More than 500 pickleball players battled the heat and competed for prestigious Golden Tickets at the UTR Sports Denver Metro Open Golden Ticket, which ended Sunday.
Dozens of Golden Tickets were punched by players from across the country, and now they’ll have the opportunity to compete at the 2024 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships, which are scheduled for Nov. 9-17 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona.
WATCH: Golden Tickets Punched at UTR Sports Denver Metro Open Golden Ticket
The temperatures reached triple digits in Denver, but the players fought through the conditions and had a blast at the Marquardt-Miles Outdoor Pickleball Courts at the Apex Center just outside Denver.
“I thought it was a great, great event,” said Lake Johnson, from Minnesota, who competed in the mixed doubles UTR-P 5.5 division.
VIEW RESULTS FROM DENVER METRO OPEN GOLDEN TICKET
Johnson especially liked the “pod format” that the Denver tournament used, which allows for participants to play all of their matches on the same group of courts throughout the round robin stage ay move along in a smooth, more predictable way.
“Not a lot of time between games, which makes for a shorter day, which we like,” she said. “I think you guys did great communication… You did a fantastic job keeping us all cool, giving us water breaks when we needed it, keeping the ice coolers full. So I applaud you for that, because that doesn't happen at every tournament.”
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The Denver event was the second Golden Ticket Qualifier Event that UTR Sports has hosted, following the five-day event in Macon, Georgia, in late May and early June. Both tournaments used the pod format and the UTR Pickleball Rating.
All USA Pickleball tournaments, leagues, and recreational activities use the UTR Pickleball Rating following the historic announcement in April between USAP, the national governing body of pickleball in the U.S., and UTR Sports that established UTR Sports as the technology, software, and rating/rankings partner of USAP.
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Nick Hart left Denver with Golden Tickets in hand and positive feedback to share with his fellow pickleball players.
“Great facility, with all the shade and places to sit for it being hot. All the court monitors were great, we had refs every match, which is always nice, especially for a Golden Ticket,” he said. “Everybody was on time, prompt, and just awesome. You guys were on top of all of it.”
Terry Harden from California, was playing in her second UTR Sports pickleball tournament and also enjoyed the pod format as it helps both spectators and players.
“Thank you for a tournament well run!” she said. “See you at the next tournament.”
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