Thank you for supporting the 2024 Dink for Diabetes Tournament!
Thank you for taking part in the 2nd annual Dink for Diabetes last Saturday! What an incredible day! It was inspiring to see so many community members come together to support the fight against type 1 diabetes (T1D) and have a great time playing pickleball.
Breakthrough T1D (Formerly JDRF) works every day to make every day with T1D better, and we won’t stop until the condition is a thing of the past—from driving millions of dollars of global investment in therapy development and access to advancing research, advocacy, and community support.
Because of you, we have raised close to $170,000 to support this mission! Many people have reached out to ask if they can still donate… YES, you can! Visit our website to make a gift today.
A big thanks to our Tournament Director, Bryan Chung of Sublime Pickleball, and the court monitor volunteers who worked hard to make sure that the courts ran smoothly all day long. We couldn’t have done it without your support and expertise!
Pictures from the tournament are available here. Thanks to Rob Lange Photography for these incredible shots! NOTE: The download icon provides the full-size image. At the top, there’s an icon for “download all” that will send a zip file via email. (This might work best from a desktop/laptop.)
And finally, thank you to our tournament sponsors. Your generosity was overwhelming and will have a lasting impact on the quest to find a cure for T1D. Thank you to Elevation Real Estate Partners, Harrison Street, ProXR Pickleball, Mini of Glencoe, Heathrow Scientific, Pickle Haus, DLA Piper, Aldridge Electric, Peak Properties, Lauri & Bruce Zessar, Mann Associates, Schoenberg Finkel Beederman Bell Glazer LLC, Advisory Research Investment Management, Summit Trail Advisors, Capital One, Redwood Logistics, Susan & William Abrams, Wintrust Commercial Banking, IRH Capital, Barrington Orthopedic Specialists, Parkside Investments, New Era Optical Co., Mickey and Lisa Foreman, Long Grove Confectionary, Lincoln Legal, Mesirow, BDO, Bluestar Partners, College Park Athletic Club, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Sublime Pickleball, Selkirk, and GAC Entertainment.
Thank you again for your support of Breakthrough T1D and Dink for Diabetes. We hope to see you next year!
Sincerely,
Katrina Meckes
PS: We invite you to share your feedback via this survey. Participants will have the chance at a $20 Selkirk Gift Card as a thank you for helping us improve our program!
Event Leadership
Bryan Chung
Tournament Director
Marni Gore
Experience Chair
Anne Pillion
Marketing Chair
Lauri Zessar
Sponsorship Co-Chair
Sunny | Felman |
Adam | Glazer |
Cidney | Golman |
Alicea | Grau |
Debbie | Guggenheim |
Barbara | Lincoln |
Julie | Radner |
Angie | Rover |
Steve | Schaumberger |
Eden | Shaffer |
Event Details
Dink for Diabetes is a doubles-only tournament with competition in men’s, women’s, and mixed divisions played in a round robin format. Teams will play in skill levels: 2.5/3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5+. The final schedule and availability of competition in all divisions and skill levels will be determined by final registration numbers and may be subject to change.
- We request that all players bring a full reusable water bottle. There will be a few hydration stations onsite available to all players for refills.
- All players must bring their own pickleball paddle.
Save the date! Registration will be opening shortly.
$195/early bird team registration fee while they last! $225/regular team registration fee thereafter.
Sponsorship options (inclusive of teams) start at $1,500.
As this is a charity tournament, no refunds will be offered.
Tournament play will begin at approximately 8:30 am on June 8. The final schedule and availability of competition in all divisions and skill levels will be determined by final registration numbers and may be subject to change. Please be prepared to play during any of these times below.
- Players should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled match times to allow time for check in, warmups and some brief remarks about Breakthrough T1D, tournament rules and to celebrate the incredible fundraising results.
8:30 AM
Men’s Doubles 3.0
Men’s Doubles 3.5
Men’s Doubles 4.0
Women’s Doubles 3.0
11:30 AM
Women’s Doubles 2.5
Women’s Doubles 3.5
Women’s Doubles 4,0
Men’s Doubles 4.5+
2:30 PM
Mixed Doubles 2.5
Mixed Doubles 3.0
Mixed Doubles 3.5
Mixed Doubles 4.0
Mixed Doubles 4.5+
Weather Update: So far so good! Breakthrough T1D will post any changes to the schedule due to weather on the Dink for Diabetes website and will email all players who shared an email with us. Sunday, June 9 is our rain date.
Parking:
The address of the park is 2700 Trail Way, Highland Park, IL 60035. There will be restrooms onsite. See below for parking details. Please note there is no parking on the grass anywhere in the park. We will be checking to make sure all cars are parked appropriately. If all lots are full, parking is available on east side of the street, but NOT on the grass.
Click here to view the Dink for Diabetes Parking Map
Party Pavilion:
We wanted Dink for Diabetes to be more than just a pickleball tournament, so we created the Party Pavilion, where you will find food, beverages, a beer garden, music, exhibitors and fun.
Drink tickets for alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, or bottles of water are available for purchase onsite, and those purchasing additional alcoholic drink tickets will be given a 21+ wrist band. All alcohol must stay within the bounds of our beer garden, and our bartenders may also check your ID before serving at their discretion. Food purchases will be made directly at the food trucks.
Details on vendors will be announced closer to event day
Sponsors
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Bronze