(Credit – the pictures in this article were supplied by Noel Lau – you can see more of his work on his instagram page here )
This event was a first for PickleBall News Asia (PNA) as we sponsored a team to take part. The PNA team consisted of Andrew Martin (our group publisher), Melina Hwang, Maxine Teoh and Christopher Kong. We are pleased to report that our team managed to reach the podium with a bronze medal (3rd place).
We also took the time to observe and report on the event itself. The global success of pickleball is built on a few ingredients. While it’s difficult to boil down those precise ingredients, the social/community aspect of the game is definitely in there somewhere.
In our opinion at PNA, this is why team tournaments have a special place in pickleball. People love to compete, but there is a spirit of comradery that transcends the competition as new friendships are forged and existing friendships are extended on the courts.
Many people who compete at these events will end up playing social games in the future, and many of the teams that are formed are built on friendships bonded from meeting on the pickleball court in the past.
The organisers of this tournament, 3 Bears Events, are Adam Ng Kah Yew and Henry Heng Kim Jui, who are unsurprisingly both avid players. Adam pointed out: “We organised the Dreambreaker team event so that groups of friends could join and compete together, and also expose more players to the Dreambreaker format of tiebreak which is popularly used in MLP. But we added a slight twist on it to make it a doubles Dreambreaker instead of singles since we Malaysians don’t play much singles yet!”
He continued: “From an organiser’s perspective, I’m just glad there were no major medical incidents, and the schedule started and ended according to plan! Feedback about the Dreambreaker format has been very positive all around, and I hope to organise more events with other interesting and fun formats in future”
(Ed: PNA look forward to taking part in 3 Bears’ future events!)
Twenty teams took part, starting in five pools of four teams, before progressing to quarter-finals for the knockout stages. The eventual winners were GPA x Hyperground, followed by Bangsar Pro, which finished 2nd. Third place (as mentioned) went to our PNA-sponsored team, who edged past Fickle-Ball 2 in the 3rd-place playoff.
Even though the atmosphere at these events is friendly and social, don’t be fooled! When you get to the knockout rounds, the standard of play is high, and the competition is still ferocious, with on-court emotions between players high and off-court reaction from spectators loud.
However, the real story of such tournaments is the accessibility it gives to people who are of an intermediate level to get a taste of what tournament play is like. They may not get through the pool part of the competition, but they get an introduction to the feel and pressure of tournament play and for many who want to take a step in that direction, beginning by doing so surrounded by a team is a great first step.
For those thinking about taking a step into tournament play, here is what you can expect from a well-organised team event like the 3 Bears Dreambreaker.
A lot of buzz, banter and excitement in the morning when teams are turning up to register and warm up.
Once the tournament games start, the feeling gets a little more serious, and even though multiple games are happening at the same time, as a player, you will still feel that eyes are on you as you step onto the court, with a little more tension than when you meet to play a social game.
Having a referee brief you before each game is something new for first-time tournament players and brings a sense of reality and seriousness to the game that you don’t feel in regular weekly meet-ups.
Tension and emotion during a game can and does get heated between players, but in almost all cases, when games end and players walk off the courts, they shake hands, tap paddles, hug, smile and leave as friends, not enemies.
You can expect moments of absolute tension as your team’s progression to the next round comes down to winning a single point.
Yet most teams that get eliminated stay on to become spectators and cheer on their friends or even players who beat them along the way.
These days, having livestream video coverage is inexpensive to do, so the added bonus (or pressure dependent on how you look at it ) is that your games could be “televised to the world.” For this Dreambreaker event, the livestream went out on the “Weekday Pickleballers” YouTube channel and you can view the recording here to join the nearly 2,000 who have already tuned in.
3 Bears made sure they had trained medics on hand to treat injuries and also brought in a team of experienced officials (referees and Tournament director) to ensure smooth running throughout the day, an investment that makes a difference, so look for conscientious organisers like this when choosing your first tournament.
The Dreambreaker team tournament ticked the boxes for what competition-level play should be about. The organisers wanted a competitive day that was permeated by fun times, that’s exactly what they achieved.
You can watch the livestream recording here:
