Players with questionable Benchmark Ratings

[Raul_SJ]

I have seen 4.0 players (who have never played 4.5) have winning seasons and get promoted to 4.5.

That makes sense.

But some of these players get rated 4.5 Benchmark the very next season even though their single season 4.5 record is very poor (records like 1-5, 2-5, etc) and they have not played in any playoffs.

How does that make sense?

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by Raul_SJ

I have seen 4.0 players (who have never played 4.5) have winning seasons and get promoted to 4.5.

That makes sense.

But some of these players get rated 4.5 Benchmark the very next season even though their single season 4.5 record is very poor (records like 1-5, 2-5, etc) and they have not played in any playoffs.

How does that make sense?

Benchmark rating simply means a player played in the post-season in the previous year. I am a 4.0B because I played in the post-season last year as a 3.5. Benchmark has nothing whatever to do with relative strength within a rating level.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by Raul_SJ

I have seen 4.0 players (who have never played 4.5) have winning seasons and get promoted to 4.5.

That makes sense.

But some of these players get rated 4.5 Benchmark the very next season even though their single season 4.5 record is very poor (records like 1-5, 2-5, etc) and they have not played in any playoffs.

How does that make sense?

If the 4.0 player was disqualified at that level and bumped to 4.5 they can get a benchmark rating. It is not their record at 4.5 which got them benchmarked, its the fact that they were DQed at 4.0.

From the 2007 USTA glossary:

Benchmark rated player: A player, who advanced to championship or was disqualified, by whom other players’ NTRP computer ratings are calculated.

[dizzlmcwizzl]

In the truest sense of the word Benchmark does not mean that they were the best player ... To be a benchmark only means that the player is someone with an established record accurate enough that others can be compared against them.

The USTA feels that playing in the playoffs, often against players outside your immediate area, gives them a good enough feel for the benchmarked player that that the USTA can use them to compare different sections across the land.

The only thing being benchmarked means is that the player has played in an additional level, over and above normal league play, and as such could be used for comparisons between districts or sections.

[Setmatch45]

1 question about that I was thinking that you had to go to playoffs in that level. So if you are a 4.0b you had to go to playoffs as a 4.0? I have been 4 times as a 3.5 would that mean I carry that b rating into 4.0?

[goober]

Originally Posted by Setmatch45

1 question about that I was thinking that you had to go to playoffs in that level. So if you are a 4.0b you had to go to playoffs as a 4.0? I have been 4 times as a 3.5 would that mean I carry that b rating into 4.0?

Already answered, but again NO. If you have a 4.0B rating you could have played 3.5 playoffs and got bumped to 4.0 in which case you would be a 4.0B. You can also get B rating from a DQ regardless whether you went to playoffs or not.

[dizzlmcwizzl]

no ... it is easy to think that but the USTA needs to compare people at all abilities within each band.

It is perfectly reasonable for them to use a new 4.0 to compare against other players near the bottom of the 4.0 band (assuming that is where you are just after being bumped).

[dizzlmcwizzl]

Originally Posted by Setmatch45

1 question about that I was thinking that you had to go to playoffs in that level. So if you are a 4.0b you had to go to playoffs as a 4.0? I have been 4 times as a 3.5 would that mean I carry that b rating into 4.0?

I forgot to answer part 2 ... you will get the 4.0 B rating if you play in the playoffs during the year you get bumped.

This means that you will get a B rating this year if you played in the playoffs this year ... regardless of the rating you recieve.