The People's Choice Awards of Pickleball

APP news. Boca wrap up. Better drop placement.

Quit your dinking, driving, and dropping: The Dink Awards are here, and voting is officially open.

What's The Dink Awards, you ask? Only The People's Choice Awards of pickleball! Read on to find out.

Also, big congrats to Lisa G. and Jill P., the winners of our Never Buy Your Own Paddle Again Giveaway! And don't worry: if you didn't win, you can still earn paddles for life via our referral program. Find your unique link at the bottom of the issue.

Also in this issue:

Drop placement
Big APP news
Boca wrap-up

Onward!

Boca Raton Masters Results

A Favorite Target for Third Shot Drops

Where do you hit your third shot drop? Middle? Sideline? Or do you just close your eyes and hope for the best?

Kyle Koszuta aka @thatpickleballguy recommends targeting the backhand of the left-side player. In this video, he explains why he favors this landing spot.

Less Offense - For most players, their backhand attacks are less effective than their forehand. Playing to their backhand allows for a safer advance toward the kitchen line.

No backup - With two right-handers, there is always a forehand lurking in the middle. If you try to target the other player's backhand, it might be intercepted by their partner's forehand.

Although this is a favorite and effective location to land a third, it does come with some inherent risks.

Out of bounds - There is less room for error when hitting to this location. If you're a little off to the right, the ball bounces out and the point is over.

Erne Threat - This location is also dangerous if your opponent is an erne threat. A ball close to the sideline is a prime erne candidate.

That makes dropping from the cross-court angle a safer bet.

If you hit it well, you can expect them to concede their advantage and dump a dink cross-court. If you hit it perfectly, you'll be rewarded with a pop-up or a ball into the net.

Pickleball Wear that Lasts

Think of the last time you found an article of clothing that felt tailor-made for you. Was it made in the USA? Did it last very long?

American Giant wants to help pickleball enthusiasts connect on the court in style by creating a durable and polished collection that’s as inclusive as the sport it’s named for.

Each durable cotton piece is designed to breathe, stretch, and hold up to your hardest-hitting moments on the court. These hoodies, jackets, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts & tees make excellent gifts, too!

The People's Choice Awards of Pickleball

Usually, we report the pickle news. But today, we ARE the pickle news, and we just had to tell you about it.

If you've followed us for more than a year, you may remember The Dink Awards, our annual program where fans vote to honor and celebrate the professionals, organizations, and creators who are paving the way for pickleball's continued explosion into the mainstream.

We are excited to partner with pickleball's three major professional organizations, The PPA Tour, The APP Tour and Major League Pickleball, and the governing body of pickleball, USA Pickleball, to bring The Dink Awards to the entire pickleball community.

Three of this year's categories, including Men's and Women's Most Improved Player of the Year and Content Creator of the Year, feature prize money of up to $2,000.

Voting is officially open. Click here to cast your vote and decide who wins the awards for Rookie of the Year, Best On-Court Antics and more!!!

A Paddle for Power AND Spin

After over two years of research and collaboration with top pros like Tyson McGuffin, Selkirk's VANGUARD Power Air addresses the need for both power and spin.

This is the future of pickleball technology. Be a part of it. Learn more here.

APP Tour Lands Broadcast Deal

The APP made a promise at the end of last year: “we’re not going anywhere,” despite rumors that a ceasefire between MLP & PPA would somehow strongarm APP out of the scene.

To the contrary: they’re bringing out the big guns.

They’ve announced deals with CBS Sports and ESPN to broadcast the APP Tour throughout 2023, including 12 hours of live matches and highlight-driven programs on CBS Sports Network, eight hours of event recap telecasts on ESPN2, and over 200 hours of live streaming coverage on ESPN+ and APP TV.

The next event on February 12 in Daytona Beach will appear on ESPN2 from 8-9 pm EST. A full broadcast schedule is available on the APP website.

Boca Raton Masters Recap

It was like looking in the mirror at the Boca Raton Masters on Championship Sunday. The Johnson twins, Hunter and Yates, squared off for gold in the men's singles final. You won't find a more even match-up, as this one went three close games and was decided in Yates' favor in the final game to 15.

Hunter teamed up with Parris Todd earlier in the day to win gold in mixed doubles. This was Todd's second gold of the day. She and Milan Rane secured the women's doubles title in three games against Lee Whitwell and Megan Fudge.

Fudge won two silver medals this weekend. After an 11-1 win in game one, she was unable to close out games two or three in the women's singles final against the always dangerous Salome Devidze.

The men's doubles final was also decided in a final game to 15. Rob Nunnery and Greg Dow battled back from a 14-9 deficit to win the title 16-14. Proving once again in pickleball it's never over until it's over.

Former tennis pro Andreas Siljestrom has medaled in back-to-back pro events. Keep an eye on him and his team, the AZ Drive, in this week's MLP opener.