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The National Pickleball League is expanding in 2026, broadening its reach to develop and showcase more top talent in the 50+ and 60+ age divisions. Better yet, they’re adding a competitive tournament series for the 40+ age bracket, in a move CEO Rod Davis calls “long overdue.”

In This Issue:
— Anna Bright has some paddle advice
— Your biggest pickleball pet peeves
— Selkirk’s hunt for the next big thing

The Millennials are coming.

We don’t often pat ourselves on the back, but The Dink Minor League Pickleball has had a banner year so far and we’re pretty pumped about it. More than 15,000 of the world’s best amateur players have flooded 250 events this year and counting. And we’re just getting started.

For the third year running, pickleball courts have sprouted across Washington’s National Mall, encouraging players of all ages and skill levels to get involved. This year, there’s a new attraction: a bipartisan Congressional Pickleball Match. “I find it’s an easy way to network or work across the aisle,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

Responses are flooding in after one Reddit user asked for the community’s biggest pet peeves when it comes to pickleball. From “score whisperers” to unsolicited advice-givers, super serious partners to Captain Hookers, it’s a veritable smorgasbord of questionable on-court behavior.

It’s not the first, and it certainly won’t be the last. But there’s something about Target’s “Adult Pickleball and Paddle Halloween Couples Humor Costume” that has us wanting to claw our eyes out. There’s just got to be a better way.

[This segment was written by top PPA pro Anna Bright exclusively for The Dink. You can subscribe to her newsletter for more insider info just like this.]

“Elongated” paddles have become the default shape in pickleball, the shape you see most of your friends playing with, the shape most pros play with, probably even the shape YOU play with.

But there is a better option for the vast majority of players!

“Standard” or “widebody” shapes are actually the optimal shape for most pickleball players. Why? Well, a few reasons.

All of these things together make winning hands battles a lot easier.

The elongated shape does have its advantages and is definitely the right fit for some players. Everything has its place! But for doubles (which is what most of us play 90%+ of the time), widebody shapes reign supreme.

So I beg of you, give the frying pan a chance!

Want to read more on this topic and find out if an elongated shape could be right for you? I covered it in my own newsletter this week. Thanks for reading! 

Hayden Patriquin isn’t just one of the youngest pros on tour — he’s got his own Franklin collection now.

The “Big H” line was built with Hayden’s fearless style in mind. The paddle’s already sold out, but you can still snag the signature rope-detailed snapback and off-court tee. Clean, bold, and made to stand out. Just like Hayden.

➡️ Check out the Hayden Patriquin Collection.

The National Pickleball League just announced a big expansion for 2026, including:

The senior pro (age 50+) team-based league features 12 teams representing cities across the country, all competing for bragging rights and prize money. This broadens its reach while offering developmental channels for aspiring senior pros to crack into the main event.

We’re particularly intrigued by the 40+ league, an age group that until now has been largely overlooked, too old (unless you’re Matt Wright) to be a UPA pro but too young to qualify for “senior” status.

“We are thrilled to offer a dedicated [tournament series] for pro players over the age of 40,” NPL CEO Rod Davis told The Dink. “These players bring a wealth of experience, passion, and talent. They deserve a platform to showcase this, and we are proud to provide it. It is long overdue.”

➡️ Amen to that. Read the full article.

Selkirk is taking a page from the NFL’s playbook, hosting a pickleball combine at its HQ in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to find and nurture their next big star.

This weekend, six men and six women from the brand’s existing Emerging Pros program will show up and show out through a series of performance assessments, live match play, and one-on-one coaching.

A few have seen success on the PPA tour already, including Luana Stanciu, 29, from Austin, Texas; Anouar Braham, 25, from Seneca, South Carolina; and Rafael Lenhard, 28, from Las Vegas, who notably upset Ben Johns at a PPA event in June.

If someone really excels, the ultimate prize could be a fat contract from Selkirk and the ongoing support of one of the sport’s biggest and most respected brands.

“By providing data-driven performance evaluations and direct access to professional coaching, we aim to give promising athletes the tools, support and exposure they need to succeed at the highest level,” said co-founder Rob Barnes.

Selkirk plans to offer more combines in the future, plus other pro-development initiatives as part of their new Sparta Program.

➡️ Think you’ve got what it takes? Better start practicing.

So you’ve got the Franklin gear covered. But the thing you really can’t sleep on? The X-40 pickleball.

Durable, consistent, and probably already sitting in your bag right now. They’re the ball of choice for a reason, and it never hurts to have a few extras on deck.

➡️ Grab a 3-pack of Franklin X-40s and keep your games rolling.

The LA Times went inside a homeless encampment in a vacant lot in Koreatown, “one of the thousands in Los Angeles that are both ephemeral refuges from the dangers of sleeping alone and a constant frustration for the people nearby who pay rent and mortgages and want their neighborhoods clean.”

The article makes a special point of highlighting the presence of a pickleball “court,” really just a net that an early occupant, Tim Gilbert, reportedly found nearby.

“Behind the net, where people volley from time to time, is a small garden of tomatoes, cannabis and onions that he tends to,” the article states.

The Onix net nestled amid the graffiti and rubble is a curious juxtaposition, to be sure, but “pickleball” feels a bit sensational to include in the article’s headline when the focus is clearly much broader, and consequential, in nature.

➡️ What do you think? Read the piece.

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