USTA mixed leagues

MRfStop

Hall of Fame
...and leagues in general. This is about captains who only pick players who give them a chance to win and aren't inclusive to 'outsiders'.

A little pre-text. Macon, GA USTA ratings are skewed. Players are mostly weaker than their USTA rating shows...especially compared to the rest of the state. 4.0 men and women here would have a hard time beating 3.5 men and women in the major metro areas. The men and women don't do so hot at state. There is only one local 18&over womens team that has won state at the 4.0...and 2 people on that team were DQd at state...some of the women werent even from here they were from Valdosta.

I was on a 8.0 mixed team last season...still recovering from injury....I didn't play that great and played with the best woman on the team. Went 1-1. I was invited back to the team this season but my partner went to another team that is loaded. The rest of the women on the team are examples of what I stated above. They all won enough at 3.5 locally to get bumped up to 4.0...but they are not strong enough to play against a 4.0 man and aren't good enough to play against the 4.0 woman who are rated what they should be. There are a few woman in the league that are what their 4.0 rating shows...but there are only a few and they are all on other teams. That being said...mixed/combo league makes the better player of the grouping...have to play above their level...no matter what the gender is.

This season there are 6 teams. Last season there were 3. This season I wanted to take a break and focus on some other things...but I looked at the teams and I am seeing a lot of players flip flopped and went to other teams. Also I don't think I would be picked up by any of the teams in the league...not because of ability because I am middle to upper 4.0 level in my area...but because the captains simply would not have me.

My question is...does USTA do anything to battle against league players not being included and/or invited to play in a league? These are not teams that are going to make it to sectionals or nationals...they probably wont win a team match at state...so this isn't some super team. And looking at the different team roster in my area...with one team with 16 people on it...there is enough extra players to make a whole new team. With 3 lines per match and 8 matches in the league...I would hate to be on one of the teams that have too many people on it.
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
You can ask the captain if you can try out for their team. It is up to them if they don't need you. Many times, the captains have an objective in mind when they put together a team. I respect that, so it does not help to push. Anyway, MXD is the hardest to play basically because of disparities which could crop up when a team is put together.
 
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...and leagues in general. This is about captains who only pick players who give them a chance to win and aren't inclusive to 'outsiders'.

A little pre-text. Macon, GA USTA ratings are skewed. Players are mostly weaker than their USTA rating shows...especially compared to the rest of the state. 4.0 men and women here would have a hard time beating 3.5 men and women in the major metro areas. The men and women don't do so hot at state. There is only one local 18&over womens team that has won state at the 4.0...and 2 people on that team were DQd at state...some of the women werent even from here they were from Valdosta.

I was on a 8.0 mixed team last season...still recovering from injury....I didn't play that great and played with the best woman on the team. Went 1-1. I was invited back to the team this season but my partner went to another team that is loaded. The rest of the women on the team are examples of what I stated above. They all won enough at 3.5 locally to get bumped up to 4.0...but they are not strong enough to play against a 4.0 man and aren't good enough to play against the 4.0 woman who are rated what they should be. There are a few woman in the league that are what their 4.0 rating shows...but there are only a few and they are all on other teams. That being said...mixed/combo league makes the better player of the grouping...have to play above their level...no matter what the gender is.

This season there are 6 teams. Last season there were 3. This season I wanted to take a break and focus on some other things...but I looked at the teams and I am seeing a lot of players flip flopped and went to other teams. Also I don't think I would be picked up by any of the teams in the league...not because of ability because I am middle to upper 4.0 level in my area...but because the captains simply would not have me.

My question is...does USTA do anything to battle against league players not being included and/or invited to play in a league? These are not teams that are going to make it to sectionals or nationals...they probably wont win a team match at state...so this isn't some super team. And looking at the different team roster in my area...with one team with 16 people on it...there is enough extra players to make a whole new team. With 3 lines per match and 8 matches in the league...I would hate to be on one of the teams that have too many people on it.
1. Usta does not do anything to battle against....what could they do?
2. Usta is very good at emailing every captain in a league if you email the league coordinator and tell them what levels and styles you want to play, mixed etc.
3. Thank you for being another eyewitness to what I often say, but do get a lot of static for when I say.....there are geographical differences in numerically equal NTRP rating levels, maybe not at 5.0, but at the levels below, yes.
 

