Gut4Tennis
Hall of Fame
Mid-Atlantic Northern VA Leagues Breaking away from USTA like ALTA
Its happening. Thoughts?
----
Dear Captains, Friends and Players,
I have some important news to share with you all. After 18 years of organizing and administering tennis leagues for the USTA, I have decided that because of the unrelenting politics, reorganization, interference, increased costs, and micro-management of our leagues by the Mid-Atlantic Section that it will be in the best interests of our players, tennis in Northern Virginia, and Home Court Tennis Leagues to discontinue associating our leagues with the USTA and to organize along the lines of other immensely successful and competitive programs like ALTA in Atlanta (over 80,000 members) and World Team Tennis across the country.So that you understand the necessity for this move, I’d like to share some of the most recent “drama” with the Mid-Atlantic Section (which earlier this year acted to eliminate its largest and most successful district, the Virginia District ). Many of you have been asking me where the schedules for the USTA 18 & over league are., especially since this year I asked for teams to register so much earlier than in the past. I worked diligently day and night (12 to 14 hour days) from April 7 (last day to register a team) to the day the schedules were completed on April 15, 2014. In the past, I have always sent the schedules directly to you, the captains so you could begin to get your line-ups together for the matches.
But, for the first year in the 18 years that I have coordinated leagues (with hundreds of levels, thousands of teams, and tens of thousands of matches and players) I was required to submit my schedules to the hyper-political Mid-Atlantic Section for approval. My schedules were not approved, for the most part because play in our leagues was scheduled to end, in accordance with the Section rules, by June 25. After completion of my schedules, the Section arbitrarily decided that league play in Nova (one of the biggest leagues in Virginia with 83 teams registered) must end on June 15 (10 days earlier than any other area in Virginia and Maryland). They asked that levels be broken into flights and or levels with only 10 matches; Play-offs in levels of 18 teams would only allow 4 teams to participate in those play-offs. Teams that could send 2 teams to the next level would not have a play-off at all. Just send team #1 and team #2; basically reducing or eliminating play-offs all together. All these schedule changes were non-negotiable and were to be provided within 48 hours.
As far as I know, there will still be USTA 18 & over leagues in Maryland and Washington, D.C. this year. If the Section intends to create new 18 & over leagues in Northern Virginia they will have to do it at different locations and/or times than those reserved for Home Court Tennis Leagues. If you have questions about the availability of these leagues or any USTA leagues, please contact *** or *** at the MAS Section.
Here are my plans:
Since we are right around the corner from beginning a new league, I plan to proceed with playing tennis, having fun, being competitive and guaranteeing that tennis league play is consistent and reliable here in Northern Virginia. But we will free ourselves from the politics and whims of the Mid-Atlantic Section. We will use the same format 2 singles and 3 doubles for levels 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 & 4.5 and 1 singles and 2 doubles for 2.5 & 5.0 as we did last year. We’ll use the same local league rules as well.
In the mean time, I will work with ALTA, ACTA, GWTA, World Team Tennis and other non-USTA leagues to see if we can organize some exciting and fun-filled post-season championship. If post-season play does not work for this year, I will offer prizes of gift certificates or cash broken down as following.
Levels with 2 teams: Prize $150.00
Levels with 3-9 teams: Prize $350.00 1st place and $200.00 to the runner-up
Levels with 10+ teams: Prize $500.00 for 1st place and $350.00 to the runner-up
Tennis should be about fun, friends, and a healthy lifestyle. The number one complaint I have heard from players this year is that the changes being enforced by the Mid-Atlantic Section are driving a wedge in long-term friendships. Sportsmanship and fun are simply no longer valued.
Short Term Goals
• We will still offer high quality league play in Northern Virginia at a much lower cost to your teams and your players. There will be no need to pay for USTA membership or league fees to join a team. The only fees involved would be the per-person, per-match participation fee. There may be a minimal fee associated with a new scoring system.
• We will implement an effective and alternative scoring system to TennisLink.
