Up To You! Call Your Sectional Office!

[tennis5]

Thread police

We had a very good foreign thread packed, for the most, with substantive information.
I thought that maybe if someone ever did a news article that they could pull from the posts which showed both sides.
Well, I missed a day or two, and obviously some name calling and fighting,
and now the thread, all 58 pages, is gone. What a waste.

Well, this thread is starting to disintegrate too.
Yes, it was immature of myself to respond to a poster with his quotes...
So, I am partially to blame for not ignoring the post and for responding.

But, I am hoping.....
that this thread can be used for information for the junior tennis community.
And that someone will post HERE the actual document that was passed.....

However, if the fighting continues this thread will be pulled too.

 

[floridatennisdude]

We had a very good foreign thread packed, for the most, with substantive information.
I thought that maybe if someone ever did a news article that they could pull from the posts which showed both sides.
Well, I missed a day or two, and obviously some name calling and fighting,
and now the thread, all 58 pages, is gone. What a waste.

Well, this thread is starting to disintegrate too.
Yes, it was immature of myself to respond to a poster with his quotes...
So, I am partially to blame for not ignoring the post and for responding.

But, I am hoping.....
that this thread can be used for information for the junior tennis community.
And that someone will post HERE the actual document that was passed.....

However, if the fighting continues this thread will be pulled too.

I can't even remember what this thread was about. Someone start a new one.

 

[jonkras]

OK Do something about it

As I read the quotes in this thread, my feeling is that most people are against the new rule changes, probably by about 9-1. We also have a situation with a governing body (USTA) that does not really pay any attention to what I think is their core constituency (kids, parents, most of the coaches), so they do what they want to do. Sounds to me that this is pretty much just like Libya, Tunesia, Egypt and Syria. So as I see it, the only way to do something about it would be to use social media to get them to pay attention. probably would need a lot of tweets and facebook links to an online petition that would need to be signed by a few thousand people to get their attention. I think the kids are the key to it, because all the junior kids follow each other on Twitter and Facebook. With a few great tweets like "did your hear the USTA is screwing everybody and its way harder to get into Nationals for everyone" would get a lot of attention and get people to sign the petition. We could possibly even get some media to pick it up which would add some nice fuel to the fire. However, in order to do this, I think we need about 20 - 25 dedicated people to "seed" this process. I would like to see how many people would be into this.

 

[tennis5]

As I read the quotes in this thread, my feeling is that most people are against the new rule changes, probably by about 9-1. We also have a situation with a governing body (USTA) that does not really pay any attention to what I think is their core constituency (kids, parents, most of the coaches), so they do what they want to do. Sounds to me that this is pretty much just like Libya, Tunesia, Egypt and Syria. So as I see it, the only way to do something about it would be to use social media to get them to pay attention. probably would need a lot of tweets and facebook links to an online petition that would need to be signed by a few thousand people to get their attention. I think the kids are the key to it, because all the junior kids follow each other on Twitter and Facebook. With a few great tweets like "did your hear the USTA is screwing everybody and its way harder to get into Nationals for everyone" would get a lot of attention and get people to sign the petition. We could possibly even get some media to pick it up which would add some nice fuel to the fire. However, in order to do this, I think we need about 20 - 25 dedicated people to "seed" this process. I would like to see how many people would be into this.

It is brilliant to have the kids do this from Facebook.
But, do the juniors even really know about the changes?
At the last national tournament, this and the Wayne Bryan letter was discussed heavily among parents and coaches,
and no offense to any juniors out there, but they didn't seem interested in something that affects them.
I understand they were focused on their tennis games.....

 

[jonkras]

It is brilliant to have the kids do this from Facebook.
But, do the juniors even really know about the changes?
At the last national tournament, this and the Wayne Bryan letter was discussed heavily among parents and coaches,
and no offense to any juniors out there, but they didn't seem interested in something that affects them.
I understand they were focused on their tennis games.....

The juniors have NO CLUE that these changes are taking place. Nor do 99% of the parents. Nor do 95% of the coaches.

I will tell you that when I explained it to my son, he said that it sucked and he would not have made the committment to tennis if these rules had been relevent to him (He is a senior in HS, so it does not matter). He is a 3 star and he loves going to nationals and competing (usually in the 2nd year of his age group). And the fact of the matter is that it does suck and it affects everyone....even the blue chips and 5 stars, because they are all getting into nationals later in their age group. Obviously, now some kids never get to plan in any nationals.

