FROM THE USAPA
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD IN
PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENTS
JERRY L. BRINEGAR, PH.D., PAST PRESIDENT - ATHENS AREA PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION
T
he purpose of this article is to bring awareness to pick-
leball players and tournament directors about the ne-
cessity to level the playing field in their tournament play. I
am in hopes that, via the USAPA, this leveling process will
become procedural on behalf of peer competition and fun.
Pickleball originated as a makeshift game of miniature
tennis similarities for seniors as an alternative for the ebb
and tide of aching joints and receding reflexes. After years
of meandering in pockets of interest here and there, it
became increasingly popular with retirement communities
in the late ‘90s and early 21st century. Permanent courts
indoors and outdoors became a real estate requirement for
many people, young and old, moving to new communities.
It became common to hear a buyer ask, “Does this subdivi-
sion have pickleball courts?” or “Does this community have
pickleball facilities?” The Villages in Florida and the perfect
year-round climate for outdoor play in Surprise, Arizona,
led to some of the best players taking up residence, e.g.
Steve Wong in Surprise. Pickleball has become the fastest
30
growing sport in the United States and is played interna-
tionally in countries such as Sweden, France, Spain and
England.
When a sport grows in popularity, it does so by numbers
of people flocking to the new game in town that everyone’s
talking about. With these new players come the younger
generations, slowly at first, but rapidly proliferating into
college sports programs and classes, even at the high
school level. National champions have become younger
with each passing competitive year, and this influx of
youth is great and ensures the longevity of the game. Per-
haps the Olympics are in pickleball’s future?
But…what about us old guys? What happens to our
competitive motivation to take our game to the next level
when we can’t compete on an unlevel playing field with
players in our skill levels who are 10, 15, even 50 years
younger? Being in the same skill level alone does not take
into account the athlete’s aging factors. Case in point: I
recently traveled 300 miles round trip to compete in a
tournament where my 65-year-old partner and I played
against an 18-year-old and his 30+ year-old brother. The
only common denominator was our skill rating of 3.0. I am
74 years old! We didn’t have a chance. They, in fact, went
on to beat everyone and win the gold.
Pickleball is a great game for all ages. However, aging has
its way with our bodies even when our minds keep saying,
“Go, play, run, jump, dive.” The natural evolution of life is
such that reaction times decrease noticeably in the 60s,
and agility, eyesight, joint pains-aches-stability, muscle
tone and physical endurance levels weaken — quite often
and predictably so elders do not find their game skill go-
ing to the next level up. Instead, it stays the same or goes
down…a difficult adjustment to say the least.
So, what is a level playing field? It’s very simple and fair.
No elder should be disadvantaged because of their age!
They compete within their own age group and skill level.
Tournament Directors may argue there are not enough
players in every tournament to make a level playing field
for all the participants. This is true only if you’re concerned
about the cost of medals.
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