Hello captains!
Welcome to another season of the USTA Atlanta Adult 18 & Over League! Thank you so much for volunteering. Not only will you serve as the communicator and representative for your team, but we wouldn’t have our league without all of your efforts.
This introductory letter will serve as an information source throughout the entire league season. Refer to it whenever you have a question. If there is a question not listed in this information source, or if you need clarification on a topic, please do not hesitate to contact your level rep/volunteer.
Sincerely,
Maegan Kulich
Director of Adult Tennis, USTA Atlanta
Contact for the Season
Each team will have a dedicated level representative who has volunteered to answer questions throughout the season. They are here to make this a great experience for you, so please utilize them. Greg Gatti is the Program Director for the Adult Men’s league.
If you are unable to contact your level representative for an immediate question, you are welcome to call another level rep.
3.0 / Mike Cope / 770-978-7861 /3.5 Low / Chris Chang / 770-827-9498 /
3.5 / Robert Washington / 678-360-6385 /
4.0 Low / Ryan Mobley / 404-695-5254 /
4.0 / Brandon McGirt / 678-521-7903 /
4.5 Low / Phil Kinneer / 757-619-6047 /
4.5 / Phil Kinneer / 757-619-6047 /
5.0+ / Donato Clarke / 678-467-3451 /
Program Director / Greg Gatti / 706-593-1429 /
Important Tips
· Be sure to thoroughly read through and be well-versed with USTA Atlanta local rules and regulations.
· Ensure a proper scorecard exchange before each match. Both captains should simultaneously exchange COMPLETE scorecards before the start of the match.
· Assign a co-captain for your team! This will help for when you are out-of-town unexpectedly and can have someone take over for a team match. Once assigned, they will be able to have captain access on TennisLink. Email Josh Churchill () to add a co-captain to your team.
· Contact your captain at least 3 days in advance to coordinate logistics for the team match.
· When speaking with your captain, confirm the facility address (www.netcord.com is great) to make sure you have the correct address on file. You will also want to find out the number of courts that will be given for match and court surface.
· If both captains agree, you may play your match earlier or at a different time on match day. Keep your level rep informed if you do this and document the change via email!
· “Home” teams are required to provide two courts of the same surface for each team match. Unless another arrangement was made (and “agreed upon” by both captains), the first two matches to go on will be the #1 singles and doubles. The #2 singles and doubles should be there within one hour after the start of match time, and #3 doubles an hour after that.
· Make sure your player is registered on your team before stepping foot on the court. If your player’s match is started at 9:30 AM, and they registered on the team at 9:31 AM, it is an illegal match and will be disqualified and awarded to the opposing team.
· Each player should bring a can of balls for their match. After the match is finished, the “winners” of the match should receive/have the unopened can.
Captain 101 (found in captain’s corner)
This information resource will show you step-by-step instructions on:
· Finding TennisLink;
· Finding your dedicated league page;
· Finding the captain’s corner and level rep contact information;
· Logging in as captain on TennisLink;
· Viewing match schedule;
· Finding opposing captain information;
· Printing scorecard;
· Reporting scores; and
· Viewing team statistics.
Finding Phone Numbers for Opposing Captains
· Go to TennisLink (http://tennislink.usta.com/leagues/);
· Log in your USTA account (if you don’t have one – create one);
· Go to your team’s “Team Summary” page (the default page for your team)
· Click “Match Schedule” – you will see the opposing captain's phone number.
Finding E-mails for Opposing Captains
If you would like to find an e-mail for an opposing captain, you may find this information by doing the following:
· Go to TennisLink (http://tennislink.usta.com/leagues/);
· Log in your USTA account (if you don’t have one – create one);
· Go to League Advances Search (under stats and standings box);
· Navigate to 2015 > Southern > GA – Atlanta – 2015 > USTA Atlanta Winter Men 18 & Over Regular (or Low) level > Your Division Level (for example, 3.5)
· Select “Team Captains Report;”
· You will see opposing captain e-mails.
Assigning a Co-Captain
If you would like to designate a co-captain, please include the following info in an e-mail to Josh Churchill at :
· Your Team Name (example: Blackburn Park – John Smith);
· Division Level, Group Color, and Flight: (example: 3.5 Red Group, Group 5)
· Co-captain’s Name.
Captain’s Corner
The Captain’s Corner is another key resource tool for captains. You can find the Captain’s Corner by going to www.ustaatlanta.com > Captain’s Corner > Men. Here, you will find:
· TennisLink instructions;
· League calendar;
· USTA Atlanta local league rules and regulations;
· Friend at Court. FAC tells you everything you need to know about line calls, balls that hit scoreboards, hindrances, losing your hat during a point, yelling at your partner, etc. The section called “The Code” is a great reference for unofficiated matches.
· Grievance forms and procedures;
· Self-rating Guidelines;
· Playoff information (when available); and
· City Finals information (when available).
Team Management Tool
TennisLink has a team management tool. This is similar to the Netcord and TennisPoint features you have used in the past. However, this is free with your USTA registration. For a step-by-step presentation on using it, please go to the Captain’s Corner and find “Team Management Instructions.”
Adding a Player After Season Begins
You may add players at any time up until 11:59 PM on the Friday before the last local round robin match (for many of you, this would be 11:59 PM on January 16, 2015).
Scoring – NEW FOR 2015
The match format is now best 2 out of 3 sets with a 10-point tiebreaker (first to 10, win by 2 points) in lieu of 3rd complete set. This is mandatory.
