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Dinks On Tap: The Happy Hour Pickleball Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Casie & Lauren
Ever wondered what the big deal is about Pickleball? Welcome to Dinks on Tap, where the pickleball paddle meets the margarita. We’re Casie and Lauren, your pickleball partners in crime, here to spill the beans on why pickleball is more than just a game. It’s that “more” part we’re so drawn to. That “more” part which we highly suspect is about rediscovering PLAY in our lives and bringing FUN into focus. Let’s be clear, we’re not pros. We’re just a couple of recreational players who notice, marvel, and revel in the nuances that make up the juice to this fruit’s fine squeeze. In each episode we’ll look at the life breathing behind, within, underneath and alongside the game... That momentum shift on the court, (“Why am I so ‘off’ today?”), the Fourth Man Struggle (“Seriously, who else can we get to play?”), the camaraderie that turns strangers into friends (“Do you want to exchange numbers?”) and various other dynamics that go beyond the dink to make up the humor, heart, and hard-won wisdom we find between the lines. Pour a glass, squeeze a lime, and let’s get under the hood of just how good it feels to rediscover PLAY in our lives.
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- 1 weeks ago1h 1m
Mary Steenburgen On Set at The Dink Movie: Improv with Jake Johnson, Her Point on Anna Leigh Waters, and the Psychic Who Predicted Ted Danson
Have you ever made it to the front of the paddle line at pickleball open play, only to have your partner dis you because she didn't want to play with "a beginner"? Yeah, that happened to today's guest, Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen, one of the celebrities who play pickleball when no one's filming. After sharing drinks with Mary and her husband, Ted Danson, we knew we had to have her on the pod to talk all things pickleball community, how to keep growing at any age, and the weird "gift" she was given after what was supposed to be a routine surgery (that's the Mary Steenburgen music story). She's spilling the tea on who got her into the game, how she won her first sports ribbon at 40 by a complete fluke, and how she and Jake Johnson became friends through improv on the set of The Dink movie. We also get into what beginner pickleball is like when strangers expect a movie star to be good, and her take on pickleball for seniors, court shoes included. We talk about: How Mary scored most of her team's 6 points alongside the partner who called her "a beginner," back before The Dink Movie came out The crash course in pickleball open play etiquette she needed first, starting with how the paddle line works Who got Mary to pick up a paddle, and the support that kept her enthusiasm going The word Mary makes her 5 grandchildren add to the sentence "I can't do this" The night of pickleball with the crew of The Dink that Mary will never forget Why pickleball people are the best, and how the sport spans generations The "gift" Mary got after a bit of anesthesia, which she didn't see as a gift and which turned into a whole other career Why aging by accomplishment, over aging by diminishment, is Mary's case for pickleball for older adults We also serve up Mary's take on why pickleball friends are some of the best friends you'll make. And if you've ever Googled "is pickleball good for seniors," her love letter to the game at the end is your answer. Pour something cold and press play.Cheers,Casie and LaurenDinks on Tap Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com Connect with Mary: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_steenburgen Drew Brees Celebrity Pickleball Tournament: https://delmar.wine/event/drew-brees-celebrity-pickleball-tournament/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP20 — 20% off Pickleball spectator tickets only) Del Mar Food & Wine Festival: https://delmar.wine/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP15 — 15% off all Grand Tasting ticket tiers.)
