Dinks On Tap: The Happy Hour Pickleball Podcast

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 Picklebal...

It turns out the distance between a Michelin-starred restaurant and a pickleball court is shorter than anyone expected, especially when the person crossing it is already wired for pressure, creativity, competition, and just a little bit of chaos. This week, Casie and Lauren sit down with Chef Richard Blais, a chef, entrepreneur, author, television personality, and newly declared aspiring picklebal...

What happens when a Dallas pickleball duo suddenly finds themselves wearing St. Louis Shock colors? This week, we’re unpacking how we became part of the St. Louis Shock's Minor League Pickleball program while still serving as Dallas Flash ambassadors.  What starts as a “how did we get here?” story quickly turns into something bigger: a look at why pickleball’s next chapter may depend less on super...

This spring, DUPR hit pause on your history and asked a simple question: Who are you right now, without all that baggage? Turns out that's a harder question than it sounds. We know because Casie did the Reset, knew it didn't count, watched her number drop, and still had to talk herself off the ledge on the way home. So we brought Tito Machado, CEO of DUPR and the man who's spent years trying to co...

This week, Casie and Lauren sit down with Jay Paterno, son of Penn State coaching legend Joe Paterno, and author of Blitzed: The All-Out Pressure of College Football's New Era.  This one is part sports conversation, part cultural temperature check, and we did what we do best: take a sports story and find the human behavior hiding underneath it. Because it turns out that money, pressure, loyalty, e...

It’s one thing to pick up a paddle sport on a whim. It’s another thing entirely to realize (somewhere between a rec game and an invite-only underground games scene) that this “casual hobby” has started organizing your calendar, your social life, and, subtly, your sense of self. This week, Casie and Lauren sit down with Clare Frank, former Chief of Fire Protection for the state of California, longt...

What happens when two big personalities collide on the pickleball court?  You get a duo that turns the game into chemistry, rhythm, and unapologetic energy! Today, Casie and Lauren sit down with Jeanne Koepke and Pam McCurry, a duo who found more than just a partner. They built a rhythm, a routine, and a friendship that reshaped this stage of life. What starts with pickleball tournaments and mixed...

Pickleball players will build an entire life around playing. Watching the pros? That’s where things get interesting. In this episode, Casie and Lauren sit down with broadcaster, commentator, and certified pickleball numbers guy, Will Daughton, to ask a deceptively simple question: if rec players are so obsessed with pickleball…why aren’t more of them watching the pickleball pros? What follows is a...

Ever wonder what your parents would say if they were handed a microphone and asked to review your sports career? Would they praise your hustle… or finally reveal that one time you blamed the wind for a missed shot? In this special bonus episode, an extension of Episode 38, we invite the ultimate behind-the-scenes MVPs onto the mic: our parents. This isn’t your typical lineup of sports interviews....

Ever wonder what it takes to raise a kid in competitive pickleball without turning every car ride home into a post-match press conference? A junior pickleball match only lasts so long, but parenting the player behind it is the part that follows you home. This episode gets into the family side of the game, where the travel is real, the pressure is sneaky, and keeping the joy alive can matter just a...

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 Episode 37, 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’re standing on the court, paddle in hand, staring at an empty net while the Tournament Director is nowhere to be found and your "10:00 AM start time" has officially become a suggestion.  We’ve all been there… trapped in a bracket that feels more like a gridlocked parking lot than an elite player experience. In this episode, joining us in the hot seat is Mike Hoxie, the "Tournament Titan" and f...

Let’s be real, how many times have you missed an easy dink and immediately blamed your paddle, the wind (even indoors), or your partner’s breathing?  We’ve all been there: the dreaded mental spiral where one bad shot turns into three, and suddenly you’ve forgotten how to hold a paddle.  In this inaugural episode of 2026, we’re stacking the court differently as Casie takes the host seat to intervie...

