2008
Alabama League Regulations
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2008 Alabama League
Regulations
(Adult/Senior Divisions)
The USTA League Regulations can be found on USTA.com. Southern Sectional
Regulations can be found at Southerntennis.com. These National and Southern
Regulations have full force and applicability at all levels of play in the USTA
League Tennis Program in Alabama and there is no authorization to modify,
amplify, or change them by players, captains or Local League Coordinators. The
Alabama Tennis Association has appointed the Alabama State League Coordinator to
organize, coordinate and supervise all USTA League activities on the state level
and to interpret the Alabama USTA League regulations.
1. REGULATIONS: All players, teams and local leagues must abide by all
applicable USTA League, Southern Tennis Association (STA), and ATA rules and
regulations.
A. MEMBERSHIP: All players must be current members of the USTA through
their local league season, and must register for a team via TennisLink and in
accordance with the roster deadlines established by each local league. ATA dues
are $5.00 per player, per team, per league season, which is paid through local
league dues.
2. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES: Grievances shall be handled by USTA League
Tennis Grievance and Appeal Committees at the appropriate level (i.e. Local, and
State). Grievance actions may be moved to the next higher organizational level
for action, as deemed necessary by the appropriate governing body.
A. Self-Rate Eligibility Grievance complaint. The USTA Southern section will
administer Self-Rate Eligibility Grievance complaints. These complaints should
be first delivered to the Local League Coordinator who will forward to the State
League Coordinator who will forward to the Section League Coordinator who will
forward to the Southern Self-Rate Eligibility Grievance Committee Chairman. This
committee will have jurisdiction over grievances filed against any player and/or
captain who commits or condones entering at one level when their actual skill
level is at the top of the next NTRP level or higher. Self-Rate Eligibility
Grievances filed within two weeks of the start date of the player’s and/or
captain’s State championships will be administered after the event unless the
state authorizes the administration of the grievance prior to that time. If the
grievance is not administered until after the event, points won by players will
stand. Disqualified players and/or captains that are suspended will not be
eligible to advance to the next level of championship play.
3. NTRP COMPUTER RATINGS AND APPEAL PROCESS
Years of Valid Ratings 2005, 2006, 2007
Adults age 60 and over 2006, 2007
Players may appeal their NTRP rating in accordance with the procedures of the
USTA NTRP Computer Rating System and the ATA Appeal Procedures. Match results
from Super Seniors in TennisLink will be included in the 2008year-end ratings.
Players aged 60 and older whose most current computer rating is from 2005 will
be allowed to self-rate in TennisLink.
A: NATIONAL, SECTIONAL AND STATE BENCHMARK RATINGS
A championship benchmark may not be appealed following the championship year it
is received except for medical reasons. If intervening permanent disabling
injury or illness indicates that a championship benchmark rating may be too
high, the Section League Coordinator may request a reconsideration of a
championship benchmark rating by the designated medical appeal committee with
national benchmarks being referred to the National League Administrator. A
year-old championship benchmark may be appealed in accordance with the NTRP
Computer Rating System Procedures.
B: APPEALS TO LOCAL COMPUTER RATINGS: Local players (those who did not
advance to championships competition) that wish to appeal their current 2005,
2006 or 2007 computer rating must do so on TennisLink.
C: APPEALS DUE TO DISABLING INJURY OR ILLNESS: A player with a State or
local NTRP computer rating may request a reconsideration of his or her rating
due to a permanent disabling injury or illness by written request to the NTRP
appeals committee. Such written request on physician’s letterhead must be
accompanied by the attending physician’s evaluation of the injury or illness and
any other substantiating information. This physician may not be related to the
player or a member of his/her team. Medical appeals are taken throughout the
year.
4. ADULT LEAGUE NTRP DISQUALIFICATION AND APPEAL PROCEDURES
A: NTRP appeals are administered at the state level. NTRP
disqualification appeals are considered based solely on missing or incorrect
information.
B: LOCAL: If a self-rated player is disqualified for that particular
level of play, all matches played by that individual player shall be considered
losses and scored (6-0, 6-0). If a computer rated player is disqualified for
that particular level of play, the individual match that produced the third
disqualification dynamic NTRP rating and any subsequent match won by the player
shall be considered a loss and scored (6-0,6-0).
C: CHAMPIONSHIP: Dynamic ratings will be generated following local
play-offs, state and sectional championships. Points earned by disqualified
players will stand. The disqualified player will not be eligible to advance to
the next level of competition.
PLAYERS PLAYING FALL LEAGUE; D THRU F APPLY
D: Local leagues having USTA League fall season will have (early start league)
ratings generated after the USTA League Sectional Championships (found at
alabamata.com). These ratings are used only in the fall season. Appeal deadline
for early start league ratings will be October 1, 2007. Final ratings generated
in November will be used for winter and springs seasons for 2008.
E: Final NTRP computer ratings from the 2007 USTA League year will be published
following the National Championships.
F: Leagues playing their local league at the state championships must recognize
their year end rating even if they registered in the fall season.
G: Players may be subject to upward or downward movement between seasons.
5. LOCAL LEAGUES
A: Each local league will have a Local League Coordinator with local league
rules submitted and approved by the State League Coordinator, prior to the start
of the local league season. Local League Coordinator shall be appointed for a
period of one league year, subject to yearly renewal. The State Coordinator
shall have final authority in the selection and or retention of all local league
coordinators. Any new league must be approved by the state league coordinator
and then submitted to the league committee.
B: Initial roster deadlines for all senior teams will be no later than April 1,
2008.
C: Initial roster deadlines for all adult teams will be no later than May 1,
2008.
D: A city may have a maximum of two league seasons.
E: A team may have no more than 14 players on a roster.
