Join us for the 1st Seasoned and Smashing (50+) Event at Pickleball Kingdom Lynnwood.
Subject to final number of registered participants, which may require combining some age brackets to benefit the competitive nature of the tournament, this is the planned schedule for events.
Unfortunately, this event is no longer USSP sanctioned because my organization believes is fair competition and that doesn't align with what I was asked to do for this event.
I strongly believe players should be grouped primarily by skill level rather than combining widely different skill levels simply to preserve age divisions. Putting a 2.5 player on the same court as a 4.5 player doesn't create a good experience for anyone, especially when results are reported to DUPR and ratings are affected.
We should be building new pickleball players and creating experiences that make people excited to play their next tournament. That means competitive matches, appropriate skill divisions, plenty of meaningful court time, and an event fee that represents the fair value of pickleball.
Imagine paying $100 for a tournament, playing three games against opponents well outside your skill level, losing all three, and going home. That's not value. And handing someone a medal afterward doesn't turn a bad tournament experience into a good one.
Tournament directors shouldn't be focused on squeezing a few extra dollars out of a bracket. We should be asking: Did the player get their money's worth? Did they have competitive matches? Did they leave wanting to play another tournament?
That's how we grow pickleball.
Fair competition. Fair value. A great player experience.
