TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Shootout @ Sun City Arizona
11/1/16
Sun City, AZ
Surf and Turf Showdown in Jamaica
12/1/16 Jamaica
Casa Grande, AZ
10th Annual Voyager Holiday Open Skill Level
12/1/16
Tucson, AZ
6th Annual East Valley Tournament
11/15/16
Mesa, AZ
Englewood Suncoast Classic III
12/2/16
Englewood, FL
USAPA Nationals VIII
11/5/16
North Carolina Holiday Smash
11/18/16
RW Test
12/25/16
Houston, TX
SOMETIME BETWEEN
NOW AND WHO-KNOWS-WHEN
aaahh, pickleball tournaments. Have you played in
one? Maybe you’ve played in many. We’ve competed
in tournaments near and far, old and new. The newest of
course being the just completed inaugural US Open Pickleball
Championships. (What a blast!)
But if you’re new to the tournament scene you may not know
what to expect.
You’re probably aware that there will be laughter and new
friends. This is pickleball after all! But there’s a list of things that
aren’t as initially intuitive.
For example, the first server will need to wear a colored band,
supplied by the tournament, to help the referee determine
who’s who. The referee primarily calls the score, the kitchen
faults, whether the players are positioned correctly (by calling a
fault when a player is in the wrong place), and helps resolve any
disputes. But the players still make the line calls. In fact, even
when you have line judges, which happens for medal matches,
the players still call the middle service line! Plus – don’t serve
that ball until the referee calls the score in its entirety – that
could eventually lose you a point.
It’s possible you’ve heard about the potentially long days a
tournament can bring. Spectators will often ask when our next
match is – and the answer is easy: “Sometime between now and
who-knows-when.” Yup, you pretty much never know until you
are called just when your next match will go on. Once we even
waited over 4 hours between matches! (No, this is not normal –
but it did happen!)
Staying prepared for your next match can therefore be a
challenge. Naturally you will hydrate. But do you even have an
56
Florida State Pickleball Championship
12/9/16
Naples , FL
Concord, NC
Around
THEPost
A
5th Annual Steve Judy Mesa Regal Tournament
12/5/16
Mesa, AZ
Registration will open aat 7 a.m. PDT on 9/1/16
opponent yet? Maybe you should go watch the match that you
will be playing the winner (or loser) of so you can get an idea for
your game plan and stay mentally prepared. You likely should
have a snack; if you don’t eat something soon after a match, you
may get called before you do have a chance to eat, causing low
energy. And don’t get stiff while you wait — especially if you’ve
already sat for a while — go for a short jog and then hit a few
balls.
The best part about that tournament time “between now and
who-knows-when” is the hanging around with pickleball friends.
But don’t forget to stay physically and mentally prepared for
when you finally hear your name over the loud speaker, because
then it’s GAME ON! •
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 724.942.0940 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM
Jennifer Lucore and Alex Hamner started playing
pickleball in 2010, and have competed in numerous
tournaments in the USA as well as Jennifer competing
internationally. Between them they have 21 national
titles, but they are perhaps best known for winning
the gold medal in Women’s Doubles at Nationals for
four consecutive years (2011-2014). They live with
their respective families in North San Diego County.