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The 120/Life Dink Awards, pickleball’s true people’s choice awards, are back. And for the first time ever, you, the fans, can nominate your picks across a wide range of categories.

Players of the year, the sport’s most influential voice, the viral moments that made our jaws drop… we’ve got it all, but we need your help. Nominations are open. More details below.

In This Issue:
— Will Howells leaves the APP Tour
— Corner the ball, eliminate pop-ups
— The fate of Parris Todd

Get your Noms on.

We know, the suspense is killing you. One thing we can tell you: Anna Bright made it to Miami and played our founder in singles. And it was close. But you’ll have to wait for the full highlight video, coming soon to The Dink’s YouTube channel, for the final score.

The match was a banger, though, complete with Anna bagging a ref, a highly questionable mid-match paddle check, and AB’s mom signing a bunch of autographs.

In case you’ve been in a cave since Friday, you should know that Tesla and Selkirk made a pickleball paddle. (You should also know we’re giving one away later this week… more on this soon.) And it looks about as futuristic as you’d expect. It retailed for $350 and sold out in less than four hours. See what you missed out on.

Let’s just put this to bed once and for all. No, you cannot throw your paddle in desperation to get a ball back over the net. Yes, we’ve seen the clips, too. It looks amazing, a highlight shot for life. But it’s against the rules. And for good reason.

We live and breathe pickleball. Like, 24/7. So when it comes to finding a great pickleball gift this season, who do you think you should trust — the robots who run the Internet or the people who built a company called THE DINK? Good choice. Our Holiday Gift Guide is packed with goodies. Hurry while there’s still time.

Ever notice how the pros make the game look like it’s moving at .5 speed? There’s nothing slow about their play; they’ve just mastered a principle that puts them one step ahead on nearly every shot.

It’s called “cornering the ball” — and it’s the difference between hitting measured, intentional shots at the kitchen line and reaching to stab at that inevitable pop-up.

APP pro Richard Livornese, Jr. breaks it down.

✅ First, you must understand the difference between hitting a ball inside your feet vs. outside. When you’re behind the ball, you’re generally golden. But start to reach and that’s when you get into trouble. You’re forced to use too much arm and wrist rather than the full kinetic chain. Poor form, buster.

✅ Instead of reaching for a wide dink, take an extra step, or a cross-step if the ball is too far, to position yourself so the ball stays inside your leg when you hit it. Here’s the golden rule: you want your outside leg behind the ball before you make contact.

✅ This simple footwork adjustment gives you space behind the ball, keeps your arm in front of your body where you have maximum control, and allows you to hit from a mechanically sound position rather than a weak, overextended one.

When you corner the ball properly, you can change direction, add deception, and apply aggression, all the things you actually want to do when you're dinking. But from that stretched-out position? Forget about it. You're just trying to get the ball in the court.

➡️ See for yourself.

You can guess what someone wants for the holidays. Or you can give them pickleball gear and be right every time.

Selkirk’s holiday deals are offering up to 60% off plus free gifts on paddles, apparel, and gear. Everything you need to get someone on court immediately.

Plus, a little bonus from us, use code ADV-thedink to score $20 in Selkirk Bonus Bucks on your purchase. You’re welcome, Dink fam.

Are there bigger trophies in pickleball than The 120/Life Dink Awards? Perhaps.
Are there better-looking ones? Let’s not rush to conclusions.

Either way, awards season is back, and The 120/Life Dink Awards, pickleball’s original people’s choice awards, are officially live. Even better, for the first time ever, fans can now submit nominations.

That means if a player, creator, podcast (cough cough), journalist, club, or moment made your pickleball year better, louder, or more entertaining, you can put their name on the ballot yourself.

This year features 24 total categories, with 17 informed directly by fan nominations. Last season, more than 13,000 votes were cast, and more than 50 of the top pros shared the awards.

Nominations are open now at dinkawards.com. Fan voting runs January 5–21. Choose responsibly. Or don’t. We read the comments section.

The APP Tour is officially a wrap for 2025, putting a bow on its final event: the GEICO APP Tour Championships in Fort Lauderdale.

Here’s a look at all the winners:

— Women’s Singles: 🥇 Seone Mendez def. 🥈 Katerina Stewart
— Men’s Singles: 🥇 Ryler DeHeart def. 🥈 Dusty Boyer
— Mixed Doubles: 🥇 Bobbi Oshiro and Will Howells def. 🥈 Sofia Sewing and Casey Diamond
— Women’s Doubles: 🥇 Shelby Bates and Sofia Sewing def. 🥈 Jill Braverman and Megan Fudge
— Men’s Doubles: 🥇 Will Howells and Jack Munro def. 🥈 Richard Livornese, Jr. and Tanner Tomassi

This was the final APP event for decorated pro Will Howells, who will now take his talents to the PPA Tour.

“Excited to watch Will Howells compete on the PPA Tour the next three years!” PPA Tour CEO Connor Pardoe said on X. “See you in January… and congratulations on finishing your year-end event with gold.”

Will enters a very stacked and competitive PPA men’s field. It’ll be fun to see how he slots in, and who he partners up with for his first few events.

➡️ Check out our full APP Fort Lauderdale recap.

One more gift idea before you close out the list. And yes, this one is very useful.

Franklin’s Sweet Spot Training Paddle is a favorite for a reason. It forces cleaner contact, better feel, and more consistency. Miss the sweet spot and you’ll know immediately.

It’s simple. It works. And it’s a go-to training tool for players who care about consistency.

Last week, bombshell news dropped when we learned three contracted pros would be terminated immediately following their participation in an unsanctioned event in Japan.

James Ignatowich, Ryan Fu, and Vivian Glozman are all out (if you missed this somehow, here’s what you need to know).

But the fate of Parris Todd still hangs in the balance. She was also at the event in Japan, but reportedly did submit prior approval and perhaps wasn’t fully aware of what she was getting herself into.

Consequences seem imminent, but full termination is feeling less likely by the day. We’re hearing a sizable fine plus a multi-event suspension is coming down from on high. But we should get official word sometime this week.

As soon as we know, you’ll know.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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