I think the idea of the "Junior Tennis Spring" is winning proposition, but I am not going to do this by myself. I want the support of a band of pissed off people who will troll cyberspace getting people to sign a petition

 

[HIGH-TECH TENNIS]

The juniors have NO CLUE that these changes are taking place. Nor do 99% of the parents. Nor do 95% of the coaches.

Jonka, you are absolutely right. We've tried as hard as we can to spread the word...but people are busy, living their lives, and unfortunately, many, many will be shocked when the time comes.

I personally have talked to DOZENS but I have YET to meet a player, parent, or coach who supports a single one of the changes.

Sooo sorry for young players.

 

[CoachDad]

Folks I think this boils down to the USTA doing what it thinks its new mission is, grow the game at the 'lower' levels with no regards to who plays college tennis or not, and try to produce a champion at the highest level. That champion will naturally attract lots of kids into tennis.

I do not agree with the 2nd part as their mission. It is obvious that the several hundred of non blue chip and 5 stars do not matter in their scheme. They assume most of these kids will continue to play, support the game in some fashion.

I truly think this is that simple, the new focus is on the top 20 juniors in each age group more than every before. The rest of the tennis junior population is on its own. Nasty but that is what I think the new reality is. Any kid good enough to fight their way into the elite, great.

How many of the non 'elite' junior will cancel their USTA memberships? Will it be enough for them to start caring? Or will most play along and only play locally?

I also think the new IMG tournament shows this pattern. 11s, 13s, 15s.....send in a video if they do not know of your player. A bash it out talent search. This is the wave of the future I am afraid. Support only the very top and hope the huddled masses support them with TV ratings and equipment sales.

 

[tennis5]

The juniors have NO CLUE that these changes are taking place. Nor do 99% of the parents. Nor do 95% of the coaches.

I will tell you that when I explained it to my son, he said that it sucked and he would not have made the committment to tennis if these rules had been relevent to him (He is a senior in HS, so it does not matter). He is a 3 star and he loves going to nationals and competing (usually in the 2nd year of his age group). And the fact of the matter is that it does suck and it affects everyone....even the blue chips and 5 stars, because they are all getting into nationals later in their age group. Obviously, now some kids never get to plan in any nationals.

I think the idea of the "Junior Tennis Spring" is winning proposition, but I am not going to do this by myself. I want the support of a band of pissed off people who will troll cyberspace getting people to sign a petition

Your plan sounds brilliant. Facebook and the social media brought down quite a few governments in the Middle East,
although I am not sure they will be replaced by anything resembling our democracy...

I am not Facebook savy ( I don't have an account), so I am not sure how your plan would work?
A junior or parent would post on their Facebook and .....

 

[HIGH-TECH TENNIS]

If you want to know how social media changes things, HERE YOU GO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

You talk about going viral...how does OVER 11 MILLION VIEWS GRAB YOU?

 

[CoachDad]

Your plan sounds brilliant. Facebook and the social media brought down quite a few governments in the Middle East, although I am not sure they will be replaced by anything resembling our democracy...

I am not Facebook savy ( I don't have an account), so I am not sure how your plan would work?
A junior or parent would post on their Facebook and .....

You have to know where the USTA gets its funds. Most from the US Open and then from the many adult leagues. Adult USTAers play for decades and live for their leagues. I am afraid the number of kids who actually quit playing USTAs is not going to even affect the USTA in the least.

Do not get me wrong....I am on your side. But there simply will not be enough kids and parents affected to truly hurt the USTA financially

 

[HIGH-TECH TENNIS]

Sorry, I should elaborate. One of our customers told us about "United Breaks Guitars"...this guy is on to something! Click the link to launch this catchy tune that packs a punch to get his message across when nothing else worked. Here's what happened:

In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didnt deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world.

 

[jonkras]

You have to know where the USTA gets its funds. Most from the US Open and then from the many adult leagues. Adult USTAers play for decades and live for their leagues. I am afraid the number of kids who actually quit playing USTAs is not going to even affect the USTA in the least.

Do not get me wrong....I am on your side. But there simply will not be enough kids and parents affected to truly hurt the USTA financially

This is not about hurting the USTA financially. It is about righting a wrong -- giving more kids the opportunity to play, and keeping the tent as wide open as possible so more kids will be interested in the game.