Coman Tiebreak
All tiebreaks (including a 10-point 3rd set tiebreak) will be played using the Coman tiebreak.
The Coman tiebreak is the same as the present tiebreak (set or match) except that ends are changed after the first point, then after every four points (i.e. after the 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th points, etc), and at the conclusion of the tiebreak. For example, at 6-6, the player whose turn it is to serve shall serve the first point from the deuce court; after the point first, the player shall change ends and the following two points shall be served by the opponent(s) (in doubles, the player of the opposing team due to serve next), starting with the ad court. After this, each player/team shall serve alternately for two consecutive points (starting with the ad court), changing ends after four points, until the end of the tiebreak game. In short, everything remains the same as a standard tiebreak except for when you change ends (1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, etc) and conclusion of tiebreak.
Advantages of Coman Tiebreak
1. Fairness – By changing ends more frequently, the effects of the elements (sun, wind, etc) are distributed more evenly between the two opponents as opposed to playing six consecutive points before changing ends.
2. In doubles, the serve will always serve from the same end of the court, rather than having to serve from both ends.
More information on Coman Tiebreaker is in the Captain’s Corner.
Playing on More than One Team
A player may play on more than one team in the same season provided they are:
· At a different level if playing in the same league (example: a player may register for a 3.5 Low and 3.5 regular team).
“Low” Levels (3.5 Low, 4.0 Low and 4.5 Low)
It is every captain’s responsibility to check low eligibility before registering a player on a roster and/or playing them. If a player is not eligible for a low level and plays a match, the match will be reversed. There is a published list of eligible players on the captain’s corner.
USTA Atlanta does a weekly check every Wednesday to ensure eligibility of newly-added players. If there is a player not eligible, USTA Atlanta will notify you as soon as possible. USTA Atlanta is NOT responsible for a captain or player registering and/or playing someone who was not on the eligibility list and/or checked by USTA Atlanta first.
Scheduling Matches
Default Match Start Times:
· 9:30 AM: 1S and 1D
· 10:30 AM: 2S and 2D (to follow 1S and 1D)
· 11: 30 AM: 3D (to follow 2S and 2D)
Both captains must agree if start times and order of lines differ from the “default.”
If you schedule your match start times/order of play differently from the default time, it is recommended to get e-mail confirmation from opposing captain. Refer to the USTA Atlanta rules and regulations for all match time scenarios.
Make-up Matches - NEW FOR 2015
All matches (with the exception of the last two matches of your season) will now have 14 days to complete their makeups. Please review the new makeup guidelines in our rules and regulations.
The make-up deadline for the second to last match of the regular season is the following Saturday, 6:00 p.m. The make-up deadline for the last match of the season and playoff matches is the following Thursday, 7:00 PM. If it rains on Thursday, day-to-day, 7:00 PM.
Forfeits: If the start of any team match is cancelled due to inclement weather, any forfeits awarded in advance are voided, and all five lines may now be scheduled for make-up play. However, if any line has already started when weather stops the match, the forfeit(s) stands.
Season Schedule for Winter 2015 League Season
In most groups, teams will have 6-7 team matches in their local round robin. Some groups may have more due to the number of teams in a particular level. This does not include playoffs and/or city finals.
Local Round Robin*
*dates are subject to change
· Saturday, November 8
· Saturday, November 15
· Saturday, November 22
· Saturday, December 6
· Saturday, December 13
· Saturday, January 10
· Saturday, January 17
· Saturday, January 24 (5.0+ only)
· Saturday, January 31 (5.0+ only)
· Saturday, January 31 (5.0+ only)
Playoffs*
*dates are subject to change
· Saturday, January 24 (all levels except 5.0+)
· Saturday, January 31 (all levels except 5.0+)
· Saturday, February 7 (all levels except 4.5 Low and 5.0+)
City Finals*
*dates are subject to change
· Saturday, February 14 at Sandy Springs Tennis Center
· Sunday, February 15 (rain date)
Playoffs
In the men’s league, a player must have been on the scorecard for at least two matches played during the local round robin season to be eligible for playoffs. One of these matches may be a winning forfeit, but one of the matches must have actually been played. If a player did not play twice during the season and participates in a playoff match, the point will be reversed. It is the captain’s responsibility to check his roster to ensure playoff eligibility.
There will be a playoff tournament for each division level. The playoff tournament will be comprised of the following teams below. Normal seeding procedures will apply.
· 3.0: All four first place teams (seeds 1-4); all four second place teams (seeds 5-8); All four third place teams (seeds 9-12).
· 3.5 Low: All four first place teams (seeds 1-4); all four second place teams (seeds 5-8); all four third place teams (seeds 9-12); all four fourth place teams (seeds 13-16).
· 3.5: All six first place teams (seeds 1-6); all six second place teams (seeds 7-12). Seeds 13-16 will be determined by taking the top four third place teams with the best records based first on team losses, then on individual match winning percentages.
· 4.0 Low: All four first place teams (seeds 1-4); all four second place teams (seeds 5-8); All four third place teams (seeds 9-12).
· 4.0: All six first place teams (seeds 1-6); all six second place teams (seeds 7-12). Seeds 13-16 will be determined by taking the top four third place teams with the best records based first on team losses, then on individual match winning percentages.
· 4.5 Low: All seven teams will advance to playoffs. Normal seeding procedures will apply.
· 4.5: All three first place teams (seeds 1-3); all three second place teams (seeds 4-6); all three third place teams (seeds 7-9); all three fourth place teams (seeds 10-12).