Welcome to the Waitlist registration page for the upcoming APC Mixed Doubles tournament on May 31 and June 1.  

For detailed information on the format and rules for the tournament, please refer to the "Tournament Format/Rules" tab above.

Have a Partner?

• You are prepared to move through this registration process if you already have a defined partner and know what Skill Level/Age Group you intend to register for.
• Only one member of the 2-person defined team needs to go through this process and register a team for the Waitlist.
• If you DO NOT have a defined partner and would like assistance finding a partner, please review the "Find a Partner" tab above for more details.

Schedule of Events:

• Saturday - May 31
  • Under 50 divisions - All Skill Levels
• Sunday - June 1
  • 50+ divisions - All Skill Levels

Specific start times for each Skill Level will be announced on Saturday May 24th.

Players are only allowed to play in one event within the tournament.  If you are 50 or older you ARE NOT able to play in an Under 50 event AND a 50+ event.  You will need to choose one age level to play in and only register for one event.  Players that register in two events will be withdrawn from both events that they are registered for.

Choosing a Skill Level:

• Players can register for the Skill Level that they feel is most appropriate for them, however Tournament Directors will review all team registrations and reserve the right to move teams up/down Skill Levels based on objective data (DUPR/UTRP/USAP ratings, prior external tournament experience, prior APC Championship Series experience) and their knowledge of individual player abilities to ensure fair and competitive play.  Teams that are adjusted will be notified during or immediately following the event registration period.
• All members with a DUPR score of 5.0 or higher are required to play in the OPEN Division.

Cancellation Policy/Penalty

• Teams that cancel or withdraw from the event less than 5 days prior to the event will not be eligible to participate in future APC Championship Series events in 2025.

Need a Partner?

If you don't have a partner but would like to find one to play with in this upcoming tournament, we would like to help you.  Simply stop by the Check In desk the next time you are at the club and fill out a "Find a Partner" form.  We will enter your name and contact information into a Google Sheet that can be accessed by other members looking for a partner.  Members can use the contact information to get in touch with other members directly to find a partner in their skill level/age division.  

2025 Championship Series Tournament Rules

Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles Events

Player Eligibility Requirements:

• All players must be members in good standing at the date of the tournament
• All members, regardless of age, are eligible to play in the tournament
• Players in the 50+ Age Group are required to be 50 years of age at the date of the tournament
• Players are only allowed to play in one Skill Level/Age Group within the tournament

Match Formats:

• These Championship Series tournaments are played in two segments:
  • Initial Pool Play
    • Teams are placed into Pools of 2, 3, 4 or 5 teams
    • Each team plays all other teams within their Pool
    • Matches are 2/3 games to 11, win by 1
      • Exception – Pools of 5 teams will play a single game to 15 against all 4 other teams
    • Pool standings and tiebreakers within pools for playoff spots are based on:
      • Number of Match Wins 
      • Average Point Differential
      • Average Points won per game
      • Average Points lost per game
      • Coin Toss by tournament official
  • Playoff Round(s)
    • Top finishers from Pool Play will advance to the playoff round(s) as follows based on the number of Pools in the Division.
      • 3 teams - 1 pool - top 2 teams go to a final match
      • 4 teams - 1 pool - top 2 teams go to a final match
      • 5 teams – 1 pool - top 2 teams go to a final match
      • 6 teams - 2 pools of 3 - top team from each pool goes to a final match
      • 7 teams - 2 pools of 3 and 4 - top team from each pool goes to a final match
      • 8 teams - 2 pools of 4 and 4- top team from each pool goes to a final match
      • 9 teams - 3 pools of 3 - top team from each pool and a “Wild Card” team chosen from the tiebreaker system across all pools goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
      • 10 teams - 3 pools of 3,3,4 - top team from each pool and a “Wild Card” team chosen from the tiebreaker system across all pools goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
      • 11 teams - 3 pools of 3,4,4 - top team from each pool and a “Wild Card” team chosen from the tiebreaker system across all pools goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
      • 12 teams - 4 pools of 3,3,3,3 - top team from each pool goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
      • 13 teams - 4 pools of 3,3,3,4 - top team from each pool goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
      • 14 teams - 4 pools of 3,3,4,4 - top team from each pool goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
      • 15 teams - 4 pools of 3,4,4,4 - top team from each pool goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
      • 16 teams - 4 pools of 4,4,4,4 - top team from each pool goes to semifinal playoff match followed by a final
    • Matches are 2/3 games to 11, win by 1 in the first 2 games and win by 2 in the third and final game (if needed).
• Tiebreakers across pools for Wild Card playoff spots are based on:
  • Number of Match Wins – this tie breaker rule is only applied when the number of teams is equal across all Pools
  • Average Point Differential
  • Average Points won per game
  • Average Points lost per game
  • Coin Toss by tournament official
• Third place finishers are determined by:
  • In cases where there is a semifinal playoff match, both teams that lost the semifinal match will tie for third place and receive medals.
  • The following tiebreaker rules are applied to all teams across all pools when there is no Semifinal Match
    • Number of Match Wins – this tie breaker rule is only applied when the number of teams is equal across all Pools
    • Average Point Differential
    • Average Points won per game
    • Average Points lost per game
    • Coin Toss by tournament official

