Southern Pickleball presents the 4th Annual It Takes Guts - Gastric Cancer Foundation Fundraiser Pickleball Tournament. This will be an exciting event to have fun and raise money and awareness for the Gastric Cancer Foundation with our friend Hans Rueffert, a survivor of stomach cancer.

To learn more about the Gastric Cancer Foundation, please visit https://gastriccancer.org/

To learn more about Hans Rueffert, please visit https://hanscooks.com/

The event will be three days (November 21-23) with the schedule below.

November 21 - Men's & Women's Singles

November 22 - Men's & Women's Doubles

November 23 - Mixed Doubles

****Hans and his team will be selling shirts to benefit the Gastric Cancer Foundation for an additional $25.00 and need to be preordered. Shirts are unisex and run larger than gender sizes specifically for women****

All matches will be played at in the climate-controlled Rome Indoor Tennis Courts.

Registration is $60 and includes one event. Additional events are $10

Competition each day may begin as early as 8:00 AM. Specific start times for each event will be posted and emailed to players approximately one week prior to the event.

As registration proceeds, tournament management reserves the option to combine brackets as needed if brackets do not fill. Brackets will be combined by age if possible to avoid combining skills.

Skills levels include 2.5,3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5+

Skill levels will be divided by age after registration is completed - Age Brackets 15+, 35+, 50+, 60+, 70+

A team must play at the skill level of the higher rated player (or higher) and the age group of the younger player. Age is calculated as of 12/31/2025.

*************

You may register and identify your partner or request ""Need partner"". Selecting that you ""need a partner"" allows other players to see that you are available to play in the tournament. We do our best to introduce players that need partners, but this selection does not mean that the tournament will find a partner for you. It is still your responsibility to find a partner.

There are no referees. Matches are self-monitored. If a referee is requested, we will do our best to provide one.

RATINGS

- DUPR ratings will be used.

- Tournament Director reserves the right to move a player to a higher/lower level at their discretion

- All scores are reported to DUPR

***********

You may register and identify your partner or request ""Need partner"". Your partner must register within five days of your registration or the team will be moved to the wait list. When the identified partner registers after the five day grace period, the team will automatically move from the wait list back to the active list if there is a slot available and both teams have paid. NOTE: Your spot in the tournament is not guaranteed until your partner has registered and all fees have been paid in full.

There are no referees. Matches are self-monitored. If a referee is requested, we will do our best to provide one.

Mizuno is the official shoe of the Southern Pickleball Association!

At the close of registration, the tournament staff will move up players whose DUPR ratings have changed since registering for this tournament. Players with DUPR reliability rating of 50 or lower may appeal their current rating to play at lower than their posted DUPR rating after registration of both partners has been completed. Appeals are evaluated and processed when registration closes.

The Southern Pickleball Association adheres to the guidelines set forth in the USA Pickleball Rulebook. All gameplay, officiating, and judgment decisions during our events are based on these rules to ensure consistency and fairness for all players.

We encourage all participants to familiarize themselves with the USA Pickleball Rulebook to understand the standards and expectations that govern our games. For more information or to access the rulebook, please visit USA Pickleball's official website. https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/official-rules/

In addition, the Southern Pickleball Association allows paddles that are on the official USA Pickleball paddle list. It is the player's responsibility to make sure their paddle is currently approved by USA Pickleball for tournament play. https://equipment.usapickleball.org/paddle-list/

 Thank you for helping us uphold the integrity of the sport!

Withdraw deadline is November 2nd at midnight. Players may withdraw prior to midnight on November 2nd for any reason and receive a refund minus a $20 administrative fee. After November 2nd there are no refunds for any reason unless a player has purchased weather and injury tournament insurance. Weather and Tournament Insurance covers a player if the tournament is canceled due to weather or if a player or a player's partner must withdraw due to injury or a family emergency. Additionally, player registration fees may not be transferred to other players.