Cambrian Competitive Tournament 1

For the past several years, our neighborhood pickleball tournaments have been built around community, inclusiveness, and fun. We have intentionally created opportunities for players of all skill levels to enjoy meaningful games, meet new people, and strengthen the friendships that make our pickleball community special. That spirit remains at the heart of everything we do.

This tournament introduces a new format for our community — a purely competitive event. It is important to emphasize that this is not replacing our regular community tournaments. Those tournaments will continue to be an integral part of our pickleball community, and the next organizing team has already been identified and is actively planning the next community tournament.

The objective of this event is to provide a platform for players who are looking for a more competitive experience to challenge themselves and enjoy tournament-style play. While the focus shifts toward competition, the values that define our community do not. We expect every participant to compete with integrity, respect their opponents and officials, and demonstrate the sportsmanship that has always made our group welcoming and enjoyable.

We hope this tournament adds another dimension to our community by offering both the excitement of competition and the camaraderie that brings us together on the court.

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Almaden Valley Athletic Club (AVAC)

The tournament will begin with all 11 teams competing together, without an Advanced or Intermediate designation. Teams will be split into two groups for the initial league round, and their performance will determine which teams advance to the Advanced category.

1. Initial Group Stage

2. Qualification for the Advanced Category

After the initial group stage is completed:

• The top 2 teams from Group A will automatically qualify for the Advanced category.
• The top 2 teams from Group B will automatically qualify for the Advanced category.

3. Determining the 5th Advanced Team

The 3rd-place team from Group A and the 3rd- and 4th-place teams from Group B will be combined into a three-team pool.

These three teams will be stack ranked based on number of wins and point differential from the initial league round.

4. Determining the 6th Advanced Team

The remaining two teams will compete for the final spot in the Advanced category.

If the two teams played each other during the initial league round:
The team that is ahead in the overall ranking will qualify as the 6th Advanced team.

If the two teams did not play each other during the initial league round:
They will play a single rally-scoring game to 11 points to determine the final Advanced qualifier. See Game & Scoring → Rally scoring to 11 for the complete scoring format.

The winner of this game will qualify as the 6th Advanced team.

5. Advanced Category

The 6 teams qualifying for the Advanced category will form a new group. All 6 teams will play a round-robin, with each team playing every other team in the group.

• Each team will play 5 matches.
• There will be 15 total matches.
• The top 2 teams will advance to the Advanced Final.

6. Intermediate Category

The remaining 5 teams will form the Intermediate category. All 5 teams will play a round-robin, with each team playing every other team in the group.

• Each team will play 4 matches.
• There will be 10 total matches.
• The top 2 teams will advance to the Intermediate Final.

Tournament Flow

Rally Scoring to 21

All games will be played using rally scoring.

• Games will be played to 21 points.
• Teams will change sides when a team reaches 11 points.
• The team leading at 20 points will freeze at 20.
• From 20–20, play will continue until either:
  • A team wins by 2 points, or
  • A team reaches 23 points.
• The first team to reach the applicable winning score will win the game.

Group Standings & Tie-Breakers

Group rankings will be determined in the following order:

1. Wins — teams are ranked by number of games won.
2. Point Differential (PD) — if teams are tied on wins, the next tie-breaker is point differential: total points scored − total points conceded.
3. Head-to-Head Game Result — if the teams are still tied and have played each other, the head-to-head result is used.
4. 11-Point Tie-Breaker Game — if the tie is still unresolved and the result is consequential to advancement or placement, the tied teams play a single rally-scoring tie-breaker game using the 11-point format below.

For the initial group stage, this means a tie-breaker game is required when it affects the 2nd/3rd positions in Group A or Group B, or the 3rd/4th positions in Group B and 4th/5th positions in Group B. A tie between 1st and 2nd, for example, does not require a tie-breaker game if both positions lead to the same outcome.

Rally scoring to 11

When an 11-point tie-breaker game is required, it will use the following format:

• The game will use rally scoring.
• The game is played to 11 points.
• Teams will change sides when a team reaches 6 points.
• The team leading at 10 points will freeze at 10.
• At 10–10, play continues until a team either wins by 2 points or reaches 13 points.
• The first team to reach the applicable winning score wins the tie-breaker.

Please Help Us Keep the Tournament Moving

We have a tight schedule and need to complete a total of 47 gamesto conclude the tournament. Keeping the tournament on schedule will require everyone's cooperation.

Please help us minimize downtime between games:

• Be ready to play when your court is called.
• Move to your assigned court promptly.
• Keep warm-ups and between-game discussions brief.
• Avoid unnecessary delays between points and games.
• Have your team ready before the previous game on your court finishes.

We appreciate everyone's cooperation in helping us keep the games moving and finish the tournament on time.

Unlike our previous community tournaments, this event does not involve organizers creating teams or assigning partners. Since this is a doubles tournament, participants are free to choose their own partner and register together as a doubles pair.

Choose Your Own Partner

Players register as a doubles pair. The initial group stage determines whether a pair advances to the Advanced or Intermediate category.

Competitive Group Play

Pairs will compete in the initial group stage, and their results will determine their path to the Advanced or Intermediate category.

Paddle Rules

To keep things simple and fair, the following paddle guidelines will apply:

• If you are using the same paddle you used in the previous tournament, you may continue using it.
• A USA Pickleball-approved paddle, or a clone/equivalent version of an approved paddle, is allowed.
• MOD paddles are not allowed, as they have been categorically banned by USPA.
• Core-crushed or intentionally altered paddles are not allowed.

Registration is $40 per player.

The registration fee helps cover court reservations, balls, prizes, and other event costs.