4th Annual Resident Pickleball Tournament Information
This document’s goal is to provide you with the answers to questions pertaining to the tournament’s operation. If it does not answer your questions, please do not hesitate contacting me or any other committee members. My email address is bonesteel@q.com. Furthermore, we will also serve as a clearing house for players not having a partner. While you will be much better served finding your own partner (someone with whom you feel comfortable playing), if you are having trouble we will attempt to pair players needing partners as indicated on your registration form (which will be distributed later).
Why Should I Play? – First, you should participate because you like the game and really enjoy playing it. Second, some people play better in tournaments due to the adrenalin rush. It is an opportunity to challenge yourself and test your skills. Third, this is like a USAPA sanctioned tournament and will give you the opportunity to experience that feeling, especially for newer and other players who have never played in such a tournament. Finally, you may play against persons with whom you have never played before. Remember, this club activity is for you and if you do not participate, you will be missing out on a lot of fun, just ask other players who have participated in the past.
Date - The tournament will be held Monday, February 13 and Tuesday, February 14 with the 15th being the rainout date, due to Pebble Creek’s tournament toward the end of that week. Men and Women’s Doubles will play on Monday, with Mixed Doubles on Tuesday. Wednesday will be a contingency date in case of weather delays or other completion issues such as needing more time to finish the tournament. The schedule for play will be finalized after the close of the registration January 15, 2017.
Double Elimination Tournament – This will be a double elimination tournament. The first round of matches in each category and skill level consists of winning two out of three games, with each game played to 11. The winner of each game must win by two points. The winning team will move to the next winner’s bracket. All winner bracket matches will be the best two out of three games and winning by at two points. Any matches going to a third game will switch court sides after one team achieves six points.
The losing team will move to the consolation bracket and continue playing until they are defeated a second time. Consolation bracket matches will be 1 game to 15 (win by two) with the winner advancing through the consolation bracket with the losing team being eliminated. When one team achieves a score of eight points, the teams will switch sides of the court.
The potential exception to the above will be any category/skill level having a limited number of teams. This may be the case especially with the 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0 category. In that case, we will play a round robin where each team plays every other team twice. Games will be to 15 and win by 2 each time. The team with the highest number of matches won wins the gold, the next winningest team wins the silver and then the bronze. Should there happen to be a tie, then the team scoring the most total points during the total round robin competition will prevail.
To make the 4.0+ group as competitive as possible it is desired that any 5.0 and 4.5 players partner with a lesser experienced 4.0 player with the more experienced 4.0 players playing with each other as a
team. Further, there is nothing to prohibit you from playing with a lower level player should that be your desire, i.e. selecting a 3.5 player. This may be mandatory for some of the women as well due to the limited number of players. Further playing with a lower level player may also be desirable in the mixed doubles categories as there are a number of instances where a player and their spouse may be in differing skill levels. Finally, the committee reserves the right to reassign partners within a team, should that be necessary in our opinion. However, such action will not occur without you being contacted.
Categories – Competition categories will be Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Within those categories, there will be competition in the 2.0 & 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 plus skill levels. All teams will complete in the skill level of the highest rated partner on each team.
Balls – The tournament will be played with the Dura Fast 40 ball.
Medals – Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to each team member finishing first, second, and third respectively, in each category (men’s, women’s, and mixed) and skill level (2.0/2.5,
3.0, 3.5, 4.0 plus).
Registration – A registration form will be distributed in the next few days with registration beginning December 15th and closing January 15th, 2017. Participation costs will be $15.00 for your first event and $5.00 for participating in a second event. Payment may be made by cash or preferably by check made out to the Robson Ranch Pickleball Club and remitted with your registration form. Forms may be hand delivered to me at the courts or placed in an envelope and put in the box at the courts with my name on
the envelope.
Check-In – Check-in during the tournament will be at the registration desk between 8:00 and 8:45 AM on each day you are playing, regardless of whether you are playing in the first round of matches or later that day. Opening ceremonies will be at 8:55 AM the first day. Matches will be played consecutively so you need to be ready to play at any time. First round brackets will be posted at the court by noon on the day prior to the start of the tournament.
Timeliness - Teams must be on your assigned court within five minutes of your match being announced to avoid forfeiting the match. There will be a brief warm-up period (approximately 3 minutes) at the beginning of each match.
Referees – Matches may or may not have a volunteer referee depending on the number of referees available. Hopefully, the upper skill level players will volunteer to referee lower skill level matches.
Volunteer referees may include personnel who have been newly trained. With that in mind, please remember that the primary purpose of this tournament is to have fun and expose club members to the
tournament environment while giving new referees experience. Please bear with and assist these new referees, should your assistance be needed. Should you desire to referee (we need all the assistance we
can get) please contact Steve Arthur gitpicker42@aol.com, who is coordinating the referee effort.
Referees are responsible for tracking the score and watching for serve and kitchen violations. Should you believe your opponent missed a call, you may POLITELY ask the referee whether they saw the play. The referee will then let you know whether they saw the play and if so will then render a FINAL decision. If there is no referee and you ask your playing opponents their opinion, that will be the FINAL decision. Should you be unsure whether you are the correct server or are serving from the correct court, consult with the referee. A failure to serve from the correct court at the proper time will result in a fault. Referees will call the score once the receiving player is determined to be ready for play. Once announced, the server has 10 seconds to serve the ball. If your match does not have a referee, then it will be the player’s responsibility to referee the match,just as you do when playing socially. All medal matches will have a referee and line judges.
Time Outs - Teams are entitled to two timeouts, each two minutes or less in duration, per game. Utilize them to get a drink, catch your breath or change the momentum of a game. When a timeout is
called, all players must place their paddles on the court at the place you will be positioned when play resumes. The server should place the ball under their paddle to ensure they do not forget where they should be when play resumes.
Volunteers – A solicitation for volunteers will be forthcoming. Schedules should be able to be adjusted to allow even those competing in the tournament to volunteer some time. Any assistance you provide will ensure we have a successful tournament and will be appreciated by all participants.
Save the Date and Stay Tuned – Mark your calendars with the dates of the tournament. Further, as additional details are finalized, information will be sent to all members.
After Party – An after party will be planned by the social committee at which players will be recognized and medals awarded. We are considering something similar to last year. Should you have
any thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to contact the social committee (MJ Wong or Barb Sewell) or any member of the tournament committee.
PARTICIPATE, PARTICIPATE, PARTICIPATE, have fun and play safe !!!.
Following is a listing of the 2015 National Pickleball Tournament Committees for Robson Ranch needing volunteers. Please support the National Tournament by volunteering some of your time to one of the following committees. The committee heads and their contact information is following. Please contact these persons early on so we have an idea of the resources we will be able to provide.
Court Maintenance - Balls - Steve Falek
Email: tupop1948@gmail.com
Voice: 520.858.0108
Check-In Desk & Bag Handouts - Sandi Feller
Email: luckylindy45@yahoo.com
Voice: 760.333.5220
First Aid and AED Group - Marg Ouimet
Email: margouimet@gmail.com
Voice: 520.876.6395
Referee Coordinator - Steve Arthur
Email: gitpicker42@aol.com
Voice: 540.355.8065