EP 34 - Ever wondered why your DUPR score nosedives after a win, and you're wondering if your app is gaslighting you? What is happening in the pickleball matrix? In this episode, we sit down with Tito Machado, the most loved and rage-texted man in pro pickleball. He’s the CEO of DUPR, the rating system that somehow manages to both unite and divide the pickleball community like it’s the pineapple o...

This was one of the most-loved episodes of 2025 and we’re bringing it back for a reason.  As we head into 2026, there’s no better time to revisit what this conversation unlocked: how real team chemistry and trust can change the way we play and how we connect. Growing as a player, a partner, or a teammate? This episode holds the good stuff that doesn’t just help you win more... it helps you play be...

At some point this year, we all looked around and thought, “How did the pickleball community get this big?” and somehow, pickleball became everyone’s personality. Welcome to our year-end rundown of the best and worst things that happened in pickleball this 2025, and we’re saying it all! In this episode, we kick things off by celebrating some big wins, from growing audiences and packed events to th...

You’ve shown up to every match with your gear perfectly packed, but when it comes to holiday gifting, you’re the person scribbling a card in the parking lot with a pen you borrowed. Don’t worry, we’ve been there. And we’re here to make you look like a pro. We’re back with our second annual holiday gift guide, and this one’s loaded with actual good ideas (you’re welcome). Whether you’re shopping fo...

Welcome to the only live podcast episode where the court drama is matched only by the party vibes, and the wardrobe choices might just win their own medal. Here’s some front-row access to the Dinks on Tap one-year celebration, recorded with a live audience of our favorite paddle-loving warriors. This episode is equal parts pickleball pep rally, behind-the-scenes tea, and hilarious fun. We relive o...

Ever wondered why your DUPR score nosedives after a win, and you're wondering if your app is gaslighting you? What is happening in the pickleball matrix? In this episode, we sit down with Tito Machado, the most loved and rage-texted man in pro pickleball. He’s the CEO of DUPR, the rating system that somehow manages to both unite and divide the pickleball community like it’s the pineapple on pizza...

Ever tried organizing a pickleball game with five group chats, two calendars, and someone’s cousin who “might show up if it doesn’t rain”? It’s like herding cats… in court shoes. And just when you finally get a foursome, someone drops out at 7 a.m. Sound familiar? This week on Dinks on Tap, we’re sitting down with Dan and Steve, the creators of DiNKR, the pickleball app designed to bring order to...

Winning gold sounds great… until the court lights shut off mid-point, and someone’s Uncle Larry is heckling from the sidelines. Welcome to pickleball tournaments, where the only thing more unpredictable than the tape lines are the emotions running high. In this episode of Dinks on Tap, we take you inside our latest wild ride at a local tourney in Austin, complete with lighting meltdowns, DJ shutdo...

Curious how your pickleball rating actually gets calculated? Check out VAIR, the new pickleball rating system: https://www.vairified.com/?ambassador=7180389   Pickleball rating systems can feel like the Wild West… where matchups make zero sense and “fair play” is more myth than rule. One minute you’re rallying with a retired pro, the next you’re getting smoked by a 13-year-old with braces and a wi...

You can perfect your third shot drop… but can you survive a 10-day pickleball trip with your doubles partner and still want to split a margarita after?  This week, we’re talking all things chemistry on and off the court. We’re covering pro-led clinics in Spain, silent side-eyes during rec play, and everything in between as we dig into what really holds a team together (and what quietly breaks it)....

Once upon a time, Kaitlin Miller was covering broadcast journalism red carpets and national headlines. Now she’s helping the Nashville pickleball scene blow up one rooftop pickleball rally and post-game marg at a time. With a paddle in one hand and a mic in the other, she’s turning rec play into a real movement, and she’s just getting started. In this episode of your favorite pickleball podcast, D...

What would happen if pickleball got a Caitlin Clark–level shake-up, a blast of PR glitter, and just enough paddle-side gossip to keep the courts buzzing all weekend? That is exactly what we are serving today! First up, our resident pickleball provocateur, Andrew Kole, spills why the sport still hasn’t found its breakout star and what it could steal from the sports marketing playbook of the WNBA. W...