Can someone explain how this works? USTA website not helping.

[HunterST]

I've played in numerous USTA tournaments, but I'm considering trying to play in a league. The problem is I'm about an hour drive from any teams, so I'm not in direct contact with anyone. I know I could email these questions to the league coordinator, but I'd prefer to get a basic idea of what I want before that. Kind of like when you look around at cars online before you want to actually speak to a salesperson.

What is the process of finding a team? The website says to leave my info and someone will be in touch. Do they just send out an email to all the captains in the area that someone wants to play? Is there any way to look at the teams that are set up in the area?

Are there several sessions throughout the year? What is the schedule like? I could not play until after November.

When does play usually happen? Weekends? Weeknights?

Thanks for any info!

 

[schmke]

The answers to your questions depend somewhat on where you are.

In some areas like mine (Pacific Northwest-Seattle), we have just one season of each division, but they are staggered throughout the year so you can play league just about year round. Mixed 18+ and Adult 55+ are in the Fall as early start leagues, Adult 40+ starts in January, Adult 18+ and 65+ in March, and One Doubles (Tri-Level) and Mixed 40+ in the late Spring and Summer.

Many other areas will be similar, but some States in the South will have multiple leagues for a division, an early start one in the Fall/Winter and then another in the Spring. And there are some areas that will have alternate Singles, Doubles, or Combo leagues at various times of the year.

When matches are played varies, some areas (like mine) predominantly play on weekends but other areas have leagues that play on a fixed night during the week.

As far as finding a team, in my area, the majority of teams play out of a club since we play primarily indoors, some are public and some private, so checking with the Tennis Directors at the facilities on who the captains are at a given level is a good start. Our League Coordinator also sends out a list of people looking for a team to all captains.

Other areas may have more teams that play at public courts and so finding a team can be harder, but you can still look on TennisLink at the teams in an area and see who the captains are and where the team plays out of. And contacting a League Coordinator is still a good option as they may know what captains are looking for players.

Hope that helps.

 

[blakesq]

The process is contact the league coordinator, ask her to put you in contact with the various captains.

 

[GrassCourtFan]

I've never had any luck just contacting captains. I've had to meet people in person and then get introduced to the captains of the teams they play on. Just trying to cold call/email captains has not been helpful.

 

[Moveforwardalways]

I've never had any luck just contacting captains. I've had to meet people in person and then get introduced to the captains of the teams they play on. Just trying to cold call/email captains has not been helpful.

Agree, this won't work. Unfortunately, if you don't know anyone, you need to sandbag so someone will take a chance adding you to their team when they do not know you. Tough position to be in.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

For me, in the past, what happens is:
* i send the league coordinator a note that i'm looking for a team
* when teams sign up/start, they will tell the league coordinator they need a couple players to fill a roster
* LC then puts the two parties in contact

Issue is that if teams are full (ie. when I was a capt), if an LC contacted me with someone, i'm inclined to ignore that person (not reach out) unless it's convenient (ie. i don't want to go through the hassle of vetting someone (odds, in my experience, are usually (almost always) the person overrated themselves)).

Occasionally you run into a diamond (ie. guy moves from europe, doesn't know ntrp, etc...) - in this instance I've seen 5.0 guys "rated" by captains to play on a 4.0 team

If i was in OP's position i would self rate as a 3.5 or 4.0 (i'm a 4.5C), and find teams to play on... where i'd quickly get a reputation for being decent (eg. at the 4.0 level). To get on an actual 4.5 team, i'd probably play local leagues (eg. at clubs), tournaments, etc... For folks I play close in score (win or lose) I'd ask where they play, if I could play on their teams, etc... and start building up my tennis network that way.

Last thing I'd try, is,... if the LC gave me a list of capts to contact, I'd really sell my tennis history (a bit cheesy) (eg. prior rankings, former usta leagues you've played, school you played for, etc,...), but make a point to get a random person to notice, "hey, this guy might be decent."

Actually, when someone solicits me to play (eg. from various online sites like: https://www.globaltennisnetwork.com/), I always ask these kinds of questions, but even then, it's hit or miss (ie. one guy reached out to me, said he was a 4.5,... the key phrase that made me give it try, was "he played juniors" (but didn't play for college)... which made me think, he can't be that bad... turned out to be a 4.0 guy with decent strokes... he was ok to hit against... i beat him 6-0, then worked on s&v, c&c, and dropshots with him... but definitely not strong enough for a 4.5 team. Simiarly another guy said, he "played for college"... turns out he was another 4.0 that played on his college's rec club.

Tennis networking is alot like job interviewing... first you gotta get noticed (resume, playing history, etc...) to get an interview (chance to play),...

 

[OrangePower]

I've never had any luck just contacting captains. I've had to meet people in person and then get introduced to the captains of the teams they play on. Just trying to cold call/email captains has not been helpful.

I've captained many times, and have been cold emailed by players looking for a team.
I will never just let a player register without first meeting / hitting with him. But I will make myself available to meet / hit with anyone who emails me.
It's not just about level of play, it's also about wanting to make sure the person will fit in with our group.
So cold emailing can work, but expect to then meet up with the captain / team before registering.

I do agree that it's easier if you already know people on the team. If one of my players refers someone and vouches for them being a good fit, I respect their judgement and don't need to meet the player myself.

 

[NTRPolice]

I've played in numerous USTA tournaments, but I'm considering trying to play in a league. The problem is I'm about an hour drive from any teams, so I'm not in direct contact with anyone. I know I could email these questions to the league coordinator, but I'd prefer to get a basic idea of what I want before that. Kind of like when you look around at cars online before you want to actually speak to a salesperson.