- 3 weeks ago45 min
Cleo King on The Dink Movie: How She Booked Gail on a Pickleball Court, Learned the Game from Brad Gilbert, and Never Put the Paddle Down
We all love a Gail. We've met her at open play, we've been her on a bad-line-call day, and we've absolutely texted the group about her afterward. We love her enough that we tracked down the woman behind the Gail character in the movie, The Dink, and brought her to your favorite pickleball happy hour podcast. In this episode, we sit down with Cleo King, the actress who plays Gail in The Dink, to talk about how a same-day audition turned into the role everybody quotes, what a month of learning pickleball from Brad Gilbert looked like before cameras rolled, and what the pickleball community has been telling her since the film came out. We also get into pickleball etiquette, because Cleo has opinions about people who aim at people. Until Jake Johnson called, she'd picked up a paddle twice in her life. Now she plays three times a week, packs three paddles when she travels, and belongs on any honest list of celebrities that play pickleball. In this episode, we talk about: The phone call from Jake Johnson that turned an ordinary drive to Palm Springs into an audition on an actual court Why the casting team wouldn't let Cleo talk to the other women reading for Gail, and what she did anyway What Cleo was more nervous about at the audition, and it wasn't the eleven pages she'd memorized overnight What most of The Dink movie cast had in common before those lessons started, and who the exception was The one adjustment that fixed Cleo's return of serve, which every regular already knows and nobody had told her Where the "do the dishes while you're in there" line came from, and what director Josh Greenbaum said when she asked to try it Why Cleo's pet peeve has nothing to do with the rules and everything to do with where you aim How Casie and Lauren's Dallas screening crowd reacted to the pickleball movie, and the two lines they quoted on the way out The fantasy foursome that includes Ron Howard and Oprah, and the reason Michelle Obama didn't make the cut If you've ever had a Gail in your group, or suspected you might be the Gail, this conversation will make you love her a little more. Pour something cold and press play. Cheers, Casie and Lauren Dinks on Tap Drew Brees Celebrity Pickleball Tournament: https://delmar.wine/event/drew-brees-celebrity-pickleball-tournament/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP20 — 20% off Pickleball spectator tickets only) Del Mar Food & Wine Festival: https://delmar.wine/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP15 — 15% off all Grand Tasting ticket tiers.) Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com Connect with Cleo: Instagram: @cleoking5404 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleokingactress Watch Cleo as Gale in The Dink on Apple TV. She's the one running the country club, and the dishes line is worth the price of admission on its own. Cleo plays Big Mama in Nemesis, an eight-episode crime thriller on Netflix. It's already renewed for season two, so there's time to catch up.
- Sep 2, 202637 min
How Major League Pickleball Really Works: What Fans Don’t See Behind the Trades, Contracts, and Team Decisions with Alex Geesbreght
What really goes on behind the scenes of Major League Pickleball? In this episode, we sit down with LA Mad Drops team owner Alex Geesbreght to get an inside look at how MLP works, from team contracts and player movement to the MLP draft, scouting, ownership, and the business behind the sport. Alex walks us through some of the biggest questions we have had about pickleball players, pickleball teams, and the decisions happening off the court. We also talk about where the league could be headed, what still needs to evolve, and why the next few years could be especially important for pickleball leagues. You’ll learn: How trades work during the MLP season, including who starts the conversation and what teams are actually trading for. What happens when team contracts expire How the MLP draft works and why teams are bidding for draft positions rather than directly bidding on players. Why a salary cap and minimum team spending could become important parts of the league’s future. How a team owner thinks about roster decisions, spending, and building a competitive organization. What Alex looks for when evaluating pickleball players, including qualities that have very little to do with pure talent. Why a stronger developmental system could change how pickleball teams discover and develop future stars. How professional teams can build sustainable pickleball business models through sponsorships, merchandise, events, and stronger local communities. Why permanent home venues could help pro pickleball feel more like a traditional professional sports league. What could make future pickleball leagues more sustainable for owners, players, and fans. We also get into Alex’s competitive side, the players he loves watching, and why he believes pickleball has become much bigger than what happens on the court. If you have ever wondered how the business of Major League Pickleball really works, this conversation gives you a rare look behind the curtain without taking away the fun of watching it all unfold. Pour something cold and press play. Cheers, Casie and Lauren Dinks on Tap Listen to Part 1 of our conversation, where we get into Alex Geesbreght’s story, how he became involved in professional pickleball, and what led him to ownership of the LA Mad Drops. Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com Check out Prax Leadership to learn more about Alex's approach to leadership. Want to see the team Alex talks about in this episode? Head to the Los Angeles Mad Drops official site for the roster, schedule, and everything happening with the squad this season.