Forfeits and Withdrawals:

• If either/both players are more than 5 minutes (length of the warmup period) late to the starting time for their bracket, they forfeit the match and are disqualified from the tournament.  All matches planned to be played against this team will be cancelled.
• Teams arriving late and receiving a forfeit and disqualification can play the remaining matches within their draw for practice if both teams agree to play, but those matches will not be scored for tournament purposes.
• If a team forfeits, withdraws or is disqualified after matches have already begun, all remaining games will be scored as 11-5 against the team that has left the tournament.

In Game Rules:

• Selecting Side and Serve:
  • Before the start of play, one team member will hold a “1” or a “2” behind their back.  A member of the opposing team will guess the number.  Whichever team “wins” gets to make the choice of choosing a side to start the match from, choosing to serve first (or second), or deferring to the other team to make the choice of side/serve.
• Court Side:
  • All 2/3 game matches are played with players remaining on the same side of the court for all of Game 1 and switching to play all of Game 2 from the opposite side of the court.  In Game 3 (if needed) players start on the same side of the court they played Game 1 from and then players switch sides when either team reaches 6 points.
• Line calls are the responsibility of the players. In matches that involve a referee a line call can be appealed to the referee.  If the referee can make a definitive call, the referee’s call will stand. In situations where the referee is unable to make a definitive call, the player call will stand.
• A player can stop a point if they feel that the pickleball in play is cracked.  If the ball is in fact cracked, the point will be replayed.  If the ball is not found to be cracked, the team that stopped play will lose the point.
• Players are allowed to receive coaching from outside parties only during timeouts and between games.  Coaching during play is not permitted.  In situations where players feel the opponents are getting outside coaching during play, they should halt play and seek a club representative to resolve the issue.
• Timeouts
  • Each team can take a single 1-minute timeout in each game that is played.
  • Medical timeouts are granted on an as-needed basis.  Any time a medical timeout is requested, players should seek a club representative to cheek on the player and assess the situation and determine if a medical timeout will be granted.  A max of 10 minutes will be allocated to the medical timeout and that clock will start at the time the medical timeout is granted by a club representative. Medical timeouts that result in the player not being ready to restart the match after 10 minutes will result in the forfeit of the match.  Match scores for that match will be recorded as follows:
    • Any completed games in the match will be scored using the actual score of the game completed.
    • The game that was being played when the medical timeout was called will be scored as 11 for the winning team and the forfeiting team will record as many points as they had already earned in that game.
    • Any future games that are forfeited within the match will be scored as 11-5 against the team that forfeited the match.
• On-Court Disputes:
  • Any on-court dispute within a match without a referee that can’t be resolved by the players, should be brought to the Pool Manager or Tournament Staff so that they can help resolve the dispute.

Referee responsibilities:

• Club Representative Referees - in games where a club representative is the referee for a match, that referee will be responsible for: watching for service faults, foot faults at the kitchen line and will be available to appeal line calls made by players.  If the referee can make a definitive call on the appealed ball, the referee’s call will stand.  In situations where the referee is unable to make a definitive call, the player call will stand.  These referees will be tracking along with the score, but players will be calling the score prior to each point.
• Official Referee - in games where an official/certified referee is the referee for a match, that referee will be responsible for: all items mentioned above for a Club Representative Referee as well as being the official scorekeeper for the match.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct:

• Club officials have the right to disqualify players and remove teams from play for any action deemed to be unsportsmanlike. Examples of unsportsmanlike conduct include but are not limited to the following:
  • Objectionable language directed at another person
  • Profanity (including hand gestures)
  • Aggressive arguing
  • Throwing a paddle
  • Intentional or aggressive abuse of a pickleball
  • Intentional or aggressive physical contact with a player, official, or spectator
  • Intentionally or aggressively hitting a pickleball outside of game play 

Approved Paddles:

• Only paddles that are on the USA Pickleball or UPA-A Pickleball list of certified paddles on the date of play are eligible for play in APC Championship Series events.

Official Ball

• The official ball of the Championship Series is the standard ball used at the Ace Pickleball Club where the tournament is being played.

Electronic Devices:

• Players are not permitted to wear headphones or earbuds during play unless they are needed for a medically approved hearing need.

Qualifying for the APC National Championship:

• The first-place team from each Skill Level/Age Group in these tournaments will qualify for and be invited to the APC National Championship which will take place the week of January 26th, 2026.  The location for that event will be announced at a later date.