F: A league of (2) teams must play a minimum of three matches.
G: A league of 3 or 4 teams must play a minimum of two round robins.
H: A league of 5, 6, or 7 teams must play a minimum of one round robin.
I: A team winning both seasons with identical rosters for both seasons; the
adult league sub-committee will choose which season’s roster will represent the
local league at the state championships. If a team chooses not to enter the
state championships, the state coordinator must be informed prior to dropping to
the next available team.
J: The team captains for each team shall exchange their team match cards
simultaneously prior to the beginning of the team match.
K: In the event that rain or inclement weather forces the cancellation and
re-scheduling of a team match, unrestricted substitutions from the team roster
may be made in any individual matches that have not begun. This includes moving
a player from one position to another.
L: All teams participating within a local league must abide by all local league
rules. A traveling team from outside a metropolitan area but residing within the
state of Alabama may be denied from playing in a local league. (The State
Coordinator must approve denial).
M: In the adult and senior levels, a maximum of 4 players on a roster may reside
outside of the state of Alabama
N: Players may participate in more than one NTRP level within a division in the
same local league during the same season. No scheduling considerations will be
made. A player may play on more than one team within a division in the same
season provided it is in separate local leagues (i.e., a day, night, or weekend
league, or in different cities) the local league has the authority to accept or
deny participation.
O: In order to advance out of local league to championship an individual player
must have participated in 2 matches on that specific team with no more than one
(1) default counting.
P: In order to advance to national championship an individual player must have
participated in 3 matches during all competition on that specific team with no
defaults counting.
Q: Players who qualify for Championship level competition within a division must
choose which team/NTRP level they will represent at championship level when
entered in the same competition. In any division, a player who has played on
more than one team at the same or different NTRP level must choose to advance on
only one team when entering the State or Sectional championships. Each State or
Sectional championship in a division is considered the “same competition) if the
event is divided into more than one weekend. NOTE: Playing in two levels may
generate a rating at the higher level.
R: Players who qualify for State or Sectional Championships may advance on (one)
adult and (one) senior team but may not advance on two adult or two senior
teams. Players may advance to more than one State’s Championships provided each
state has allowed local league qualification. If eligible players do not
participate at the State Championships, they may participate in the Sectional
and/or National Championships.
S: All Local League play for seniors must be completed and scores entered on
TennisLink no later than April 20, 2008. All Local League play for Adults must
be completed and scores entered on TennnisLink no later than May 21, 2008. State
league coordinator may amend these dates as needed.
6: STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
A: Local leagues with the following number of teams per season may qualify to
advance to the State Championships.
2 – 10 Teams: 1 Team
11 – 20 Teams: 2 Teams
21 – 30 Teams: 3 Teams
31 + 4 Teams
State coordinator may issue wild cards as necessary to fill the draw.
B: If there are less than 5 teams in the entire state at any level, from a
minimum of three cities, then the local league shall be played at the State
Championships. For these levels all roster addition deadlines must occur by
April 20 (seniors) and May 21, 2008 (adults). If there are only two teams in the
state at a level the state league coordinator has the authority to approve a
local league being played locally.
C: In order to be
eligible for the state championships, a 2.0 player can only play 2.0 locally.
After the conclusion of the local spring adult and/or senior season, the 2.0
self-rated player may elect to play the 2.5 position on a 2.5/3.0/3.5 tri level
league team (AMENDED 5/2/08).
Roster addition deadlines must occur by May 21, 2008. Players may play at 2.0
level for one year only and must play at 2.5 or higher the following year.
D: Any Local League having daytime, nighttime, and or weekend leagues being
played within the same season must have a play-off, players may only advance on
one team within the same local league play-off within the same level play-offs
must be structured and approved by the State Coordinator, (within two weeks of
schedule being published).
E: Players on teams entered in the State Championships that withdraw after the
schedule has been published will be subject to a fine of $75. per person payable
to ATA. Said players will be ineligible to compete in any USTA league until the
fine is paid. An appeal may be submitted to the State League Coordinator within
two weeks after the end of the said championship. All entry fees will be
forfeited.
F: At the State Championships all matches will be the best of two sets and the
set tiebreak shall be used at 6-all in each set. In lieu of a third set, a match
tiebreak shall be played. There will be no rest period or coaching. The match
tiebreak shall be scored as 1 set and 1 game for tiebreak procedures in the
event of a tie. The scoring in the event of a default, forfeit or
disqualification shall be 6-0, 6-0.
G: A minimum of 8 team members (adults), 6 team members (seniors), 5 team
members (2.5, 5.0) who were on the final roster of their local league team at
the conclusion of local league play must be available and eligible to compete at
the State Championships. The Tournament committee can reduce that number to not
less than four.
H: The USTA League Tennis Alabama Senior State Championship will be played on
May 8-11, 2008 with a possible rain day on the 12th at the Pelham Racquet Club.
Adult 3.5, 4.0 will be played on June 12-15, 2008 with a possible rain day on
the 16th at the Mobile Tennis Center. Adult 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.5, 5.0 women, and
2.5, 3.0, 4.5, 5.0 men, will be played June 19-22, 2008, with a possible rain
day on the 23rd at the Mobile Tennis Center.
League Committee
Jeff Burns, Chairman
Ruth Anne Bendall
Jeannie Harrell
Jerrie Ciza
Martie McEnerney
Judy Stalcup
League Sub-Committee
Sharon Dobbs
Becky Taylor
James Giddens
Tony Tumlin
Grievance and Grievance appeals committee
Judy Stalcup
Jeannie Harrell
Lynn Lamere
Martie McEnerney
Jeff Burns
Ruth Anne Bendall
NTRP Medical Appeal Committee
Carl Brutkiewicz
Jeff Burns
Jerrie Ciza
