Grass Valley Pickleball Club Ladder

Information & Instructions for GVPC Ladder Play     As of April 12, 2026

All players must read and agree to comply with these GVPC Ladder Instructions  and rules below in order to participate on the ladder. By requesting to play on the ladder, players will be deemed to agree to these terms. 

All ladder participants must be a member of the Grass Valley Pickleball Club.and have a DUPR account linked to the club on DUPR.   See http://www.myDUPR.com and/or download the DUPR app on your mobile phone.  GVPC's DUPR league is ID. 6990648524. 

The official ball for all ladder matches is the “optic” yellow/green Franklin X-40.  Players are encouraged to bring their own newer balls for their matches.

For player safety:

     1.  All paddles are required to have a "USAPA Approved" stamp.

     2.  Delaminated paddles and those with core-crush issues which create extraordinary power and speed of shots should not be used in competitive ladder play; and

     3.  Eye protection is strongly recommended. 

Ladder schedules are published weekly after final scores are posted   Find your name, your foursome, your assigned court and your designated time.  If the number of participants is not divisible by 4, or we have more players than we have courts available, we will assign a bye.  If you receive a bye, we will not assign another bye to you until all others have been assigned a bye.

1) Format

·       New ladder participants will initially be seeded into groups  based on any prior GVPC ladder performance, published and self ratings, player recommendations, et al. Players will randomly assigned a seed within their  group. Seeding and division assignments are not appealable. 

·       After initial seeding, players' ladder standings are generally based on each weekly performance, with the top two player in each group moving up and the bottom two moving down.

·       Each week, players will be organized into groups of 4 in the order of their standings on the ladder and based on player availability. 

·       Players will play 3 doubles games in a round-robin fashion with the other players of their foursome.  The order of play will be published on the Swish app visible from mobile phones at the courts.

·       All games are played to 15 points, win by 2.

·       Determine who chooses side, serve, or receive by a toss of a coin, "pick 1 or 2," rock-paper-scissors, or a similar method. Winner chooses whether to serve or receive or chooses the side on which to start. Non-winner chooses “side” if the winner chooses whether to “serve” or “receive”.   Non-winner chooses whether to “serve” or “receive” if the winner chooses “side”.

·       Teams will switch sides after the first team scores 8 points. If the side switch is not made for any reason, switch as soon as anyone announces to switch. Any points scored before the side switch count, even if the switch is made after the 8th point.

2)  Schedule

• All ladder matches will be played on Mondays and Wednesdays during club times; which may be adjusted seasonally to mitigate weather impacts.  Monday sessions will all be played 6-9pm.  During the cooler season (Sep-May), Wednesday matches will be played from 12:00-3:00 pm; during the warmer season (Jun-Aug) Wednesday matches may be played from 6:00-9:00 pm.
• We will endeavor to publish schedules weekly by Fridays  at 11:59 pm.
• Your schedule to play each week is not considered optional.  Participats are counting on persons in their division to play each of 10 weeks.  A minimum of 8 of 10 ladder matches is required to be considered in the final standings. 
• Players  must notify the Ladder Managers by Thursdays at noon if they cannot participate in the ladder for the upcoming week(s) either Monday or Wednesday. They will not be scheduled for that week.  Players are encouraged to check the weather forecast for the following week.
• Ladder Managers will assume all players want to play each week.  
• The Ladder Managers may choose to cancel future and scheduled ladder matches based on a forecast of likely precipitation, excess heat, or other conditions.  You will be notified by email in such an event.  Generally, if precipitation is predicted to be more than 40% likely, matches will be cancelled.  If temperatures are predicted to be 90 degrees or more for day matches, matches will likely be cancelled.  In consideration of likely evening cooling after 6pm, if temperatures are predicted to be  95 degrees or more for evening matches,  matches will be cancelled. The ladder managers will notify players by email as soon as possible in the event of any cancellation.

3)  Reporting scores

The first person listed in the published match schedule is responsible for ensuring that the scores are recorded and reported as described below.  You will be able to enter the scores on the Swish mobile application. The first person on the schedule can ask another member of the group to take on this responsibility. Every player should confirm scores are entered properly. We strongly encourage each group to keep a written record of scores. 

Scores should be recorded in Swish as soon as possible after the match is completed on the day the match is played.

4) Interruption of Matches due to Injuries or Weather

If match play is interrupted for any reason (injury, bad weather, etc.), where continued play would put players’ health at risk, at any player's request, the match will stop.  Scoring for interrupted matches should be handled as follows:

     a. If the match is terminated before the start of the third game, scores should not be recorded.

     b. If the match is terminated sometime during the third game, points for the third game will be assumed to be in the same ratio of the score up to that point. For example, if the score was 9 to 7 at termination, the winning team would get 15 and the losing team would get 7/9 of 15 = 12 (rounded to the nearest point).

5) Guidelines for Substitutions

The Ladder Managers will develop a roster of Official Subs to be used to balance out the posted scheduled matches in the event the number of available players is not divisible by 4 or in the event of a late withdrawal after the schedule is published.

The sub may be determined by one or more of the ladder managers, whose decision is not appealable.

• One or more players in a group may request a particular sub, but the sub is always subject to approval by at least one ladder manager. 
• A match must be started and completed with the same 4 players for scores to count.
• If a sub cannot be obtained, players will not receive a score for that week and current winning percentages and DUPR ratings will not be affected. 

6) Code of Conduct Expectation for Ladder Participants

All Ladder participants are required to abide by the following code of conduct.  Violations of any of these rules may be cause for player suspension or disqualification from ladder participation at the sole discretion of the Ladder Managers.  The Ladder Managers will keep a record of violations.  Players are each deemed to state: 

• I will not engage in unsportsmanlike conduct nor encourage others to do so.
• I will not engage in any behavior that would endanger the health, safety, or wellbeing of others.
• I will not engage in the use of obscene language or gestures.
• I will treat others with respect.
• I will make an effort to play well in every game, in every match.
• Unless injured or ill, I will complete all 3 games of each match I start to play. 
• I will exhibit fairness and honesty in my dealings with others.
• I will accept responsibility for my own actions.
• I acknowledge I am responsible for determining for myself whether I am physically fit and otherwise able to safely participate in ladder play, including if weather and court conditions are safe for my play.    GVPC personnel have no responsibility or liability to determine my fitness for play or whether playing conditions are safe for me.
• I will engage in conduct that is free from discrimination, abuse, and harassment.
• I will abide by the GVPC rules and any instructions from the court facilitators.
• I will abide by the official rules published on USAPickleball.org: Official Pickleball Rules, including rules regarding line calls.

For questions, please contact the Ladder Managers: Jay Zellmer (Chair),  Steve DeMartini,  Suzi Rosas and Robin Farina via email at [email protected].

Or, in cases of urgency, via text:   Jay Zellmer              530-277-8578

                                                           Steve DeMartini     530-574-7415

                                                           Suzi Rosas               530-635-2338    

                                                           Robin Farina.            828-719-1494

 

Thank you and have fun playing the GVPC Ladder Competitions.

 

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