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It’s officially June and courts are opening everywhere you look. We’re also less than two weeks away from Father’s Day.

What better Father’s Day gift than The Pickleball Box?

We all know a pickleball dad in our lives. Make this one special.

In This Issue:

⚓️ Drop the anchor
👨‍🎓 Pickleball off campus in Cincinnati
🏆 Texas Open kicks off a busy month of June

Special thanks to ButcherBox for this Monday Newsletter takeover.

Anchors Away

Quick feet are usually a good thing. But at the kitchen line sometimes less is more. Too many steps can leave you off-balanced and out of position.

Zane Navartil explains in a new video how using an anchor foot helps to steady his game.

The concept of an anchor foot involves keeping one foot planted on each shot from the kitchen line. If the ball is to your left, then your right foot is your anchor foot, and vice versa.

The anchor foot makes your movement more efficient on the court. It eliminates unnecessary steps that could trip you up or leave you off balance.

• With it, you can easily maintain your position at the kitchen line

• Having one foot planted lets you know exactly where to return to after hitting your shot

• Now you don’t have to look down to find the line, just return your stepping foot in line with the anchor foot to get back to ready position

The anchor foot concept also helps break a common habit of tennis players to use a crossover step on dinks and volleys. In pickleball, that step is rarely needed.

The crossover step is only necessary on a wide dink to your backhand. The anchor foot concept can still be applied in this scenario, but the anchor foot changes.

On a crossover step, a right-hander’s left foot would be their anchor foot. This allows you to cover more distance on your backhand, then return to your prime position on the kitchen line.

Serve Up the Best Steaks

When you’re busy perfecting that third-shot drop, who has time to wander the grocery aisles? Enter ButcherBox, your new kitchen teammate.

They deliver high-quality meats right to your door — no antibiotics, no added hormones, just top-notch quality. And with the Flash Steak Sale now on until June 5th, you can snag two premium steaks in every order for a year — choose from juicy Ribeyes, tender Filet Mignons, or robust NY Strips.

With Father’s Day just a dink away, remember this isn't just a treat for Dad. It’s a summer-long feast for the entire Dink fam. Don’t wait — these steaks won’t stick around for long!

Individual Champions Crowned at CINC

College players from around the nation descended on Cincinnati for the DUPR Collegiate Individual National Championships. A total of $20,000 in scholarship money was dished out to the top finishers in each individual category.

Complete results
Men’s Doubles: Jack Munro & Timmy Manzano - University of Texas
Women’s Doubles: Kamryn Bliss & Averee Beck - Utah Tech University
Mixed Doubles: Mehvish Safdar & Michael Asplund - Indiana University
Men’s Singles: Jack Munro - University of Texas
Women’s Singles: Mehvish Safdar - Indiana University

If you want to build a pickleball dynasty at your alma mater, now is the time to start. The Fall Super Regionals begin when school is back in session, which means there’s still time to qualify for the DUPR Collegiate National Championships in November.

One Streak Ends and a New One Begins

John Isner’s pro pickleball debut was brief after losing his first match at the PPA Texas Open. However, another tennis star, Donald Young, found himself in the men’s doubles quarterfinals.

Johns Bros Upset Again
Young’s deepest run in doubles was ended by the Johns Bros, who appeared to be on pace for another men’s doubles gold. Collin and Ben faced the new combo of Matt Wright/Dekel Bar and were surprisingly eliminated in the semis.

Three straight for Frazier and Johnson
The early exit by the Johns’ left the door open for JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier. Frazier/Johnson sealed the deal during the PPA’s Sunday spotlight national broadcast on FOX. The Texas Open marks the duo’s third-straight title on tour.

Double Gold for Anna Leigh Waters
Anna Leigh Waters suffered a rare upset on Thursday night and missed out on the women’s singles final for the first time this year, falling to Salome Devidze, 11-8, 5-11, 7-11 in the women’s semis. However, she went unscathed in both mixed and women’s doubles without dropping a game while securing gold in both events.

Jansen’s Second of the Year
With line judges surrounding Championship Court, Lea Jansen defeated Salome Devidze to bring home her second women’s singles title of the year.

Ben Johns Takes Two
Ben Johns earned his second gold of the weekend in men’s singles on Sunday. He topped Chris Haworth, 2-11, 11-3, 11-9, to bring home his fifth title of the year.

Check out our full recap of the PPA Texas Open, complete with takeaways, best shots and highlights from the weekend.

June is another jam-packed month for the PPA Tour. Three straight events fill the calendar and have players traveling from Sacramento to Washington, D.C., and then back to Southern California.

Win At Dinner

Imagine this: It’s a beautiful summer day, you got some great pickleball wins under your belt and now, hungry and tired, you're dreading the thought of cooking or picking up dinner. No worries — dinner is solved with ButcherBox!

They deliver high-quality, delicious steaks right to your doorstep. You stay in control by choosing what goes into your box, just like you control the game on the court.

ButcherBox’s Flash Steak Sale is on! Score free premium steaks with every order for a year. But hurry, this deal ends June 5th.

Don’t miss out — power up your pickleball game with ButcherBox.

When Pickleball Doesn’t Rock

Pickleball is many things — an amazing sport, great exercise, a community builder. But one thing you can no longer say about pickleball is that “it rocks.”

The Wall Street Journal has officially picked up the case of Rodney Grubbs and Pickleball Rocks. Grubbs had been collecting investments in his company Pickleball Rocks for more than a decade.

The WSJ article shares that Grubbs amassed 500 creditors in 30 states over the years. The play was “Issuing promissory notes — usually for $25,000 at 12 percent interest over 18 months — to people across the country, telling them they were part of a small group of investors and seldom making good.“

One particular investor highlighted in the article is currently owed $3 million in promissory notes from Pickleball Rocks. The total debt is estimated to be $47.5 million, plus interest.

Grubbs was forced into involuntary bankruptcy back in April. The jury is still out on whether Grubbs will face criminal charges in this case. We will provide an update as soon as we know more.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• Your summer just got a whole lot better

• Are these the best-looking paddles on the market?

• MLP teams that could make moves and the players they might target

• Why learning to dink early in your pickleball journey is a waste of time

• ICYMI: Why coaching up your teammate during Rec Play is not helpful

Highlights

• Could you top this performance?

• Just building the self-esteem 🧱

• All training can be pickleball training 🏋️

• Don’t let it come to this 🧠

PPA Texas Open Results

A review from the Dink Fam...

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