USAPA
Appro ed
There’s a lot of rigorous
testing that goes into
putting that little logo on
paddles and balls.
I
f you’ve ever taken a close look at your paddles and adheres to the intent of the rules. The labs do the quantitative
balls and wondered what the “USAPA Approved” testing in a controlled environment to look at variants such as
logo means, it’s not just an endorsement. The USA the diameter, weight, hardness and bounce,” Anderson says.
Pickleball Association (USAPA) has many programs to
More than 100 paddles this year have already undergone
support the fast-growing sport of pickleball including testing and received their official “USAPA Approved” logo. Balls
working with manufacturers of paddles and balls to are less frequent, being outnumbered by paddle tests five to
ensure the integrity of the sport. Earning that logo takes a lot of
one, Anderson says. Part of the reason for this disparity is
research and testing, both in-
house by USAPA Equipment
Evaluation Committee (EEC)
officials like John Anderson,
an aerospace engineer in
California, and contracted
outside laboratories that
do more of the quantitative
analysis.
The process begins
with manufacturers
submitting four samples
of the equipment, typically
prototypes and new product
introductions, to the National
Testing Center (NTS) and one
sample to the EEC.
“We look for more
qualitative things, such
as whether or not the ball
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NOVEMBER 2019
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