MLP MVP Joins Dinkville
Dinkville Members Attend Nationals
We had a couple Dinkville members travel out to Indian Wells, CA to compete in the 2022 USA Pickleball National Championship. Dinkville member Alex Tran partnered with Cam Gilliam and competed in the Men's 3.5 19+. They made it to the championship game and battled for Gold but ended up falling in 3 games and taking Silver. Awesome performance from them! See pic below
Dinkville member Tim Smith and Katherine Wei played in the 3.5 60+ and finished 5th out of 45 teams! Huge accomplishment and success to make it that far! Great job guys! See pictures below
MLP MVP Lee Whitwell Supports Dinkville
First of all, what a joy it was to talk to Lee (and Munchkin) and learn more about her as a person and of course talk Pickleball! She has such a fun personality that fits perfectly with the Dinkville Culture so I was very excited to connect with her! Get to know Lee better by following her on Instagram @Ladygibraltar Lee represents DUPR and ideally we want to get all Dinkville members a DUPR account so we can provide the most accurate rating system for our Community. We also brainstormed some fun ideas and have some cool events that are planned for Nashville in 2023! Stay tuned as more announcements coming soon!!!
Get to Know Our Members Mike and Joyce Dowd
Who are you? Joyce & Mike Dowd from Hendersonville & Winter Springs FL.
When did you start playing pickleball? about 3.5 yrs ago How did you get started with Dinkville? Through the locals! What a great site to connect to so many more groups!
Why do you love pickleball? It's a great way to get exercise and meet a lot of interesting people! Even when travelling!
What’s your favorite shot in Pickleball? Swing volley! Mike's is the drive down the line!
What’s your goals this year in pickleball? Advancing to the next level and feeling confident in my shots.
What’s your advice to new players? Just get in the game! Everyone has to start somewhere and the time is NOW! Pickleball is a very accessible & welcoming sport for all ages & all levels!
Up Your Game Brought To You By The Dink:
Stop Standing Like The Tin Man
Your stance at NVZ is everything. It dictates the effectiveness of your dinks and defense, and your attacks and counters.
It's common for players to narrow their stance and stiffen in anticipation of, or in reaction to, a quick volley or speedup. In the midst of play, you tighten up. Don't let that happen.
“[When my feet come together], I call it tin man, I just can't move,” says pro Callie Smith on Instagram. Once you straighten up your stance, you're a sitting duck. A narrower stance means less mobility. You're more likely to be forced off the line, you're less likely to avoid a body-bag, you're less able to react to a lob (or even a short dink) and the list goes on.
It's especially common in tournament play or competitive matches. We all do it - we stiffen up and play tight. Half of the battle is maintaining the presence of mind to stay relaxed and play loose.
Focus on widening your stance (but not too wide) with your knees bent so you can shift, sidestep, reach, and turn, while remaining balanced. Think Floyd 'Money' Mayweather in the ring. Light on your feet but also fluid with your upper body. Be a metaphorical wall, not a literal one.
Observe:
Try this. Watch the women pros, they are especially good at it: between points, they often bounce on their toes a few times before settling into a wide, low stance with bent knees. They sway laterally a couple of times. It's a mental and physical reset that forces you to assume a relaxed, but athletic stance before the next rally commences.
Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink:
USAP National Championships Results
Record Breaking Nationals Attendance
The USA Pickleball National Championships boasted a record-breaking 5,522 fans in attendance for Championship Sunday. The massive bleachers were packed, each rally consumed the crowd's attention, and the result was one of the most iconic scenes in pickleball to date.
Fans of Anna Leigh Waters witnessed another triple crown performance. Singles went as expected: Waters won over Lea Jansen 11-5, 11-7, 11-6.
In women's doubles, it was Catherine Parenteau filling in for the injured Leigh Waters (more on that below), pairing with ALW for gold.
To complete the triple crown, Waters and Riley Newman showed up with one of the most impressive displays in pickleball history. They played aggressively, treating two of the best players in the world, Ben Johns and Parenteau, like a couple of 4.0s.
Newman/Waters played lights out, winning 11-3, 11-0, 11-3. They touched paddles and walked away within half an hour. Was this some of the best pickleball we have ever seen? It was an absolutely dominating performance, and it's not as if Parenteau or Johns were having a bad tournament; each had already secured a gold in gender doubles.
And it's not that Anna Leigh Waters has been overshadowed, but it is true that the GOAT (greatest of all time) conversation typically revolves around Ben Johns. Is it time to start using more goat emojis when we mention Anna Leigh? Our answer: yup.
Of course, ALW's mixed gold meant Ben missed out on his. Johns collected two golds of his own though, winning straight games over Julian Arnold in the singles final and double-dipping JW Johnson & Dekel Bar for gold alongside brother Collin.
Partner Controversy
What would Nationals be without a little drama? Last year it was the vaccine requirement making headlines, this year it was a partner controversy.
Leigh Waters sustained a leg injury in mixed doubles on Friday. This left ALW partnerless for women's dubs.
Catherine Parenteau, who was scheduled to play with Allyce Jones, called a last-minute audible to make a title run with ALW...kicking Jones to the proverbial curb.
The move from Parenteau was not met kindly across social media. She and USA Pickleball were called out for leaving Allyce Jones partnerless and unable to compete, while showing favoritism to other pros.
"Oh well, not the first time or the last time that happened. Let's just remember - loyalty and integrity are more important than some medals. I know who I'm cheering for tomorrow" - Lucy Kovalova on IG
"This is bad on USAP - gross" - Andrea Koop on FB
Allyce Jones took to IG to share her thoughts on the matter: "USA pickleball needs to stop showing favoritism to some pros with registration to this tournament. It needs to be fair across the board."
Jones' usual partner Meghan Dizon missed the registration deadline, and USA Pickleball wouldn't budge and allow a late entry. Parenteau contacted Jones a few days prior to play, and the two decided to pair. But when Parenteau wanted to make a last minute switch to ALW, USA Pickleball was willing to budge. USA Pickleball appeared to be selective with their accommodations.
Business decisions were made, and technically, no rules were broken. For USAP, ALW takes priority. For CP, a shot at gold is what matters. But was it worth the backlash?
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Thanks,
Landon Hallam, Dinkville Commissioner, Landon@dinkville.com