2018 Australian Pickleball Nationals

The Nationals Pickleball Tournament was established by the Pickleball Association of Australia in 2017. The very first tournament took place Saturday October 13, 2018 in Sydney, NSW and marked Pickleballs formal entry into competitive national play in the country. 

This first tournament played a crucial role in laying the foundations of pickleball's organisational structure in Australia ahead of the sport's rapid growth. The 2018 tournament directors were Tony Morgan and Bob Mendelson and 60 plus entries from youth to seniors signed up to play.

As the players arrived at the stadium, they were asked to lay the tape marking out the PB court boundaries and kitchen lines. All did it with good cheer.  Reffing for the semi and finals was provided by some of the more experienced and knowledgeable players and Nick Copper, founder of the Australia Pickleball Superstore, provided a vendor's table.

This National Tournament had a fun, let’s do it feeling, like a social/recreational tournament. In all areas, smiles, good etiquette and good-spirited play prevailed. Due to time restrictions some of the games allowed only 5 minutes for the players to complete their game. These time limits did mean the tournament finished on time, which has since become a challenge. 

A comment from one of the National’s participants:
"The tournament was held in a Police Youth Centre in Marrickville. There were four courts side by side x 2; 8 courts all together, with four feet between courts, and balls were flying everywhere. It was loads of fun and it was a treat to be playing in the first PB Tournament in Australia. One day we’ll be able to say, 'We were there!'”

2018 Nationals Winners:

Men Singles: Nick Cooper
Womens Singles: Bree Calderwood
Mens Doubles: Sundar Ramamurthy & Sueme Rajpal
Womans Doubles: Debbie Rossi & Jen Ramamurthy 
Mixed Doubles: Jen & Sundar Ramamurthy

With the completion of the Nationals' award ceremony, it was time to remove the  white pickleball tape court lines. This endeavor was a head scratcher not seen before on a pickleball court. Separating the tape from the floor proved to be the supreme battle of the day. By the end of that day, a good number of players were pulling tape that refused to give up its attachment to the floor. :) 

The First Nationals tournament set the stage for the second Australian National Tournament in 2019 and the name was changed to the Australian Pickleball Championships or APC.

The 2019 Australia Pickleball Championships would see play leap to a higher level: participation tripled, intensity of play increased, more vendors and pro players attended from the USA. 

The 2018 Nationals Tournament was a milestone and it led the way to Australia’s pickleball future.  

2018 Nationals Pickleball VidBit:  https://vimeo.com/1119338350