- Aug 26, 20261h 2m
He Bought A Pickleball Team: Inside Team Ownership And Family Connection With Los Angeles Mad Drops Owner Alex Geesbreght
Pickleball has a remarkable way of pulling people into your life who probably never would have been there otherwise. You can be on the court with someone 20 years younger than you, someone 20 years older than you, a complete beginner, or a highly competitive player, and somehow everyone still feels like they belong. That mix of movement, competition, family connection, and community is a big part of what keeps so many of us coming back. In this episode, we sit down with Alex Geesbreght, majority owner of the Los Angeles Mad Drops, to talk about what makes pickleball so different and what he has learned through team ownership in Major League Pickleball. Alex shares how pickleball brought multiple generations of his family together, why competition can make us feel more alive, and how those experiences have shaped his approach to team dynamics, team culture, and leadership. We also get a behind-the-scenes look at professional pickleball, including how a team owner thinks about trades, players, long-term growth, and the responsibility that comes with helping shape the fastest-growing sport while it is still finding its footing. And because Alex brings years of experience as an entrepreneur and leader to the Mad Drops, the conversation goes well beyond pickleball. We get into business leadership, the leadership lessons he carries into professional sports, and why being willing to have difficult conversations matters when you are building something with people you genuinely care about. If you’ve ever wondered why pickleball seems to become so much more than a game for the people who play it, this conversation will probably feel very familiar. Pour something cold and press play. Cheers, Casie and Lauren Dinks on Tap Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com Check out Prax Leadership to learn more about Alex's approach to leadership. Want to see the team Alex talks about in this episode? Head to the Los Angeles Mad Drops official site for the roster, schedule, and everything happening with the squad this season.
- Aug 12, 20261h 2m
Grief Is Part of the Game: Why Losing a Pickleball Partner Hurts and How Healthy Competition Can Help You Keep Growing with Dr. Amanda Sovik Johnston
Nobody warns you about this part of pickleball. Your favorite doubles partner moves away, levels up, or… stops putting you on the calendar. Suddenly, “it’s just pickleball” doesn’t come close to describing what’s happening. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Amanda Sovik-Johnston, founder of The Connected Competitor and the sports psychologist behind the blog post “Pickleball Will Break Your Heart”. We talk about the mental game behind partner breakups, changing groups, and the real grief pickleball players can experience when relationships on the court shift. Amanda explains why losing a pickleball partner can hit so hard, why being left out can trigger more than disappointment, and how ratings, skill gaps, and changing friendships can turn a game you love into an emotional minefield. In this episode, we talk about: Why losing a doubles partner can feel like a real breakup What to do when your pickleball partner starts fading out without saying why Why pickleball players can take partner changes so personally How Amanda handled her own partner moving away, including the goodbye letter and the "auditions on the off days" How performance anxiety can actually come from worrying about whether you belong Why anxiety in sports often has a social side What DUPR rating conversations miss about ratings, access, and friendships Amanda's three intentions for every game and how naming your intention before you show up changes who you play with and what you get out of it Why healthy competition can make both you and your friends better What to do when your regular group dissolves and how to keep growing without leaving meaningful relationships behind The pickleball community gives us connection, competition, friendship, and sometimes heartbreak. And if you’ve ever lost a partner, watched your group change, or wondered why being left out bothered you so much, this conversation will make a lot of things click. Cheers, Casie & Lauren Dinks on Tap Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTap Website: dinksontap.comCurious about your rating? Check out My DUPR Coach to get an initial DUPR rating, especially if you're new to the game. Connect with Amanda: Instagram: @theconnectedcompetitor Website: https://www.theconnectedcompetitor.com/ Read the blog post that inspired this entire conversation: Pickleball Will Break Your Heart If your biggest opponent lives between your ears, start with The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey, the performance classic Amanda references with her coaching clients.Want more of Amanda's take on the game we all love too much? Her pickleball book is in progress, and www.theconnectedcompetitor.com is where the news will land first.
