not USA Pickleball approved for sanctioned tournament play. For recreational play, check your venue’s equipment rules.
Read Stitch’s five-post thread Read the published rule Read the Super Bowl story in Forbes
Stitch and the Story Behind High Roller
From a remembered racquet to four gold stitches: meet Stitch and the personal details connecting High Roller paddle, collection, and community.