NDPT Player Packet

November 7-10, 2024 | Dripping Springs, Texas
austindeafpb@gmail.com (responses delayed during Nov 7-10)
Text 512-827-7171 (only during Nov 7-10)

PLEASE NOTE, THE CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE MAY BE UPDATED DURING NDPT

Other information available online:

NDPT Player Packet for you to read/download (no google account needed)
Your event(s) start time (published on PBB)
Some common pickleball rules

Welcome

Welcome to the fourth annual National Deaf Pickleball Tournament (NDPT) presented by Convo! Austin Deaf Pickleball (ADPB) proudly hosts this year’s tournament at Dreamland in Dripping Springs, Texas.

Austin Deaf Pickleball Committee (L-R)

Vanessa
Raychelle
Jay
Carrie Lou
Lizzie
Nick
Sisakoth (not pictured)

#NDPT2024 Tournament Organizing Committee

While each of these committee members leads their respective areas, they are supported by fantastic volunteers who contribute their time and energy to ensure everything runs smoothly.

General Schedule

Wednesday, November 6
- 5 PM to 10 PM: Free Open Play at the Texas School for the Deaf
Thursday, November 7
- 9 AM – 8 PM: Skinny Singles & Singles
- 6 PM – 8 PM: DPUSA Business Meeting at Dreamland
- social night at Dreamland
Friday, November 8
- 8 AM: NDPT Welcome remarks at the Convo Grandstand Courts with group photo
- 9 AM – 9 PM: Doubles Scramble
- Friday Night Social at Austin Deaf Club (with Deaf Artisan Market Day vendors and ASL Slam!) sponsored by Sorenson
Saturday, November 9
- 8 AM – 9 PM: Fixed Doubles
- Deaf Night Out (DNO) at Moontower
Sunday, November 10
- 8 AM – 6 PM: Mixed Doubles
- social night at Armadillo Den

Venues Information

Dreamland, 2770 W Hwy 290, Dripping Springs, TX 78620

16 pickleball courts (12 outdoor uncovered, 4 outdoor covered)
Surface Type: pickleball hardcourt
Ball Used: Selkirk Pro S1
Net Type: Permanent
Dreamland has public wifi
There will be water coolers available for anyone to refill their water bottles.
Parking is free and abundant, on uneven gravel or loose small rocks. Be prepared to walk a bit from your vehicle to the courts. There are a few disabled parking spots.

Lost Pines Pickleball Club, 1099 State Hwy 71, Bastrop, TX 78602

13 pickleball courts (9 indoors, 4 outdoors)
Surface Type: pickleball hardcourt
Ball Used: Selkirk Pro S1
Net Type: Permanent
NDPT will provide water for players
Parking is free and abundant

NDPT General Information

Weather

All schedule and location changes or cancellations due to weather will be texted to participants by Pickleball Brackets (PBB).

Safety

For any situation, NDPT has an Emergency Action Plan for the committee to follow protocol.
NDPT has a First Aid kit available at the Player Care booth.
Dreamland has an AED available in a small wooden shed near the Beer Garden’s entrance alley.
The nearest Emergency Room is Ally Medical Emergency Room in Dripping Springs.

Player Care

First Aid kit will be available with bandaids, gauze, an ice pack for an ankle sprain, etc – to take care of minor injuries. We will also have free energy drinks and bars from our sponsors Sap’s, LMNT, DripDrop, Jigsaw Health, Kate’s Real Food, Bobo’s, and That’s It! If you need some grip tape, you can get some free grip tape thanks to our sponsor, A11N. Also, Forever Forward PT will be offering free physical therapy for players on Saturday and Sunday at the Player Care booth – stop by and get some wellness taken care of!

Help Center

Players can ask any NDPT related questions, ranging from “What time does my event start?” to “I need to withdraw from tomorrow’s event, how do I do that?” Registered players and other people interested in being a sub can stop by the Help Center to share their interest.

Interpreters Available

Convo is proud to provide all interpreting services at this year’s National Deaf Pickleball Tournament! All vendors, players, and fans will be able to access interpreting through Convo Now. Whether players are ordering food or asking about products—just scan the QR code you see around the venue to start a conversation. You’ll connect with a live video interpreter, making every conversation as smooth as a perfect drop shot. Learn more about Convo Now here.

