ANY INFORMATION IN BOLD PRINT IS CRITICAL FOR EVERY PLAYER TO READ.
THE AUTUMN EQUINOX IS AN OUTDOOR TOURNAMENT IN SEPTEMBER. IF WEATHER RESULTS IN THE CANCELLATION OF ANY OR ALL EVENTS, A FULL REFUND WILL BE ISSUED TO THOSE AFFECTED LESS THE $5 SETUP FEE THAT WE ARE CHARGED BY PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENTS.
EACH MEMBER OF A TEAM NEEDS TO REGISTER SEPARATELY. All events are doubles.
EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION OPENS AT NOON ON, JULY 1, REGULAR REGISTRATION STARTS AUGUST 1, and LATE REGISTRATION STARTS SEPTEMBER 1. Register early to ensure your place and save money on registration. REGISTRATION CLOSES SEPTEMBER 10. You may register without a partner and you will be listed as a person looking for a partner. YOU are responsible for finding a partner and making the connection with that person yourself. A separate registration is required from EACH PLAYER. If you register with a partner and the partner doesn't register WITHIN THREE DAYS you WILL BOTH BE AUTOMATICALLY moved to the waitlist to allow room for other complete teams. Don't lose your place in an event. Make SURE that your partner registers for that event.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR BELLINGHAM PICKLEBALL CLUB MEMBERS: If membership in Bellingham Pickleball Club is VERIFIED on this website BEFORE registering, Bellingham Pickleball Club members get $20 off registration. (See below.*)
Early registration begins July 1. Register early to save $10. Late registration starts September 1 and will be $10 more than regular registration.
ALL REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 10 DAYS BEFORE THE START OF THE TOURNAMENT, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 8:00 AM.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE TOURNAMENT, SEPTEMBER 20 & 21
SCHEDULE: This is is an approximation of our expected schedule for each day, but it will be subject to change until registration closes.
SATURDAY, September 20:
→ 8:00 Women doubles 4.0, Men doubles 4.0
→ 10:30 Men doubles 2.5 & 3.0 60+, Women doubles 2.5 & 3.0 60+
→ 1:00 Women doubles 3.5, Men doubles 3.5
→ 3.30 Men doubles 3.0, Women doubles 3.0
SUNDAY, September 21:
→ 8:00 Mixed doubles 3.5 - 3.75, Mixed doubles 3.75 - 3.999
→ 10:30 Mixed doubles 2.5, Mixed doubles 3.0 60+
→ 1:00 Mixed doubles 4.0, Mixed doubles 3.5 60+
→ 3.30 Mixed doubles 3.0 - 3.25, Mixed doubles 3.25 - 3.5
There may be two events happening simultaneously. A player may only register for one event per day.
Estimated start times for each event may change, A more firm start time will be announced after registration has closed and by Monday, September 15. All start times are estimates and may change depending on necessary changes after registration closes.
NOTES:
- The official tournament ball is the Franklin X-40.
- Pickleball Tournaments charges a separate $5 service fee per event. To avoid paying an unnecessary service fee, if you are wanting to CHANGE events, drop the first event first and THEN add the second event. If you add a second event first and then drop the first event, you will be charged the second non-refundable event fee of $5. This is beyond the our control.
* Bellingham Pickleball Club receive a substantial member discount, but there are three things that MUST happen for the discount to be applied:
1. Before registering, be or become a member of Bellingham Pickleball Club (go to https://bellinghampickleball.org/membership/) AND,
2. Have or create a free account with Pickleball.com (this website, https://pickleball.com) AND,
3. Request that your membership be approved through Pickleball.com. To do this, go to pickleballclubs.com and search for Bellingham Pickleball Club. (If you have done this previously on Pickleball Brackets, all your information has been moved to here.) If you are a current paid member of Bellingham Pickleball Club, select Bellingham Pickleball Club, click on "Become a member" and then, "Click Here Complete Your Request". Your membership will need to be verified. We will get an email that you have requested membership and will approve it as soon as possible. (Usually within 48 hours.) Once you have been verified, your may register and your discount will be applied.
→THIS CAN ALL BE DONE BEFORE REGISTRATION OPENS SO THAT YOU WON'T HAVE TO WAIT.←
- PLAYER RATINGS (LEVELS): Player levels are determined by DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating). If a player doesn't yet have a DUPR account (https://dupr.com), a self rating may be used. In this (and most tournaments), a 3.5 bracket (event level) means the event is in the 3.500 to 3.999 range. If your DUPR is 3.43, you may enter 3.0 event and play against players who are 3.0 to 3.499 and lower, but consider registering as 3.5 and play with people who are, like you, challenging themselves. This is in keeping with the spirit of pickleball. 2.5 events are for players 2.5 to 2.999 and under. 3.0 events are 3.0 to 3.499 and under, etc. Events that are listed as a range (for example, 3.25 - 3.499), levels are restricted to that range. Bellingham Pickleball Club reserves the right to move players to another event if they are known to be playing down. Our goal is for everyone to play fun, competitive matches.
- Your DUPR is is the primary way of placing you in a bracket. After you register for an event, we understand that a DUPR can go up or down. If you feel like your DUPR does not accurately reflect your bracket, you may contact us (tournaments@bellinghampickleball.org). Because of the tendency for some players to sandbag, we are much more sympathetic to players who want to move up a bracket than to anyone wanting to move down.
- A minimum of 5 games are guaranteed. Number of games played and points per game will depend on registration. Our goal is to maximize the number of rallies each team gets to play, and the number of other teams each team gets to play, while staying on schedule to ensure that each event starts on time. Pool play will either be round-robin (each team plays every other team in your pool), or waterfall (playing 4 best matches before the medals round).
- Depending on registration numbers, we may split events by age (e.g. under 40, 40+), and we may combine teams to make for the best player experience.
- When registering with a partner, make sure your partner knows that they need to register within 3 DAYS or you will be moved to the waiting list to make room for other teams.
- For events with over 8 teams, there will be two pools of players competing. For events with 8 or fewer teams, players will compete in one pool.
- All games will be played with rally scoring‡ with pool games to 21, win by 1, and medal matches to 21 win by 2. This may be adjusted to improve player experiences. Medal matches may have a maximum point cap, if necessary to keep the events on schedule.
- All events are available and open to all ages except those listed as 60+. For the sharp-eyed among you, you may notice your age might appear to be off by a year. The is because, after you register, your age is shown as of December 31, 2025.
- You may register for up to two events (one each day). Basic registration includes one event. The second event is an additional $10 plus the $5 fee for Pickleball.com.
