Trapped Between Combo Levels?

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by fe6250

I looked it up and I believe I was confusing the MIXED doubles rules with the COMBO rules. My mistake - Apologies.

I did the same exact thing earlier this year...saw a 4.0/2.5 combo on a women's 6.5 team and got realllly suspicious. But yeah, turns out combo allows 1.5 but in mixed it can't be more than 1.0.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by goober

I got "I am sorry our team is full line" once. Two weeks later I noticed they added 3 more people- lol. It's ok though, what is the point on being on a team where you are not wanted. Plenty of other teams around.


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The team might in fact have been full, even if they added players after you were turned away. In my case, I make commitments to my players in advance. Some are procrastinators and register at the last moment, before play begins. I imagine some people I turn away because the roster is full believe I am lying to them.

That said, the roster-is-full lie is the one I use to avoid saying "I'm sorry, I have room on the roster and could take you if I were so inclined, but I'm holding out hoping I can find someone better." I guess it's not really a lie, though. The roster is full in that we don't have room for any additional weak players.

Regarding holding tryouts, if I am already on the team the captain ought to know how well or poorly I play. No need for a tryout.

Early on in my days as a captain, I did ask that prospective teammates play some doubles with me before I would invite them. Most accepted, provided I phrased it properly. I would say something like, "Let's get together for some doubles and make sure you think we are the right level for you." One lady replied, "So, this is a tryout?" I gave some sort of diplomatic reply, and she said she was no longer interested.

No F-bomb, though.

[goober]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

The team might in fact have been full, even if they added players after you were turned away. In my case, I make commitments to my players in advance. Some are procrastinators and register at the last moment, before play begins. I imagine some people I turn away because the roster is full believe I am lying to them.
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The problem is this captain specifically said he was full at "X" number of players (which was his current roster size) and then he went on about how with "X" number of players everybody would have equal chances to play and it would not be fair if he started added extra players. Then a couple weeks later he had X+3 players on his team. These players were added after the season started by at least 2 weeks. His line of being a fair and committed captain was just all BS.

[catfish]

Originally Posted by Topaz

I did the same exact thing earlier this year...saw a 4.0/2.5 combo on a women's 6.5 team and got realllly suspicious. But yeah, turns out combo allows 1.5 but in mixed it can't be more than 1.0.

If your mixed league is a combined rating Adult Mixed league (6.0, 7.0, 8.0, etc.), then a one point rating difference is allowed. See below.

5.01E Levels of Play.
5.01E(1) For league play, individual sections have the right to conduct the program using straight NTRP levels (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0) or combined NTRP levels (6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, and 10.0). If combined levels are used the Section may also use the straight 2.5 level. Each individual
mixed doubles team’s combined NTRP ratings may not exceed the level entered.
5.01E(2) The NTRP difference between members of an individual doubles pair may notexceed 1.0.

But Combo Mixed Doubles, like Combo Doubles (single gender) allows a 1.5 rating difference. Once Combo Doubles Division gets big enough to have it's own set of National Regs, the rating difference will probably be addresses there and not be left up to the Sections.

The rules can get quite confusing at times, but there is a link to National Regs and National Reg Interpretations on the TennisLink home page.

[Topaz]

^^^The mixed I was referring to was 'regular' mixed, not combo mixed. Sorry if I caused any confusion.

I have actually never played combo mixed...gotta draw the line somewhere!

[catfish]

Originally Posted by Topaz

^^^The mixed I was referring to was 'regular' mixed, not combo mixed. Sorry if I caused any confusion.

I have actually never played combo mixed...gotta draw the line somewhere!

I knew you meant adult mixed, but I was putting the combo mixed info out there as an FYI. Combo mixed doubles is a lot of fun, and I hope it keeps growing. Most doubles teams are .5 point rating difference. So a typical 7.5 team is a 4.0 and a 3.5, and a typical 8.5 team is a 4.0 and a 4.5. You really don't have too many 1.5 rating difference teams.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by goober

The problem is this captain specifically said he was full at "X" number of players (which was his current roster size) and then he went on about how with "X" number of players everybody would have equal chances to play and it would not be fair if he started added extra players. Then a couple weeks later he had X+3 players on his team. These players were added after the season started by at least 2 weeks. His line of being a fair and committed captain was just all BS.

Oh.

:awkward silence:

I think he blew you off, man.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by catfish

I knew you meant adult mixed, but I was putting the combo mixed info out there as an FYI. Combo mixed doubles is a lot of fun, and I hope it keeps growing. Most doubles teams are .5 point rating difference. So a typical 7.5 team is a 4.0 and a 3.5, and a typical 8.5 team is a 4.0 and a 4.5. You really don't have too many 1.5 rating difference teams.

Combo mixed, eh?

I've never tried that either. Honestly, I don't think I'm ready. When I face a 4.0 guy now (in 7.0 mixed), he has a 3.0 partner. Even though my partner is only 3.5, we are balanced and we can try to pick on the 3.0.

One of my favorite tactics is to lob every one of her serves back to her and crash the net. It usually draws an error or a short lob. Most 3.5 women won't have trouble winding up to hit a groundstroke off of my feeble lob, so I wouldn't know what to do against a 4.0 guy/3.5 woman.

Maybe next decade . . .

[catfish]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Combo mixed, eh?

I've never tried that either. Honestly, I don't think I'm ready. When I face a 4.0 guy now (in 7.0 mixed), he has a 3.0 partner. Even though my partner is only 3.5, we are balanced and we can try to pick on the 3.0.

One of my favorite tactics is to lob every one of her serves back to her and crash the net. It usually draws an error or a short lob. Most 3.5 women won't have trouble winding up to hit a groundstroke off of my feeble lob, so I wouldn't know what to do against a 4.0 guy/3.5 woman.

Maybe next decade . . .

Yeah, but if you play 7.5 combo mixed with a 4.0 man, it all balances out. The 3.5 on the other team will also have to deal with your 4.0 partner. Combo is great for your tennis game because of those .5 differences. And it gives you more people to play on teams with in addition to your straight level teams.

[Geezer Guy]

Originally Posted by goober

Wow I can't believe some of the captains in your area. That is really bad manners. They have zero tact.

I got "I am sorry our team is full line" once. Two weeks later I noticed they added 3 more people- lol. It's ok though, what is the point on being on a team where you are not wanted. Plenty of other teams around.


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Oh - sorry. I haven't REALLY heard all those things (out loud, to my face anyway). I was just trying to show there are plenty of excuses to use on someone you don't want on your team.

I DID have an experience like yours once. I was bumped from 3.5 to 4.0 in the middle of our winter season. Obviously I couldn't play on my 3.5 team anymore. I asked one of the 4.0 captains at our club if he had any openings. I gave him the whole schtick about me realizing he had an existing team, and I'd only expect to play when he was short of his regulars, and having me was better than a forfeit - right? He said he was sorry, he'd like to but his roster was actually full and he couldn't add any more players. I checked - he had the 3rd largest team in the league (which I thought strange). Couple weeks later I'm playing against a new guy at the club (and got beat). That captain watched our match, and afterward asked me who it was I played against. About a week later I noticed the new guy was on the team. (And yeah, I'm still kinda pissed about that.) Anyway, that team won the district and went to Sectionals, and came in 2nd there. And the "new guy" probably (well, almost certainly) did better in 4.0 league play than I would have. So what's the moral of the story? Winning captains lie sometimes? If you've got a good team you've got to keep the riff-raff out? Something like that.

Most captains are pretty decent though (though they may not go to Sectionals very often).