The Nick Hostler Memorial Tournament is hosted by the Nick Hostler Foundation, Ozarks Pickleball Club, and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. This will be the 8th annual tournament where the proceeds are donated to projects and other foundations that provide opportunities and services to the special needs community. Nick was a special education teacher that only saw opportunities, not challenges, for his special friends. He wanted them to be able to experience life to their fullest.

By participating in this tournament, you will be helping these special people get that opportunity. Come join this pickleball family reunion. You will see old friends and meet new ones, play some exciting pickleball and enjoy what Springfield has to offer. See you here! #BeLikeNick - Gil & Mary Kay Hostler

**Please Note** - for USSP 50+ brackets, we will be using 10 year age brackets (see below)

The tournament will be held at Gillenwaters Tennis Complex. 24 temporary nets on tennis surface. The ball will be the Onix Dura Fast 40.

All brackets will be ROUND ROBIN, games to 11 OR 15, win by 1. Some will have an additional playoff bracket depending on registration. 4 games minimum per player. Please read below about mulligans (nicklepickles).

COST

Cost is $50 (ALL EVENTS included) (plus nonrefundable website service fees).

Cost is only $25 for Junior Scrambles only (15 and Under).

Seniors (50+) may receive a $10 discount if they are members of USSP (see below for more information).

Cost includes event shirt, player giveaways, and player lunch on Saturday.

EVENTS

Saturday: Men’s Doubles (12-49), USSP Men’s Doubles (50+), Women’s Doubles (12-49), USSP Women’s Doubles (50+), Senior Scrambles (65 or 70+)

Sunday: Mixed Doubles (12-49), USSP Mixed Doubles (50+), Senior Coed Scramble (65+), Junior Scramble (8-15)

Brackets will be separated by age and then skill level. You may play DOWN in age and/or UP in skill at your discretion. Be sure to register for your preferred age/skill level and check your current Skill Rating on Pickleball Brackets & DUPR. If you do not know what skill level to register for, seek the advice of more experienced players or contact the Tournament Director.

Planned Age Divisions: Juniors 8-15, 12-34, 35+, 50+, 60+, 65+, 70+, 80+

Planned Skill Divisions:

3.0-3.49 (novice)

3.5-3.99 (intermediate)

4.0-4.49 (intermediate +)

4.5-4.99 (advanced)

5.0+ (advanced+)

Senior Scrambles: We will also have a 70+ and 80+ Men's Scramble, as well as 65+ and 70+ Women's and Coed Scramble.

Junior Scrambles: Junior (ages 8-15) Coed scrambles will also be available.

(all scrambles, sign up individually and play with a different partner each game).

Brackets generally will need to have a minimum of 5 teams or else they WILL BE COMBINED with similar skill or age levels. Some brackets may be combined due to # of registrations at the discretion of the TD. Be sure to register for your preferred age/skill level and check your current Skill Rating on USSP & DUPR.

SCHEDULE:

Friday, Sept 19:

12:00pm - 5:00pm - Setup

5:00pm - 6:00pm - Special Olympics Exhibition

6:00pm - 9:00pm - Drury Pickleball Challenge Court - $5 per team to challenge the DU players!

6:00pm - 9:00pm - Free Open Play, early check-in, raffle tickets & nicklepickles! (see below)

Saturday, Sept 20

8:00am - 8:00pm - Men's & Women's Doubles, Senior Scrambles

Sunday, Sept 21

9:00am - 4:00pm - Mixed Doubles, 70+ Senior Coed Scrambles, Junior (8-15) Coed Scramble

PLEASE NOTE: Bracket start times will not be finalized until after registration closes. Exact bracket start times will be posted about 3-4 days prior to the tournament. To avoid long wait times, some brackets won't start until later in the day. Be sure to watch your email and our Ozarks Pickleball Club social media.

RATINGS

This tournament will use USSP ratings for primary placement for ages 50+. Otherwise, DUPR ratings for will be used. Please make sure to link your DUPR account to your PBB account. If you do not have a DUPR rating, then it will use your PBB rating or your self-rating. If you do not know what skill level to register for, please seek the advice of experienced players and/or the Tournament Director. If you feel like your DUPR is NOT indicative of the level you should play, you must file an appeal and provide evidence of your circumstances to the Tournament Director.

For instructions on how to link your DUPR account to your Pickleball.com account, please visit: https://pickleball.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/72000631731-connecting-your-dupr-account

US SENIOR PICKLEBALL (USSP)

This tournament is US Senior Pickleball (USSP) certified. USSP events are Age/Skill format (10 year age brackets) for ages 50+. Membership are not be required for Circuit Series and Regional events in 2025, but if you are a USSP member and have your USSP membership number in your Pickleballbrackets.com profile you will receive a $10 discount on the registration fee for each USSP certified tournament.

Your USSP membership number must be linked in your pickleballbrackets.com profile to receive the discount at time of registration (instructions for how to add your membership to your profile are here).