So again, I would like to get 20 - 25 people who will committ to a little tweeting and facebooking to get this going. please respond with a simple yes. If I get enough names, I will set up the online petition, the facebook page and get this going.

 

[jonkras]

Your plan sounds brilliant. Facebook and the social media brought down quite a few governments in the Middle East,
although I am not sure they will be replaced by anything resembling our democracy...

I am not Facebook savy ( I don't have an account), so I am not sure how your plan would work?
A junior or parent would post on their Facebook and .....

So here is how it works:

(1) We put a petition on change.org that says that the new USTA rules suck because ... (fill in the blanks), and the petioners ask that the USTA reconsider their decision.

(2) we put up a facebook site that talks about this and links to the petition.

(3) we get kids and parents and anyone who uses twitter and facebook to let everyone in their circles know about this and encourage them to sign the peitition. kids will sign it and kids will tell their parents and they will sign it.

(4) hopefully we get 2000+ signatures. We let Wayne Bryant know about it & Zoo tennis know about it. They write about it. We get more signatures.

(5) Finally, when there are enough people on the petition, we figure out a way to transmit this to the USTA, let them know about it and let's see what they do

 

[tennis5]

You have to know where the USTA gets its funds. Most from the US Open and then from the many adult leagues. Adult USTAers play for decades and live for their leagues. I am afraid the number of kids who actually quit playing USTAs is not going to even affect the USTA in the least.

Do not get me wrong....I am on your side. But there simply will not be enough kids and parents affected to truly hurt the USTA financially

I think it would be easier to bring down the Egyptian government ( without the army), then to bring down the USTA.

My inside connection who told me about this months ago offered me the following perspective:

1) Sectionals did care about the cuts to elite junior tennis, but could not risk getting their funding cut to protect a "small piece of the pie".

( That is the problem, this tiny group -
-1/2 the blue chips
- all 5 star and 4 stars
- 50 top 3 stars
12 + 50 + 125 + 50 = roughly 200 kids per grade are the ones cut out.

So, this tiny group of 200 kids per grade ( fresh - senior) = 800 kids will be affected.
Pat Mac and the PD group really don't care about 800 kids not playing at the Easter Bowl or Winter Nats.
And sadly, right now, nothing is being done today about the foreign onslaught in college tennis.)

2) He said academies up North would focus more on the rec side, and away from elite, as the elite kids had nowhere to go.... He thought QS would bring in a bigger base of rec kids.

4) He thought really elite kids who couldn't get into tournaments would head to ITFs
(Now, it is one thing for a kid to fly to Florida for a regional ( flights are not expensive if you book far enough out), but it is quite another thing to fly to a foreign country.)

5) He estimated that Pat Mac will be replaced and by 2016, they would consider changing it back...
Probably changes will be in effect by 2018.

 

[CoachDad]

jonkras....now I understand and support your plan. Worth a try. But in the end the USTA most likely feels they can develop a champion with this new frame work and then the money will flow up from us peons.

Lets give your idea a shot, sorry though, I think the USTA's delusions of grandeur are too strong to even pay attention.

 

[CoachDad]

I think it would be easier to bring down the Egyptian government ( without the army), then to bring down the USTA.

My inside connection who told me about this months ago offered me the following perspective:

1) Sectionals did care about the cuts to elite junior tennis, but could not risk getting their funding cut to protect a "small piece of the pie".

( That is the problem, this tiny group -
-1/2 the blue chips
- all 5 star and 4 stars
- 50 top 3 stars
12 + 50 + 125 + 50 = roughly 200 kids per grade are the ones cut out.

So, this tiny group of 200 kids per grade ( fresh - senior) = 800 kids will be affected.
Pat Mac and the PD group really don't care about 800 kids not playing at the Easter Bowl or Winter Nats.
And sadly, right now, nothing is being done today about the foreign onslaught in college tennis.)

2) He said academies up North would focus more on the rec side, and away from elite, as the elite kids had nowhere to go.... He thought QS would bring in a bigger base of rec kids.

4) He thought really elite kids who couldn't get into tournaments would head to ITFs
(Now, it is one thing for a kid to fly to Florida for a regional ( flights are not expensive if you book far enough out), but it is quite another thing to fly to a foreign country.)

5) He estimated that Pat Mac will be replaced and by 2016, they would consider changing it back...
Probably changes will be in effect by 2018.

Excellent post.

