U.S. Open Tournament - USAPA Final Comments

As the USAPA Communications Director, I felt it important to provide our members some personal observations and information as to why the U.S. Open lost it's USAPA Sanction.

I attended the Open as both an observer and player and offer the following comments. The primary reason the sanction was pulled was very simple....they violated the rules.... Here are some notes to ponder....

1. Early in the planning phase, the USAPA offered "on site" planning assistance to ensure that properly trained referees would be available. USAPA assistance was declined. 
2. The referee coordinator, appointed by the Tournament Director, neither had the training nor experience to manage a tournament of this size. 
3. Referees were not scheduled in advance which delayed the start of the Open. The organizers had no clue of who or when their volunteers were showing up to referee. 
4. Most of the volunteers who originally signed up were "snowbirds". These same volunteers left the first of April and went back North which left nobody to referee. 
5. Organizers grossly under estimated the resources needed to manage the logistics needed to provide qualified referees for 2500 matches...
6. The referee volunteers were requested to stage inside a cage area in 90 degree heat rather than reporting to a specific shift when needed. Many volunteers I spoke with became frustrated with this rule and resigned. The rule requiring referees to report to and remain in a cage area was later mofified due to the large number of complaints. 

I applaud Collier County Florida and Spirit Promotions for an otherwise fantastic tournament. My hope is that they will benefit, from lessons learned, and continue towork with the USAPA to make this tournament a "players" tournament.

Finally, Dennis Dacey resigned this week after 5 years of service on the USAPA Board. Thank you Dennis for the thousands of volunteer hours you gave to the USAPA and we will miss you.

Please send your ideas on how we can improve pickleball at all levels to geninfo@usapa.org to my attention. Bob Nibarger - USAPA Communications Chair

Jeff Shank, Pickleball Coach

I was fortunate enough to be a usapa referee certification instructor for the beta phase last fall. I personally contacted the us open lead person and volunteered to travel down to Naples with my fellow ref trainer and teach the usapa beta training to their volunteers. I only asked that they reimburse me for my gas money and put us up at host housing for one night as the training would be for two days. My offer was declined.