08/06/2026
Hey Picklers,
What a fantastic weekend was had by the Jersey Pickleball crew on our trip to Rennes, hosted by Dink'it Pickleball.
On Friday evening, the Jersey Picklers enjoyed a friendly mash-up with some of the local French players, while Coach Tom took part in an intensive coaching session with Thibault, co-owner and head coach of Dink'it. It was a great opportunity to fine-tune techniques, learn some pro tips, and bring back fresh ideas to Jersey.
Saturday began with the arrival of the Guernsey ladies, who were an incredibly friendly, fun, and welcoming group. The morning featured a mixed round-robin tournament with players from Jersey and Guernsey enjoying some fun pickleball, great company, and plenty of laughs both on and off the court.
In the afternoon, Dink'it hosted an open DUPR session which attracted many of the local elite players. First place went to a very talented father-and-son partnership. The son is currently a junior professional table tennis player, while the father previously achieved a tennis ranking of around 400, and their quality on court certainly showed. Coach Tom and his partner Damien, co-owner of Dink'it, finished in a very respectable third place in what was a strong and competitive field.
The standard of play throughout the day was excellent, and it was great to see players from Jersey, Guernsey, and France all sharing the court together.
After the tournament, plenty of drinks, laughs, and pickleball stories were shared with our Guernsey friends before the Jersey Picklers headed into Rennes city centre for some well-earned food and refreshments after a full day of pickleball.
The evening concluded with an excellent demonstration of how to get into a taxi using a perfectly executed commando roll 🤣. Thankfully no injuries were reported, although the style marks were exceptionally high!
A huge thank you to Thibault, Damien, and everyone at Dink'it for their hospitality throughout the weekend. The facilities, coaching, and atmosphere were outstanding, and the trip was a brilliant example of how pickleball continues to bring people together across different islands, countries, and cultures.
There is more exciting news too. Thibault is hoping to visit Jersey later this year for a weekend of one-to-one and group coaching sessions. Having spent time learning from him over the weekend, Coach Tom can confirm there is plenty to learn from one of Brittany's top pickleball coaches, so keep an eye out for further announcements and stay tuned!
We look forward to the next trip already!
🥒🏓🇯🇪🇬🇬🇫🇷
