This year’s USA Pickleball National Championships took place November 15th–23rd at the Barnes Tennis Center in somewhat sunny San Diego. And wow, what a blast! There were 50 outdoor courts, nonstop matches (literally into the night), and players everywhere you turned — not to mention the sea of PlayTime Scheduler hats and visors! Thanks to everyone who sported some PTS gear — we see you!

I have to say, the real highlights for me were watching our own PTS family take the courts.

Reine Steel (our founder!) competed in both Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. On Friday, Reine played women’s doubles with Sandy, and they were on fire! Their matches were so much fun to watch, and both of them played fantastically throughout. Together they went on to bring home bronze! Oh, and these medals were really something else. Spinner medals! That's right — the logo spins... or wait... no, the pickleball behind the logo spins. 😉 Let's just say some of us may have learned the hard way. 

Reine also teamed up with Jesse in mixed doubles, and those matches were absolute nail-biters. It came down to the wire more than once, but the two of them powered through point by point. They had the whole PTS crew on the sidelines cheering. And… they won bronze!! Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought I was watching a gold-medal match — that’s how intense and high-level the gameplay was.

A huge shutout as well to the amazing Jessica, our PTS Support Specialist! She also competed and watching her jam, slam, dink and drive on the court was super inspiring. It’s pretty special to get to work with such incredible women and then see them shine at Nationals.

Once again, Nationals proved to be an unforgettable trip, and I already can’t wait for next year. Shout-out to all the referees (we have a special offer for you below) for working long days and nights to provide a top-notch experience for the amateur players. Cheers to 2025 Nationals!