- Jul 29, 202626 min
The Dink Movie Premiere: Mary Steenburgen Got Snubbed at Open Play, Ted Danson Fell Head Over Heels for Pickleball, and Ben Johns' Celebrity Foursome
You know how everyone at open play decides how good you are as a pickleball player before you've hit a single ball? Your paddle, your shoes, your warmup, whether the next twenty minutes are worth their court time? It happens to beginners. It happened to an Oscar winner, and she told us about it over dinner. Rivulet invited us to what we understood was a cast party for The Dink movie. Instead, we ended up at a table for eight on a terrace at Soho House with Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson. The next night we were at the premiere in Westwood watching the cast come through when we spotted Ben Johns across the atrium and decided the polite thing to do was run him down. Then we hosted a happy hour before a screening for our own pickleball community in Dallas: This week we get into: Our "is this really happening" moment at Soho House, and how fast it turned into the easiest conversation of the trip Mary's paddle stack story, involving a group of strangers making up their minds about her, and what happened after that What Ted said about the people who keep turning up at his house for dinner now, and how casually he said it The celebration that gets under Ben Johns' skin, and the nearly identical one he finds hilarious His celebrity foursome, which he admits has no chemistry in it whatsoever, plus the pick that made Lauren want to switch partners What the whole cast had to learn before shooting, and what all of them did together on the final day Why the trailer undersells this pickleball movie by a wide margin Aaron Chen and Cleo King, and the scenes that land harder than the marketing lets on The tennis rivalry storyline, and the choice that keeps it from turning mean The bar Casie set before she handed out her rating, which involves Shawshank Redemption Our Dallas crowd, unfiltered, seconds after the credits, including one review that ranks this above The Devil Wears Prada 2 This one is for anyone who knows that pickleball people get to laugh at pickleball, and understands that the deal doesn't extend past us.Pour something cold and press play. Cheers, Casie and Lauren Dinks on Tap Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com Learn more about the Mental Caddie or LPV Coaching, check out Lauren’s website or book a Chemistry Call.
- Jul 15, 202644 min
Why Pickleball Might Be Rearranging Your Whole Life Before You Notice
What if the most “irresponsible” thing you ever did… (joining a sport with a wiffle ball and a weird name) was actually the smartest move you’ve made for your physical health, your sanity, and your social life? In this episode, Casie & Lauren are doing what they do best: pickleball + truth + tequila. We’re talking Mardi Gras (yes, balls, yes, beads, yes, strangers screaming at you like they’ve known you forever)… and why pickleball could basically be the same experience but with less glitter and more knee braces. We also tackle one of life’s greatest mysteries: why the rally ends and your brain immediately goes “nope” on the score. Lauren dives into the neuroscience of play and explains why “pickleball brain” is your brain prioritizing survival over bookkeeping. And then Casie gets real about the emotional plot twist no one warns you about: how a career change can crack open an identity crisis, and how the court can become the thing that pulls you into a new chapter you didn’t see coming, complete with an identity shift, better habits, and the kind of community that makes you feel tethered again. Because yes, this pickleball lifestyle might start as “cardio with friends” but it ends up being a full-blown life transformation. In this episode, we’re pouring out: Why long rallies hijack your brain into performance memory mode (and why your internal bookkeeper fully quits). The real reason everyone asks “what’s the score?” and why transactive memory turns doubles into a group project. A simple habit to boost mental clarity in-game so you stop getting accidentally robbed of points. How chasing floats, chasing lobs, and chasing “one more game” can spark a huge glow-up in physical health, sleep quality, and stress reduction. Why pickleball brings back childlike joy… and why that joy hits deeper than you think. The spicy truth about friendship shifts: your energy isn’t free, your circle evolves, and meaningful connections start replacing convenience hangs. How “finding your people” turns into an actual social community that can carry you through the messy middle of reinvention. So grab your shot of Point Blank Reposado, squeeze a lime, and join us as we connect Mardi Gras madness to midlife magic, from the boardroom to the baseline, from burnout to belonging… and from “what’s the score?” to “who even cares, that rally was ART.” Let’s get you back to the kitchen. Just try to remember the score this time. Cheers, Casie & Lauren Dinks on Tap This episode is a re-release from our archives, and the conversation still feels just as relevant today. Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com Learn more about the Mental Caddie or LPV Coaching, check out Lauren’s website or book a Chemistry Call.
