RULES
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Q . At a recent tournament , one of my legs started to cramp badly during a match . I took a time-out and managed to get myself through the match , but I am wondering if I could have decided to forfeit that match and remain in the bracket .
A . If you are in the winners ’ side of a doubleelimination bracket or in a round-robin bracket , you can decide to stop playing in a match so that you can rest up or otherwise prepare for your next match . This is not considered a Forfeit but a Retirement . This selection even permits you to retain the points you have earned in the match you are retiring from , which may be important in case of a tie . A Forfeit is generally a penalty for some mistake , such as showing up late or being charged with two technical fouls . Don ’ t confuse this with a Withdrawal since withdrawing , which needs TD approval , removes you from a bracket entirely . See Section 3 of the Rulebook for accurate definitions of these terms and Section 12 for an explanation of how scores will be reported for each selection .
Q . I ’ ve seen an ad for a pickleball paddle that has a hole between the handle and the paddle . Does this mean that pickleball paddles can now have holes ?
A . The rule concerning a paddle ’ s surface , 2 . E . 2 , says that a paddle ’ s hitting surface shall not contain delaminations , holes , cracks or indentations . This means that holes somewhere other than “ the hitting surface ” are acceptable . While a hit may happen anywhere on a paddle or even on a hand contacting a paddle , it is reasonable to conclude that the intended hitting surface does not include the handle , its attachment to the paddle and the outer edge of the paddle . •
By Bob Unetich
USA PICKLEBALL-CERTIFIED REFEREE
The Two Paths to Nationals
USA Pickleball , through the 2022 National Championship Series , is offering several “ golden ticket ” events in 2022 . Winning a gold medal at any of these will earn you a golden ticket to the 2022 National Championships in November at Indian Wells . The first tournament in this series was the APP Masters tournament in Boca Raton , Florida , in January and the next is the APP Legacy Open in Mesa , Arizona , with later events at APP New York , the USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championships , the Beer City Open and the APP Atlanta Metro Open .
In addition , USA Pickleball has outlined another path to the National Championships through the new Diamond Amateur Championship , to be held at Pictona in Holly Hill , Florida , in December . Winning a gold or silver medal at any of the 12 Diamond Regional Championships this year earns pre-registration for this event . Regionals start in March with the Southwest Diamond Regional Championship in Mesa , Arizona , and finishes with the Mid-Atlantic Diamond Regional in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina , in September . The gold medalists at Pictona will earn a golden ticket to Nationals in 2023 .
An added benefit of playing in the Regionals is that all participants will be eligible for the Diamond Championship lottery . Those who win gold , silver or bronze at any Regional will be entered into another lottery for the 2022 Nationals at Indian Wells .
An interesting aspect of the Diamond Championship format is that the brackets will start as round robin pools , leading to double elimination playoffs . This should provide players with more tournament matches than is often the case in double elimination tournaments .
All of the details above and more about these tournaments can be found on the USA Pickleball website under the Tournaments tab , and many of these tournaments are open for registration at
pickleballtournaments . com .