Challenge Ladder

Registration for the 2021 Challenge Ladder is under way and the season is slated to begin Saturday April 11th. In this format, a pair of partners form a team for the duration of the season and challenge teams above themselves in order to gain a higher spot on the ladder. Upon defeating a higher ranked team, the winning team claims their spot on the ladder and the losing team is moved down a spot.

Coordinator: Daniel McNally mcnallydp@gmail.com

Click Here for information on how to register for the Challenge Ladder.

Rules

• Matches consists of best 2 out of 3 games to 11 points, win each game by 2. Games will follow USAPA/IFS rules, and team will alternate serve and side in between games. In case of a deciding third game, teams will switch sides after the first team reaches 6 points.
• Games may be played at any agreed upon location, however all teams must be available to play within the Stafford, Fredericksburg, & Spotsylvania area.
• Games shall be played with a Dura Fast 40 pickleball, unless both teams agree to use a different USAPA approved pickleball.
• Each player may sign up for no more than 2 teams, a men’s/women’s team and a mixed team.
• Returning teams may start the ladder season at their ranking from the previous season. New teams get placed on the ladder according to order of registration. However, since the order of registration is unrelated to skill & experience level, initial ladder seedings may create uneven matches early in the season. To prevent potentially unwanted mismatches and to encourage newer players to join, teams may opt to start the season ranked lower than their previous season finish or order of registration would allow. This allows newer teams to work their way up the ladder and avoid facing too many challenges early in the season.

Challenging

• Teams may challenge up to 4 spots above themselves, or 5 spots if the challenging team is outside of the top 10. For example, the #10 team may challenge as high as #6, but the #20 team may challenge as high as #15.
• Teams must play a challenge match within 30 days of start date, sign-up date, or last match played. Failure to do so will result in a penalty of 2 spots (except for #1, if they receive no challenges).
• Teams must respond to a challenge by offering (or accepting) a time & place to play a match within 14 days of receiving a challenge. If a team fails to adequately and timely respond to a challenge, the challenging team may report an automatic forfeit.
• Teams may decline or postpone challenges without losing their spot on the ladder while any player has symptoms of illness.
• Upon winning a challenge or claiming a forfeit, teams should report the result of the match to the Coordinator.

Note: When playing or scheduling ladder matches at a public court, particularly during peak hours and/or when courts are crowded, please be considerate of court time and other players. Ladder matches do not get priority or special treatment and players should abide by court/park rules & etiquette.

Previous Seasons

2020

Click here for week-by-week standings and results.