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We’re not ones to gloat. But the PicklePod just hit episode #200, a feat no other pickleball podcast in existence can lay claim to. To mark the occasion, we welcomed back The Dink’s founder and original host, Thomas Shields, to revisit some of the best moments over the years.

In This Issue:
— JOOLA settles suit with 7 brands
— You’re hitting your drive too hard
— One PPA pro’s epic crashout

Much love.

The PPA Veolia Arizona Open is live from Mesa, and the hot topic is actually who’s not there: Anna Bright, Jorja Johnson, Gabe Tardio, Hayden Patriquin, and JW Johnson are all sitting this one out. That means new partnerships and new potential winners. Here’s our full event preview.

Gone are the days when the best paddles on the market cost $250 or more. “Better equipment does not inevitably require a higher price,” says UPA-A President Jason Aspes in a new blog post. To wit: more and more pros are playing with models that go for around $100.

JOOLA has reached a settlement with 7 of the 11 brands named in their April patent infringement case. Three brands continue to hold out. And one has “failed to respond to the litigation altogether.”

This week in pickle pros being regular Joes: Alex Crum sent a cryptic post live from PPA Mesa: “Can’t move. Can’t breathe. Can’t win. Soul Searching.” Turns out, full-body cramps led to multiple IVs. Yikes.

Here’s a truth of modern advanced pickleball many may find hard to accept: Hitting your drive as hard as humanly possible is a losing proposition.

Every time.

Think about it. The goal of this game is to get the ball down at your opponents’ feet. Or at least below their knees. That’s how the transition game is won. It’s the aim of every good kitchen exchange.

Put the ball low and you’re in the driver’s seat.

So why, we beg of you, do you still insist on ripping every drive at belly button level?

Get to a certain level, and this becomes the equivalent of serving up a free point on a silver platter. Punch volley. Drop shot. Full swinging return. The possibilities for putting the point away are nearly endless.

Instead, stresses pro Jilly B, take some pace off and get your drive down below net level. Call it a drip. Or just call it smart pickleball.

It’s one of the most difficult shots to defend against. And the incredible, mind-blowing bonus? It’s far easier to hit successfully than that passing down-the-line forehand nuke you keep going for.

Stop trying to make power happen.

➡️ The best drives are slow drives.

Every cup from my Keurig started tasting weak, flat, stale — so I unplugged it and stuck it in a closet. Then I learned the dirty secret of grocery store K-Cups: by the time a pod reaches your kitchen, it's usually spent months going from factory to warehouse to truck to shelf. The flavor oils are long gone. Some brands even over-roast to hide it.

The fix wasn't a new machine. It was fresh pods from Angelino's, a family-owned L.A. roastery that roasts, packs, and ships within 3–5 days — straight to your door, from 39¢ a cup. Over 1,000,000 happy customers. 50+ flavors, no subscription required, and 15% off your first order, applied automatically at checkout.

Try 35¢ Pods

The PicklePod is officially pickleball’s most illustrious, longest-running podcast. And this week we proved it by airing our 200th consecutive episode.

To commemorate the moment, we asked Ben Johns to stop by and take a stroll down memory lane with us.

He said no. Or he didn’t even bother to respond. Who can say?

What matters is we’re here to continue to highlight everything new and entertaining in this incredible sport of ours, and enjoy every minute of it along the way.

Thanks for joining us on the ride so far. Here’s to 100 more episodes to come.

➡️ Watch PicklePod episode #200.

Pickleball's growth story is a tale as old as time. The sport has exploded over the past five years, despite being around for many decades.

A handful of geographical hotspots hog all the headlines – Boca Raton, Florida, consistently taking the cake – but courts are popping up in seemingly every corner of the US. And in most cases, the locals can't seem to get enough.

But what American cities are seeing the most new pickleball players?

Based on new DUPR participation over the past 12 months, these are the 10 cities that have grown the fastest. And trust us here, it's not just the major meccas you're expecting.

Curious how many DUPR users each city has added in the past year?

➡️ See the list for the growth percentages.

Heavy legs in game three. Foggy at your desk by 2pm. Eight hours of sleep and still wiped out.

Most people file all of that under "busy season" or "not as young as I used to be" and never look any closer.

Sometimes that's exactly right. But sometimes, it's low testosterone or low vitamin D, quietly running your energy into the ground for months. Completely fixable once actually checked.

Nico the Lefty checked. He's talked about it on PicklePod: got the bloodwork done, found the actual problem, worked with Marek to fix it, and dropped weight in the process.

Marek Diagnostics makes checking the easy part. Order online, walk into a Quest, results land in your inbox.

No membership, no program, no doctor's visit required. Tests start at $9.

Head to Marek Diagnostics and use code THEDINK for 10% off.

Play pickleball long enough and you'll be tempted to throw your paddle in frustration.

Love it or hate it, good or bad for the sport, one thing is for certain: paddle-throwing is a part of pickleball culture as much as body-bags, shady paddle stacking at open play, and that one guy Gary who's always offering unsolicited (and very bad) advice.

Typically, these crashouts are pretty harmless. Spiking your paddle into the court after a bad miss. Maybe firing it against a back fence.

But every so often, one crosses over into infamy.

Such was the case yesterday when pro Troy Akin lost to Jaxson Madsen in the qualifying rounds at PPA Mesa.

Akin had a handful of match points, but just couldn't seal the deal.

What he could do was full-send launch his paddle into orbit before lying on his back and screaming to the heavens.

➡️ Watch the moment.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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