• I will work to extend the current schedules through June 30, 2014. This will create a better schedule for you with matches that are more spread out.
• Will be able to take Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial weekend off so you can enjoy time with your families. Play will resume on Tuesday, May 27.
• It is my hope that the changes will allow us to avoid play on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday. These days seem to have evolved into “National Holiday’s” on which no one likes to play. Under USTA rules, we simply cannot honor these personal preferences.
Long Term Goals:
It is the goal of Home Court Tennis Leagues to create a more family-friendly environment to play tennis not bound by strict rules, strict start and end dates, and arbitrary bureaucracy which tend to break up teams and friendships along and suck the fun out of the sport. Is it any surprise that player are flocking to sports like golf and bowling at the expense of tennis?
Look to extend competition to the growing and popular World TTeam Tennis (WTT).Expand HCATL’s “Fall Fun Leagues” in 2014 (early October to mid-December)
Expand HCATL’s “Fall Combo Mixed Leagues” in 2014 (early October to mid-December)
Expand HCATL’s “Winter Fun Leagues” in 2015 (early January to mid-April)
Expand the “Winter Mixed Doubles League” in the winter (early January to mid-April), with post-season competition.
Introduce “Singles Leagues” for those who really want “head-to-head,” high-level competition.
In Summary, I am saddened that it has become necessary to part ways with the USTA. But I have dedicated too much of my life to this great sport to see its positive values be overwhelmed by politics, incompetence, and policies that don’t support the players of the sport.
I hope you will support this move. Perhaps the Mid-Atlantic Section will realize that league play is about players, fun, friendships and a healthy lifestyle, not arbitrary rules. But I have concluded that the USTA will not listen to the teams and players that are the backbone of the sport unless and until we stand up for ourselves. We can always hope. But we cannot wait in vain.
So that we can get play started on time by April 30, please let me know by close of business on Tuesday, April 22, if you would like to withdraw from the leagues currently scheduled, otherwise I will release the schedules and the “game will be on.”
Let’s have fun!
Its happening. Thoughts?
----
Dear Captains, Friends and Players,
I have some important news to share with you all. After 18 years of organizing and administering tennis leagues for the USTA, I have decided that because of the unrelenting politics, reorganization, interference, increased costs, and micro-management of our leagues by the Mid-Atlantic Section that it will be in the best interests of our players, tennis in Northern Virginia, and Home Court Tennis Leagues to discontinue associating our leagues with the USTA and to organize along the lines of other immensely successful and competitive programs like ALTA in Atlanta (over 80,000 members) and World Team Tennis across the country.So that you understand the necessity for this move, I’d like to share some of the most recent “drama” with the Mid-Atlantic Section (which earlier this year acted to eliminate its largest and most successful district, the Virginia District ). Many of you have been asking me where the schedules for the USTA 18 & over league are., especially since this year I asked for teams to register so much earlier than in the past. I worked diligently day and night (12 to 14 hour days) from April 7 (last day to register a team) to the day the schedules were completed on April 15, 2014. In the past, I have always sent the schedules directly to you, the captains so you could begin to get your line-ups together for the matches.
But, for the first year in the 18 years that I have coordinated leagues (with hundreds of levels, thousands of teams, and tens of thousands of matches and players) I was required to submit my schedules to the hyper-political Mid-Atlantic Section for approval. My schedules were not approved, for the most part because play in our leagues was scheduled to end, in accordance with the Section rules, by June 25. After completion of my schedules, the Section arbitrarily decided that league play in Nova (one of the biggest leagues in Virginia with 83 teams registered) must end on June 15 (10 days earlier than any other area in Virginia and Maryland). They asked that levels be broken into flights and or levels with only 10 matches; Play-offs in levels of 18 teams would only allow 4 teams to participate in those play-offs. Teams that could send 2 teams to the next level would not have a play-off at all. Just send team #1 and team #2; basically reducing or eliminating play-offs all together. All these schedule changes were non-negotiable and were to be provided within 48 hours.