Eats

Dreamland has an on-site kitchen and a full bar
#NDPT2024 will also have deaf-owned food trucks LOTZ of BBQ (Thurs-Sat) and Crepe Crazy (Fri-Sun)

Vendors

A11N
Austin Deaf Pickleball Store
Convo
Crepe Crazy *food vendor
DeafAF
Deaf Pickler
Dreamland Kitchen *food vendor
Forever Forward PT
Lotz of BBQ *food vendor
NDPT 2025
Pride Socks
Reign Storm
SK Handiwork
T-Mobile
Wellness with Nella

What to Bring (and not)

Players are encouraged to bring:

Fully charged smartphones and smartwatches (for NDPT text notifications)
Water bottles and snacks
Folding chairs
Canopy (only allowed in the back of the Fan Zone by the lower 12 courts, to allow folks with no canopies to sit in front)
Friends and family, with children monitored and supervised
Leashed, well-behaved dogs
Happy, positive, and enthusiastic attitude

Players are not allowed to bring:

Players should avoid wearing clothing that closely matches the ball color
Cigarettes, cigars, or any smoking device
Weapons of any kind
Illegal substances
Demeaning, violent, or uncooperative attitudes and remarks

NDPT Format*

*(This information is also available on PBB)

Round Robin

All round robin games will be one game to 11 points
- Player/team switch sides when one player/team reaches 6 points
- All matches must win by 2 points, if it happens that there’s a higher score than 11, the absolute final score is for the first player/team to get to 21 points
- Round robin tie-breaker logic:
  - 1. head-to-head matches won
  - 2. points differential of all games played
  - 3. head-to-head point differential
  - 4. point differential against next-highest team
  - 5. Match Coordinator will refer to who has the higher DUPR/PBR score as individual or the average as a team

Thursday | Skinny Singles and Singles

Double Elimination – 1 game up to 11, win by 2
- Winners Bracket
  - All players start in the Winners Brackets
  - If you win your match, you stay in the winner bracket and move to the next round
  - if you lose, you move to the loser bracket
- Losers Bracket
  - In the loser bracket, if you win, you will move to the next round
  - if you lose, you are out of the tournament
- Elimination
  - You are only eliminated after TWO LOSSES
- Finals
  - The last player from the Winners bracket faces the last player from the Loser bracket in the Finals
  - If the Winners Bracket player wins, they are champion
  - If the Loser Bracket player wins, both players will play one more game to determine the winner
Thursday Events at Lost Pines:
- 9a | Men/NB Skinny Singles 3.0 | Age 50+
- 9:15a | Men/NB Skinny Singles 3.0 | Age 60+
- 10:15a | Women/NB Skinny Singles 3.0 | Age 50+
- 11a | Men/NB Skinny Singles 3.5 | Age 50+
- 11a | Men/NB Skinny Singles 3.5 | Age 60+
- 12p | Women/NB Skinny Singles 3.0 | Age 60+
- 12:15p | Men/NB Skinny Singles 3.0 | Age 70+
- 12:30p | Men/NB Singles 3.5 | Age 35+
- 1:30p | Men/NB Singles 3.0 | Age 35+
- 2:15p | Men/NB Singles 3.0 | Age 12+
- 2:30p | Men/NB Singles 3.5 | Age 12+
- 3:30p | Women/NB Singles 3.0 & 3.5 | All Ages
Thursday Events at Dreamland:
- 9a | Women/NB Skinny Singles 3.5+ | ALL AGES (OPEN)
- 10a | Men/NB Skinny Singles 4.0 | 60+
- 10:45a | Men/NB Skinny Singles 4.0 | 50+
- 11:45a | Men/NB Singles 4.0 | 35+
- 12:30p | Men/NB Singles 4.5+ | All Ages (OPEN)
- 1:15p | Men/NB Singles 4.0 | Age 12+

