New Year, New Rules
Members Meet Up at Local Community Center
When the weather is cold and snowy, that doesn't stop our members from playing Pickleball! Below is a picture of our members playing at Old Hickory Community Center on Tuesday night. See below picture of group and hours for Pickleball.
Up Your Game Brought To You By The Dink:
Head Down? Power Up!
At an intersection, there are always signs to know when the light will change. Catching a green light at the right time can feel like a cheat code.
When you're trying to advance from the baseline to the kitchen, there are also early indicators that it is safe to move forward.
One easy thing to look for is the opponent dropping their head to track at the ball. If you see their head tilt down to watch the ball bounce, you know the light is green. If their eyes are down, they obviously can't be focused on you.
Anna Leigh Waters sees Jay Devilliers drop his head and she stomps on the gas. Watch it here.
His head goes down and she sprints from the baseline to halfway through the transition zone setting herself up for an easy putaway. Devilliers turns back shaking his head like he's seen a ghost, muttering the French version of "How did she get there so fast?"
When you're trying to get back into a point, you can get a head start by watching for the opponent to look down.
This will usually happen only a spilt second before the ball bounces, but it provides the necessary window to gain ground on a questionable drop.
Get To Know Dinkville Member Rusti Quarles
Who are you? I’m originally from Colorado, moved to Nashville in March 2021 with my husband John and we really like it here. I’m 51 yrs old, a 3.5 player and when I’m not playing Pickleball, I’m traveling, reading, enjoying live entertainment and self-employed as a Health & Life Coach.
When did you start playing? I started playing in 2018 after some members of a group coaching program I ran kept talking about getting their fitness in by playing Pickleball. It intrigued me, so I asked some questions and then went on the hunt in my local area to find where to play. Been hooked ever since.
How did you join Dinkville? I heard about Dinkville through a GroupMe chat and loved the concept of being more connected with other PB enthusiasts, so I signed up early on.
What is your favorite shot? My favorite shot is surprising my opponents by running down a ball they think I can’t get to and winning the point.
What are your goals this year? I’m working on consistency most of all, especially with solid serves, deep returns and shot placement. As I’ve been coached by so many great players in the Nashville community - it’s all about placement over power to elevate your game and I’m thinking if I can become more consistent with that in mind, I’ll really level up.
What is your advice to new players? When I started playing Pickleball, I didn’t know anyone who played, so I took a few lessons and watched some beginner tutorial videos online before I joined open play. I’ve been athletic my whole life, but it helped me feel more comfortable stepping on the court when I went out to play with strangers. To me, it’s a good way to go if you’re brand new to the sport. And above all, remember this is a game and it’s meant to be fun, so be sure to keep a sense of humor about your game.
Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink:
2023 Rule Changes You Should Know
The official USA Pickleball Rulebook will see changes in 2023. Prepare to make a few adjustments to your game if any of the following are relevant to you:
No More Spin Serve: The one-handed spin serve previously allowed in 2022 is now illegal, as is any serve where the player adds spin prior to contact with the paddle. Ace victims rejoice.
Illegal Serves: Fault or Replay: Refs will have the option to call for a replay or fault in 2023. If they are unsure if a serve was illegal, they can call for a re-serve. If they are certain a serve was illegal, they have the option to call a fault.
More Time for Score Clarification: USA Pickleball is rolling this rule back to the 2021 version where players will have until the return of serve to stop the point for a score correction. If they stop the point but the correct score was called, it will result in a fault.
Fashion Adjustments: Your lucky neon green or highlighter yellow shirt might be out of commission for tournaments. Tournament directors can request a change in apparel if a player matches too closely with the ball color. This is to mitigate a potentially unfair advantage of the ball being camouflaged.
Equipment Time Outs: Previously, players needed to use up their regular gameplay timeouts before they could use an equipment timeout. This means that if there was an equipment issue, a regular timeout would be charged if it was still available. In 2023 the equipment timeouts are accessible even if regular timeouts remain.
For a full explanation of all of these rule changes, check out our guide here.
Nationals Revenge
One of the most fascinating matches of 2022 was the mixed doubles final at the USAP National Championships. Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns have been partners for all of the 2022 PPA Tour. At Nationals, however, Waters was paired up with Riley Newman and Johns with Catherine Parenteau.
The dynamic duo who had dominated the 2022 season would face off against each other in the finals. Waters and Newman won the match in shocking fashion, 11-3, 11-0, 11-3.
At the bubly Team Championships, Johns found a chance for a little revenge. He paired up with Jessie Irvine for a rematch against Waters/Newman.
The made-for-TV match was broadcast on NBC on Christmas Eve. Waters/Newman came out of the gate hot again, winning the first game 11-7. But Johns and Irvine rallied back to win games two and three to take the match.
Rumors started swirling after Nationals that Newman had passed Johns in doubles. In Vegas, Johns said hold the phone, hold my beer, and hold that take. Looks like a Waters/Johns vs Irvine/Newman is needed in 2023.
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Thanks,
Landon Hallam, Dinkville Commissioner, Landon@dinkville.com