Here is the ONE thing I'm Concentrating On to Make the 2016 Great Lakes Regional an Awesome Pick

This is my second stint as director of a USAPA Great Lakes Regional Pickleball Tournament (the 2016 Great Lakes Regional). Almost 400 players will be playing.

I have thought and thought about what to do to make this an AWESOME pickleball player experience; That ONE THING that will set us above all others, setting a new bar for pickleball tournament excellence. Not refs, not food, not courts, (those are a given). Where are all the selfies taken? Where do all players want to be? The awards podium and medals ceremony.

If I want to get a social media storm going and let players have fun, I am going to create an experience not seen yet. It will start with an awesome podium and backdrop worthy of the best selfie. It will include big fake medals that players can use to take pictures of themselves during the tournament (Maybe they will say things like "PARTICIPANT" or "LOSER" or "ALMOST WON A MEDAL" or "AT LEAST I LOOKED GOOD" or ...). It will include hashtags to have a place to post. Maybe I'll add music and great announcement to the ceremonies and make a big deal out of it. What about adding laurel wreaths for their head like the Olympics (the tournament does start the same week as the Rio games). What if I gave an award for the best selfie posted to the web site each day?

Hmmmm.... I like doing things over the top. Pick one thing and do it better than everyone else. Set the pickleball bar. Let's see what happens. Check back later.

Play Pickleball Fort Wayne!