Friday | Doubles Scramble

Each division will be split into pools of 4-7 players for round robin play
Single Elimination Playoff
- If 1-3 pools, the top 6 players in the division advance to playoff
- If 4+ pools, top 2 players from each pool advance to playoff
- 1st and 2nd seed will be partnered together, 3rd and 4th seed will be partnered together, and so on
Double Scramble events
- 9 AM Men/NB 3.0 | 60+
- 9 AM Men/NB 3.5 | 35+
- 9 AM Men/NB 3.5 | 60+
- 9 AM Women/NB 3.0 | 60+
- 9 AM Women/NB 3.5 | 60+
- 10:40 AM Women/NB 3.0 | 50+
- 11:20 AM Men/NB 3.0 | 50+
- 12:30 PM Women/NB 3.5 | 50+
- 12:30 PM Women/NB 4.0 | All Ages (OPEN)
- 1 PM Men/NB 3.5 | 50+
- 1:20 PM Men/NB 4.0 | 50+
- 2 PM Men/NB 3.0 | 35+
- 2:40 PM Men/NB 4.5+ | All Ages (OPEN)
- 3:20 PM Men/NB 4.0 | 12+
- 3:20 PM Women/NB 3.0 | 35+
- 3:40 PM Women/NB 3.5 | 12-49
- 4:20 PM Men/NB 3.0 | 12+
- 4:20 PM Men/NB 4.0 | 35+
- 4:20 PM Women/NB 3.0 | 12+
- 5 PM Men/NB 3.5 | 12+

Saturday | Fixed Doubles

All Events will be split into pools of 4-7 teams for round robin play
All Events will have single elimination playoffs:
- If 1 pool, the top 4 teams advance to playoff
- If 2 or 3 pools, the top 3 teams from each pool advance to playoff
- If 4+ pools, the top 2 teams from each pool advances to playoff
Gold/Silver matches will play two out of three, up to 11, win by 2 (switch sides for the first two games then if there’s a third game, switch at 6)
Fixed Double Events at Dreamland
- 8a Men/NB | 3.0 | 50+
- 8a Men/NB | 3.5 | 60+
- 8:15a Men/NB | 3.0 | 60+
- 9a Men/NB | 3.5 | 35+
- 9:20a Women/NB | 4.0+ | All Ages (OPEN)
- 9:55a Women/NB | 3.0 | 60+
- 10:20a Women/NB | 3.5 | 50+
- 11:15a Women/NB | 3.0 | 50+
- 12p Men/NB | 3.5 | 50+
- 12:35p Men/NB | 4.0 | All Ages
- 1:35p Women/NB | 3.5 | 12 – 49
- 2p Men/NB | 4.5+ | All Ages (OPEN)
- 2:20p Men/NB | 3.5 | 12+
- 2:50p Women/NB | 3.0 | 12+
- 3:35p Men/NB | 3.0 | 35+
- 4:30p Women/NB | 3.0 | 35+
- 4:45p Men/NB | 3.0 | 12+

Sunday | Mixed Doubles

All Events will be split into pools of 3-5 teams for round robin play
All Events will have single elimination playoffs:
- If 1 pool, the top 4 teams advance to playoff
- If 2 or 3 pools, the top 3 teams from each pool advance to playoff
- If 4+ pools, the top 2 teams from each pool advances to playoff
Gold/Silver matches will play two out of three, up to 11, win by 2 (switch sides for the first two games then if there’s a third game, switch at 6)
Mixed Doubles Events at Dreamland
- 8 AM 3.0 | 60+
- 8 AM 4.0 | 12 – 49
- 8 AM 4.0 | 50+
- 9 AM 3.0 | 70+
- 9 AM 3.5 | 50+
- 10:20 AM 3.5 | 60+
- 11 AM 3.0 | 50+
- 12 PM 3.0 | 12+
- 1 PM 3.5 | 35+
- 1 PM 4.5+ | All Ages (OPEN)
- 1:10 PM 3.5 | 12+
- 2:20 PM 3.0 | 3.5+

Player Responsibilities

Zero Tolerance

We expect players to treat others with respect, exhibit fairness and honesty, engage in conduct that is free from fear, discrimination, abuse, and harassment, not engage in unsportsmanlike conduct or encourage others to do so, not engage in any behavior that would endanger the health, safety, or well-being of others, and not use obscene language or gestures. Failure to adhere to our Conduct Policy may result in withdrawal from the Event and/or Tournament.

