The only thing scarier than a missed overhead? Missing your chance to win free swag by showing us your pickleball-themed Halloween costume.

The possibilities are endless, so take a stab at it and send a pic of your best pickleball Halloween costume, couples costume, or decoration here by Halloween night (adults only, please).

Three winners will be sent a PCKL Pro Series paddle. The first 50 people to submit will receive a pack of free PCKL balls.

Speaking of giveaways…the above one is fun, but it’s small potatoes compared to, you know, the biggest giveaway in the history of pickleball.

What can we say? We’re in a giving mood. So we’ve teamed up with The Picklr & Firework Foundation to give away an entire pickleball facility to the city that wants it most — plus a lifetime’s worth of equipment. Learn more here.

In This Issue:
 
👀 Visualizing court positioning
🤑 Money for pickleball-based suffering
📺 Pickleball takes TV

Let’s move.

Court Position Visualization

For those of us who are visual learners, Coach Mark Price created a series of graphics to visualize optimal court coverage.

You’ve heard it a million times: “Partners should move like they’re connected with a string.” Well, here you can see why that is important.

• When the ball is in zone one, you (player 1) are responsible for protecting your sideline. Your partner (player 2) slides over to protect the middle of the court.

• When the ball is in zone two, you and your partner return to a more neutral position, evenly spaced to equally guard against attacks down the middle or dinks out wide.

• When the ball is in zone three, you and your partner are in the opposite arrangement from zone one. Now, they’re in charge of the sideline and it’s up to you to protect the middle.

These visuals are great for seeing the perspective from both sides of the court.

The white cones are the viable angles for an attack. The red portions represent low-percentage attack zones or angles where a slower dink would need to be played.

• The white portions are the parts of the court that need to be protected.

• The red areas are less of a concern.

Check out Mark on Instagram for more helpful tips.

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$300K Pickle Lawsuit

That’s right, pickleballers: you should really consider the blood pressure of those around you the next time you think about engaging in such a reckless activity.

Otherwise, you might inspire a $300,000 lawsuit.

That’s how much Jaye Gleyzal, Carlsbad resident, says her case is worth, anyway.

Gleyzal is seeking such 300K in damages for the distress she’s experienced.

But she’s not stopping there; she wants pickleball banned from her gated community’s tennis courts, according to the latest anti-pickle roundup piece from none other than – you guessed it – The New York Post (again).

At this point, we should just challenge the editors of the New York Post to a pickleball tournament. Losers have to stop writing forever.

Like all of these sensationalized pickleball headlines, there’s never any resolution. Just the endless recycling of the same structure: "Pickleball is popular. Pickleball is noisy. People don’t like noise.” The end.

As far as we can tell, the litigation is ongoing between Gleyzal & her condo association.

Ahhh, to be a person for whom pickleball is the “only consistent irritation” in their life…

Pickle Takes the Screen

…Now that we’ve got that story off our chest, let’s review some more positive examples of pickleball in the media:

You may have heard about pickleball on The Golden Bachelor. This spinoff of The Bachelor helps 72-year-old Gerry Turner find love. But the courtiers will have to compete against his preexisting condition: being a major pickle fan.

Gerry plays several times per week, but he insists he won’t disqualify someone from his considerations based on their pickleball prowess.

Still, in last week’s episode, the contestants were split into four teams of two to battle for their bachelor’s affection, gladiator style. In the end, only one of the contestants plays pickleball four times a week, so…we’re rooting for you, Ellen.

Pickleball got the smarmy Simpsons treatment in a quick nod during last night’s episode.

In S35 E3, “McMansion & Wife,” a wealthy sports car dealership owner moves into Springfield. After Homer’s handshake grip impresses him, the new neighbor asks Homer, “Do you play pickleball?”

To which Homer replies: “Is that the game like tennis where you don’t have to run?”

Flash forward to a post-game ice cream stop…

…”I started to suspect [you’ve never played before] when you tried to eat the pickleball.”

Homer: “Nothing should be named food that isn’t food.”

Great Picks for Pickleball Pride

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The Battle for First Place

There has been a pro pickleball drought for over two weeks. The pros tours took a much-needed breather in preparation for a busy November. But we’ve got just what you need to fill the void.

Tomorrow night the Gilbert Gladiators (1-0) and the Peoria Pythons (2-0) face-off in a battle for first place. The winner will sit alone atop the league standings of the Arizona Pickleball League.

HOW TO WATCH: Tune in to The Dink’s YouTube Channel – Tue Oct 24 @ 9pm ET or get the VIP treatment live at The Orchard.

Headlines & Quick Hits

• Rehydration never tasted so good

• Michigan: come to the Bounce Detroit Invitational

• What ball do you use for pickleball?

• ICYMI: Protesting pickleball - but not for noise

Highlights

• Pretty generous of Ben, if you ask me 🤷‍♂️

• All that effort just to take a winner off the dome

• Rationalizing those lobs

• New paddle alert 🚨

A review from the Dink Fam...