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Link & Dink Newsletter

Link & Dink Weekly — week of September 7

Monday, September 7, 2026

Here's what's happening around the courts this week. Pick a game, wave a new player in, and we'll see you out there.

New & changed this week

  • New: Link & Dink Adult Drop-In — Walter Johnson HS · Sundays 1–4pm, Sep 20 through Oct 25
  • New: Link & Dink Tuesday League — The Pickl Park · Tue, Sep 29, 6:00 PM
  • New: Coach Sam Morris at The Pickl Park · Mon, Sep 7, 8:00 AM
  • Off this week: MVF Pickleball Tournament (canceled), Wednesday Link & Dink Night (retired), First Dink (retired)

Find your group — or start one

The fastest way to regular play isn't another drop-in — it's a group. Pop-ups and open court are great for a one-off game, but they don't get you the same people every week. A group does: pick your nights, say who it's for, and we keep that game on the calendar every week from there. Browse groups by level and day, request to join, and you've got a standing game instead of a weekly scramble for partners.

Browse groups → https://www.linkanddink.com/groups

Already running a game with the same crew? List it. An unlisted group only grows by word of mouth — and it shrinks every time someone moves, gets busy, or stops showing up. Listing your group means players who fit your day and level can find you and request to join, so your roster stays full without you having to recruit. It's one screen, it's free, and Link & Dink takes 0% — forever. You approve who joins or open it to anyone.

Start a group → https://www.linkanddink.com/start

Competitive pop-ups this week

Ready to compete? This week's drop-ins and leagues:

  • Coach Sam Morris at The Pickl Park · Mon, Sep 7, 8:00 AM — The Pickl Park (details)
  • Link & Dink Adult Drop-In — Walter Johnson HS · Sun, Sep 20, 1:00 PM — free, 18+, all levels, spare paddles on hand (sign up)
  • Link & Dink Adult Drop-In — Walter Johnson HS · Sun, Sep 27, 1:00 PM (sign up)
  • Link & Dink Tuesday League — The Pickl Park · Tue, Sep 29, 6:00 PM — same-partner team league, 3.5+, $300/team for all six weeks (register)
  • Link & Dink Adult Drop-In — Walter Johnson HS · Sun, Oct 4, 1:00 PM (sign up)

Next Gen Pickleball Academy — youth on the courts

Got a kid who wants in? Next Gen Pickleball Academy runs coach-led sessions for ages 6–16, every level welcome. New this fall: Saturday sessions at our new Frederick facility, The Pickl Park.

  • Pickl Park Saturday Open Court — All Levels · Sat, Sep 12 · 2:00–3:00 PM — The Pickl Park, 355 Ballenger Center Dr, Frederick, MD ($20 drop-in) (register)
  • Pickl Park Saturday League · Six Saturdays, Sep 19–Oct 24 — Red/Orange 3–4 PM, Green/Yellow 4–5 PM, $225 (register)
  • Fall Sunday season — Walter Johnson HS · Sep 20–Oct 25 — Green 1:00–2:30 PM, Yellow 2:30–4:00 PM, $225 (register)

Fall league registration and skills evaluations are open now — see the full youth schedule → https://www.nextgenpbacademy.com/schedule

(Spots note: say "small groups" or use the site's live spots-open status — don't print seat counts.)

Coaching youth at MVF

Sam's only session at Montgomery Village Foundation is the Thursday youth class (ages 8–16) at North Creek Pickleball Courts — this isn't a Link & Dink adult offering, but it's worth cross-promoting to parents on this list.

  • Fall II — Red/Orange · Thu, 5:30–6:30 PM, Oct 15–Nov 19 — North Creek Pickleball Courts, Montgomery Village (register)
  • Fall II — Green/Yellow · Thu, 6:30–7:30 PM, Oct 15–Nov 19 (register)

$90 resident / $100 non-resident per 6-class session, register on MVF's site. (Fall I is already underway — Fall II is the clean "register now" push. A 10% late fee applies starting Oct 12.)

Private lessons with Coach Sam

Want dedicated one-on-one time — serve, drops, strategy, whatever you're working on? Email sam.morris2131@gmail.com or text/call 301-325-4731 and we'll find a time.

Where to play regularly

(Intentionally empty right now — this is what the new Groups section replaces. Once a few groups fill in, this can point back to "browse groups" instead of a static list.)

On the leaderboard

(unchanged — pulled from site data)

See the full leaderboard → https://p3.linkanddink.com/leaderboard