You might recall the article I wrote a few months ago about qualifying for nationals. A lot has changed since then. You can no longer qualify for Nationals by winning a regional tournament.
Currently, the best and most straight-forward way to earn a spot for the 2022 USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Wells is by playing in one of the National Championship Series tournaments.
The 2022 National Championship Series tournament schedule is as follows:
- APP Masters – Boca Raton, FL – January 18-23
- APP Legacy Open – Mesa, AZ – March 29-April 3
- APP New York City – New York, NY – May 25-29
- USA Pickleball Newport Beach Championship – Newport Beach, CA – June 27-July 2
- Beer City Open – Grand Rapids, MI – July 20-24
- APP Atlanta Metro Open – Atlanta, GA – September 7-11
The Diamond Amateur Championship will be another way to earn a spot for Nationals in the future. The first annual Diamond Amateur Championship will take place at Pictona in Holly Hill, FL from December 5-11, 2022. Gold medalists from the Diamond Amateur Championship will earn pre-registration (golden tickets) to the following year’s USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Wells.
The 12 regional championship tournaments will feed into the Diamond Amateur Championship rather than directly feeding into Nationals. Gold and silver medalists from the regional tournaments will earn pre-registration into the Diamond Amateur Championship at Pictona. All other participants from the regional tournaments will be eligible for the lottery into the Diamond Amateur Championship . Gold, silver and bronze medalists from the regional tournaments will be entered into the lottery for the 2022 National Championships in Indian Wells. You can learn more about the various USA Pickleball tournaments (such as the National Championship Series , Diamond Amateur Championship , and 12 regional tournaments) here.
Here’s a list of the 12 regional tournaments:
- Southwest Regional – Mesa, AZ – March 22-27
- Mountain Regional – Las Vegas, NV – March 28-April 3
- Mid-South Regional – McKinney, TX – April 28-May 1
- Middle States Regional – St. Louis, MO – May 26-29
- North Mid-Atlantic Regional – Cranberry Township, PA – June 3-5
- Great Plains Regional – Colorado Springs, CO – June 6-12
- Great Lakes Regional – Ft. Wayne, IN – June 16-19
- Atlantic South Regional – Opelika, AL – June 21-26
- Atlantic Regional – Portland, ME – June 24-26
- Pacific Northwest Regional – LOCATION TBD – DATES TBD
- Mid-Atlantic Regional – Myrtle Beach, SC – September 21-25
- West Regional – LOCATION TBD – DATES TBD
No matter your path to Nationals, I hope it is a fun one. Hope to see you all there!