Join Us for a Charity Pickleball Tournament May 2-4 at Veterans Park!
Dinkville is proud to be sponsored by Selkirk, and we highly recommend their exceptional products and strong commitment to the future of pickleball. Please check out their site HERE and use code ADV-LHALLAM at Checkout to receive a FREE GIFT from Selkirk!
Hey Dinkville Community,
We’re thrilled to announce an exciting Charity Pickleball Tournament happening May 2nd–4th at Veterans Park in Hendersonville, TN! This special event will support Mary’s Magical Place, helping to continue growing this incredible park that brings joy to so many in our community.
Tournament Details:
🎾 Friday, May 2nd: Senior Brackets (50+) & Open Singles (Evening)
🎾 Saturday, May 3rd: Women’s & Men’s Brackets
🎾 Sunday, May 4th: Mixed Brackets
Why You Don’t Want to Miss This:
✅ Free T-shirt for everyone who signs up before April 1st
✅ Exciting giveaways – paddles, bags, merch & more!
✅ Fun for all skill levels and ages – bring your A-game and your friends!
✅ DUPR Recorded games to help players get rating!
✅ Only $60 per person – a great time for a great cause
We’re dedicated to making this a top-tier event with an incredible experience for all players. Grab your spot, enjoy some competitive play, and help us support an amazing cause!
Sign Up for the Youth Academy at Pickleball Kingdom – Limited Spots Available!
We’ve got an amazing opportunity for young players to learn from the best! Join us for the Pickleball Kingdom Youth Academy from March 10th–14th, where kids will be coached by none other than Stephanie Lane (the Queen of Pickleball) and Kenda West!
Camp Details:
📅 Dates: March 10th–14th
📍 Location: Pickleball Kingdom
👦 Ages 8–11: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
👧 Ages 12–16: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
💰 Cost: $250 per child (limited spots available)
This is the ultimate opportunity for kids to learn from two of the best in Nashville, develop their skills, and have an absolute blast on the courts! If they’re interested in pickleball, this is the best way to start.
Spots are filling up fast, so sign up today to secure your child’s place!
Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink
Up Your Game
Defend Against Speed-Ups
How well do you know your pickleball opponents? If you’re playing with the same group every week then chances are you know their game better than your own kids. Heck, after a full best-of-three match it’s pretty common to pick up on a player’s tendencies.
So how do you use that to your advantage? When you see an attack coming, adjust your position and prepare for the perfect counter. A new video from the Pickleball Playbook shows us how.
Shift Your Body - The paddle side hip and shoulder are common attack targets in pickleball. If you think the ball is headed in that direction, you can improve your position by shifting a step to the left or right.
Open Your Paddle - After shifting you’re pot-committed to a forehand or backhand (depending on which direction you shifted). Turn your paddle to the side so that the face is looking at your opponent, this will save you much-needed time if they're speeding up at you.
Now their would-be attack is headed straight for your paddle. Slap a counter at their feet and give them a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag as you head back to the baseline.
MLP Team Cuts Their ENTIRE Roster
There’s never been an MLP offseason quite like this. Four franchises moved up from the Challenger Level to the Premier Level, and on Sunday, teams were forced to decide how many players to keep (and pay the price) and how many players to drop (and leave things to chance in the draft).
New Year, New York
The most shocking result came from the New York Hustlers who decided to wipe the slate clean. They were required to drop Susannah Barr then chose to drop Jack Sock, Lea Jansen, and newly acquired Riley Newman.
They’re not the only ones with an empty roster, the Chicago Slice dropped their four players for various reasons and will be busy on draft day filling a roster of six.
Big Names on the Block
There are big names up for grabs when the Premier level drafts on May 2nd. It was a bit surprising to see the St Louis Shock let go of one of the most improved players from 2024, Kate Fahey.
Other top names dropped by teams include James Ignatowich, Quang Duong, Vivienne David, Callie Smith, and more.
See who your favorite team dropped and find out who might be replacing them here.
Mesa Means More
It’s hard to believe that it’s been six years since the PPA Tour hosted their first tournament in Mesa. Now the tour is back and celebrating Mesa in a big way with a ‘Cup’ level event rewarding 1500 points to gold medalists and warranting a progressive draw format.
New Paddle, Who Dis?
After an uncharacteristic loss in Tucson, Federico Staksrud has made the surprising decision to play with his old JOOLA paddle despite signing a new sponsorship deal with Adidas. Fed is still dripping in Adidas gear but might be holding off until his signature paddle is ready to debut.
The Stars Return
Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters return to all three categories in Mesa, which is bad news for the competition. Fans will get to see the long-awaited debut of the Ben Johns/Gabe Tardio partnership that could be dominant in 2025.
Gabe had an early exit in singles thanks to Aussie Tom Evans. Evans is the one who upset No. 1 ranked Federico Staksrud in Tucson, you can catch him on a new PicklePod tomorrow morning.
Can He Do It Again?
Our guy Erik Tice is predicting another title from Hunter Johnson on Championship Sunday despite the loaded men’s singles field. Can he go back-to-back in Mesa?
Top Matches to Watch Today
MS: (15) Gabriel Joseph vs (20) Donald Young
WS: (11) Cami Blake vs (19) Helena Jansen
MXD: (14) Kate Fahey/Dylan Frazier vs (23) Connor Garnett/Brooke Buckner
MD: (12) CJ Klinger/Quang Duong vs (24) Jack Sock/Eric Roddy
WD: (5) Allyce Jones/Callie Smith vs (25) Michelle Esquivel/Olivia McMillan
Catch the full preview of the event including predictions for each category here. Tune into the action on PickleballTV starting at 1 pm ET.
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Thank you,
Landon Hallam
Dinkville Founder/CEO