MRfStop

Hall of Fame
1. Usta does not do anything to battle against....what could they do?
2. Usta is very good at emailing every captain in a league if you email the league coordinator and tell them what levels and styles you want to play, mixed etc.
3. Thank you for being another eyewitness to what I often say, but do get a lot of static for when I say.....there are geographical differences in numerically equal NTRP rating levels, maybe not at 5.0, but at the levels below, yes.
I think #1 is strange...the way that USTA charges for membership and charges for league registration I would think they would want more people to sign up for leagues.
 

damazing

Rookie
What I've seen in my local area is that there are always more people interested in playing but not enough people stepping up to captain. I know there are online tools to help captain but if you haven't done it before you may not know what's available.
 
I think #1 is strange...the way that USTA charges for membership and charges for league registration I would think they would want more people to sign up for leagues.
Well, surely there are leaders or bosses who want more participation and there are people who have the job of increasing participation, but they can't manage teams, they can only try to get people to sign up and hope it works out. I can't think of anything they could do to manage captains as far as who they sign up except for keeping a max number, level range etc.
 

MRfStop

Hall of Fame
Well, surely there are leaders or bosses who want more participation and there are people who have the job of increasing participation, but they can't manage teams, they can only try to get people to sign up and hope it works out. I can't think of anything they could do to manage captains as far as who they sign up except for keeping a max number, level range etc.
I guess it would have to come down to the league coordinator. If a team has 16 people...and one team has 8...and another one as somewhere in between...you would think the LC would have the ability to put a max on rosters so that there can be more teams and more competition...and being able to include more people. I am in a strange predicament. I want to play...but I don't want to play with and against people that beat me so bad that it is almost embarrassing. I don't consider only hitting balls when I serve and never seeing anything else other than a service return as fun...and the rest of the balls are going to my partner because they are picking on them. I know there are people who want to just play and it doesn't really matter if they win or lose.
 

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
Also I don't think I would be picked up by any of the teams in the league...not because of ability because I am middle to upper 4.0 level in my area...but because the captains simply would not have me.

My question is...does USTA do anything to battle against league players not being included and/or invited to play in a league?

Maybe I missed it in your post, but why would the captains not want you? Is there more going on behind the scenes? From what you posted, it appears that there are now more teams than years prior and those teams are full. Sounds like a lot of people are playing and being encouraged to play. Why not you as well?

To answer your question though, no the USTA does not do anything specific for players that are excluded from a league. How could they? If other players simply do not want to play with someone, how could the USTA make them?
 

Moon Shooter

Hall of Fame
The issue op describes in the last post may have more to with the large disparate in men’s and women’s ntrp ratings than captains. If usta wants mixed leagues to grow they should address that.
 

Matthew ATX

Semi-Pro
I guess it would have to come down to the league coordinator. If a team has 16 people...and one team has 8...and another one as somewhere in between...you would think the LC would have the ability to put a max on rosters so that there can be more teams and more competition...and being able to include more people. I am in a strange predicament. I want to play...but I don't want to play with and against people that beat me so bad that it is almost embarrassing. I don't consider only hitting balls when I serve and never seeing anything else other than a service return as fun...and the rest of the balls are going to my partner because they are picking on them. I know there are people who want to just play and it doesn't really matter if they win or lose.

I captain a mixed team. I don't think it should be up to the LC to tell me how many people I need. I had the max of 20 last season and still came really really close to having to default lines. And on the other side of the coin, I would quit captaining if the LC told me I HAD to take players I didn't want. Vibe check is huge.
I agree that players not being able to find a team is unfortunate, but just speaking for Austin, if someone can't find a mixed team that will take them, it is almost certainly because they burned too many bridges. We had 11 teams at 8.0 last season, 8 of which had no shot at winning the city and were just playing for fun.
 
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