By Justin Maloof
USAPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
UNPRECEDENTED TIMES FOR
PICKLEBALL AND THE WORLD
S
“
ocial Distancing,” a term very few
of us were aware of just a few short
weeks ago, is now dominating
our lives. For pickleball players,
this term goes much deeper. In
addition to the health and enjoyment factors, we
pride ourselves on the “social” aspect of pickleball
and credit this as one of the primary reasons for our
sport’s substantial growth.
With social distancing in effect worldwide, and
mandates and limitations being enforced at city, state
and federal levels, I want to share an update on the
actions we are taking at USAPA to keep our members
safe and informed amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
Safety is something we take seriously at USAPA. We
have been monitoring the worldwide pandemic and
have been in direct contact with other U.S. sports
governing bodies since early February. In early March,
we initiated a virus response plan with USAPA staff
assigned specific responsibilities. We are listening
to and communicating recommendations from the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as
we strive to do our part in keeping members and the
pickleball community informed.
As the situation worsened in the U.S. earlier this
month and the sports world enacted unprecedented
cancellations and postponements around the globe,
pickleball was not immune. USAPA initiated an initial
30-day suspension (through April 15) of all sanctioned
tournaments. In addition, the US Open Pickleball
Championships had to also make the very difficult
decision to cancel this year’s tournament. At the
time of this writing, USAPA continues to evaluate the
situation and will be making further announcements
on an extension of the sanctioning suspension
and the postponement or cancellation of more
tournaments.
With new restrictions and limitations being
released daily to help contain the spread of the
virus, we created the following dedicated page on
usapa.org: usapa.org/usa-pickleball-statement-on-
the-coronavirus.
All members are encouraged to visit this page
frequently for the latest news and official statements
regarding this very dynamic situation. We encourage
everyone to do their part to slow the spread of the
coronavirus. Strictly follow the directions of all
state and local authorities, avoid social gatherings,
stay home and away from people. Collectively,
it’s important that we all remain positive that the
situation will
improve in the
very near future
and pickleball
participation can
once again be
enjoyed by all. In
the meantime,
stay safe and stay
strong! •
APRIL/MAY 2020 |
MAGAZINE
11