I've played Norcal leagues for several years, first 4.0 then 4.5. In my personal experience I've never come across any blatant cheating. I heard the stories about the infamous Nationals team but that was in a different area. In my area, the captains all know each other, and none of the captains would be willing to soil their reputations with stuff like that. I think that's the key - the real cheating will happen in areas where there are many new captains that don't know each other and are willing to do anything to win, whether in Norcal or anywhere else.
Now, a few times I have played self-rated players that may have rated too low... in each of these cases I really think it was not a malicious attempt to cheat; but just underestimating how quickly they would get back in the groove after a layoff. And honestly I don't care - I'm in it to get some good matches, and as long as it's not blatant deliberate cheating, if I lose to someone that is maybe really a level higher, so what? Good tennis is good tennis.
completely agree with everything you said. I would rather fight and loose against a better opponent than win easily.
The people who claim that there is rampant cheating are basically sore losers and I have come across quite a few of them playing in norcal. Generally when someone says sandbagger people think of a self rated player, but thats not right. In my club we get several first time players every year, and they make genuine attempt to self rate correctly. Some of them advance much quicker than rest and by end of the year fit the description of a sand bagger. But that's just a case of underestimating one's ability. The intent is not to cheat. And this happens with may be 1 or at the most 2 players in a group of 15-20.
In my opinion cheating is when:
1. Former college players self rate themselves as low as 3.5
2. People appeal their rating down and play #1 single's at the new lower level and win easily.
3. People who purposely tank matches because they don't want to get bumped up. This happens a lot at 4.0 level. Very few folks can retain the fitness to compete at 4.5 and above and want to stay at 4.0 forever.
I am not implying that everything is kosher in norcal and no one cheats. But I don't think "rampant cheating" is the way I would describe it. In fact its far from that. Every season I see may be like 1 or 2 self rated players who seem better than the level they are playing at.
Interestingly you almost never hear any one complain about sand baggers in the local league. Then once you advance to districts people start whispering about self rated players and at sectionals you get accused of cheating.
Norcal sectionals is a joke. There is a club which is the only tennis facility in the whole area . Typically they have 2 teams from the same club who play like 7-8 times against each other and one of them almost always reaches the sectionals. While other teams like those from the SF bay area overcome stiff competition to reach sectionals and in the process improve a lot. So this lucky team never wins at sectionals and finds solace in calling their opponents cheaters.
