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Saturday, November 19, 2022
Ken Herrmann's Association of Pickleball Professionals caters to young professionals that are entering the sport of pickleball around the country.
Above, Ken Herrmann is interviewed by Next Gen player, Wil Shaffer. Photo by: Brad Evenson
Ken Herrmann, CEO of the APP Tour has worked with Chicken N Pickle restaurant and pickleball center since 2021 as the official location for the Next Gen tournament series. These locations are mostly in the midwest and will have nine locations by the end of 2022.
To be eligible to play in the series, you have to be between the ages of 16-23 years old. Some wildcards can be given to players who are even younger, if they fit the criteria. Players also must have a rating of 4.0 and up to be eligible.
The tournament boasts a $15,000 prize money pool and the top two finishers will receive paid wildcards into the tier 1 APP Masters tournament held in Boca Raton, FL.
“The mission for APP Next Gen is to develop America’s next champions,” said Ken Herrmann, CEO and creative founder of the series. “This is done not only through match play, but by educating both the player and parents about the road their child is taking if considering a career in professional pickleball.”
Gamma sponsored Alix Truong and Jayden Broderick win the APP Next Gen Mixed Doubles Gold in Kansas City. Photo by: Brad Evenson Alix Truong, a 17 year old from Virginia and Jayden Broderick, a 16 year old from South Carolina take the mixed doubles gold medal home. They both put 300 points on their scoreboard for winning that event. The competition incorporates points from all three divisions; gender doubles, mixed doubles and singles, which are added up at the end of the tournament to determine the top 5 finishers for each gender. Below are the payouts:
APP Next Gen Series Payout | 15k Prize Pool |
Men | Women |
$2,500 | $2,500 |
$2,000 | $2,000 |
$1,500 | $1,500 |
$1,000 | $1,000 |
$500 | $500 |
31 players are entered into the Open Men's Singles division, 11 players for the Open Women's Singles division. Mentoring to all Next Gen players was done by none other than national champion, Scott Moore. The APP Tour has three Next Gen tournaments slated for the 2023 season. First of the season will be held at Chicken N Pickle in San Antonio, Texas on February 17th-19th.
Click here to follow the Next Gen schedule and go to chickennpickle.com for more information on their locations.