Team Challenge Guide for 2024 Rocky Mountain Championships

RESULTS

MATCH FORMAT

This is a single-elimination event until a team advances to the medal rounds. The team's rating will be determined using the combined average of each player's Pickleball Brackets Rating. For instance, Team RMP's Player 1 has a 4.6 PBR, Player 2 a 4.3 PBR, Player 3 a 4.5 PBR, and Player 4 a 4.7 PBR. This team's average PBR of 4.525 will determine seeding in the event. A Team's rating will determine seeding in the draw.

Winning teams advance in the bracket. Losing teams are eliminated from the event unless they are one of the final four. The top two teams compete against each other for Gold and Silver, and the third and fourth teams compete for the Bronze.

The minimum number of teams in a bracket is six. If registrations do not reach six teams, the event/bracket will be canceled. Players registered for that event will be refunded.

BRACKETS

The Team Challenge event requires that a minimum of six teams register to compete in a bracket. If the minimum is not met by the close of registration on July 14th, that bracket will be canceled, and players will receive a full refund for the event.

Brackets include the following skill/age groups:

3.0/3.5 (14-59)
3.0/3.5 (60+)
4.0 (14-59)
4.0 (60+)
4.5+/Open (14-59)
4.5+/Open (60+)

Using the Pickleball Brackets rating platform, all player ratings on a team must be within the bracket's skill level designation. If one player's rating exceeds the maximum, the team must play at a higher level. For instance, a player's highest qualifying skill level for the 4.0 brackets is 4.499. If one or more team members have a rating of 4.5 or higher, the entire team must compete in the higher bracket.

1. TEAMS & CAPTAINS

Teams consist of four (4) players, including two (2) men and two (2) women. Each team will have a designated captain. The captain's duties include communicating with the referee during matches, clarifying rules, participating and making selections during the coin toss, and communicating the mixed doubles and singles tie-breaker lineups to the referee.

2. MATCH WARM-UP

There will be no other warm-up sessions available throughout each match. Players are advised to use the tournament's practice or open courts to warm up before their matches.

3. COIN TOSS

A coin toss (or similar random selection) will be conducted at the start of each match. The winning team will choose from one of the following options: 1) Serve or receive, 2) End of court (right or left). After the coin toss winner selects its choice, the opponent will choose from the remaining option(s).

A. Serve or Receive

The team selecting to serve or receive will retain that selection for each game throughout the match.

B. End of Court

A team will select the end of the court (right or left) for the initial game of the match. Teams will switch ends following each game. Example: If Team A selects the right end of the court to start game one, they will begin game one on the right end and begin game two on the left end of the court. Teams will continue switching sides at the end of each game, including the singles tie-breaker, if needed.

C. Mixed Doubles Lineup

The team losing the coin toss will provide the opposing team and referee their mixed doubles lineup. The winning team will then immediately decide and give their lineup to the opposing team and referee.

4. MATCHES

Each match will consist of up to four (4) regular games to 21 (win by 2) with rally scoring, where a team must win a game on their serve. The four (4) games will include and be played in the following order:

Women's doubles
Men's doubles
Mixed doubles.

If team wins are tied at 2-2 after the women's doubles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles games, a singles tie-breaker will determine the winner of the match.

A match will continue until a team wins three (3) games.

5. GAMES

Each doubles and mixed doubles game will be played with rally scoring to 21 points (win by 2). Players will change ends following the conclusion of each game in a match.

A. Scoring

Rally scoring to 21 with a winning margin of at least two (2) points. The referee announces the score with just two numbers. There is no first or second server. The first team scoring 20 points, is "frozen" and unable to score additional points until they are the serving team or the opposing team ties the score. If the teams are tied at 20 or any score after, rally scoring resumes for the following point(s). Meaning that if the score is tied after 20 points, a team may score a point whether or not they are serving. However, to score the winning point, that team must be serving.

