Fall High School State Championships

Dates:January 10-12

PLAYER/TEAMELIGIBILITY:AllplayersandteamsmustmeetUSTAJr.TeamTenniseligibilityrequirements.NO PLAYER CAN BE RANKED IN THE TOP 300 in SouthernJuly Standings

There will be 18 under divisions only; Intermediate and Beginners divisions only .

PLAY:Play will start on Friday at 6:00PM and end on Sunday (depending on the number of team entered, finals will be Sunday) . There will be 2 divisions: Beginner and Intermediate

SITE:LamarTennisCenteratthe PaulaGManshipYMCAlocatedat8100YMCAPlazaDriveinBatonRouge.

FORMS TO COMPLETE FOR PARTCIPATION:

DEADLINE: January 6th, 2014.

TOURNAMENTFEE:Thetournamentfeeforthe2014eventis$20perplayer ($120 for minimum team). Theteamcoach/managerwillsubmitthe totalteampaymentinonecheckonorbeforeJanuary 10th. Thepaymentmustbeaccompaniedwithalistofeligibleteam memberscompetingatthestatetournament roster form.

PLAYERWAIVERFORM:Eachparentofteammembermustsignandsubmitthe"playerwaiverform"priortotheplayer competinginanystatetournamentmatch. Teamcoaches/managerswillsubmittheir player’s entirewaiverformsatTeam Check-inatleast30minutespriortotheirfirstscheduledmatch.

TEAM CHECK-IN:Teamcoaches/managersmustcheck-intheirteamforthestatetournamentatthetournamentdesk atleast30minutespriortotheirfirstscheduledmatch.

FORMAT:Round-robinwiththefollowingorderofplay:Players playing twice will play first and then the order will follow as boys'singles,girls'singles,boys'doubles,girls'doubles,mixed doubles.

SCORING:Allmatchesareno-ad,2outof3,4gameshortsets,withamatchtiebreakinlieuofthethirdset. Aset tiebreakisplayedat3-all. Ateamscoresapointforeverygamewonandapointforwinningthe3''settiebreak.The maximumnumberofpointsaplayercanwiniseight(8)points. Themaximumnumberofpointsateamcanwinisforty (40)points.Teammatchescanendinatie. Thewinningteamisdeterminedbythemostnumberofgameswon.

NO-ADSCORING:Thefirstteamorplayertowinfourpointswinsthegame. Ifthescorereaches3-all,thereceiver hasachoiceofreceivingintheadordeucecourt. Thewinnerofthenextpointwinsthegame. Insingles,thereceiver maychoosetoreceiveoneithertheleftorrightsideofthecourt. Indoubles,thereceivingteamhasachoiceof whowillreceivethelastpoint. Bothplayersmustremainonthesamereceivingsidetheyhaveplayedonduringthe match. Inmixeddoubles,theboymustreceiveservefromtheboy,andthegirlmustreceiveservefromthegirl.

SETTIE-BREAK:Ifasetreaches3-all,playersmustplayasettiebreak. Thewinneristhefirsttoreachseven(7)points byamarginof2points

Indoubles,thefirstservershallserve onepointfromtherightside. Thesecondservershallservetwopoints,starting fromtheleftsideandendingontherightside. Thethirdservershallservetwopoints,startingontheleftandendingon the rightside. Thefourthservershallthenserveonepointfromtheleftsideandthenplayerschangeendsofthe courts. Thefourthservershallthenserveonepointfromtherightside. Playcontinuesinsuchamanneruntiloneteam winsatleastsevenpointswithatwo-pointmargin. Teamschangeendsofthecourteverysix(6)points.

Insingles,thefirstservershallserveonepointfromtherightside. Thesecondservershallservetwopoints,startingon theleftsideandendingontherightside.Theplayerscontinuetoalternateservingtwopointseachuntilonewinsa minimumofsevenpointswithatwo-pointmargin. Playerschangeendsofthecourteverysix(6)points.

Tie-BreakinLieuoftheThirdset:For12U,14Uand18Uifathirdsetisrequiredamatchtiebreakwillbeplayed, firsttoreach10pointsbyamarginof2points. Onegamepointwillbeawardedtothewinnerofthethirdsettie break.

SCORINGDISPUTES:Playersmustkeepscoreandmakeallcalls. Teamcaptains,coaches, andspectatorscannot interfere.Ifadisputearises,playersshouldattempttosettlethedispute.Ifunsuccessful, playersshouldsummonthe monitortothecourt. ONLY therefereewillhandlefootfaults. Monitorswillbeprovidedforalldivision10matches.

PLAYTWICERULE:Ifnecessary,onegirland/oroneboymayplay twopositionsinamatch. Thesecondposition playedmustbeattheMixedDoublesposition. Thoseplayer(s)maynotplaytwiceagainuntileachplayer inthelineup

hashadaturntoplaytwice. ThePlayTwicerulewillstartoverasnewindivisionswhereaplayoffisrequiredtodetermine

divisionwinners. A teamdoesnothavetohavefewerthan4boys and/orfewerthan4girlstoplayanindividual twice.The"pinkPlayTwiceForm"shallbesubmittedbeforeeachmatchandsignedbythetournamentdeskstaff. Ifitisdetermined,thatthisrulewasviolatedbyanillegallineup,allpointsplayedwillstandandtheteamin compliance will receiveallremainingpoints.

