USA Pickleball News & Notes
USA Pickleball Announces 2023 National Championships Series Schedule
USA Pickleball , the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball , recently announced the schedule for the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships Series ( NCS ), also known as The Road to Nationals . The 2023 NCS will be comprised of five tournaments held across the country that serve as primary qualifiers for the sport ’ s premier event , the USA Pickleball National Championships . USA Pickleball also announced that the National Championships will be held Nov . 4-12 , returning to Pickleball Paradise at the world-class Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells , California .
USA Pickleball and the Association of Pickleball Professionals ( APP ) will again partner to stage the NCS . All five series events will be part of the 2023 APP Tour .
2023 USA Pickleball NCS Schedule
APP Daytona Beach Open Daytona Beach , FL ( Pictona at Holly Hill ) February 8-12
Mesa , AZ ( Bell Bank Park ) March 29-April 2
The 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships will return to the worldclass Indian Wells Tennis Garden in November .
PHOTO BY BRUCE YEUNG .
Cincinnati , OH ( Sawyer Point Pickleball Facility ) May 10-14
New York City , NY ( USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center ) May 24-28
Consumer Cellular USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championships Newport Beach , CA ( Tennis & Pickleball Club at Newport Beach ) June 28-July 2
Stu Upson to Step Down as CEO of USA Pickleball
USA Pickleball announced Jan . 10 that Stu Upson will step down as chief executive officer and will depart the organization following a transition period . Upson assumed the role of USA Pickleball ’ s first-ever CEO in December 2020 .
“ I have greatly enjoyed my time at USA Pickleball and am proud of the accomplishments the organization has made over the past two years ,” said Upson . “ It has been a privilege to work with the entire USA Pickleball team and the board .”
“ On behalf of the Board of Directors , I would like to thank Stu for the growth that USA Pickleball has made under his leadership ,” said Robert Quicksilver , chairman of the USA Pickleball Board of Directors . “ His many contributions have helped position the organization for continued success in the coming years .”
Table Tennis Champion Has Newfound Love for Pickleball
One of the iconic faces of American table tennis has turned her competitive drive and talents to pickleball . Judy Hoarfrost , a member of the U . S . Table Tennis Team for a decade , has represented America for over five decades in World Championships , international competitions , and as the youngest member of the “ Ping-Pong Diplomacy ” team that made history in 1971 touring China .
Hoarfrost , who holds a multitude of U . S . junior and senior titles , played in her first U . S . Open for table tennis at age 11 . Now 67 , she
Judy Hoarfrost won a gold medal in her first USA Pickleball National Championships appearance last November .
PHOTO BY CARL SCHMITS / USA PICKLEBALL .
recently won a gold medal in Women ’ s Doubles 65 + 4.5 with partner Barbara Wise at the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships — her first trip to a USA Pickleball National Championship .
The Scoop
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023 | MAGAZINE 51