Capital Area Pickleball Association
Serving Dane County Wisconsin

Stephanie Gander takes on the volunteer role, last filled by pro player Dave Weinbach, to locally promote the game that's still the fastest growing in the U.S.

Check out the article and learn more about Stephanie.

Fun Prairie Pickleball Open 2024

Click to Register.

The Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department is hosting a non-sanctioned, recreation-based pickleball tournament at Wyndham Hills Park June 7^th, 8^th and 9^th, 2024. This is a team(doubles) tournament played in a round robin format. USAPA rules for scoring/tie breaking round robins will be utilized to determine results. The tournament is based on skill level (3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5) with age divisions of 59 and under and 60 and older (except for the 4.5 level)

Teams must register as a team with a cost of $40 per event ($20 for each team member). There is no discount if registering for more than one event.

All participants will receive one T-shirt and there will be awards for the top three (3) places in each event. Registrations will begin April 4 and continue until May 27^th (NOTE - There are no refunds after May 24).

All start times are subject to change, and events might be merged or split based on event registration as well as making an event a double round robin if less than 7 teams register. There must be a minimum of four (4) teams in each event or the event may be cancelled. The committee may also review posted DUPR/UTPR scores to ensure appropriate competition in each level. Please register for the appropriate level; no sandbagging or playing down from your skill level. To fill a team one player/team member can be allowed to play up a level.

June 15th - McFarland Wisconsin

Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C49A4A72DA7FF2-48754060-2024#/

Location

McFarland Pickleball Courts

4802 Marsh Rd, McFarland, WI 53558

Date & Time

Saturday June 15, 2024

Start as early as 8:00am

Rain date: Sunday June 16, 2024

Cost

$55/person for one event, $25/person for each additional event

Registration

Register on or before May 15, 2024 to receive a t-shirt AND a $5 discount off of your registration! A maximum of $5 will be discounted regardless if a player registers for one or more events. Registrations on or after May 16, 2024 are not guaranteed a t-shirt. T-shirt sizes are gender neutral. Sign up early to avoid being placed on the waiting list. Cancellations on or after June 8, 2024 may be refunded per discretion of tournament director. Cancellations made on or after June 9, 2023 will not be refunded.

Ensure that email addresses are typed out correctly as this will be the primary form of communication. Only one partner needs to sign up, and duplicate entries will be removed.

Payment is expected at time of registration. Registration is not final until payment has been received for both partners. Avoid getting placed on the waiting list and pay as soon as possible!

Once you've calculated your registration fee amount, please pay via Paypal @ ACE Mentor Program's Paypal Site. If possible, please indicate in the payment notes the name(s) of the registrants, especially if the name of the payee is different than the name of the registrant. This helps us keep track of who has paid. Thanks!

You may also pay by check! Please make checks payable to: ACE Mentor Program of Greater Milwaukee and mail to 5802 Research Park Blvd, Madison, WI 53719. Attn: Fred Carvalho.

3.75-4.25 Events & 4.25-4.75 Events: $55 registration fee per person which includes one event. Then, $25 per person for each additional event. For example, if you sign up for Womens 4.25-4.75 then it's $55. If you sign up for Womens 4.25-4.75 AND Mixed 4.25-4.75, then your registration fee is $80. If you sign up for Mens 4.25-4.75, Mixed 4.25-4.75, AND Mens 3.75-4.25, then your total registration fee is $105). Players who are rated roughly around 4.25 may play in either/both skill division(s).

Sunset Scramble: New in 2024! Registration fee is $55 and also includes a t-shirt! This event is only for 3.5 rated players and below and will be an organized rotation of play for up to 32 players! Door prizes throughout play and no partner is required for registration!

Event Schedule (tentative and subject to change)

The exact event schedule will be released as early as possible but likely one week prior to the event. All events will be played on the same day starting as early as 8am.

Tentative start time for each event is:

8:00am: Womens and Mens 4.25-4.75

11:30am: Mixed 4.25-4.75 and Mixed 3.75-4.25

3:00pm: Womens and Mens 3.75-4.25

6:00pm: Sunset Scramble 3.5 and below (sign up as an individual)

Event Format

The 3.75-4.25 and 4.25-4.75 tournament formats will LIKELY consist of a round robin followed with a playoff that includes either all teams or top teams (meaning some teams will be eliminated prior to the playoffs). Expect to play between 2-3 hours per event. Exact format may be announced as early as a week before the event or up to the morning of the event. Games will be played to 11, or 15 points win by 1 one in either one game or best of three games, depending on availability of time and courts. Event/divisions may be combined based on how many teams sign up. Each event's format may be unique based on number of teams, time/court space limitations, or other reasons solely at the director's discretion.

