Dink for a Cure Pickleball Tournament will be a day of pickleball, games, vendors and fun to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation.

Dick's House of Sport in Latham is hosting the tournament. Eight temporary courts will be set up for players.

Registration is $40 per event. Events will be round robins. Teams play a minimum of three games for each event. Each event, i.e. "Women's doubles - Novice" will take between two and three hours from start to finish.

There are categories for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced players, and in some cases Advanced Intermediate. (More on player levels below) Events may be split or merged depending on how many teams register. If an event is full, please join the waitlist as popular events may be expanded.

8 a.m.

Mens doubles - Intermediate

Mens doubles - Advanced Intermediate

Mens doubles - Advanced

9:30 a.m. (NEW)

Mixed doubles - Novice

10:30 a.m.

Mixed doubles - Advanced

1 p.m.

Mixed doubles - Intermediate

Women's doubles - Novice

3:30 p.m.

Women's doubles - Intermediate

Women's doubles - Advanced

The tournament will run from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. We reserve the right to change event start times. The tournament schedule will be sent to players when registration closes.

All players receive a T-shirt and the top three teams in each event receive medals.

Raindate #1: Sunday, Oct. 1

Raindate #2: Saturday, Oct. 7

The Arthritis Foundation is boldly pursuing a cure for America’s #1 cause of disability which impacts people of all ages.

Funds raised for the Dink for a Cure Pickleball Tournament help the Arthritis Foundation:

1. Invest in innovative research to find a cure with more than $500 million in funding to date

2. Provide services to make life with arthritis easier including self-help courses and educational materials

3. Host juvenile arthritis camps and programs that directly address the unique needs of the more than 300,000 children affected by arthritis

4. Lead advocacy efforts and train Advocates that are actively engaged in 160 bills and rules in 39 states

We need volunteers to help set up the courts the day before the tournament and help on the day of the tournament checking players in, recording scores, running scoresheets to the score table. Some jobs require knowledge of pickleball and some don't. Please fill out this form if you are interested in volunteering: https://bit.ly/tournament-volunteer-form

Each event, i.e. "Women's Doubles - Intermediate," will take between 2 to 3 hours from start to finish.

You can sign up for two events: mixed doubles and a single-gender event. You CANNOT sign up for different skill levels in the same category.

In order for a team to register, EACH team member MUST:

1) Create a Pickleball Brackets profile using a unique email address

2) Register for a Dink for a Cure event on Pickleball Brackets

3) Pay the tournament registration fee on Pickleball Brackets

NOTE: If there is a "ghost" next to a player's name on the Pickleball Brackets event description page, that means a player has not fully registered and the team may be bumped to the waitlist. Read more about the "ghost" here:

If this is your first time using Pickleball Brackets, when you create a profile you will be asked to self-rate yourself on a scale of 2.0 to 6.0.

Here is a general guide:

2.0 = Novice

Never picked up a paddle or just started playing, and no background in racquet sports. Just learning the rules.

2.5 = Advanced novice

Basic understanding of rules and scoring. Able to hit the ball back and forth but struggling to sustain a rally.

3.0 = Intermediate

Understands rules and scoring. Can serve reliably and sustain a rally.

3.5 = Advanced intermediate

Strong grasp of rules and scoring. Can sustain rallies and starting to use pickleball strategies like dinks, third-shot drops, deep serves and returns and shot placement.

>3.5 = Advanced

Mastered control of shot placement. Can use spin on the ball. Using advanced game strategies. Knows how to stack. Has tournament experience.

Here is a nifty (and free) online quiz to help determine your rating:

If a player is unable to attend, the registration fee will be considered a donation to the Arthritis Foundation.

NOTE: There is a non-refundable software service fee charged to players by pickleballbrackets.com. This is $5 per event ($10 maximum).