Pickleball Magazine 2-6 Courtesy of PickleballTournaments | Page 21

To Play or
Not to Play?
AROUND THE POST
Women & Men, Seniors & Open,
Prize Money (or Not) – Players Beware
BY ALEX HAMNER & JENNIFER LUCORE
S
enior man vs. Open woman… Pickleball’s first-ever
Battle of the Sexes took place last month and what
an event it was! The battle was held at Southern
California’s Bobby Riggs Tennis & Pickleball Club
(How appropriate was that!) where memorabilia from the
1973 Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King match is displayed.
The players put themselves out there and gave it their all
every single point. And, the crowd was not disappointed at
the level of play and quality of entertainment. This event
carried on the long-time national discussion of women and
men, age and pay equality.
As all pickleball lovers know, the number of players,
tournaments and events have increased exponentially.
Players now have so many choices of where to play and in
what levels or categories to compete. But, with so many
choices and opportunities comes our caution for players
to pay attention: Get all the facts—be sure to read the
tournament information in its entirety to decide if a
tournament is right for you.
For example, you may want to play only with people of
your AGE, yet find the divisions offered are by SKILL… or
maybe it is unclear what the tournament director will do
if the turnout is low (i.e. will you then be put into another
division that you do not want?). Read the fine print and if
the information is not clear, email the tournament director
for clarification. You don’t want any surprises come
tournament day.
A misunderstanding we had this summer came when
we participated in a tournament offering prize money.
Once it came time for the winners to receive their reward,
there was none for the Senior divisions. All prize money
was reserved for the Open divisions. In addition, the
tournament director awarded more money to each of the
Open men’s winners—for a gold medal—than to the Open
women’s winners.
While we love how there are so many division options
and cool tournament locations, this is your player
head’s‑up: Know the specifics and pick the tournaments
that are right for you.  •
Jennifer Lucore and Alex Hamner started
playing pickleball in 2010, and have competed
in tournaments across the USA (and
internationally). Between them, they have
25 National Titles, including winning gold in
the Women’s Open Doubles at Nationals for
four consecutive years (2011 – 2014). For
more pickleball fun see Jennifer’s blog at
www.allpickleball.com.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 |
MAGAZINE
19