Will there be trouble?

Dave Mc · 10-26-2009, 06:58 AM

There is a mens 4.5 usta league team at our club. A kid just graduated from a NCAA D-I college this year and joined our club. The kid didn't play high school tennis in his country... probably was too good, or too busy training at an academy at the time. The captain of the 4.5 team was able to obtain a 4.5 rating for this kid using the self-rating website. The current self-rating site seems to have a loophole... when it asks if you played high school tennis, if you answer "no", then it doesn't bother asking about your college tennis. I warned the captain that he might be setting this kid up for embarrassment, or trouble with the league, but I think the captain is more interested in having a "ringer". Even though the self-rating questionnaire was answered "honestly", could this kid get into any trouble, such as getting banned from USTA leagues? Also, why is the self-rating site so naive to assume that you couldn't have played college tennis if you first didn't play high school tennis?

atatu · 10-26-2009, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Mc

There is a mens 4.5 usta league team at our club. A kid just graduated from a NCAA D-I college this year and joined our club. The kid didn't play high school tennis in his country... probably was too good, or too busy training at an academy at the time. The captain of the 4.5 team was able to obtain a 4.5 rating for this kid using the self-rating website. The current self-rating site seems to have a loophole... when it asks if you played high school tennis, if you answer "no", then it doesn't bother asking about your college tennis. I warned the captain that he might be setting this kid up for embarrassment, or trouble with the league, but I think the captain is more interested in having a "ringer". Even though the self-rating questionnaire was answered "honestly", could this kid get into any trouble, such as getting banned from USTA leagues? Also, why is the self-rating site so naive to assume that you couldn't have played college tennis if you first didn't play high school tennis?

Hard to say, it all depends on whether people find out and protest, I find that in Texas people are reluctant to protest. A few years ago there was a guy who was playing Futures tourneys and he played 4.5 league. When another captain pointed it out to the section, he was told "anyone can sign up for a futures..." It is a risk, because if a self rated player gets DQ'd, don't all his results get thrown out ?

Rabbit · 10-26-2009, 08:08 AM

I thought the rules stated that anyone who played D1 tennis at any time was ineligible to play 5.0 or lower.

Geeze, you gotta love the USTA...

sphinx780 · 10-26-2009, 09:07 AM

I just hope the kid realizes the level of players he'll be competing against, don't see how it'd be fun for him but as a 4.5, I'd love a shot at playing him and learn a few things other than how much I suck.

Todd6060 · 10-26-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Mc

The captain of the 4.5 team was able to obtain a 4.5 rating for this kid using the self-rating website. The current self-rating site seems to have a loophole... when it asks if you played high school tennis, if you answer "no", then it doesn't bother asking about your college tennis.

Are you sure such a loophole exists? I used the self rate web site for a player recently, and it did not ask it this way. My recollection is that it asked a question about the highest level of tennis played ranging from World Class player down to never played tennis before or something like that with college, high school, etc. in the middle all in one question.

Dave Mc · 10-26-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Are you sure such a loophole exists?

I don't know, I've never used the self-rating site... I was just repeating what the captain told me. So if it turns out that the captain actually did answer the questions inaccurately while self-rating that kid, then he could be getting himself and/or the kid into trouble with the league. I just hope that the penalty is not to be "banned from league tennis", because there is also a 5.0 mens league at our club that would be glad to acquire this new kid (and probably should have grabbed him first). Was there any indication on the self-rating site what the penalty might be if caught lying on the questionnaire?

Romeo · 10-27-2009, 05:09 AM

It happened around here. The captain filed for the self rating to help the player. The player had played in college and for one week her college team was in the top forty in the country. No one was ever aware of the #40 ranking, the college coach, the player, nor the captain, so the captain answered no on the one question asking if the team the player was on was ever ranked. The player was no longer playing on the team when the team hit that #40 and hadn't since the beginning of the season.

Both the captain and the player were suspended for one year and the one match played was DQ'd. All appeals were denied because the USTA claimed that they lied on the application.

10-26-2009, 06:58 AM	#1
Dave Mc Rookie Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 119	Will there be trouble? There is a mens 4.5 usta league team at our club. A kid just graduated from a NCAA D-I college this year and joined our club. The kid didn't play high school tennis in his country... probably was too good, or too busy training at an academy at the time. The captain of the 4.5 team was able to obtain a 4.5 rating for this kid using the self-rating website. The current self-rating site seems to have a loophole... when it asks if you played high school tennis, if you answer "no", then it doesn't bother asking about your college tennis. I warned the captain that he might be setting this kid up for embarrassment, or trouble with the league, but I think the captain is more interested in having a "ringer". Even though the self-rating questionnaire was answered "honestly", could this kid get into any trouble, such as getting banned from USTA leagues? Also, why is the self-rating site so naive to assume that you couldn't have played college tennis if you first didn't play high school tennis?

10-26-2009, 08:08 AM	#3
Rabbit G.O.A.T. Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: at the bottom of every hill I come to Posts: 11,150	I thought the rules stated that anyone who played D1 tennis at any time was ineligible to play 5.0 or lower. Geeze, you gotta love the USTA... __________________ Wilson Steam 99S poly Luxilon 4G 1.25 @ 45

10-27-2009, 05:09 AM	#7
Romeo New User Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 63	It happened around here. The captain filed for the self rating to help the player. The player had played in college and for one week her college team was in the top forty in the country. No one was ever aware of the #40 ranking, the college coach, the player, nor the captain, so the captain answered no on the one question asking if the team the player was on was ever ranked. The player was no longer playing on the team when the team hit that #40 and hadn't since the beginning of the season. Both the captain and the player were suspended for one year and the one match played was DQ'd. All appeals were denied because the USTA claimed that they lied on the application. Last edited by Romeo : 10-27-2009 at 05:22 AM.

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