 

[treeman10]

----------------------

 

[tennis5]

So here is how it works:

(1) We put a petition on change.org that says that the new USTA rules suck because ... (fill in the blanks), and the petioners ask that the USTA reconsider their decision.

(2) we put up a facebook site that talks about this and links to the petition.

(3) we get kids and parents and anyone who uses twitter and facebook to let everyone in their circles know about this and encourage them to sign the peitition. kids will sign it and kids will tell their parents and they will sign it.

(4) hopefully we get 2000+ signatures. We let Wayne Bryant know about it & Zoo tennis know about it. They write about it. We get more signatures.

(5) Finally, when there are enough people on the petition, we figure out a way to transmit this to the USTA, let them know about it and let's see what they do

I am really in the dinosaur age, that is a cool thing.

Let me ask you about the signature though.
It says "Display my signature publicly", which as I gather means your name could be public or not.
But, even if it is not public, could the USTA see it as a private name?

I have zero affiliations with the USTA, and have called the higher ups to complain about this.
I am not looking for a wild card, nor do I want my son in their PD group.
( my son is a student with 6 hours of hw a night...)

In addition, I have a good relationship with my sectional office and call them a lot to complain about pizza eating refs who take hours to eat their meal.
So, I was very comfortable letting them know how I felt about the cuts.
I think most people are comfortable with their sectionals.
I know many of the sectionals heard from the tennis parents about the cuts.

But, Wayne Bryan alluded to the fear that people have with the USTA and I wonder
if folks will feel as comfortable with the USTA having their name..
I think a lot of parents think their kid will get a wild card ( yes, a little delusional),
but these parents also think their kid is a future pro..
So, you get the picture.

 

[floridatennisdude]

I'd say that if you feel strongly enough to sign the petition, you should feel strongly enough as to let the public know. Don't be a weasel. Sign the thing.

 

[treeman10]

A suggestion - Colette Lewis at Zoo Tennis is already a pretty big voice out there and I would guess she is already readying a piece on these changes. She seems to represent situations fairly and realistically, and understands "the people's side" - you may want to email things you have posted here - the concerns and problems - to her and hope she gives them a voice. I think she will.

 

[Misterbill]

I think the "keep plugging" strategy for the player is the only way to go. I think the attitude that there is now no future for kids aspiring to play college tennis is a cop out.

I think the affected group is a lot less than 200 per year per boys and girls. The bottom half of the 4-stars and the top of the 3-stars just aren't competing in the same college/pro marketplace as the 5-stars/blue chips if they are juniors or seniors in high school........no matter whether they play in Easter Bowl or not.

If the low 4/3 stars are younger than high school juniors, there will still be many opportunities.....as many posters in this thread have described.....for them to show their stuff and get their game to the next level.

So I can understand disappointment on the part of parents who think their kids will be "on the cusp" for National tourneys. But the number of college offers will not go down because of the USTA's action. And Dallas Oliver is "pretty optimistic".

I think petitions are fine. In the meantime, the young players need some guidance. I hope lots of parents can bring themselves to offer, not negativity or pessimism..........but positive, solid encouragement to the youngsters.

 

[tennis5]

The juniors have NO CLUE that these changes are taking place. Nor do 99% of the parents. Nor do 95% of the coaches.

I will tell you that when I explained it to my son, he said that it sucked and he would not have made the committment to tennis if these rules had been relevent to him (He is a senior in HS, so it does not matter). He is a 3 star and he loves going to nationals and competing (usually in the 2nd year of his age group). And the fact of the matter is that it does suck and it affects everyone....even the blue chips and 5 stars, because they are all getting into nationals later in their age group. Obviously, now some kids never get to plan in any nationals.

I think the idea of the "Junior Tennis Spring" is winning proposition, but I am not going to do this by myself. I want the support of a band of pissed off people who will troll cyberspace getting people to sign a petition

Bottom line, I will help with Junior Tennis Spring.

 

[tennis5]

This agenda has been going on for a while. If you notice at the top of page 4 it says, "Sectional Quota: The quota calculations below are based on the membership and rankings as of December 31, 2010."

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0By9...ViMC00YTY5LWE3YzgtY2YyODFkMWE5ZmNj/edit?pli=1

Good catch.

And look at the bottom of page 5

( folks - this document is the changes ( not the whole document!) to the original document.
We are still waiting to see if anyone can get their hands on the March final document)

You can see the new regions.

I feel bad for Texas being lumped with California.