The Sunset Scramble format will consist of about 2-3 hours of play and players will partner with a number of other players, play against a variety of opponents, and throughout the duration of the scramble door prizes will be awarded for a variety of reasons, not necessarily for who wins. You'll play a lot of games in a row and get to meet a lot of fellow picklers!

William McFarland Park consists of eight dedicated, court surface, permanent net, pickleball courts with lights and wind screens. Franklin X-40 pickleballs. Matches will NOT be entered in DUPR.

Cancellation/Unplayable Weather Policy

In the event of unplayable weather, matches will be played the following day Sunday June 16, 2024. If there is unplayable weather on Saturday June 15, 2024 and unplayable weather on June 16, 2024 then players will be refunded 50% of registration fees (less transaction fees) and players who registered early enough for a t-shirt will still be provided the t-shirts! This is a fundraising event for a wonderful non-profit cause, please register with those expectations in mind.

In the event of unplayable weather on June 15, 2024 and weather IS playable on June 16, 2024, then no refunds will be issued.

Event directors will keep participants up to date on weather, any expected delays, and if events will be played on the the rain date of June 16, 2024.

If the events are moved to June 16, 2024, then participants may play fewer games and/or reduced points per game depending how much the weather permits us to play.

Questions/Follow Up

Please contact the Event Directors at the top of this page for any pickleball related questions and contact Fred Carvalho (fcarvalho@aeieng.com) for any ACE Mentor Program related questions.

FAQs:

-What is all included with the $55 registration fee? 2-3 hours worth of Wisconsin's most fun pickleball play, a t-shirt, and probably some food.

-Are there bathrooms at the park? Yes, there are bathrooms and water fillers.

-Is there seating for spectators? Shaded areas? There is very limited seating for spectators. Lawn chairs are allowed and encouraged outside of the court space (on the grass). There will be limited tents for shade, and spectators are also encouraged to BYO tent.

-What is the money being donated to? ACE Mentor Program - Madison Affiliate supports local high school students who are pursuing a career in architecture, construction, and/or engineering. The program offers internships, mentor/mentee connections, scholarships, unique learning/training experiences, field trips, and so much more.

-What if I don't have a pickleball partner? Please register and then contact the Event Directors at the top of this page. We'll try our best to find you a suitable partner.

-How do I know what event to sign up for? Generally speaking, 3.5 (or below) is a beginner skill level, 4.0 is intermediate, and anything above 4.25 is advanced. These numbers and ratings systems tend to be highly subjective and imperfect, so use them for what they are worth and use your best judgment. Or visit USA Pickleball's website for a broad definition.

-Is there a minimum age to participate? No.

-Will medals be awarded to winners? The ACE Mentor program students are the true winners! But YES, there will be medals for winners!

The MPO Committee is so excited to launch registration this upcoming Monday, April 1st for the 3rd Annual MPO tournament at Wyndham Hills Park in Sun Prairie.

Please be sure to visit our website for the most up to date information  here. 

This year's tournament promises to be the best one yet so be sure to talk with potential partners and get it on your calendars. 

As in years past, we will offer age divisions of 18+, 35+, 50+ and 60+, along with the complimentary skill levels of 3.0-4.5 to serve the widest range of pickleball enthusiasts and athletes. *Note that some brackets may be combined at a later date depending on numbers and age levels. 

Moving forward, please let Tournament Director, Tom Schwarz and I know if you have any questions. We will be working around the below schedule for each day of competition this July 11-14th. *Note that these are also subject to change.

Thursday: Mixed Doubles 60+

Friday: Mixed Doubles (18, 35 & 50+)

Saturday: Women's Doubles + Split Age Brackets (one player over & one player under 60)

Sunday: Men's Doubles

Please be sure to visit our website for the most up to date information  here. 

IS IT SPRING OR WINTER??   THE DATE SAYS WINTER BUT THE TEMPERATURES ARE SPRING LIKE!  ENJOY THE EARLY OUTDOOR SEASON!  Check out the CAPA Blog for outdoor court updates. Here is some information CAPA wants to share before the next newsletter.

CAPA VOLUNTEERS CAPA board is in the process of contacting members that are interested in volunteering. There is a brief description of volunteer opportunities on the CAPA website under the Members tab. If you have not received an email and would like to volunteer, please contact Jill Jorstad at jill.jorstad@gmail.com

Fun Pickleball Facts In every hour of tennis, the ball is in play just 11-12 minutes! It may sound crazy, but this is an accurate statistic. How about pickleball? In every hour of pickleball, the ball is in play much longer... a total of 26-28 minutes. The first permanent court for pickleball was built in 1967.  There are more than 36.5 million players playing pickleball in the United States according to data released in January of 2023 by the Association of Pickleball Professionals. There are 10,724 known places to play pickleball in the USA as of early 2023, showing an increase of nearly 17% compared to last year. ... The number of pickleball courts reached 44,094 in 2022, showing a year-on-year growth of 15.6%. Have you looked at the CAPA Website lately?  CAPA member Abigail Darwin is posting blogs with great pickleball tips and information!  Stay current with upcoming events that are also posted on the website.

