My First PPA Tournament: Winning Bronze and Tips for Tournament Prep

A few weeks ago, I played in my very first PPA pickleball tournament in Cape Coral, Florida, and I entered the 3.5 Women’s Singles division. I didn’t totally know what to expect, but I did know I was stepping into something a lot more intense than the casual matches I was used to. Spoiler alert: I ended up winning the bronze medal. It's something my family is happy for me about, but I know I can play better.

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Stepping Onto the PPA Tournament Stage

The format was a round robin. I played strong in my first three games but lost my next three because of fatigue. Because of the point differential, I walked away with the bronze medal. If I won my last match, I would have played an extra game for either silver or gold. I didn’t think I’d get that far in my first real tournament, especially against adult women who had way more experience than me. But I just focused on each point, tried to stay calm, and reminded myself to trust my aggressive style of play.

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Cold Weather, Long Matches, and Learning the Hard Way

What I wasn’t ready for was how intense things would get later in the day. Between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., I played six singles matches. That’s a lot of movement, sprinting, and concentration. And I had never played that many back-to-back singles matches before.

The temperature dropped a lot once the sun started going down, and I wasn’t prepared for how cold I would get between matches. I didn’t bring extra clothes to stay warm, and I didn’t have enough water or food with me. Honestly, I just wasn’t expecting it to be that cold or that demanding. I got super chilled after my second match, and it started affecting the way I was moving and thinking on the court.

I also started feeling a bit of performance anxiety. It’s weird because part of me felt really confident, but another part was like, “What if I mess up? Why does it feel like I forget how to play the moment it really counts?” I know everyone says to stay focused and breathe, but in the moment, it’s hard. Especially when your body is cold and your energy is dropping fast.

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Winning Bronze and My Key Takeaways from Cape Coral

Even with all of that, I pulled through and won the bronze medal match. It was a tough game, but I dug deep and pushed myself to the finish. Holding that medal felt amazing. Not just because it meant I placed but because I knew I had grown.

Here’s what I learned:

• Bring extra clothes. Especially if you’re playing outdoors and the weather could change.
• Hydrate and fuel up. You can’t compete well if your body is running on empty.
• Train for the real thing. Doing singles drills is great, but nothing compares to actually playing six or seven competitive matches in a row. I need to train like it’s tournament day.
• Mentally prepare. Performance anxiety is real, and it can sneak up on you. I’ve learned that I need to work on staying calm, confident, and present (even when it gets tough).

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Looking Ahead

Even with the challenges, I had so much fun. I got to test myself, meet cool people, and experience what it’s really like to compete on a bigger stage. And now I’m even more motivated to train smarter, fuel better, and be ready the next time I step on court.

So yeah—bronze was awesome. But the lessons were even better.

Thanks to my family for supporting me and to Johnny Shapiro for some pointers.

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