Hi All,
The tournament is on! Starting this year we will be aligning with US Senior Pickleball. This organization is more suited for us seniors.
We are pleased to announce the South Sound Pickleball Club with the Thurston County Pickleball Club will again be hosting the Washington State Senior Games Pickleball Tournament. Please help spread the word.
Our tournament is geared to focusing on the player's experience. We want everyone to have fun and meet some great people. It is not all about the money or winning a medal though most of us wouldn't mind if we get one or two. It is more to do with staying physically fit and mentally sharp, enjoying play and smiling and laughing especially as we gracefully grow older. So, join us and have some fun!
· The Tournament date is set for Aug 5 through Aug 8, 2022. We will move Mixed Doubles to Saturday, Aug 6th per player feedback.
· We will try to referee as many matches as there are volunteers to do so but it will not be a requirement to have referees for all of the matches. We will focus on refereeing all medal matches.
· This will be a qualifying tournament for the National Senior Games in 2023 to be held in Pittsburgh. Please read carefully: National Senior games are now narrowing the divisions to 3: I, II and III. Division I is the highest...basically 4.5 and 5.0 skill levels. Division II is the intermediate...basically 4.0 skill level. Division III is the lowest...basically 3.0 and 3.5 skill levels. So, this tournament will select the best teams from each division. For doubles events, we have both 3.0 and 4.5 level events but they will not be National Senior qualifying events. So, as example if you are a 3.0 level player but want to try to qualify for National Seniors, you need to enter the 3.5 event. If you just want to compete in your 3.0 level and do not care about qualifying for National Seniors, then you should stay in the 3.0 event as normal. Please disregard the notes on Division if you are not interested in playing at National Seniors.
. Please note that most of you probably have not played in a tournament using Pickleball Brackets as it is fairly new. That is ok, but you will need to setup a profile in Pickleball Brackets. And you should self assess your level using the rating from club or other systems like WPR or UTPR or through a rating person...worst case you can ask through email: miokandken@comcast.net. Please also note the rating system that Pickleball Brackets uses is not tied to any others at this time, so it will not impact your rating in other systems like UTPR. One change with this system is that you will need to pay in order to complete the registration. You cannot register 1st and then pay later.
· We are expecting a large turn out this year as we get more accustom with living with COVID-19.
· We need to adhere to the COVID-19 mandates. Please practice social distancing. Please wash your hands frequently. We will have stations with sanitizers. We encourage everyone to take the vaccine.
· The Venue is set for Rainier Vista Community Park in Lacey
o This is a nice park with a good amount of free parking and we will plan for overflow just in case
o We plan to have up to 24 pickleball courts depending on the number of players...3 are permanent pickleball courts:) 4 will be mini-courts for warm-ups.
o We will plan to use a bright color tape for the courts that need taping
o There are 8 permanent bathrooms and we may also get 4 of Honey Buckets too. Please try to use the permanent bathrooms when possible to help reduce costs.
o We will try to start the older groups first of each day
o We ask everyone to bring their own food and refreshments.
o We will plan to have 2 speakers and the better mic
· Please pay electronically and sign the waiver electronically. We recommend you pay by Paypal with a credit card (there is an issue with bank transfers at this time).
Washington State Senior Games Pickleball Tournament 2022
Friday through Monday, August 5th - Aug 8th, 2022
Rainier Vista Community Park
5475 45th Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503
· Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each event
· Categories: MS, WS, MD, WD, and MXD
· Divisions: Each Category will have skill levels within each age groups
· Age Groups: Starting at 50, and then in 5 year increments to 80+
This tournament is open to all players even those outside of the US
· ENTRY FEE:
· $40 Early registration fee if received by June 26th and $60 to July15th
$15 event fee per event (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles). This is open state tournament…meaning any senior can enter from any state and even those from Canada. No need to be an USAPA or USSP member to play in this tournament this year.
JOIN/RENEW USSP MEMBERSHIP AT https://www.usseniorpickleball.com/. Again, you do not need to be a USSP member to play in this tournament, but you would receive a $10 discount if you a USSP member.
· Tee-shirts are expected to be provided...we will know more later as things develop. We will collect demand assuming we will provide the Tee-shirts for any that were entered by June 26th.
· Water may be provided...please bring your own drinks.
You are encouraged to bring your favorite folding chair and your own food, snacks and drinks
ENTRY DEADLINE IS July 15th or when we have max entries; whichever comes first!
Register: http://www.pickleballbrackets.com
Schedule with approximate start times…subject to change:
DAY....Events....................................Start
Thur...Fun Play/Referee Clinic...4:00PM
Fri.......WD..........................................8:30AM
Sat.....MXD........................................8:00AM
Sun....MD..........................................8:30AM
Mon..MS & WS..............................8:00AM
***** Appropriate Attire and Shirts MUST be Worn *****
There will be no refunds for any days not played and in particular due to weather
Players cannot play down into a lower rated event (this means you can't go lower than your skill level or play up in age. You can play up in skill or play lower in age bracket). The Tournament Director has the right to determine ratings for non-rated players. If you do not have one please try access best you can and/or request one by contacting miokandken@comcast.net
Match scoring will be determined by the number of entries in each event. Events may be double elimination matches with games played, Best 2 out of 3 games played to 11 points for winner’s bracket and one game played to 15 points for the opportunity bracket (subject to change)
Events with too few teams may be combined with another skill group or do round robin (probably to 15 instead of 11)
The ball is the SLK COMPETITION OUTDOOR BALL.
Every player is requested to referee at least 2 matches for every event you enter.
Questions? Send email to miokandken@comcast.net or Call (253)-514-0026 (ask for Miok or Ken)
Thx, - Ken and Miok