Are you looking to replace all the broken pickleball balls you have to prepare for the outdoor season? Remember the Franklin X- 40X pickleballs are available for 20% below their wholesale price and less than half of their retail price to CAPA members.  Look for the list of members who are resellers on the CAPA website.

A "FUNNY THING" HAPPENED Joe Carter, a founding member of CAPA sent this email after the January newsletter was published.   A funny thing happened on the way to completing next year’s court schedule at our Resort in Gold Canyon, AZ. The CAPA newsletter had just arrived which I read enthusiastically. The “funny thing” was how the graphical charts of CAPA Club member Skill Level Trends prompted me to suggest that we here at our Club in AZ adopt “High Intermediate” to supplant our “Advanced Intermediate” category. My CAPA suggestion was quickly edited into next season’s proposed schedule, and adopted and approved by our board. Thank you, CAPA! Here in our Resort we have about 250 Club members, 9 courts and soon adding 4 more as the Resort repurposes underutilized tennis courts.  Jan & I both play most every day. As a side note, Jan and I continue to lead our “Play & Learn” clinics weekly at our Resort. We rotate our programs between Practice Drills made up of 6 different skill drills, and also Round Robins. We focus on Intermediate players with 20-24 participating each week. Reminds us of how we used to run CAPA leagues at Garner Park way back when. Soon we are adding a Novice Round Robin as part of our efforts to recognize Novice as a separate and respectable level of play. And, I refereed a tournament in Mesa in November just to see if I could still do it. I forgot how much work it is to referee, but it’s an enticing challenge nonetheless.

DINK, DONATE AND SHENANIGANS PICKLEBALL PLAY, SOCIAL AND FUNDRAISER for Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry Stacy Weiner will be organizing the last pickleball social and Fundraiser for this indoor season. Wed. March 13th at Prairie Athletic Club, Sun Prairie Celebrate St. Patrick's Day by wearing Green, Gold or your favorite holiday costume.  Best dressed award announced at 12:30 at the social group picture at 10 a.m. Open Play from10am - Noon Social at noon in the Lost Court Pac members free, punch card accepted, regular guest fees apply. on- line donation for the Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry can be made at https://sunshine.app.neoncrm.com/forms/16 . Donations can be made in memory of or in honor of someone. Cash donations and grocery bags will be accepted at the social in the Lost Court. Thank you!

SAVE THE DATES **Fun Prairie Pickleball Open, June 7-9, Wyndham Hills, Sun Prairie.  Registration opens April 4th and Closes May 27th.  For more information, please go to https://rec.cityofsunprairie.com/.   **Madtown Pickleball Open, July 11-14, Wyndham Hills, Sun Prairie.  Organized by the Madison Area Sports Commission.  For more information contact Brandon Holstein at  holstein@madisonsports.org. Registration will open April 1.  https://pickleballden.com/ will again be the site for registration and tournament information.

Time to start wearing eye protection! A recent article in Forbes magazine was brought to our attention by a CAPA member who is an eye doctor.  Please take the time to read it for your safety.

In the January 2024 issue:

President’s Note

CAPA Info

Pickleball Rules Update

Membership Update

Charitable Impact of Pickleball

Technology Update

CAPA Events

CAPA Leagues

Etiquette Corner

Florida Pickleball Clinics

Pickleball Destination Camp

CAPA Player Profile

Pictures!

CAPA received permission to post the PowerPoint presentation presented by staff from the Stoughton Health Physical Therapy program. It provides information on the most common injuries among pickleball players and provides suggested exercises to minimize your risk of injury. 

Click here to see the presentation.

CAPA has negotiated a deal with Franklin to allow us to make bulk purchases of Franklin X-40 pickleballs for 20% below their wholesale price and less than half of their retail price.

We’re sharing the benefit of this pricing with all of our members. We have set up a system whereby CAPA members can volunteer to act as Resellers for our members by buying in bulk at our cost and then selling balls at CAPA member pricing as follows:

3 pickleballs for $6, 6 pickleballs for $10, and 13 pickleballs for $20

Anyone interested in buying balls in bulk (100 or more) for personal use or to become a Reseller should contact Kevin by email at kevinjmcpherson@gmail.com or by text 1-608-358-3776 to get on the Bulk Buyer list. Bulk orders will be made every couple of months or as demand warrants. Additional Resellers are especially needed to cover SE Dane County, Central and East Side of Madison and Sun Prairie.