6. SERVES

If the serving team wins a rally, the serve and ball are transferred to their teammate. If the serving team loses a rally, the ball and serve goes to the other team. The score determines the serving player. When a rally concludes, all players remain in the same position on the court.

A. Service Faults and Guidelines

If a referee identifies an illegal serve, they will stop play to identify the fault and call a replay. Each player will be allowed one (1) replay per game due to a service violation before a fault and side-out are assessed.

The tournament will use rules and guidelines outlined in the 2024 USAP Rulebook.

7. CHANGE OF SIDE

In doubles play, there will be a right-side (even) player and a left-side (odd) player. The right-side player will serve when their score is even and receive when the opponent's score is even. The left-side player will serve when their score is odd and receive when the opponent's score is odd. Players do not switch sides after winning points.

8. TIMEOUTS

Teams will each receive one (1) timeout per game. Timeouts will not exceed one (1) minute. Players on court must request the timeout. Team captains can make a request, but the players on the court must confirm they want to use it before the referee proceeds with the timeout.

A. Medical Timeout

One (1) medical timeout per player per game will be allotted. Medical staff will determine if the medical condition is valid, and the referee will start a fifteen (15) minute timer. After fifteen (15) minutes, if the player cannot continue, a substitute player will be allowed to play for the remainder of the match. No additional warm-up time will be allowed for the substitute player.

B. Other Timeouts

Additional timeouts may be implemented during a game to address equipment issues, referee or fan injury, or for any other reason deemed necessary by the tournament.

9. SINGLES TIE-BREAKER

A singles tie-breaker is a game to 21 (win by 2) with rally scoring; a team must be serving to win the game. The score determines the serving player (the player on the even side serves all balls when that team's score is an even number.Additional points may be scored when both teams have reached 20 and are tied.

A new coin toss or similar unbias determination will determine which team must first announce its lineup. The opposing team will then have one (1) minute to designate its lineup. Play begins with the first player in each team's lineup and continues through the lineup. Each team will rotate its four (4) players for four (4) rallies in a set order.

All team members will play in four (4) rally rotations until the singles tie-breaker is concluded (player 1 plays four (4) rallies, then player 2 plays four (4) rallies, then player 3 plays four (4) rallies, then player 4 plays four (4) rallies. The rotation continues in the same order until the game is won.

As with the match's regular games, players serve from the left or right side of the court based on their score. A player will serve on the right side when their team score is even and on the left side when their score is odd.

Teams change ends when one team reaches a score of eleven (11).

10. LINE CALLING

Players are responsible for calling the lines on their end of the court. If a player makes an initial line call and the opposing team asks for the referee's opinion, if the referee can make a clear "in" or "out" call, the referee's call will stand. The player's initial line call will stand if the referee cannot make a clear call.

If players on the court did not play on a rally-ending ball or see where it landed, the ball would be declared IN.

IN calls need no verbal call but can be indicated with a flat hand toward the court. If one player on the court calls a ball IN and one player calls it OUT, the ball will be declared IN.

11. PLAYER CONDUCT & COACHING

Teammate coaching on the sideline is allowed when the ball is not in play (dead ball), as long as it does not interfere with continuous play or unfairly disrupt the opposing team. Team members are encouraged to cheer and encourage their teammates from the sidelines.

Players on the sideline may not step onto the court except during timeouts or end changes.

12. WINNERS & PAYOUT

Medals and cash prizes* will be awarded to the first, second, and third-place teams in each bracket.

The cash prizes include:

1st place team - $600

2nd place team - $300

3rd place team - $150

* CASH AWARDS WILL BE PAID VIA VENMO. WINNERS MUST PROVIDE THEIR VENMO ACCOUNT INFORMATION TO THE TOURNAMENT TO RECEIVE THEIR PRIZES.

13. DUPR

Due to current limitations in the Pickleball Brackets platform, match results from the Team Challenge event will not be forwarded to DUPR. However, all other RMC event matches will be sent to DUPR and reflected in player accounts.