CHECK-INTIMEis10minutespriortoeachmatchatthetournamentdesk.TeamCoaches/managersshallsubmit theirlineupsontheofficialscorecardandthe"pinkPlayTwice"formBEFOREreportingtothetournamentdesk. Allteammembersmustbepresentandreadyforplayattimeofcheckin.Teamswillbeassigneda minimumof3courts perteammatch. Tournament Desk will assign what court each line is to play on.

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DEFAULTS:ifateamneedstodefaultaposition,itmustbeatsinglesasthiswillaffectthefewestnumberofplayers. Theopposingteammaychangetheirlineupintheeventofadefault. Atallchampionships, a minimumof3boysand3 girlsshallbeavailableandeligibletocompete. TheChampionshipTournamentCommittee,bymajorityvote,mayreduce thenumberofeligibleteammembers.

TIMEPENALTIES:Penaltiesmaybeenforcedatthetournamentcommittee'sdiscretion,i.e. everyindividual matchwillstart1gamedownfor everyfive(5)minutesthelineupislate. At15minuteslate,theentirematchis defaultedandwillbeadministeredbytherefereeandtournamentcommittee.

SCORECARDS :alongwiththe pinkPlayTwiceform,mustbecompletedBEFOREreportingtothetournamentdesk. At theconclusionofeachteammatch,theteamcoach/managermustsignscorecardsandreturnthematchballstothe tournamentdesk. Asindividualteammatchesarecomplete,theplayerswillreportscorestothetournament desk. It is the captain’s responsibility to sign all scorecards 30 minutes after each match. At this time it is up to the captain to challenge a scorecard. If the captain does not sign the scorecard within 30 minutes after the match all scores are FINAL.

SUBSTITUTIONSafter thescorecardhasbeensubmittedareallowedduetoillnessorinjuryandapprovedbythe tournamentcommittee. Substitutionsarenotallowedafterthefirstpointhasbeguninanindividualmatch.

WARM-UPislimitedto(5)minutes,includingserves. Allplayersonthecourtmusttakewarm-upservespriortothe beginningofplay.Teamcoaches/mangerswillassistthetournamentstaffwithmonitoringthewarm-uptime.

ProceduresintheEventofaTie:Intheeventoftiebetweentwoormoreteamsinadivision,thetieshall bebrokenbythefirstofthefollowingproceduresthat breaksthetie:

Head-to-headtotalgames,

Headtoheadindividualmatcheswon PercentageofRoundRobinGamesWon MosttotalRoundRobinTeamWins

MosttotalRoundRobinIndividualMatchWins

PlayoffMatchTie-Break:

OncetheTieisdeterminedeachteamcoach/managerdesignatesamixeddoublesteamtoplay theMatchTie Break.Theteamswillflipacointodeterminewhoservesfirstandbegivena5-minutewarm-up. MixedDoubles willplayaMatchTie-Breakfor12,14,and 18Underthewinneristhefirsttoreachten(10)pointsbyamarginoftwo (2)points.1OUMixedDoubleswillplayaSetTiebreakthefirsttoseven(7)pointsbya marginoftwo(2)isthe winner.

GOODSPORTSMANSHIPofjuniors,parents,andspectatorsismandatoryatalltimes;onandoffthecourts.Interference byparentsorspectatorsisnotpermitted. Ifspectatorsdonotcomplywithspectator conduct rules,they will be asked to leave. Players are expected to comply with player conduct rules and can be subject to Point Penalties; Abusiveorunsportsmanlike behaviorbyplayersor spectatorswillnotbetolerated.

COACHING WILLBEALLOWED BY ONLY TEAM COACHES/TEAM MANGERSduringthetimewhenplayerschangeendsattheendofagame. Coachingisdefined ascommunication, advice,orinstructionofanykind,audibleorvisible,toaplayer.Thefollowingcoachingpoliciesshall befollowedandanyviolationofthesecoachingpoliciesmayresultinthesuspensionofthecoachingprivilegesandpoint penalties:

OnlyonepersonperteamshallbedesignatedastheTeamCoachandwillreceivea"TeamCoach"badgefrom theregistrationdesk. OnlyTeamCoaches withatournamentregistrationbadgewillbeallowedtocoachduring thetournament.

ACoach/Captainmaycoachtheplayer(s)whentheplayerschangeendsattheendofagame,andmaybedone whentheplayerschangeendsafterthefirstgame,withoutdelay, andnotduringatie-breakgameortie-breakin lieuofthethirdset.

Coachesmustremainoutsidethefence;coachesarenotallowedonthetenniscourt. Coaching shouldbeapositivereinforcement toyourplayerandnotagainsttheopponent. Aplayerisnotallowedto becoachedifthecoachingisgivenbysignalsduringplay.