 

[Misterbill]

I think Texas being lumped with California is great for the players in both states.

Just think of all the scouts who will go to those tourneys!!

 

[CoachDad]

I think the main thing is to convince today's tennis parents to fight for tomorrow's kids. Realistically it could take years to convince the USTA to change back. So for kids 13-16 years old, the parents might not see the benefits coming in time for their kids. So they might feel it is better to just do the best they can to get their kids attention from college coaches.

 

[tennis5]

I think the main thing is to convince today's tennis parents to fight for tomorrow's kids. Realistically it could take years to convince the USTA to change back. So for kids 13-16 years old, the parents might not see the benefits coming in time for their kids. So they might feel it is better to just do the best they can to get their kids attention from college coaches.

That is very true. I said in an earlier post the little ones got hurt the worst.

First, they have the no tournaments for under ten if you don't play with the smurf ball.

Then, the cuts to the 12's were the biggest cuts of all.. Clay and Hard is 64. Sad, really.

How do you cut the base of the elite kids before they even start playing?

 

[klu375]

I think the "keep plugging" strategy for the player is the only way to go. I think the attitude that there is now no future for kids aspiring to play college tennis is a cop out.

I think the affected group is a lot less than 200 per year per boys and girls. The bottom half of the 4-stars and the top of the 3-stars just aren't competing in the same college/pro marketplace as the 5-stars/blue chips if they are juniors or seniors in high school........no matter whether they play in Easter Bowl or not.

If the low 4/3 stars are younger than high school juniors, there will still be many opportunities.....as many posters in this thread have described.....for them to show their stuff and get their game to the next level.

So I can understand disappointment on the part of parents who think their kids will be "on the cusp" for National tourneys. But the number of college offers will not go down because of the USTA's action. And Dallas Oliver is "pretty optimistic".

I think petitions are fine. In the meantime, the young players need some guidance. I hope lots of parents can bring themselves to offer, not negativity or pessimism..........but positive, solid encouragement to the youngsters.

I probably will not score any points with the majority of the posters in this thread but I like some changes. I am against cutting summer Supernational draws for BG16 & 18th - I would increase boys draws to 256 - just for the ease of college recruiting. But I like the idea that players will qualify based only on sectional play and I like regional Regional tournaments - it should truly decrease expenses for junior tennis for those on tight budget. Take for example Eastern section that is getting 9 guaranteed spots plus a few WCs because local players train with USTA. You know what - if you cannot get into top-10 in Eastern then maybe you do not deserve to go to Supernational. Train harder until you find a way to beat these couple of players that are in your way. You know exactly how everyone plays so use your head. Yes 16 wildcards look ridiculous but most of them will go to good players, not to 3 stars. Will there be some shenanigans - yes but life is unfair anyway. I think if you are in a semi-strong to strong section your tennis development will be fine and Dallas will take care of the rest. There is no need to play 8 Supernationals in BG12 and another 8 in BG14 to get a college scholarship (this alone may cost you more than a year of college tuition). Even High-Tech Tennis may be fine as tennis recruiting video business may explode.

 

[treeman10]

.......................

 

[10ismom]

FYI.
I just posted the release of 2014 sample calender of USTA National tournament I found last night on a new thread.

Tennis5 must have been busy!

I posted it on the new thread 'cause don't want people to miss if it is hidden in here.

 

[Keysmickey]

Yes, there are some folks the changes work for. If my elite player were still in the system, I would be happy - more solid matches all the time, more efficient competition than working through these giant draws, unnecessary lodging, etc. The amount he played wouldn't change, once elite anyway. Working up to that would have changed and is where I see the problem for others. To your point above, funny enough, several college coaches mentioned they are happy Supers were cut, they didn't go till later in the tournament anyway till things were "weeded out" as they called it. So some folks are going to be pleased, for others, it is a disaster. Can't please all the people all the time as they say.

No offense, but you're limiting your scope to the elite again. Sure the Stanford's, Duke's and Georgia caliber coaches are only interested in the "weeded out" fields BUT in my experience there were always way more coaches across the board at these tournament's opening rounds - scouting the players they realistically have a shot at than those left in the later rounds. No point in them watching or recruiting the blue chippers.