- Jul 1, 20261h 7m
What Two Empty Nesters with Gold Medals and Matching Outfits Can Teach Us About Starting Over with Cecy Feld and Holly Kerr
You know that friend who texts you at 1am just because she figured out you’re both still awake? Now imagine she’s also your doubles partner, your hype woman, your matching-outfit co-conspirator, and the person who gets genuinely jealous when you drill with someone else. That’s what’s waiting for you in this episode. This week, we’re sitting down with Cecy Feld and Holly Kerr of Feld/Kerr Pickleball, two former tennis players, current empty nesters, and 50-plus pickleball influencers who decided that winning age-bracket pickleball tournaments was a great start and also not even close to enough. What began as a charity tournament on a whim turned into matching Lucky in Love outfits, a big ass calendar, a gold medal at Worlds, and a very real road to senior pro. But underneath the outfits and the gold medals is something more interesting: two women who got everything they planned for and then decided to plan something bigger. Pickleball just happened to be the vehicle. We get into: How a tennis friendship turned into a full-blown doubles partnership, including the moment they both knew it was official The real difference between PPA tournaments and APP events at the senior pro open level, and why that gap is humbling in the best possible way What their weekly pickleball training, drilling, and tournament planning actually looks like Why pickleball fashion isn’t just about looking cute, and what matching outfits actually signal to opponents before a single ball is struck Partner jealousy, blind date mixed doubles, and what happens when your regular partner drills with someone else and doesn’t text you back for two hours How playing against your partner can teach you things you’d never see from the same side of the net Why the pickleball community at tournaments like the Masters in Palm Springs and the US Open in Naples feels less like competition and more like a reunion you didn’t know you needed What competitive pickleball looks like when 80-year-olds are out there playing singles and their friends are cheering from the sidelines, and why that image changes how you think about the next few decades How women athletes over 50 are rewriting what ambition looks like, one tournament weekend at a time This one’s got gold medals, wellness wake-up calls, a very dramatic drilling betrayal, and a love letter to pickleball that might actually make you tear up a little. Fair warning. Pour something cold and press play. Cheers, Casie and Lauren Dinks on Tap Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us: Instagram: @dinksontap Facebook: @DinksonTap Website: dinksontap.com For those wanting to fortify their mental game on the court, check out Lauren’s Mental Caddie offerings on her website or book a Chemistry Call. Connect with Cecy and Holly: Instagram: @feld.kerr.pickleball Tiktok: @feldkerrpickeball Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About Dinks On Tap: The Happy Hour Pickleball Podcast
Ever wondered what the big deal is about Pickleball? Welcome to Dinks on Tap, where the pickleball paddle meets the margarita. We’re Casie and Lauren, your pickleball partners in crime, here to spill the beans on why pickleball is more than just a game. It’s that “more” part we’re so drawn to. That “more” part which we highly suspect is about rediscovering PLAY in our lives and bringing FUN into focus. Let’s be clear, we’re not pros. We’re just a couple of recreational players who notice, marvel, and revel in the nuances that make up the juice to this fruit’s fine squeeze. In each episode we’ll look at the life breathing behind, within, underneath and alongside the game... That momentum shift on the court, (“Why am I so ‘off’ today?”), the Fourth Man Struggle (“Seriously, who else can we get to play?”), the camaraderie that turns strangers into friends (“Do you want to exchange numbers?”) and various other dynamics that go beyond the dink to make up the humor, heart, and hard-won wisdom we find between the lines. Pour a glass, squeeze a lime, and let’s get under the hood of just how good it feels to rediscover PLAY in our lives.
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