To join USSP, go to www.usseniorpickleball.com. Membership costs are only $20 per year and multi-year discounts are available.

USSP has a points system to award prizes to the top finishers each year (USSP members only). In the past, prizes with a retail value of $20,000 were awarded to the top 10-point winners in each age group for both men and women on an annual cycle.

Please note that there will be a registration "Service Fee" charged for each registration. This is a non-refundable fee charged by the website.

PLEASE NOTE: Brackets start times will not be finalized until after registration closes. Exact bracket start times will be posted about 3-4 days prior to the tournament. In order to avoid long wait times, some brackets won't start until later in the day.

Nicklepickles (mulligans or replay) may be secured at the tournament site. 1/$5 or 5/$20

Each player is allowed to use 1 per game on any point, Additional information may attained by emailing contact or at the tournament site. This is a fun, added element to the tournament (as well as a major fundraiser) and will make your games very interesting!

Click here for "Springfield Visitors Guide "

Click here for "COUPONS" for discounts on food and attractions.

For discounted rates of $121/night at our preferred lodging partner, the Hilton Garden Inn Springfield, follow this direct booking link or call 417-875-8800.

https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=SGFMOGI&groupCode=NHM925&arrivaldate=2025-09-19&departuredate=2025-09-21&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT

Non-Compliant Paddles Identified

The following paddles have been deemed non-compliant and are prohibited in all Ozarks Pickleball Club events effective immediately:

• Joola: Perseus 14mm Mod TA-15, Perseus 16mm Mod TA-15

• Gearbox: Pro Power Elongated

• ProKennex: Black Ace Ovation Black Ace Pro, Black Ace LG, Black Ace XF

Approved Paddles

All Paddles used in Ozarks Pickleball Club tournaments must be approved by USA Pickleball and listed on their approved paddle list.

Joola “3s” paddles are also approved for use as they are approved by the UPA-A and also meet the new PBCoR testing standards by USA Pickleball.

Ozarks Pickleball Club

Sportsmanship Guidelines for Tournaments

***These guidelines are summarized from the USA Pickleball Sportsmanship Guide and do not supersede the full Guide or the Rulebook.

***The Tournament Director and Tournament Staff reserve the right to give players sportsmanship warnings for any deviation from these guidelines. Repeated warnings or gross misconduct may result in that player’s ejection from the tournament and resulting forfeit of games and disqualification from future events.

Pickleball was created to be a fun, competitive and highly social sport. Since its inception, it has embodied an ethic of good sportsmanship that includes respect, fair play and graciousness in winning and losing. The purpose of this guide is to encourage behaviors that reflect these foundational values. The Official Rules of Pickleball take precedence over this guide in any and all situations.

1. Treat all players, officials, volunteers, staff and spectators with courtesy and respect.

a. Never use foul language or obscene gestures.

b. Never denigrate another person.

c. At the end of each game, meet the other players at the net to acknowledge them in a positive manner. In officiated matches, thank the referee.

2. Know the Official Rules of Pickleball, apply them fairly and cooperate in any situation that is not expressly covered by the rules.

3. Practice good sportsmanship when making line calls.

a. Respect your opponents’ right to make all calls on their end of the court.

b. Call your own shot “out” if you see that it is out.

c. If you question an opponents’ call, do so respectfully, do not argue. Accept their decision.

d. If you defer a line call to your opponents’, accept their call graciously.

e. Do not call a ball “out” unless you see it clearly and are certain it is out.

f. Promptly correct any wrong call your partner may make.

g. Resolve any uncertainty in the favor of your opponents.

4. Call a fault on yourself or your partner as soon as the fault occurs, regardless of whether your opponents are aware of the fault

5. Claim a replay only if a hindrance (ie. stray ball) affects your team’s ability to play the ball.

6. Make safety a priority while using common sense.

a. If a ball strays onto your court, make eye contact with the correct person and roll or toss it back to them without disrupting play on other courts.

b. If your ball enters another court, immediately warn any players whose safety may be in jeopardy by loudly calling “ball” or some other warning. If the ball is rolling behind their court and does not present a danger to players, do not interrupt play but wait until play stops to retrieve it or ask for its return.

c. Never throw your paddle or strike the ball in anger or frustration.

7. Be a respectful and supportive partner.

Withdrawals made be make before the registration deadline will receive a full refund less a cancellation fee of $15.00 No refunds will apply for withdrawals after the registration deadline.

This is an outdoor tournament so please plan accordingly. In case of inclement weather, we will do everything within our power to get the games in. Schedules will be adjusted. No refunds will be given once the tournament starts. If it should be cancelled prior to tournament start refunds will be given. In that case, we would ask to consider that this is a charity fund raiser for the special needs community and you would allow your entry fee be considered a donation to a very worthy cause.

There will be a first aid kit on site as part of the normal operations of the facility, however, players assume their own risk. Players are allowed the customary 15 min medical timeout as described in the current USA Pickleball Rule Book. Please see the Tournament Director if you have any concerns.