USTA Committee and Board Members

[JordanWinning]

I’m curious if anyone here has served on a USTA board or member committee.

If so, did you like? How was the time commitment? What were some of the expectations?

I’m considering applying before the deadline in a few days and will likely apply on two years when these seats reopen, but figured I’d crowd source some info first

 

[kevrol]

Your answers/experience are going to vary widely dependent on whether you are talking about serving at the local, district, section or national level and if a committee what type of committee.

 

[JordanWinning]

Your answers/experience are going to vary widely dependent on whether you are talking about serving at the local, district, section or national level and if a committee what type of committee.

That’s a great point!

I live in Indianapolis, so home to the Middle west section office, so opportunities for sectional, district and local. Based on the emails I’ve gotten, most of the opportunities are at the sectional and district levels.

I’m making inroads/contacts with our local grassroots tennis programs and am hoping to get involved there in the coming months as well!

 

[the_faceless_player]

I've been on a District Level Junior Competition committee for the last 10 years after leaving my role at the District Office. Sadly I can count the number of times we've met in those 10 years on one hand.......

 

[romano]

I'm on my section grievance committee, all done from home via email. I'm enjoying it, not a huge time commitment, but I guess it depends on how many grievances are be filed in your area

 

[JordanWinning]

Thanks! Some of the positions say to expect 5~10 hours a week but all the research I’ve done says a lot closer to these descriptions

 

[cks]

I'm on my section grievance committee,

Any interesting grievance stories you are willing to share?

 

[LOBALOT]

I've been on a District Level Junior Competition committee for the last 10 years after leaving my role at the District Office. Sadly I can count the number of times we've met in those 10 years on one hand.......

What? The USTA establishing boards/committees that do little if nothing?

Based on their track record I find that unbelievable

 

[the_faceless_player]

What? The USTA establishing boards/committees that little if nothing?

Based on their track record I find that unbelievable

I know right?! . Just can't imagine why junior participation is in the toilet in our district....

 

[LOBALOT]

I know right?! . Just can't imagine why junior participation is in the toilet in our district....

Same here. The number of junior players that regularly play events in/from our district is way down.

Ineptitude/ineffectiveness/lack of effort in our section is on a similar scale as what we see in our district.

I recall speaking with the director of junior tournaments in our section about a consistent pattern where a tournament / tournament director was routinely admitting seeded players into the draw who had not signed up for the tournaments prior to the entry deadline and that this was clearly against the rules in the "Friend of the Court". The response was "Have you spoken to the the director about this?". I responded yes and he/she continues this practice. The response was work it out with the tournament director.

So this is the governing body for tournaments in our section whose responsibility is to ensure a fair/unbiased events in his section.

This is a district at the heart of our section and as such they get a lot of non-district players who play their events if the out of district players do not have a corresponding local event on that weekend and are looking to play. What the tournament director was doing was keeping his local club players out of the signup and then once a large entry list was established then plunking his seeded local club players into the event to ensure a draw and collect points. This is not an unbiased and level playing field as they do not allow out of district players who miss the entry deadline into their draws and for sure not players higher seeded than their players. Further frustrating the situation was if upon viewing the additions the out of district player requested a withdrawal they were penalized by the section for withdrawing from an event without medical reason and in addition forfeited the entry fee.

This does not convey that the event will be conducted without biases in favor of local club players. To our section junior tournament director this did not matter.

So that is what we are dealing with in our USTA section....

 

[Moon Shooter]

As a captain in the middle west I can say the few people I have dealt with in USTA have been solid and helpful. They want to promote tennis and are willing to listen to people that want to use the tools USTA offers. For example I was going to talk with someone from ******* about setting up WTN events but I never followed through because WTN has since pooped the bed.

But they were happy look in to setting me up as best they could if I thought WTN events would work in my area. I would say give it a try.

 

[LOBALOT]

As a captain in the middle west I can say the few people I have dealt with in USTA have been solid and helpful. They want to promote tennis and are willing to listen to people that want to use the tools USTA offers. For example I was going to talk with someone from ******* about setting up WTN events but I never followed through because WTN has since pooped the bed.

But they were happy look in to setting me up as best they could if I thought WTN events would work in my area. I would say give it a try.

Hi @Moon Shooter , I too captain several teams in the MW. We may have faced each other.

 

[Mongolmike]

I am the assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager. I don't have an office yet officially, but
I do take calls while driving, so it's a mobile headquarters.

 

[Moon Shooter]

I am the assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager. I don't have an office yet officially....

Maybe soon, you too can live the dream!

 

[Mongolmike]

One of my favorite movies.... "He hates these cans!!!"

 

[JordanWinning]

As a captain in the middle west I can say the few people I have dealt with in USTA have been solid and helpful. They want to promote tennis and are willing to listen to people that want to use the tools USTA offers. For example I was going to talk with someone from ******* about setting up WTN events but I never followed through because WTN has since pooped the bed.

But they were happy look in to setting me up as best they could if I thought WTN events would work in my area. I would say give it a try.

I’m in Indy where the semi west office is, so I’ve gotten to know a few folks at the office and they’re all great! Especially TG (I know it’s a Googleable office and guy, but don’t know the name dropping rules here). From what I’ve heard about other offices, it seems like we’ve got a great bunch

 

[LOBALOT]

I’m in Indy where the semi west office is, so I’ve gotten to know a few folks at the office and they’re all great! Especially TG (I know it’s a Googleable office and guy, but don’t know the name dropping rules here). From what I’ve heard about other offices, it seems like we’ve got a great bunch

Yeah, this thread got a bit too specific for my tastes so I will let my comments above stand and leave it at that. I bet we too have run into each other.

Moreover, a vast majority of my concerns are not at the section but at a local district level which have been rampant for decades, the section has been aware of, and have not addressed. I am 60 and the very same issues existed when I was a teenager as they do now as an adult.

 

[ttwarrior1]

its basically nothing and good luck getting to voice your real opinions