By Stu Upson
USA PICKLEBALL CEO
With summer coming to a close , a great deal of attention is focused on the USA Pickleball National Championships in December in Indian Wells . This year ’ s tournament promises to be a great experience for all in attendance at the spectacular Indian Wells Tennis Garden .
Planning for the event has had some bumps in the road over the past few months due to a date change and the implementation of a new COVID-19 vaccination policy at the venue . Instead of our usual early November dates , this year ’ s Nationals were pushed back to December 6-14 to accommodate the BNP Paribas Open , which was rescheduled from last March to this October . The Indian Wells Tennis Garden requires a minimum of five weeks to pave and paint many of the tennis courts to create the 49 pickleball courts used for Nationals , so players have had to adjust their competition schedules and , in some cases , change their travel plans .
The Indian Wells Tennis Garden also announced in July that people attending events at the facility must provide proof of receiving the COVID-19 vaccination to be allowed on the property . This policy is in place not only for our Nationals , but for all events held there . This requirement applies to players , fans , staff , volunteers , sponsors , vendors and so on . We know this policy is upsetting to many of our members , some of whom will choose not to participate in the Nationals this year , but we have also received an equal amount of positive feedback on the decision .
Despite these changes , Nationals will be back in a big way after last year ’ s cancellation . The playing field will be full , and the competition in all divisions should be exciting . We hope many of you will come out to enjoy the action and spend some time in the beautiful Coachella Valley . For those of you not able to attend in person , we will be providing 56 hours of livestreaming coverage from three different courts on ESPN + and For the Fan over the course of the tournament . In addition , ESPN will be airing a two-hour tape delay broadcast of highlights and key matches approximately 10 days after the end of the tournament .
Enjoy the remainder of your summer and the fall . I hope to see many of you in Indian Wells . Best Regards , Stu Upson CEO
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 | MAGAZINE 11