This "EVENT" is for MEN who self rate between 3.75 and 4.24. If you honestly think you are 4.25 or higher, please hold off until we do an assessment in that range.

The SOPA Level Assessment Event is intended to help players determine their pickleball skill rating more accurately. Advanced level players will help facilitate drill games and actual games to determine a player's level relative to other players in the Rogue Valley.

Why are we doing this?

Because we frequently get asked, or hear people question, "What level should they select on PlayTimeScheduler?" or "What level should they register for during a local tournament?" That is why we are specifically focusing on player levels relative to other local players. These ratings may or may not be correct if you travel to a different region or want to play in larger regional tournaments.

Brief Outline of Activities:

• Warm-up with observation.
• Kitchen Game Round Robin with 3-4 other players of similar level. The top scoring person will move up to a higher ranked court, the lowest scoring player will move down a court, and a second round robin will be run.
• Actual doubles games round robin with the same 3-4 players from the last activity. Again, top scoring person will move up, lowest will move down. This is called "Ladder Play" and many organization use it to determine relative levels within a local community.
• During both activities, observers will take notes of skills and knowledge that might not be represented by play results for each individual.

Primary Traits Observers are Watching for:

• Movement on the court, both when hitting and when partner or opponents are hitting.
• Consistent and reliable shot mechanics. Does the person hit with intention?
• Does a player follow "a plan" that should lead to the highest success rate when playing doubles based on accepted "best practices."
• Can a player execute the basic shots needed, including; serve, return, third shot, dink, volley, put away, and resets. Can they do it both forehand and backhand? Do they make smart shot choices based on what they have to hit?

What will be the end result?

• Players will be given a skill rating. We will included divisions by quarter point increments, such as:  3.0, 3.25, 3.5, 3.75, 4.0, 4.25, and 4.5. Some pickleball communities do not recognized the quarter point numbers and only use; 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, etc.
• The given rating is for informational purposes only. Since SOPA does not manage any specific courts, we do not have any way to enforce players use their assigned rating. 
• Rated players will play with others who have not been through the assessment. You can help those players to better understand their rating by discussing your rating and how the two of you compare. Hopefully this is done with tact, respect, and thoughtfulness.