Welcome to the New Year, and hopefully lots of Pickleball. Trusting everyone had a wonderful Christmas break, and maybe also a small break from playing. Although we held sessions everyday apart from Christmas Day! There are lots of things happening in the Pickleball world and I'll try to bring you up to date.
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Over 130 members celebrated the year past at Rose Cottage. It was a great night with awesome food and drinks. Jen and Lee held a raffle with all proceeds going to Lifeline Canberra. Over $1,200 was raised for this cause. The committee also gave out two new awards to celebrate some of the amazing work members are contributing to our club. These awards were the Club Person of the Year, won by our wonderful volunteer coordinator Meredith Sack. And the Sportsperson of the Year, won by the indomitable Alan Reis.
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This was our first tournament with over 500 competitors. It was a wonderful event with many of our members celebrating a medal win. Over half the medals were won by ACT players, most being members of PACT. Thank you to the ACT players who agreed to give their medals back after the medal ceremony. An issue with the medal order saw the supplier ship Big Chill medals instead of ACT Championship medals. This was unable to be rectified in time due to overseas supply. Our medallists should be receiving their medals in the coming weeks.
We also introduced court allocation and score entry via mobile phone. This worked well and significantly reduced the number of volunteers required.
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Entries are now open for The Big Chill tournament in March, and it’s shaping up to be another fantastic event. This year, we’re expanding to four days, with split-age mixed doubles being played on our courts on the Friday.
If you haven’t tried competing in a tournament before, The Big Chill is a great place to start. And if playing isn’t for you, we’re always keen to hear from members who’d like to volunteer and help make the event a success.
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We have begun introducing new sessions for 2026 as the demand increases for more playing time. Some of these sessions now include a DUPR ranking requirement as we try to meet the needs of our super competitive members. Our member survey showed that many members wanted more competitive play, against players of a similar standard to themselves. Please ensure you book into the correct session appropriate to your skill level. We have also introduced some 1.5 hour sessions at a reduced fee of $12. Some new skills and drills sessions will also be introduced soon, allowing members to improve their play by focusing on specific skills.
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The Masters Cup will be on again in 2026 for players aged over 50. This will be run as a 10 or 12 week league competition with players moving up or down the league ladder each week. Our top 50, 60 and 70 year old men and women will have the opportunity to compete in the Masters Cup final on the Gold Coast in September. This year we are looking to hold the League nights after hours to allow our 50 and 60 year old members the opportunity to play.
Look out for more details closer to the League start date (proposed March/April start).
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Pickleball Australia follow the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) Rules. A number of new rules have been introduced in 2026. Members should make themselves aware of the new rules, as it will help everyone to play and compete fairly. These changes include ammendments to serving, rally scoring, net post rules, and changes to disabled player double bounce rules.
2026 GPF RULEBOOK
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There are many instances of players now getting caught with Temu and other brand paddles. These paddles are not tested and approved to the USAPA rules. While these paddles can be used in social play they are illegal to use in PA sanctioned tournaments. The paddle rules have been designed to ensure fair play with paddle "pop" and spin limited by these rules. Two weeks ago at the Spirit Tournament many unapproved paddles were found, and this resulted in suspension of games and the non-awarding of medals.
Our advice is spend the extra money and buy a USAPA approved paddle from a reputable supplier. PACT has approved paddles for sale including HUSTL, Joola, and Siz-Zero. These can be purchased through the PACT website.
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Keeping our courts clean and safe continues to be a priority, particularly with dust and dirt building up between professional cleans. The courts are professionally cleaned every eight weeks, with additional cleaning scheduled immediately before tournaments.
We’re currently reviewing options to increase the frequency of cleaning to ensure safe playing conditions, especially given the increased dust and dirt in recent weeks.
In the meantime, if you notice the court you’re playing on feels slippery, please grab a dry mop before starting and give it a quick once-over. It only takes a moment and can help prevent a serious fall.
Thanks for helping us keep the courts safe for everyone.
See you on the courts.
Michael Thompson
President
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