Will “age-within-skill” events still be offered once the new rating system is released?

Yes, tournament directors can organize and run age-based, skill-based or age-within-skill events. For age-based events, the new ratings will be used by the tournament directors to more accurately seed and bracket players in specific age groupings. Regardless of the event format of a tournament, all match results will be entered into the new USA Pickleball Tournament Player Rating System to determine any change in the player’s USAPA Tournament Player Rating.

NOTE: Using the new USA Pickleball Tournament Player Ratings, there is very little expected advantage or reason to use the age-within-skill format. The ratings will be based on actual match results, creating fairer and more even brackets. Yes, a 55-year-old could play a 30-year-old with the same rating due to the fact that ratings are based on actual match results.