The Southern Pickleball Association is proud the 2nd Annual Candy Cane Classic in the WORLD'S LARGEST INDOOR pickleball facility, Rhythm and Rally Sports and Events Center.. The facility has 32 climate controlled, dedicated pickleball courts and is located at the Macon Mall.

LAST DAY TO REGISTER AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR A SHIRT IS DECEMBER 3rd 11:55pm ET. Registration has now closed. We do have a few late registration spots available. Late Registration is $65 plus $20 per event. To be considered for late registration please email the following information for you and your partner to info@southernpickleball.com. (Name, Age, Email, Phone Number, DUPR Rating) along with requested bracket.

After playing pickleball, participants are encouraged to head downtown and witness the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza (https://maconchristmaslightextravaganza.com). Experience 1,00,000+ lights moving in time to music arranged and performed by Macon Pops in historic downtown Macon.

Registration cost is $40 plus $20 per event. Late Registration $65 plus $20 per event.

QUALIFIER

This tournament is a Qualifier for the Southern Championships, the most prestigious amateur tournament in the Southeast. This year the Southern Championships will be held Jan 3rd-5th 2025 in Macon, Ga at Rhythm and Rally Sports and Events Center. All medalists qualify to participate in the Southern Championships. Medalists will receive an email the week following the tournament with instructions on how to register for the Southern Championships.

RATINGS

Southern Pickleball uses DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) for all tournaments. Two weeks prior to the tournament all ratings will be updated and players moved to the appropriate bracket based on their rating at that time. Players with a DUPR reliability score of less than 50% may appeal to play at a level below their current DUPR Rating. Appeals must be made before the ratings are updated two weeks prior to the tournament. Appeals should be sent to info@southernpickleball.com. It is the players responsibility to monitor their DUPR rating and make any desired appeals. Players who do not have a DUPR Rating may register at their self-rating. They must then create a DUPR account prior to the start of the tournament. To find out more information on DUPR or to create a DUPR account go to DUPR.COM.

SKILL LEVELS

2.5 Beginner (2.5 to 2.99)

3.0 Low Intermediate (3.0 to 3.49)

3.5 High Intermediate (3.5 to 3.99)

4.0 Advanced (4.0 to 4.49)

4.5 High Advanced (4.5 to 4.99)

5.0 Open (5.0 and Above)

PLAYERS NEEDING PARTNERS

Players that do not have a partner may register as needing a partner. This allows other players to see the player needs a partner and contact the player through the pickleballbrackets.com system. Southern Pickleball and our Tournament Directors DO NOT attempt to find partners for players. This feature is provided as a service for the players Players who do not find a partner and wish to withdraw must withdraw by the withdrawal deadline to receive a refund minus the administration fee.

COMBINED BRACKETS

Brackets with less than 4 teams will be combined. Brackets may be combined by age and/or skill at the discretion of the tournament director to make the most competitive balanced divisions. Medals WILL BE AWARDED to teams at the end of play based on the brackets that players originally signed up for. If you are in a COMBINED bracket please check with tournament director before leaving the tournament to see if you earned a medal. Medals will only be awarded at the tournament and will not be mailed after the tournament.

APPROVED PADDLES

Only paddles that are currently on the USA Pickleball Approved List will be allowed.

https://equipment.usapickleball.org/paddle-list/

Players using unapproved paddles will forfeit all games played with the unapproved paddle.

Southern Pickleball offers tournament insurance to players. Tournament insurance covers weather related cancelations and withdrawals due to injury or family emergency. If all events are missed, a player purchasing tournament insurance will be refunded 100 percent of their registration & event fees. If a player plays in an event and other events are missed, the player will be refunded the event fee for the canceled event.

Registration Fees are non transferable. All players must register, sign the tournament waiver, and pay.

Cancellation deadline is 9pm November 27, 2024. No refunds for any reason after that date unless a player has purchased weather and injury cancellation insurance. Cancellations prior to that date are subject to a $15 administration fee. All refunds will be processed within seven days following the completion of the tournament. Your spot in the tournament is not guaranteed until your partner has registered and all fees have been paid in full.

Players who do not show up for their event and fail to notify the tournament director prior OR leave the event prior to the completion of play without notifying the tournament director are subject to a $25 fine. The fine must be paid before registering for a future Southern Pickleball event. Repeat offenders may receive a suspension from Southern Pickleball tournaments.