This 2023 Early Fall tournament is meant to be a competitive but fun doubles tournament for skill levels 3.0 to 5.0 and will once again showcase the National Bank Financial – Okanagan Wealth Advisor Pickleball Complex in Vernon, B.C. These are indoor courts with outdoor court surfaces. The tournament is sanctioned by Pickleball Canada and Pickleball B.C.

SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT

Players will register in their appropriate skill level. At the the time of registration there will be only one age group, e.g., ANY AGE. When registration closes the players will be broke into groups of 5 teams with the age of the youngest player on a team determining which age group the team will be in. For example, if in the 4.0 skill level there was a cap of 20 teams then the five youngest teams would be in the first skill/age bracket, then the next five youngest teams, in the 2nd age group, the next five in the 3rd age group and the oldest five in the 4th age group.

If a higher skill level does not have 5 teams or a multiple of five teams and the next lower skill level has a wait list, then the highest rated team in the lower skill level will be asked if they wish to play up and a team from the wait list will be incorporated into the lower skill level

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

• Round Robin in pools – 1 game to 15, win by 2, no cap
•  Bronze medal game – 3rd vs 4th from RR – 1 game to 15, win by 2, no cap
• Gold Medal Game – 1st vs 2nd from RR, best 2 out 3 to 11, win by 2, no cap
• Every team should play 4 matches and 80% of the teams will play 5 matches.

REGISTRATION

• Registration opens on Aug 1 , 2023, at 7 PM (PDT). and closes on Sept 10, 2023, at 4 PM (PDT)
• All Registration is through Pickleball Brackets where you must have established a profile.
• In doubles events, at least one of the partners must be at the correct skill level. The 2nd partner may be no more than one skill level (0.5) lower.
• A pair’s status in the tournament is not verified until the 2nd partner registers. Failure of the 2nd partner to register within two (2) days of the 1st player registering may jeopardize the status of the pair.
• You may change partners any time prior to the registration cutoff. However, doing so may put your registration into the wait list.
• Changes may be allowed after registration is cut off, but you can only choose a new partner from those not currently partnered. The Tournament Director must be informed and has the right to veto a new partnership.

ELIGIBILITY TO ENTER AN EVENT

Age: An older player may play in a younger age group. A younger player may not play in an older age group. No player may play down from their skill level. Age is determine as of December 31st, 2023.

Skill Level: The skill level of players is determined by their data in their Pickleball Brackets profile. The priority for determining a player’s skill level is their Canadian Tournament Player Rating (CTPR). If that is lacking then their Pickleball Bracket profile tournament rating, and if that is lacking their Pickleball Bracket self-rating for that Event.

DISCRETION
The tournament director reserves the right to:
* review, and possibly alter the rating of players who self-rate below or above their actual rating.
* move players and teams between skill level brackets if on verification the wrong event has been entered.
* merge or split brackets based on event registration.
* change start times

EQUIPMENT
* Paddles must be USAPA approved paddles: https://equipment.usapickleball.org/paddle-list/
* Ball: The tournament ball is Franklin X-40
* Clothing: If a player is wearing clothing that is the same colour as the ball, s/he might be asked to change apparel by the Tournament Director.
* The use of protective eyewear is strongly encouraged!

OFFICIATING

All Medal matches, where possible, will be refereed.

SCHEDULE

Men will play on Friday, Sept 29 Mixed on Saturday, Sept 30 and Women on Sunday, Oct 1 Event scheduling by time will be available closer to the event based on event sizes.

MUST BE PICKLEBALL CANADA MEMBER

As a Pickleball Canada sanctioned tournament all registrants must be Pickleball Canada members in good standing through Dec 31,2023 Here is a link to check for your PCO member# https://secure.pickleballcanada.org/login/

PLAYER PLACEMENT

• The Tournament Director(s) reserve the right to cap the number of registrants on any one day of the tournament when the facilities/schedule reach capacity.
• The Tournament Director(s) reserve the right to review, and possibly alter the rating of players who self-rate below or above their actual rating.
• The tournament reserves the right to move players and teams between skill level brackets if on verification the wrong event has been entered.
• The tournament reserves the right to combine brackets at their sole discretion based on participation numbers.
• It is important that players who do not yet have a CTPR because they have not participated in their first sanctioned event go to the following link at Pickleball Canada and read the sections on ratings. In particular read UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS OF SELF-ASSESSMENT etc.

https://pickleballcanada.org/ratings/ratings-2023/