NEWS

8,500 APTA members participate in 278 tournaments each year - that is 25% of APTA members! With over 171 leveled tournaments hosted on Paddlescores each year, members are competing more and more. Pros Mike Franco, Mikk Irdoja, and Aman Singh talk about their PTI-based events successes.

Numbers + Time

Mike Franco, Ruth Lake Country Club, IL

I run 15-20 PTI Tournaments per year, for women, men, and mixed, capped at 8 teams, unless the demand is there, with a 3-match guarantee. With no-ad scoring, a match tiebreaker in lieu of a third set, the Turbo format keeps things moving; events are about 3 hours long. Filling the event is relatively easy.

Mikk Irdoja, Montclair Golf Club, NJ

We started running these events --over 20 PTI tournaments for men and women with 4, 6, or 8 team draws--because MGC has a very active membership and the players realize an important way to improve is to play more matches, especially within their skill set. The 50-70 PTI range has more interest since they don’t have enough options for competition, are guaranteed  3 matches, and take only about 3 hours. We encourage newer players to sign up to see their level and get match experience.

Aman Singh, Milbrook Club, CT

I ran 6 women’s tournaments this season, most with 16 teams maximum, 3-match guaranteed playoff format. These are about 5-6 hour events. We post our PTI events on the APTA calendar as well, giving our club national recognition.

Amin Khadduri, APTA CEO

One significant benefit of the PTI system is that it has expanded the tournament opportunities for all of our members which helps grow the game–the APTA mission. Over the past eight seasons, we've seen the number of tournaments and participants explode. 

Register Using League Websites

By using the APTA Leagues Paddlescores websites, pros can set up their tournaments autonomously. Mikk calls his micro tournaments; Mike uses the term Turbo Paddle. Use these links to get a glimpse. 

Aman – Fairfield County Women’s League

Mikk – North Jersey Paddle

Mike – Turbo Paddle

Teachable Moments

Mikk - There are for sure teachable aspects to the tournaments, and they provide great opportunities to improve since all matches are at similar skill sets. Our goal is to provide a realistic expectation that allows everyone to leave the tournament on a positive note.

Mike – Absolutely there are teachable moments! Playing three matches in a day really reveals where there is room for improvement. I have also been able to meet a lot of players from the Chicago paddle community, and have started offering mini-camp sessions with local and national pros.  

Highlights

Aman – The PTI tournaments have brought a lot of fun-loving ladies together to compete and enjoy tournaments against different clubs. I have had players from Baltimore, Boston, New Jersey, and Long Island travel to play here.

Mikk - We’ve had great feedback that people are enjoying match play options in addition to the league. Also, it is a team effort, with assistant pros Selina Donecker and Thembo Makhanya running some events, which is a great added value for our members.

Mike - For each successive Turbo tournament win over a career, players are awarded a different color sweatshirt. We start with black, then blue, then green. I have a few players with greens, so if they win another event, I'll have to order a new color. Three other clubs—LifeSport Athletic Club, Dunham Woods Riding Club, and White Eagle Golf Club—hosted as well and we worked together to provide a consistent experience. Xenon generously sponsored our balls and Erica Cordier from Series Seventy-Seven offered cool clothing giveaways. 

Final Thoughts + PTI Education  

Aman – I like to offer my members the opportunity to play and compete. I think it’s a very positive experience. These events help the players get more used to the PTI rating system.  

Mike - PTI is, of course, an incredible tool for running these tournaments. The metric keeps the matches competitive, and that's what keeps players coming back. An individual's index will rarely change by more than a point and a half over three matches, so the stakes really aren't that high.

Mikk – In a nutshell, this is why paddle players should participate in micro tournaments:

1.    Competitive matches within their skill set

2.    Compact time frame

3.    Great exercise and repetition  

4.    3 back-to-back matches

5.    Clear expectations

6.    Positive encouragement

Plan Your Events

Amin - One of the biggest drivers of that growth has been pros like Mikk, Aman, and Mike creating dozens of mini PTI tournaments run on their league websites and geared towards league players. The APTA thanks them for their time and effort and encourages other pros or volunteers to contact the APTA to learn how they can run similar events in their area.