USA PICKLEBALL BEGINS NEW CHAPTER –
1ST ANNUAL NATIONAL INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
A
strategic initiative and
part of the mission to
grow the sport is for
USAPA to launch an
annual signature championship
that addresses the indoor side of
our sport. Late last year, following
several months of discussions, we
were able to announce the first
annual USA Pickleball National
Indoor Championships! The event is
scheduled to be played June 9-13 at
the Finley Center, part of the Hoover
Met Complex in Hoover, Alabama,
just outside of Birmingham. The
nearly 100,000-sq.-ft. Finley Center
is a state-of-the-art hardwood
facility that has played host to several
national-level and SEC tournaments
and events.
For the inaugural National Indoor
Championships, players can expect
a 27-court layout complete with
championship court, beer garden,
sponsor village, player locker rooms,
food concessions and other built-in
amenities. Adjacent to the complex
is the massive Hoover RV Park that
can be enjoyed by both players and
spectators alike.
USAPA’s Managing Director of
Competition, Karen Parrish, is
serving as the tournament chair and
she has assembled a talented team,
including Jarick Rager, Assistant
Tournament Director; Gail Furtner,
Assistant Tournament Director;
George McCully, Lead Referee
Coordinator; Laura Patterson, Asst.
Referee Coordinator; Mark Pfeifer,
Referee Trainer; Justin Maloof,
Executive Director, and George
Bauernfeind, Director of Marketing,
who represent some of the absolute
best tournament people in the sport.
Karen also serves as the tournament
chair of the USA Pickleball National
Championships in Indian Wells.
This year’s event offers skill/
age brackets (3.0-5.0), a junior/
high school division, a wheelchair/
adaptive division, and will feature
an Open division of 4.5/5.0 players,
who will compete for $25,000 in prize
money. The $25,000 pool equals the
cash prize just three years ago at the
2017 USAPA National Championships
(outdoor).
At the time of this printing, more
than 500 players have already
registered for this historic event.
Registration will remain open until
May 8 or until the event capacity
is reached. As a first-time event,
there are no qualifying tournaments
for this year’s event. However, this
will change in 2021, so players still
looking to participate should consider
registering now to secure their spot
in this National Championship event.
Registration details are available at
usapa.org/2020-national-indoor-
championships/.
With the Margaritaville USA
Pickleball National Championships
at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden
serving as the sport’s premier
outdoor tournament, our goal is to
establish a complementary event
that caters to those who favor the
indoor game. Our hope is that, in
a few short years, a new breed of
“indoor stars” will emerge much like
the pro-caliber players who have
developed within the last 5-6 years in
the outdoor game.
Due to the situation regarding
COVID-19 virus, please know that
this event has been postponed
for 2020. Please check usapa.org
for news and updates regarding
the 2021 USAPA National Indoor
Championships. •
USAPA UNIVERSITY FEATURES ANOTHER
GRADUATING CLASS
C
lasses and featured
instruction from some of
the world’s top pickleball
players were part of the
curriculum at the USAPA University
at Club Med in Port St. Lucie,
Florida. Led by Robert Elliott, other
instructors included Rob Davidson,
Steve Kennedy, Jodi Elliott, Dan
McLaughlin and recent Hall of
Fame inductee Jennifer Lucore.
Forty-eight students were on hand
and undoubtedly took away loads
of information to help take their
games to the next level.
USAPA University features two full
days of clinics focusing on skills and
training to help improve a student’s
game, especially shot selection and
court maintenance. Stay tuned for
the next USAPA University coming to
an area near you. •
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
APRIL/MAY 2020 |
MAGAZINE
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