Build It and They Will Come
Crowd Gathers for Grand Opening
Saturday November 19th was the Grand Opening of the new Pickleball Courts at Sgt. Jerry Mundy Sports-Plex in Mt. Juliet, TN. 100+ Pickleball Players showed up for the cutting of the ribbon and to play some games! Get connected today and Join our Dinkville Community to start chatting with local players in your area! Click here to Join
Get To Know Your Dinkville Member Kenneth Merriweather
1. Who Are you? Kenneth Merriweather, Attorney by day and pickleball player by night.
2. When Did You Start Playing Pickleball? September 2021
3. Why Do You Love Pickleball? The social aspect. You are able to meet so many people with different backgrounds and life stories. And just about everyone can play the game and mold the game to their style of play.
4. What is your favorite shot? Probably my backhand roll volley. It can be a little deceiving.
5. What are your goals for 2023? To get better everyday and to help those I play with and teach to maximize their abilities. Also, play in a few more tournaments.
6. What is your advice to new players? Stay balanced on the court and in life. (Stay ready, stay in position, and, most importantly, stay calm & remain patient.)
Up Your Game Brought To You By The Dink:
Don't Get Iced
Timeout. Sit down, take a drink, and rest. Or, better yet, don't do any of that.
Pickle is a game of streaks. Momentum alone can win you a game and one of the few tools pickleballers have to halt momentum is the timeout.
If your opponent calls one, they're trying to break your momentum. Don't let them. One of the best ways to stay in the zone is to literally stay in the zone. Stay on the court. Don't sit down and tell your body the job is done when it isn't.
It's easy to lose your touch during a timeout. We've seen it a hundred times: a team is hot entering a TO then loses 3 or 4 points in a row.
So instead of leaving the court, grab the ball and volley with your partner during the timeout. This keeps your game sharp and probably demoralizes your opponent.
If you need a drink and a rest, by all means, take it. But if you're up by 8 points and almost have it in the bag, collect those last few points and wash the victory down with some water after the game. No one wants to tell the story of how they were up 10-0 and lost 12-10.
On the flip-side, we'll pose a question: why are there far more timeouts in pro matches than in amateur matches? Pros know the power of the timeout. So be like them and harness that power, too.
Today In Pickleball Brought To You By The Dink:
Court is in Session
Full-time attorney Andrea Koop laid down the law at the Takeya Showcase. Koop and associates teamed up for two gold medals yesterday. She represented herself well, winning her first PPA Tour medal in mixed doubles with AJ Koller.
After changing her flight to compete with Koller Sunday, Koop decided to make the most of it and snag another gold medal with Vivienne David in women's doubles.
Veteran of the game Irina Tereschenko and new PPA Tour signee Etta Wright made an unexpected run from the eight seed to the women's final. They upset the draw's top seed Lucy Kovalova/Callie Smith in addition to Anna Bright/Parris Todd. Look out for Wright/Tereschenko if you see them in 2023.
Catherine Parenteau has struggled with Salome Devidze for most of 2022...but she won in dramatic fashion in yesterday's women's singles final. Down 6-0 in game 3, Parenteau used the side change to her advantage and rallied back for the 12-10 win.
Matt Wright and Riley Newman were victorious in their latest bout with the Johns brothers. They hold the title entering the final stop for 2022 in Orlando.
Ben Johns secured the men's singles season title with a win over Tyson McGuffin. McGuffin displayed his frustration with a Bo Jackson-esque paddle smash over his quad. Johns is slotted to finish #1 in the PPA rankings for men's singles and doubles.
Changing my Major to Pickleball
The first ever DUPR Collegiate National Championships took place in Dripping Springs, TX over the weekend. Sixteen universities from across the nation competed in the MLP-style tournament for a grand prize of $10,000. That's a lot of a beer money.
The University of North Carolina squared off against Utah Tech in the tournament's championship match on Saturday. UNC drew first blood with a win in women's doubles. Utah Tech answered with a men's doubles victory.
Ultimately it was the 21-19 mixed doubles victory in game four that gave UNC the win and the title as National Champions. Congratulations Sarah Carpenter, Caitlin Lewis, Hunter Boyd and Collin Schick.
The World Pickleball Tour is bringing the camp experience to a whole new level.
From February 13-16, 2023, celebrity coach Matt Manasse and the WPT team are inviting guests to the coast of Mexico for the first in a series of extraordinary experiences that have been meticulously designed for those who share our love for the sport.
This luxury tourism opportunity features a 4 day, 3 night stay hosted at the Esperanza, a seaside resort nestled into Cabo’s Punta Ballena coastline in Los Cabos, Mexico, and will be jam-packed with a top-class Pickleball camp, excursion opportunities, beach lounging, fine dining, private happy hours, and more.
PPA Takeya Showcase Results
APP World Pickleball Open
Like this content? See more at The Dink Newsletter Here
Forward this email or share this link Dinkville with anyone who wants to join our community of members.
As always, say hi anytime! Just reply to this email or sign up for the newsletter!
Thanks,
Landon Hallam, Dinkville Commissioner, Landon@dinkville.com