Text Messaging

NDPT will be communicating event start times, pre-event orientation, match in queue, court assignments, match results, and any other NDPT related information via text to you from PBB. Please ensure that you have a fully charged phone. You can visit the Convo booth to charge your phone when you are not playing.

Event Check-In on each day

When you first arrive at Dreamland, please visit the “Swag Bag/T-Shirt Pick Up” booth to pick up your Swag Bag (including your shirt, if you ordered one). Then, proceed to the Check-In desk to check in for your event if it’s on the same day.
If your event happens on a different day, you will need to wait until that day to check in.
If you registered for more than one event, check-in for each day you play.
Check-in is open 7a to the last event of the day.
You must check in at least 30 minutes before your event starts. Otherwise, you may be withdrawn from the event. We cannot allow lateness due to a very tight schedule.
Pre-Event orientation will happen at the Beer Garden entrance, by the Dreamland First Aid station, before your division starts and requires 100% participation for players in that division.

Match Check-In before each match

When you (and your teammate) get a text of your court assignment, go to the “Basket Pick Up/Drop Off” booth immediately.
First player/team to arrive at the “Basket Pick Up/Drop Off” booth will pick up a ball and go to the assigned court to warm up. The second player/team will pick up the basket with the second ball and scorecard before going to the assigned court.
To determine which player/team chooses between serving/receiving or picking a side, one player with an opponent will view the player displaying “1” or “2” behind a paddle, hidden from the other partner/opponent’s partner. The other partner can guess either 1 or 2. If guessed correctly, they will choose serve/receive or a side.
If the opponent(s) do not arrive at the assigned court within five minutes, communicate with your court moderator (the one with a yellow vest) so they can inform the Match Coordination booth, and they will determine whether a forfeit is necessary.

During the individual match

For players’ first match of the day, they have 5 minutes to warm up – then 2 minutes for the rest of the day, before each match
All NDPT matches will be self-refereed
Each court will have a Court Moderator; they will oversee ~ three courts to ensure games are not delayed, clarify any rules upon request, check the scorecard to ensure completion, and ensure players pick up/drop off the baskets in a timely manner. They will not be doing any refereeing.
If you have a disagreement on your court, ask for your Court Moderator.
- The Court Moderator will determine whether they need to consult with Lead Court Moderator, Pat Kinast
- Pat will determine whether he needs to discuss with the Head Referee, Lydia Blaakman

During the Event, on each day

If a player or team gets injured after the event begins and cannot continue, they will forfeit the rest of their matches with a score of 0-11. The forfeited games will be deleted from DUPR after NDPT.

Subs

No subs will be accepted for Singles/Skinny (Thursday) or Doubles Scramble (Friday) events.
If someone is interested in being a sub for Fixed (Saturday) or Mixed (Sunday) events, they can stop by the Help Center to sign up. Same-day subbing may not be approved, so we encourage you to sign up as early as possible!
The Match Coordinator will review for approval since it is not guaranteed because it depends on the number of players/teams in the division, pool, or event. If approved, payment is required before the player receives an email confirmation and text.
If you know someone who hasn’t registered for NDPT yet and is interested in being a sub, encourage them to visit the Help Center to sign up. The person must have a DUPR and PBB account (and have their DUPR linked to their PBB account).

Medals and Prizes

Deaf Pickleball USA will provide medals to the first, second, and third-place finishers.

Gold medalists in Singles and Fixed Doubles events will win a paddle from our sponsor, Volair.

All players will be entered in a prize drawing for each day of the tournament they are registered for. If players are selected to win a prize, they will get a text from PBB that tells them to go to the Prize booth from 10 AM to 3 PM that day to spin the wheel and choose a prize. Prizes include paddles, pickleball bags, shirts, hats, socks, gift certificates, and many other goodies from our sponsors and supporters!

Livestream

Our sponsor, Bus Door Films, will live stream some matches assigned to Convo Grandstand Courts #2 and #3 on Saturday and Sunday between 12 PM and 8 PM. We will email the link to players before NDPT so they can share it with families and friends to watch them from afar! We will also share the live streaming link on social media.