Today was a full day, the good kind of tired—the kind that comes with family, pickleball, and a lot of food.

One of our goals for the Lunar New Year Showdown is not just great competition on the courts, but also creating an experience players and spectators can enjoy throughout the day. While matches are running, we’re setting up a Whatabangers merch table designed to highlight our sponsors, connect with the community, and bring a little extra fun during downtime.

The Lunar New Year Showdown by Whatabangers is officially in motion, and excitement is already building across the DFW pickleball community.

Open play was packed, and someone suggested we try a “no-step-in” drill to clean up our dinks. Simple enough: if your foot touches the kitchen line, your team owes five jumping jacks. Easy… until Carl showed up in his brand-new “court-grip” shoes.

I channeled my jiu jitsu instincts on the pickleball court today. Ball popped over my head, I sprinted back, reached for the save… and tripped. Instead of crashing, I tucked and rolled like I was back on the mats. Somehow, mid-roll, my paddle connected with the ball and floated it back over the net.

Yesterday I was convinced I was trapped in the world’s longest pickleball game. We were playing well, hitting dinks, smashing overheads, and somehow… still stuck at 6-4. Every point felt like an eternity. I kept looking around like, “Did someone hit pause on this game?”

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference between playing pickleball and actually training for it. It feels like a lot of players spend hours on the court competing, but not enough time drilling or working on their weaknesses. They’re logging time, sure—but are they really getting better?