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Good news, everyone: Not only is today Friday, but it’s also National Pickleball Day. That gives you 100% justification to stop whatever you’re doing and hit the courts. Go ahead. Tell your boss The Dink said it was OK.

As for us? We celebrated early at a pop-up court inside Grand Central Terminal in the heart of New York City. Zane Navratil was there. Chad Ochocinco stopped by, too. See their hilarious head-to-head hands battle, below.

In This Issue:
— Power up with pro tips from Grayson Goldin
— Guy hilariously reviews a $1 paddle
— Zane smokes Fox News host on live TV

Just happy to be here.

Anna Bright’s on-court intensity has become the stuff of legend. Ahead of next weekend’s MLP Playoffs, she’s dialing it up to 11 — she actually played PPA singles for the first time in nine months to sharpen up for Dreambreakers. “I wanted to do everything I could to feel confident,” she said.

Pickleball is a sport for everyone, but it’s hard to argue against the notion that games get more exclusive the better players get. Surpass 4.0 and all of a sudden open play gives way to private sessions and invite-only leagues. And maybe that’s OK?

Paul Olson of Selkirk TV sat down with our own Erik Tice to look at pickleball’s pivotal road ahead for possible Olympic inclusion. To be considered for 2032, the sport needs one unified governing body. And soon.

We got our first look at fresh pro women’s partnership Rachel Rohrabacher and Jorja Johnson, and let’s just say they’re looking formidable. Could they have what it takes to topple frontrunners Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright in Bristol? Here’s hoping we get to find out.

Grayson Goldin just signed a UPA contract and is already turning heads with his electric personality and inhuman power. Nobody is hitting the ball harder than Grayson right now. Just watch the first shot in this montage and tell us we’re wrong.

Grayson just hit the court with Tanner Tomassi to showcase his top tips for generating next-level power. Pull up a seat — this is the good stuff.

✅ Step 1: Power comes from the legs. Keep your feet planted and snap your hips open toward your target on contact.

✅ Step 2: Think of your arm like a whip. Keep your hinges loose — that is, your shoulder, elbow and wrist — all the way from windup through contact and into a full follow-through.

✅ Step 3: As the ball approaches, the buttcap of your paddle should be leading your stroke right up until contact. Breaking the wrist like this helps generate paddle speed when it really counts.

✅ Step 4: If you finish your stroke with the paddle facing down, you’re naturally adding topspin to your shot.

✅ Step 5: Reps. Reps. Reps. This full range of motion is fast and violent. It’s all about timing to get it just right. If you have to think about it, you haven’t drilled it enough.

➡️ Watch the full video — including a moment at 9:14 when Goldin takes a Tomassi mishit straight off the face.

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Can a $1, fully plastic pickleball paddle actually be any good?

When his son forgot his paddle while accompanying him on a business trip, Tyler was forced to find out, sourcing the lime-green beauty above from the local Dollar Tree.

The experience was so memorable, it spurred Tyler to post a full review in a now-trending Reddit post. And it is worth a read in full.

His first impression: “It looks like a toy… or maybe a kitchen utensil. But it’s not. It’s a weapon of psychological warfare.”

After playing a few games with it, Tyler couldn’t help but appreciate the sheer level of chaos it added to the court.

“If you’ve got decent hands and a twisted sense of humor, it’s a blast,” he concluded.

➡️ Read the full review.

In honor of National Pickleball Day — and to help hype the upcoming MLP Finals in Central Park — CityPickle brought pop-up pickleball inside NYC’s Grand Central Terminal.

Pros Genie Bouchard and Zane Navratil were on hand, along with NFL legend Chad Ochocinco, and the two founders of CityPickle, Mary Cannon and Erica Desai.

It was all fun and games and photo opps, right up until Fox News host Griff Jenkins decided to test Zane's hands on live TV.

Zane ripped a counter winner, followed by a shameless finger wag. Serves you right, Griff.

➡️ See the clip.

Most of us are pros at feeling wired or flat-out exhausted. Magnesium is kind of the cheat code for feeling human again, and Magnesium Breakthrough takes it up a notch.

BIOptimizers tossed together not one, not two, but seven forms of magnesium, plus vitamin B6 and humic/fulvic acids for better absorption. Translation: this blend delivers support for sleep, stress, recovery, and more.

Some of our team members started two capsules before bed and woke up feeling legit refreshed. Or pop one in the morning if stress hits early.

Want to try it? Use our promo code THEDINK at checkout for 15% off. It’s a nice little nudge toward feeling better.

The following is an excerpt from an article written by PPA pro Max Freeman, who beat Ben Johns in the round of 32 at the PPA Bristol Open.

Ben came out in the second serving deeper and harder, which caught me a little off guard. I stayed back on the return a few times which didn’t work, and after missing a few, I started taking pace off my drives, which did me in.

I couldn’t get the ball past him and he was hitting short volleys which is not where I want to be in this match. 

Throughout the match my mentality was pretty consistent – just keep going.

I’m also at the point in my pickleball career where I have some confidence in rising up to the occasion, because I’ve done it before.

I’ve beaten Jack Sock twice, Connor Garnett once, and won big MLP matches on the road in front of big crowds.

I’ve missed enough thirds in front of hundreds of people to not give a shit anymore. And that’s what I did! I kept missing returns and thirds, but enough went in to give me a chance.

➡️ Read Max’s full story.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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