Email to members, April 24, 2023

Hello LPPC members,

As you may have noticed, we recently changed a couple of the underutilized "Open Play" sessions on our indoor calendar to "4.0+ Open Play". Similar to having our Beginner Open Play sessions, these are designed to allow a group of players in our club a chance to play with others of similar skill level.

Similarly, as we are starting to move to more outdoor play going forward, two of our eight courts will have signs indicating they are for 4.0 play. During Open Play time, these courts are to be used for 4.0+ players. This does not mean that 4.0 players can't play on other courts, but it does mean that players who are not 4.0 should not be putting their paddles up for "next game" on these courts.

As our club does not currently have a certified rating specialist available to rate players, we have allowed players to self-rate using the guidelines from USA Pickleball or to provide ratings from other sources such as tournament play (UTPR, WPR, PBR, DUPR, etc.) or from national or regional rating systems (IPTPA, CORE, etc.). 

What we have not clarified in the past, but wish to now, is that self-rating only applies to 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 ratings. For 4.0+ ratings, players will need to be rated by one of these external systems. This is so that we can make sure to maintain high level play in the events that we intend to be aimed at more advanced players.

If you would like to get rated, here are some options:

• CORE: This is probably the fastest route to getting a rating as you can get it done in a few hours. Contact Widgi Creek or Pickleball Zone for more details. Current cost at this time appears to be $42. The one downside of CORE is that it is really only recognized in Central Oregon. If you plan to travel and play pickleball, some places will not recognize it as a transferable rating.

• UTPR/WPR/PBR/DUPR: sign up for tournament play and your results will get used to produce a rating. Be aware: if you want to get a rating of 4.0, don't sign up for a 3.5 event. Winning 3.5 events does not result in a 4.0 rating based on my experience.

• DUPR: you can enter results from your recreational play into DUPR if all the players on the court have accounts and agree to it. Over time, especially if you play enough different people, the system will give you a rating. Your initial rating there will have an asterisk by it, indicating it doesn't have enough data for high confidence in your rating. You need to have a rating without an asterisk by it for us to use it.

• IPTPA: I don't know of anyone in our area offering 4.0 IPTPA rating testing, but if you happen to travel elsewhere and get this type of rating, it would be accepted.

Please know that we want pickleball at our club to be about having fun for as many people as possible at all times. We aren't trying to exclude people or leave anyone out. With that said, in the past we have observed top players leaving our club because they didn't have opportunities to play with people of similar skill level. If you want those top players to be around to play with you when you reach their skill level, we hope you agree that it is necessary to provide some opportunities for them to have competitive play.