Community Discord Was On Fire This Week: Leagues, Ladder Play, Dinkville Meet Ups, and Open Play
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Dinkville Spring Leagues are LIVE
15 Spring Leagues have begun across Tennessee as members have started connecting with their opponents to get their first match in. Leagues are a great way for members to play with/against different players in their skill level and grow our wonderful Pickleball Community! See pictures below from some week 1 league matches!
Dinkville Weekly Meet Ups Schedule
Want to start a weekly routine? Check out our Dinkville Weekly Meet Ups Schedule to join other members in a fun night of Open Play! Click here for Meet Ups Schedule Make sure you connect in our Community Discord to let members know where you're playing so there can be a nice group! Click here for Community Discord
Gallatin Ladder Plays Are Back
Another wonderful group of 16 members playing in a fun Ladder Event at Municipal Park in Gallatin, TN on Wednesday Night. This is a fun organized event where members move up/down a court if they win/lose and split partners. It forces members to play with different members and different skill levels to develop their skills. Look for the sign up link in the Community Discord!
Consistency Is Key
Columbia Pickleball Community might be small at the moment, but they are consistent! Neighborhood Captain Chet Hale has his community active weekly and picking up new members daily! Love to see the fun and joy of Pickleball growing in Columbia, TN!
Get To Know Your Dinkville Member Hanna Chandler
Who Are You? My name is Hanna Chandler and I moved to Nashville from Memphis about two years ago! I wish I was retired so I could play pickleball all day, but I instruct independent living skills to individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
When Did You Start Playing Pickleball? My mom introduced me to pickleball in 2020. She begged me to play with her group one Sunday afternoon (of course I made fun of her for playing “pickleball”) but agreed to play! Ever since then I became addicted! 😜
How Did You Get Started With Dinkville? My husband found out about Dinkville through others we’ve played pickleball with in the Nashville area.
Why Do You Love Pickleball? I love pickleball because it is a sport I can finally beat my competitive husband in!! It is just so much fun and enjoyable to play! The social aspect is another reason why I love playing - I’ve met so many great new friends through the sport. I also feel that it’s easy to pickup, even with no tennis background.
What is Your Favorite Shot? Any forehand shot!
What Are Your Goals This Year? My goals would be for me to actually listen to the score and not ask my partner “do you remember the score”, as well as to work on my backhand (just gave that away, so if I ever play anyone who reads this - please don’t go to my backhand.)
What Is Your Advice For New Players? My advice would be to always have fun and to surround yourself with positive players!
Up Your Game Brought To You By The Dink:
Make the Game More Difficult
Why aren’t you playing skinny singles yet? Sure, it’s not as fun as doubles, but it is an incredible to way to improve your game.
There’s no room to lean on or blame your partner. Just mano y mano, duking it out on half the court.
For those unfamiliar with skinny singles, it is an altered version of play where half of the court is deemed out of bounds.
There are a couple of different variations to skinny singles that can be used to mimic gameplay.
- In version one, the server moves based on their score and the returner stays put. So at 0-0 the point is played diagonally with both players using their respective right side (deuce side) of the court. At 1-0 the server moves to their left side and the point is played straight ahead.
- In the second version, neither player changes position. The whole game is played either diagonally or straight ahead. This version is great if you and your partner stack or you’d like to isolate specific scenarios.
If you’re just looking to kill time before the rest of your foursome arrives, try out version one. If you’re a tournament player that stacks with their partner, lean into version two.
What to work on?
Precision: half the court means twice as much precision is required. You don’t have the luxury of returning the serve to the middle of the court. The same goes for overheads, drives etc. You must pick your spot and actually hit it.
My favorite part of skinny singles is that it exposes weaknesses. There are fewer variables. No one else to blame. There is no guessing if your partner’s high dink caused you to lose the hands battle. It’s all on you.
No need for small talk the next time you’re waiting on Tina (who is perpetually late). Crank up some skinny singles and start getting better.
Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink:
APP Tour Moves into Mesa
Have you ever played pickleball with an NFL legend? Well, this weekend is your chance. If you’re playing pro men’s doubles you could find yourself lined up across the net from Larry Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald has partnered with Wes Burrows to take a crack at the pro game. We’re hoping number 11 has made strides since last year’s exhibition against Michael Phelps. It would be an unbelievable moment to have him medal in Mesa.
Parris Todd looks to start the year with three straight gold medal finishes. She is the favorite in a field that also includes Simone Jardim, Salome Devidze and Megan Fudge.
The APP Mesa Open stream will begin Saturday at 1pm MST on APPTV. A one-hour Championship Sunday recap special will air on CBS Sports Network on Monday at 9 pm ET.
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Thanks,
Landon Hallam