As far as I know, there will still be USTA 18 & over leagues in Maryland and Washington, D.C. this year. If the Section intends to create new 18 & over leagues in Northern Virginia they will have to do it at different locations and/or times than those reserved for Home Court Tennis Leagues. If you have questions about the availability of these leagues or any USTA leagues, please contact *** or *** at the MAS Section.
Here are my plans:
Since we are right around the corner from beginning a new league, I plan to proceed with playing tennis, having fun, being competitive and guaranteeing that tennis league play is consistent and reliable here in Northern Virginia. But we will free ourselves from the politics and whims of the Mid-Atlantic Section. We will use the same format 2 singles and 3 doubles for levels 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 & 4.5 and 1 singles and 2 doubles for 2.5 & 5.0 as we did last year. We’ll use the same local league rules as well.
In the mean time, I will work with ALTA, ACTA, GWTA, World Team Tennis and other non-USTA leagues to see if we can organize some exciting and fun-filled post-season championship. If post-season play does not work for this year, I will offer prizes of gift certificates or cash broken down as following.
Levels with 2 teams: Prize $150.00
Levels with 3-9 teams: Prize $350.00 1st place and $200.00 to the runner-up
Levels with 10+ teams: Prize $500.00 for 1st place and $350.00 to the runner-up
Tennis should be about fun, friends, and a healthy lifestyle. The number one complaint I have heard from players this year is that the changes being enforced by the Mid-Atlantic Section are driving a wedge in long-term friendships. Sportsmanship and fun are simply no longer valued.
Short Term Goals
• We will still offer high quality league play in Northern Virginia at a much lower cost to your teams and your players. There will be no need to pay for USTA membership or league fees to join a team. The only fees involved would be the per-person, per-match participation fee. There may be a minimal fee associated with a new scoring system.
• We will implement an effective and alternative scoring system to TennisLink.
• I will work to extend the current schedules through June 30, 2014. This will create a better schedule for you with matches that are more spread out.
• Will be able to take Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial weekend off so you can enjoy time with your families. Play will resume on Tuesday, May 27.
• It is my hope that the changes will allow us to avoid play on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday. These days seem to have evolved into “National Holiday’s” on which no one likes to play. Under USTA rules, we simply cannot honor these personal preferences.
Long Term Goals:
It is the goal of Home Court Tennis Leagues to create a more family-friendly environment to play tennis not bound by strict rules, strict start and end dates, and arbitrary bureaucracy which tend to break up teams and friendships along and suck the fun out of the sport. Is it any surprise that player are flocking to sports like golf and bowling at the expense of tennis?
Look to extend competition to the growing and popular World TTeam Tennis (WTT).Expand HCATL’s “Fall Fun Leagues” in 2014 (early October to mid-December)
Expand HCATL’s “Fall Combo Mixed Leagues” in 2014 (early October to mid-December)
Expand HCATL’s “Winter Fun Leagues” in 2015 (early January to mid-April)
Expand the “Winter Mixed Doubles League” in the winter (early January to mid-April), with post-season competition.
Introduce “Singles Leagues” for those who really want “head-to-head,” high-level competition.
In Summary, I am saddened that it has become necessary to part ways with the USTA. But I have dedicated too much of my life to this great sport to see its positive values be overwhelmed by politics, incompetence, and policies that don’t support the players of the sport.
I hope you will support this move. Perhaps the Mid-Atlantic Section will realize that league play is about players, fun, friendships and a healthy lifestyle, not arbitrary rules. But I have concluded that the USTA will not listen to the teams and players that are the backbone of the sport unless and until we stand up for ourselves. We can always hope. But we cannot wait in vain.
So that we can get play started on time by April 30, please let me know by close of business on Tuesday, April 22, if you would like to withdraw from the leagues currently scheduled, otherwise I will release the schedules and the “game will be on.”
Let’s have fun!
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