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Dinkville Pickleball Tournament at Peay Park October 7th-8th. Sign Up Today!
Rachel's Garden Charity Pickleball Tournament is scheduled for October 7th-8th at Peay Park in Goodlettsville, TN. This is Peay Park's first Pickleball Tournament and is welcome to all skill levels from Beginners-Advanced. Find yourself a partner and sign up today here. More Information about Rachel's Garden Foundation click here.
Dinkville Members Represent Proudly at Senior Olympics in Chattanooga, TN
Tennessee Senior Olympics was located at Chattanooga Convention Center on indoor concrete courts on August 10-13. Multiple Dinkville members made the trip to compete and brought home some medals for their efforts. See below list of all the medal winners from the Tennessee Senior Olympics.
Gold Women's Doubles 50-54 3.5-4.0- Jennifer Wilson and Darolyn Praskach
Gold Men's Doubles 60-64 3.5-4.0- Rocco Marrandino and Rod Sutch
Gold Men's Doubles 4.0- John Obrien and Paul Read
Silver Mixed Doubles 65-69 3.0-3.5- Doug Praskach and Cathie Weaver
Silver Women's Doubles 70+ 3.0-3.5- Beverly Barron and Cathie Weaver
Bronze Mixed Doubles 50-54 3.5-4.0- Rocco Marrandino and Darolyn Praskach
Bronze Mixed Doubles 70+ 3.0- Beverly Barron and Partner
Life Is Better With Friends and Pickleball
Pickleball is the best community sport in the world and it truly shows in our local communities. Dinkville members in Gallatin have grown to become wonderful friends from meeting each other on the courts. This game brings everyone together from all different backgrounds which makes our community so special! Get connected today by signing up here.
Get To Know Dinkville Member Matt Franklin
Who are you? My name is Matt Franklin. I work for Comcast and enjoy anything sports related!
When did you start playing? 2017 but I stopped playing for a while when Covid started. Just recently getting back into it!
How did you join Dinkville? Chris Taylor invited me
Why do you love Pickleball? Keeps me active and meeting new people!
What is your favorite shot? Down the line shot
What are your goals this year? Continue to get better and be more successful at the dink net play
What's your advice for new players? Don't get aggravated at the beginning. It takes time and practice!
Up Your Game
Hit ‘em With the Change-Up
It's tough to bury a ball in the summer heat. The hard plastic turns to mush when temps near triple digits.
You can swing at overheads like John Henry driving a nail, but these days it seems like every ball is coming back.
While you've got the other team on the ropes, it can be a good idea to mix in a change-up. Throw an off-speed attack that emphasizes placement over power.
- Picture this: you've pushed them off the line and are forcing pop-ups.
- While resetting overheads they are in a defensive posture, ready to block the ball.
- They use the momentum of your shot to push the ball back over the net.
After two or three go for broke smashes, try slowing down the pace and putting a ball directly at their ankles.
Instead of just blocking the ball, they'll be forced to generate the pace, something that is tough to do while on defense.
Catch them on their heels and end the point without breaking a sweat.
Today In Pickleball
Calling All Billionaires
Look, I’ll give it to you straight: we need about $900 million. And by ‘we,’ I mean everyone who wants to play pickleball.
Sports & Fitness Industry Association's (SFIA) research says that’s the amount (in construction costs) needed to keep up with current and future pickleball court demand.
Their estimates say 25,784 courts should do the trick - or over 23 million square feet. That’s 23x the size of this giant warehouse:
Surely we can find room for that? As long as we find the money…
Speaking of which, we have ideas for fundraising. But in the meantime, LA and NYC are going to have to pick up the pace.
According to SFIA’s study, they’re 98% below the national average in terms of dedicated courts per 10,000 people (more city rankings here).
A Historic Stop in Utah
The Tournament of Champions is one of the most storied stops on the pickleball calendar. Hosted in Brigham City, UT it’s a staple in some players’ calendars and one that others have fallen out of love with.
No matter which pros attend, it is hard to find a crowd that represents at an event like the Utah faithful.
This year's TOC will be missing Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, JW and Jorja Johnson along with a couple other top pros. Their loss however could be a gain for the viewer.
The draws will be wide open. It’s an opportunity for those players waiting in the wings to claim PPA gold. Read more about some intriguing matchups here.
- All events move one day ahead in Utah with singles starting today and the finals on Championship Saturday.
- Catherine Parenteau returns to play after taking off the last few events. She can make a splash in her return with a triple crown opportunity in play. CP is paired with Tyson McGuffin in mixed and Parris Todd in women's.
- Riley Newman also has a chance to break his drought of PPA gold. He'll be saddled next to AJ Koller in men's and Jessie Irvine in mixed.
Throw up the stream after you finish the newsletter. Here is where you’ll find it.
Pride of Tampa
Why is it always “Florida Man” who has the best stories? Tampa’s Buddy Hall has one that’s hard to beat.
Buddy’s story begins with a tragedy: a tree stump grinding accident in the 90s left him without a leg.
Now, he’s going through carbon fiber feet every 6 months from how often he plays pickleball. They’re supposed to last 3 years, he tells ABC Action News.
“When you’re his partner, it’s great. When you are not, it’s bad,” a local player said of his skills on the court. Suffice it to say, it’s hard to sneak a ball by Buddy.
Another badass Buddy moment: before receiving health insurance and a high-quality prosthetic, he had to build his own leg.
"I made a PVC leg and cut a furniture leg, and made like a pirate leg. I stuck my stump in there.”
After a couple years playing softball and tennis, and 5 years of convincing from his tennis buddies, he finally gave pickleball a try. The Tampa drop-in scene hasn’t been the same since.
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Landon Hallam