What is the process of finding a team? The website says to leave my info and someone will be in touch. Do they just send out an email to all the captains in the area that someone wants to play? Is there any way to look at the teams that are set up in the area?

Are there several sessions throughout the year? What is the schedule like? I could not play until after November.

When does play usually happen? Weekends? Weeknights?

Thanks for any info!

The process of finding a team ends with getting the team number and signing up. You cannot sign up for a team without this number, unlike a tournament, which you can just sign up for (in most cases). A word of advice: Get the team number from the captain/CC. Do not ask your friend for the team number and sign up that way, unless your friend specifically says the C/CC knows about it. I have had drama in the past where someone on the team gave out the number to their friend, but our roster was already full and the people who are on the team just have not signed up yet. This then caused the already rostered player to ask to leave the team so they could join another team with their friend, usually pulling at least one more person. An administrative nightmare.

If you do not know anyone, you will have to email a league coordinator and they will direct you to captains. However, do not expect this to work as it almost never does. No one wants strangers on their team unless they are really struggling to find players. Most captains wont even want to invite you out to hit (tryout) because they wont want to have to shut you down later. As others have said: The best way is to find a group of people that you hit with in person. Then, after those people seem to open up to you, ask them if they have a team you can join. If they say the team is full but dont offer their help finding a team, maybe you need to work on your game (no offence).

You can see all of the teams in your area by looking on TennisLink. They will have every USTA league, level, gender, season, ect. up there. You will be able to see league start/stops there as well. Keep in mind, not all teams/leagues open up signups early. It's possible if you're looking for a November league there may not be any up there yet. Now is a good time to start "networking" and looking for a team.

Your matches could be any day or any time. It depends on the league. If it's a "flex" league, then you could potentially be playing any day of the week. If it's a regular league, it's usually on the weekends. This question cannot be answered as it depends on exactly whigh league you're playing. As a general rule, you will want to make yourself available on weekends.



The easiest way of being uninvited is being a difficult player to manage. This means you dont know your schedule and constantly have to cancel last minute; you show up late or, are a no show; you refuse to play with a specific person even if the lineup is thin; you start drama with your opponents, or team mates; you show up hungover, ect. The best player is always the player that does what the captain says above all else. Managing a team offers little reward, and constantly having to do additional work because your players are unreliable or fighting a decision. I know that's a lot to expect outside of the military, but if you want to make yourself valuable, be easy to work with!

 

[frank52]

You can find the teams and league standings by going onto the USTA (TennisLink) website then clicking on "League Advanced Search" and then click on "Search for Teams". My local league coordinator collects names and puts them on a "Looking for a Team" list that is made available to captains. As a 4.0 captain I am happy when people email me directly about playing on my team. I then set up a time to play an auditioning set and talk with the person about playing in the USTA league.

 

[darkhorse]

I've been in this situation twice, moving to a new area and wanting to join a USTA team, and I've had success with emailing the league coordinator saying I'm looking for a team. It depends on your area/section, obviously.

One suggestion is look for drill sessions at clubs around you, and just sign up for one or two and ask the players there what the league situation is like. I know you said you're an hour from any team, I realize it's a bit of a drive but it might be worth it if you're serious about joining a league.

 

[Angle Queen]

It's not just about level of play, it's also about wanting to make sure the person will fit in with our group.
So cold emailing can work, but expect to then meet up with the captain / team before registering.

I do agree that it's easier if you already know people on the team. If one of my players refers someone and vouches for them being a good fit, I respect their judgement and don't need to meet the player myself.

This. Start with the League Coordinator (and I'll admit, it's not always that easy to find on the USTA websites)...and be pro-active into reaching out to any contacts you receive (phone #s or emails). Be honest about your situation (~an hour away but committed and willing to drive) and offer to met up with the Captain or a designee for a hit.

I'll admit, that a decade or so ago, I was a "vettor" for a long-time and very respected captain and it was one of my favorite things about being on her team. Can't tell you how many times I sent home some young pups who had tons of power but no placement or personality. The few that made it past me (and I'm an admitted 4.0 wannabe/hack) have stuck around on our various teams for a long, long time.

Keep in mind some teams/local leagues are generally based out of clubs that may or may not have membership rules. If you're in an area like DC, that's a completely open forum. Still, even in mostly club-based leagues, there's usually at least one or two independent teams and they're the ones usually looking for players.

Because you've played some tournaments, the captains should be able to see your success rate (or lack thereof). But if you're serious about wanting to join a league, esp going into a new area, you'll have to do a little legwork. All puns intended.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

How about asking the LC where some clinics are that certain captains attend? That allows you to "try out" without any pressure on the captain to extend an offer. Get to know the other attendees so you can figure out what levels they play; maybe they'll put in a good word for you, which is worth more than anything you could claim to an unknown captain.

it might take a while so be patient.

 

[kevrol]

As others have said contact the LLC. Although I would also look for a bottom tier team that has a thin roster and contact that captain directly.

 

[Jim A]

Network through tournaments. Search the leagues on tennislink and see who the good teams and players are in the area. Chances are they play tournaments. No better way to get on a team then to beat one of their better players. In our section it is very hard to get off the general list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tennisnut1]

When I lived in Atlanta, the tennis centers had sign-up sheets posted. Players looking for teams and teams looking for players, that helped out a lot. I also played in the USTA tournaments which were available just about every weekend, played in about 17 events every season. Some of the tennis centers also held social round-robins, just sign up and they put you in a game. Winners moved up and losers moved down, that was a lot of fun also.