Active Summer of Pickleball; Beginners Clinics, League Play, Tournaments, Open Play, and More!
Want to get connected with your local Pickleball Community? Click here to become a Dinkville member for free and start dinkin' today!
150+ Players Already Signed Up For the Dinkville Anniversary Tournament on July 15-16. Sign Up Today!
Join us for Dinkville's first Anniversary Tournament July 15-16 at Municipal Park in Gallatin, TN. Men and Women Brackets on Saturday July 15th; Mixed and Singles Brackets on Sunday July 16th. Each team will be guaranteed 4 Games and a Tournament T-Shirt! All levels are welcome so find a partner and come on out for a fun summer weekend of Pickleball! If you need help finding a partner please make sure to jump in our Community Discord! Sign Up Today Here
Geodis Park Summer Fest June 23-25th
Geodis Park is hosting Summer Fest on June 23-25 and Dinkville is partnering with them to help run the Pickleball Courts for the event! Friday Night June 23rd starts off with the 21+ Older Kickoff Party that includes Open Play Pickleball Courts, Live DJ, Fully Stocked Bar, and Prizes! Then Sunday June 25th is a family day with Open Play Pickleball Courts, Live Music, Stadium Tours, Kid's Zone activities, Corn Hole, and Prizes! Buy Your Tickets HERE and Come See Kaitlin Miller and Other Dinkville Members!
Leagues are Filling up Fast so sign up Today!
Dinkville is partnering with DUPR for Summer Leagues starting July 10th-August 14th in Nashville, Hendersonville-Gallatin, Mount Juliet, and Murfreesboro.
$20 Per Person Per Bracket. Sign up with or without Partner
4 matchups in 5 weeks vs Opponents in your skill level (Play all matchups in 1 week or spread it out throughout the 5 week window)
Play Anywhere, Anytime that works with your opponent
Schedule, Scores, Standings all processed through DUPR
Gallatin-Hendersonville https://mydupr.com/dashboard/club/8440837764/event/5425518591/info
Mount Juliet https://mydupr.com/dashboard/club/8440837764/event/4751027635/info
Murfreesboro https://mydupr.com/dashboard/club/8440837764/event/4533090548/info
Nashville https://mydupr.com/dashboard/club/8440837764/event/8219689614/info
Richland Park Saturday Morning Was Dinkin'
Richland Park in downtown Nashville had up to 75+ players on 8 courts. All skill levels welcome as the paddle system sets up games for everyone to play their respected competition. After hours of Pickleball, members went across the street to Streetcar for a nice Dinkville Special lunch. Thank you so much to Seth and Kristina Stricker and Mike Boey for making this day special for everyone! Check out the below video from Saturday created by our Dinkville member Jared Collier.
Playing Pickleball and supporting a wonderful Cause, Sign Me Up!
Our friends over at Christmas4Kids are having a Pickleball Tournament on July 22nd and 23rd! Sign up today and enjoy a fun weekend of Pickleball supporting a wonderful cause! Sign Up HERE
Up Your Game Brought To You By The Dink
Stealing from Tennis
Tennis is a gateway drug…to pickle. All the skills players learn on the big court come in handy when they reach the big leagues of pickleball.
One of the highest ranking converts is former #29 WTA-ranked player, and current pb pro, Tina Pisnik.
One of Pisnik's lessons caught our eye as a potential crossover to pickleball. This forehand drill looks awfully similar to an NVZ forehand roll.
A long backswing is a bad habit that is carried over from tennis. The drill is crucial for pickleball because it stresses a short backswing.
Some pros recommend that your paddle and elbow stay out in front when at the kitchen. Using the net like this helps enforce that boundary and prevents a big wind-up.
- It also helps players generate power and topspin with two feet planted like you would at the NVZ.
On a baseline groundstroke, you would step into your shot and create power with your legs. On roll volleys, that’s not possible. There is nowhere to step.
It’s a little awkward but will help build muscle memory for your forehand roll. Sacrifice looking silly in practice to earn more dubs on the court.
Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink
Super Final, Super Surprises
The back-to-back champ, heavily favored Seattle Pioneers rolled into Monday night’s Super Final looking infallible. Most of the pickleball world pegged them as the clear-cut favorite for the Season 1 title.
Their opponents, the LA Mad Drops, were Champions back in Mesa but were booted from the last two events in the semi and quarterfinals. Most believed their only chance was to split the doubles games and hope for a Dreambreaker.
Against all predictions, the Mad Drops charged into the Super Final with no signs of being the underdog.
Catherine Parenteau and Irina Tereschenko demolished the Pioneers in women's doubles 21-6.
Ben Johns and Tyler Loong were expected to bounce back and even the score in men's doubles. But Julian Arnold and Thomas Wilson kept the game close and found a few perfect drives in crunch time to steal the win 21-19.
With their backs against the wall, the Pioneers sent out Johns and Etta Wright to try to stay alive in the match. Send out the GOAT to secure an easy win anc create some momentum, right? Wrong. Catherine Parenteau and Julian Arnold gave the Pioneers nothing to work with and played a nearly perfect game.
They closed the game and ended the Pioneers’ run with a 21-17 victory. It was a clean 3-0 sweep for the underdogs. The LA Mad Drops are season one Champions and left San Clemente with a team prize of $240k.
Earlier in the day, the Challenger Level Chicago Slice completed an upset of their own. The Slice found themselves seemingly outmatched against the singles prowess of the Bay Area Breakers in a Dreambreaker.
Down 17-15, Connor Garnett and Ryler DeHeart rattled off 7 straight points to win the title for the Slice 21-17.
Following this event, the rosters are erased and the teams will swap from Premier to the Challenger Level. All teams will draft new rosters in July ahead of season two in the second half of this year.
Your Next Pickleball Vacation, Sorted
Few large media entities have taken advantage of pickleball’s growth like The Washington Post.
There was that awful opinion piece earlier this year (we dissected it here). And who could forget that time they tried to say pickleball isn’t good exercise?
A new, more productive story (link, paywall) takes a look at the emerging pickleball tourism industry, outlining some of the ways players can merge travel with play time.
We’ve added a couple destinations to their list:
- Margaritaville: The resort is planning to add courts to all of their properties.
- Holland America: The cruise line currently has at least one court on every ship in its fleet (they aren’t the only line to prioritize pickleball though, learn more here).
- Doubletree Hilton, Sonoma, CA: Oenophiles (yes, we googled the word for ‘wine lover’) can get ‘pickle & pinot’ at this property.
- West Hollywood, CA: For more of a glamorous, disco-themed pickleball experience in Cali, then the Kimpton La Peer hotel is for you. For a $150/90-minute session, you get complimentary lunch and drinks, plus no fees on weekdays.
- Cancun, Mexico: Destination Pickleball hand-picked the best resorts in the area and arranged for dedicated courts to be installed.
- Cuba: A unique blend of humanitarian work and pickleball appreciation allows Americans the rare opportunity to soak in Cuban culture.
Of course, you can always find a less-expensive place to stay by scoping out some Airbnbs with pickleball courts. But the above destinations definitely stand as contenders for my next vacation.
APP’s Record
Next week’s APP Newport Beach Open will be a record-breaker.
Over 1,400 registrants, including 1,100 amateurs, signifies that this will be the largest event in APP history.
The event will be held June 28-July 3 at the Tennis and Pickleball Club in Newport Beach.
Click here to learn more about the event & how to buy tickets.
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Landon Hallam