ONLYTHETEAMMANAGER/CAPTAIN/COACH WILLCOMMUNICATEWITHTHETOURNAMENTREFEREEAND TOURNAMENTSTAFF.Abusiveorconfrontational behaviorfromanyonetowardtournamentofficials/tournament staffwill notbetoleratedandmayresultinthesuspension ofcoachingprivilegesand/orpointpenalties and/or strikes issued.

THEPOINTPENALTYSYSTEMwillbeineffect. Thismeansthatabusiveorunsportsmanlike behaviorbyplayersor spectatorswillnotbetolerated. ExamplesofbehaviorthatwarrantPPS orbutnotlimitedto:

Disrespect ofofficialstournamentstaff, racquet abuse, ball abuse, swearing, and but not limited to delay of game.

TherefereewillenforcethePointPenaltySystemasfollows: FirstOffense: LossofPoint

SecondOffense: LossofGame

ThirdOffense: Default

ELECTRONIC DEVICESINCLUDINGCELLPHONESARE NOTALLOWEDONTHECOURTDRESSCODE:TheDressCodewillbestrictlyenforced.

Girls: Nosportsbraswithoutat-shirt;noshorts/skirtswitharolleddownwaistband;nobaremidriff.

Boys: Notanktops.Hemmedsleevelessshirtsarepermitted.

RAINDELAYS:Intheeventofrain,thetournamentstaffwillprovideinformationandallteamsmustremainatthesite

untilreleasedbythetournamentreferee. TeamCoaches/Managers willrecordscoresofindividualmatchesandsubmitto thetournamentdesk.Ifscoringischangedaconversionofscoresmaybenecessary.

CANCELLATION:Shouldinclementweatherorothercircumstancespreventthecompletionofthetournament;the Tournament Committeewilldeterminewhetherthematchesplayedatthe pointofcancellationwillbeusedto determine theroundrobingroupwinnersandachampionandfinalistineachlevel.Winnersmaybedeterminedbypercentageof gameswonandcommonalityamongteams.IftheTournamentCommitteedeterminesthattherewasalackof"equal opportunity"forallteamsinthe levelduetothescheduleofplay,theTournamentCommitteewillplaceallteams ina drawingtodeterminethechampionandfinalistineachlevel. (Forinstance,inafiveteamroundrobin,oneteam maybe infirstplaceatthetimeofcancellationwithtwomatchesplayed,whileotherteamsintheroundrobinhavefewermatches played. Thisexamplewouldnotprovide"equalopportunity"forallteamsintheroundrobinandwouldnotbeusedto determinetheroundrobingroupwinner). Ifanyteaminaroundrobinflightismathematicallyoutofcontentionatthetime ofcancellation, theywillbeexcludedfromthedrawing.Winnersalsomaybedeterminedbytotalgameswon and commonality amongteamsorpercentageofgameswonorbythepercentageofgameswonofthoseplayedwhenplayis suspended.

COMPLETION OFTEAMMATCHES: Teamsareexpecttocompleteallmatchesonthetournamentschedule. Failureto dosomayresultin penaltiesfortheteamcoach/managerandteammembersforthenextleagueseason/year.

ADVANCEMENT TOTHEUSTALOUISIANASTATECHAMPIONSHIPS:Winners will be invited to go to the state championships in June.

PLAYER CONDUCT:

Each player shall abide by the following rules of conduct while at the USTA Southern Jr. Team Tennis State Championships:

  1. If you have any doubt as to whether a ball is out or good, you must give your opponent the benefit of the doubt and play the ball as good.
  1. It is your obligation to call all balls on your side, to help your opponent make calls when the opponent requests it, and to call against yourself (with the exception of a first service) any ball that you clearly see out on your opponent’s side of the net.
  1. Any "out" or "let" call must be made instantaneously; otherwise the ball continues in play.
  1. Do notenlist the aid of spectators in making line calls.
  1. If you call a ball out and then realize it was good, the point is over and your opponent wins the point.
  1. To avoid controversy over the score, the Server should announce the set score before starting a game and the game score prior to serving each point.
  1. If players cannot agree on the score, they may go back to the last score on which there was agreement and resume play from that point, or they may spin a racket.
  1. Do not stall, sulk, complain, or practice gamesmanship.
  1. Wait until the players on another court have completed a point before retrieving or returning a ball.
  1. From the beginning of the match, play must be continuous. Attempts to stall or to extend rest periods for the purpose of recovering from a loss of physical condition are clearly illegal.
  1. Intentional distractions that interfere with your opponent’s concentration or effort to play the ball are against the rules.
  1. Players are expected to put forth a full and honest effort regardless of the score or expected outcome.

13.Players are expected to maintain full control over their emotions and the resulting behavior throughout the match. If you begin to lose your composure during play, try the following:

a. Take several deep breaths, exhale as slowly as possible and feel your muscles relax

b. Concentrate on your own game and behavior while ignoring distractions from your opponent or surroundings.

c. Be your own best friend – enjoy your good shots and forget the poor ones.