Members who are interested in buying balls from our Resellers should contact one who sells in your area. Here are the Resellers, their contact information, geographies, and the payment methods they accept.

Kevin McPherson, kevinjmcpherson@gmail.com or text 1-608-358-3776, West Madison and Middleton, accepts Cash, Check or Venmo.

Rico Goedjen, rg53705@gmail.com or text 1-608-358-7161, West Madison and Middleton, accepts Cash or Check.

Ryan Kutz, text 1-608-445-4404, Sun Prairie, Sauk, Waunakee and PPC, accepts Cash, PayPal or Venmo.

Chris Pfahler, cpfahler57@gmail.com, Mt Horeb, Verona, Fitchburg and Oregon, accepts Cash, Check or Venmo.

Frank Durham, bfamdurham@yahoo.com text or call 608-630-0080, West Middleton, Cross Plains and Western Dane County, accepts Cash, Check or Venmo.

Laurie Schmidt, lauriesch@yahoo.com or text 608-335-2630, West Madison and Monona, accepts Cash, Check or Venmo.

Kathy Kopp, badgerfan323@yahoo.com or text 608/228-9222, East Madison, Monona and McFarland, accepts Cash or Venmo.

Also, you may be able to buy balls from the following Resellers who are limiting sales to their play groups: Jill Jorstad, Jim Marckesano, and Bo Palenske.

Let us know if you have questions about this program.

Your CAPA Board of Directors

The CAPA Board would like to wish you a Safe and Healthy Holiday Season!

Here is some information we want to share.

DINK, DONATE & BE MERRY ‍

Pickle Play and Social 

Mon, Dec 18

Prairie Athletic Club 

Free for PAC Members, punch card or $10 

(Food/drinks are on your own)

10am - Noon:  Play Pickleball

USA Pickleball 2024 Rulebook is available online. SIGNIFICANT RULE CHANGES FOR 2024 Correcting Server, Receiver and Player Position Errors (4.B.9) Faults for incorrect server, incorrect receiver and player position errors are eliminated. The referee will now correct any such player errors before calling the score. Rule 4.B.9 is the primary rule text. Several other rules have been modified or deleted to correlate with this change. Draping Net (2.C.6/11.L.5.b) Rule 2.C.6 called for a replay when a ball goes over the net and hits a net that is draped on the ground (except on a serve) but only if the referee determined that the ball was affected by the draped net. This rule, and Rule 11.L.5.b for temporary nets, now call for a replay without qualification. A determination that the ball was affected by the draped net is now not required in officiated or non-officiated play. Catch or Carry Ball on the Paddle (7.L) Rule 7.L now makes catching or carrying a ball on the paddle a fault without having to determine that the catch or carry was deliberately done. Conceding a Rally (13.E.4/13.E.5) Rule 13.E.5 calls for a replay when a player overrules to their detriment a line judge’s ‘out’ call as ‘in.’ The player or team may now choose to concede the rally to their opponent if they determine they would have been unable to return the ‘in’ ball. Similarly, Rule 13.E.4 calls for a replay when the referee overturns a line judge’s out call as in. The player or team who benefitted from the referee’s ruling may now choose to concede the rally to their opponent if they determine they would have been unable to return the ‘in’ ball. IV USA PICKLEBALL Official Rulebook (2024) Medical Time-Outs (10.B.2.c) A player is now allowed to use available standard time-outs after the 15-minute medical time-out has expired to allow more time before the player must retire from the match. NOTE related to medical time-outs: Case 5-23 in the USAP Casebook establishes how and when a player can rescind a requested medical time-out, and that the medical time-out would not be charged to the player. The ruling has been revised to require that the requested medical time-out be charged to the player. Paddle Specifications (2.E.2/2.E.5.a/2.E.5.c) Paddle specifications have been updated to address new and emerging paddle technology and features and to clarify the alterations that players are allowed to make to certified paddles. Mini-Singles (12.O) Mini-singles is currently an approved format. The specific rules governing mini-singles are now incorporated in the Rulebook.

CAPA Website Tip 

How do I change my skill level in my CAPA personal profile?

Are you not getting invitations to CAPA pickleball events? Invitations to many pickleball events are emailed to CAPA members based on their skill level listed in their profile. Log into your profile and change the skill level listed to be more accurate. Check out this document that describes each step and shows what the screen should look like as you make this change. 

Instructions on how to enter your profile and change your listed skill level.

How about a gift of Franklin 40X pickleballs for your favorite pickleball player? Watch for the updated list of resellers coming out soon!  

Volunteer news will be coming out in January!

PEACE, JOY AND PICKLEBALL!!

The USA Pickleball 2024 Rulebook is available online.