 

[Tennishacker]

No offense, but you're limiting your scope to the elite again. Sure the Stanford's, Duke's and Georgia caliber coaches are only interested in the "weeded out" fields BUT in my experience there were always way more coaches across the board at these tournament's opening rounds - scouting the players they realistically have a shot at than those left in the later rounds. No point in them watching or recruiting the blue chippers.

Agree.
Most blue chip & 5 star players already recruited in the 8th, 9th and 10th grade.
Most D1 coaches recruiting for their 4-6 postions.
Also lots of D2, D3, Ivy and baby Ivy coaches recruiting.

 

[Misterbill]

No offense, but you're limiting your scope to the elite again. Sure the Stanford's, Duke's and Georgia caliber coaches are only interested in the "weeded out" fields BUT in my experience there were always way more coaches across the board at these tournament's opening rounds - scouting the players they realistically have a shot at than those left in the later rounds. No point in them watching or recruiting the blue chippers.

I didn't read Treeman's post as limiting his scope to the elite.

I thought his point was that the schools that recruit elite players have no problem with reduced draws. This means the schools that do not recruit elite players will go to other tournaments. Non-elite players and schools that recruit non-elite players will not drop off the planet.

Hasn't anyone else noticed the revolving door at Nationals? The mid-major coaches check in early and check out in the second or third round, with the BCS coaches arriving then to occupy their vacated hotel rooms.........unless any BCS schools are doing those recruitment fairs where you can pick up a brochure and CD about the school before the first matches start.

 

[klu375]

I didn't read Treeman's post as limiting his scope to the elite.

I thought his point was that the schools that recruit elite players have no problem with reduced draws. This means the schools that do not recruit elite players will go to other tournaments. Non-elite players and schools that recruit non-elite players will not drop off the planet.

Hasn't anyone else noticed the revolving door at Nationals? The mid-major coaches check in early and check out in the second or third round, with the BCS coaches arriving then to occupy their vacated hotel rooms.........unless any BCS schools are doing those recruitment fairs where you can pick up a brochure and CD about the school before the first matches start.

And was wrong with this picture? Ivy league recruits from 4 stars to Blue chips, Strong D3 from 3 to 5 stars. Now these major tournaments will not have anyone below 5 stars. And the point is to save a day of play for 20-30 USTA players who are (supposedly) preparing for the Pro Tour and dismiss 250+ regular junior players and 250+ coaches.
Other solutions may be to conduct 2 tournaments - L1A with 64 draw and L1B with 128 or 192 draw at the same place at the same time or do a qual.

 

[Keysmickey]

And was wrong with this picture? Ivy league recruits from 4 stars to Blue chips, Strong D3 from 3 to 5 stars. Now these major tournaments will not have anyone below 5 stars. And the point is to save a day of play for 20-30 USTA players who are (supposedly) preparing for the Pro Tour and dismiss 250+ regular junior players and 250+ coaches.
Other solutions may be to conduct 2 tournaments - L1A with 64 draw and L1B with 128 or 192 draw at the same place at the same time or do a qual.

Thank you for the very good illumination of the situation.

No matter what McEnroe or hs minion profess, their concern is only the top tier which will put money in their pockets. College level players for all but 20 or 30 schools? Who cares? Right Pat?

 

[Misterbill]

And was wrong with this picture? Ivy league recruits from 4 stars to Blue chips, Strong D3 from 3 to 5 stars. Now these major tournaments will not have anyone below 5 stars. And the point is to save a day of play for 20-30 USTA players who are (supposedly) preparing for the Pro Tour and dismiss 250+ regular junior players and 250+ coaches.
Other solutions may be to conduct 2 tournaments - L1A with 64 draw and L1B with 128 or 192 draw at the same place at the same time or do a qual.

These slots will be filled.......... I think.

The Ivys will get their targeted level of recruits. Strong D3 will get their targeted level of recruits.

If an Ivy or strong D3 coach has to spend one day less at a National and one day more at a Regional, I guess that is an inconvenience, but not one that I can get too worked up about.

I'd be interested if anyone is aware of complaints by Ivy/strong D3 coaches about this

EDIT: The picture in my prior post was the current system.........not the one after the changes

 

[tennis5]

FYI.
I just posted the release of 2014 sample calender of USTA National tournament I found last night on a new thread.

Tennis5 must have been busy!

I posted it on the new thread 'cause don't want people to miss if it is hidden in here.

Thank you for posting it.

The USTA has it up on its site now too.

Really well done PR job when you read it if you don't know all the details.

They must hire former Washington spin people to write it.