2018 MARGARITAVILLE
USA PICKLEBALL
NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIPS –
THE NEXT
CHAPTER FOR
THE SPORT!
BY JUSTIN MALOOF
I
t’s hard to believe this year marked my 6th
National Championships! Each one has grown
bigger and better, but this year was a monumental
leap forward for not only USAPA but the entire
sport of pickleball.
After meeting with executives from the Indian Wells
Tennis Garden late last year and then announcing our
move to the world-renowned facility in February, a
select few from USAPA understood the true magnitude
and level of professionalism that was in store for this
year’s players and attendees. When the event finally
arrived, it was so much fun seeing the expressions
on participants and spectators alike as they walked
through the gates for the first time… it was like
Christmas morning! This issue of Pickleball Magazine
is dedicated to this year’s tournament and will provide
readers with a glimpse of what transpired.
None of this would have been possible without
the fantastic staff at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
They rolled out the red carpet not only for our players
but really our entire sport. We truly have a showcase
event that highlights our top players in ways like
never before. It was an absolute pleasure to work with
their professional staff. The BNP Paribas Open tennis
tournament held at Indian Wells is considered the “fifth
major” in tennis and attracts nearly 500,000 spectators.
The team there is very comfortable hosting major
sporting events and they treated our tournament no
different. We look forward to many successful years at
Indian Wells!
I also want to thank Margaritaville for their incredible
title sponsorship this year. They were much more than
a title sponsor as they assumed a very active role in
many aspects of the tournament, including 16 hours
of live-stream coverage on ESPN3 and a one-hour
nationally televised broadcast on ESPNEWS. They were
also responsible for the incredible food and beverage
services and a number of fan experiences including
the dancing stilt performers! They really made this
pickleball tournament one to remember!
I also want to recognize USAPA’s Managing Director
of Competition, Christine Barksdale. With just over
2,200 players and a total of 4,293 matches (the most
ever in the history of the sport), the tournament,
under her direction, ran like a well-oiled machine. She
assembled an incredible tournament team of Anne
Reynolds and Kyle Klein, who served as tournament
co-chairs; Melissa McCurley as desk operations;
and George McCulley as the
referee coordinator, who
successfully pre-scheduled
a team of 166 referees and
covered each match without
one call for referees or lines
people the entire week!
In closing, I would like to
wish everyone Happy Holidays,
and be sure to make plans
now to join us for the 2019
National Championships
November 2-10 in Indian
Wells, California…or, as
we now call it, “Pickleball
JUSTIN MALOOF
Paradise.”
USAPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 |
MAGAZINE
9