Thursday Pickleball Ladder

We’re introducing a six-week pickleball ladder this fall. A ladder provides organized, competitive play while allowing players to participate in the weeks that suit them.

Dates: Thursdays, September 24– October 29
Time: 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Location: Outdoor courts at Centerline 33
Eligibility: RPCSC members self-rated at 2.5 to 3.5
Cost: Free to RPCSC members (non-Centerline 33 members must pay Centerline’s $10 outdoor fee for each session.)
Registration: Sign up for each session on Pickleheads.

Hosts: Colin and Linda

What Is a Pickleball Ladder?

A ladder is a series of competitive sessions in which players are ranked according to their results. Players are grouped with others near their current position on the ladder, helping to create well-matched games.

Partners rotate during each session, and scores are entered into Pickleheads. Results determine whether players move up, move down or remain at the same level for the following week. You do not have to attend every session: if you miss a week, your position remains unchanged.

How Do the “Steps” Work?

Pickleheads calls each level of the ladder a Step:

• Step 1 is the highest level.

• Step 2 is the next level down, followed by Steps 3, 4 and so on.

• After the first session, the highest-finishing players are placed on Step 1, the next group on Step 2 and so forth.

• In later sessions, players are assigned to courts based primarily on their current Step.

• Strong results move a player toward Step 1; other results may move the player down a Step.

• Pickleheads automatically updates the standings after each session.

More than one player can occupy the same Step. Players within a Step are ranked using tiebreakers such as point differential, how recently they played and the number of sessions played.

Weekly Playing Format

Depending on attendance, we will use either:

• Gauntlet: New matchups are generated throughout the session. Players’ individual results determine their final positions and movement on the ladder.

• Up and Down the River: Players rotate partners on their court. After a round, the highest-finishing players move up a court and the lowest-finishing players move down.

Both formats use the same Pickleheads Step system, so the format can change from week to week without disrupting the overall standings.

Sign up will be on Pickleheads. Come along, enjoy some competitive games and see how high you can climb!