The Sheridan Wyoming Round Robin Pickleball Tournament Format

Easiest tournament to schedule and run; tournament directors can participate

Submitted by Arlie Johnson, USAPA Wyoming Pickleball Ambassador

All players are guaranteed 15 games with 15 different partners at your same skill level on 4 courts in 4 hours. Participants will play twice as many games than any other format in half the time. This is the format that will be used for the Wyoming State Games on June 20 and the Wyoming Senior Olympics July 16-19, 2015.

Here is some of the info:

• 240 games will be played on 4 courts in 4 hours
• Recommend morning session 8-12, afternoon session 12:30-4:30, and evening session from 5-9.
• 720 games can be played on 4 courts in 3 sessions with 48 players in one day.
• If you have 12 courts you can have 144 players play
• 2,160 games in 3 sessions with 9 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze medals given out in one day.

Some basic rules:

• North or East side begins the game.
• No referees or line judges needed, but that is optional.
• NO TIME OUTS.
• Water breaks between the 15 games and five bathroom breaks between rounds if needed.

Other playing items…

One round consists of 3 games with 3 different partners to 11 points win by 2 points. If overtime is needed, games are played to 11, win by 1 point. The most points any player can get in one round is 33 points; if they are on the winning team all 3 games. All 4 players add and write your correct individual score after each round on the score sheet. There are 5 rounds total. In case of a tie at the end of 5 rounds the tie breaker will be head-to-head scores on their round.

This is the best format for rating players. If a player gets over 150 points out of the total 165 points, they should move up a level. If a player has less than 100 points they should move down a level.

If fatigue is a problem for some players to play for 4 hours you may share a number on the bracket with another player. One player would play 9 games, 3 rounds and the other player would play 6 games, 2 rounds. As a tournament director I would build a bracket just for players wanting to share a bracket.

If playing where the weather or background is an advantage to one side, switch at 6 points.

If time, court space and player fatigue is no problem, the 5 rounds 15 games could be the qualifying rounds to get the 4 best players for the medals match. The sixth round could have line judges and a referee from their bracket players. The gold, silver, and bronze medals can play on one court and the other 3 courts could be used for the next session to warm up on. Then each session would take about 5 hours to run.

NATALIE: 161 POINTS GOLD — 1^ST PLACE

JEFF: 158 POINTS SILVER — 2^ND PLACE

RANEE: 154 POINTS BRONZE — 3^RD PLACE

CRAIG: 152 POINTS — 4^TH PLACE

All four of these players would qualify for a level rating higher. All other players were in the correct bracket.

If the sixth medal round is used Natalie, Jeff, Ranee, and Craig would be the qualifiers and would play for the gold, silver and bronze medals.