2009 USTA Middle States Section Regulations
USTA League Tennis National and Section Regulations have full force and applicability at all levels of play in USTA League Tennis in the USTA Middle States Section (USTA MS) and there is no authorization to modify, amplify or change them by local or area league coordinators, or Grievance or Grievance Appeals Committees. These rules apply to adult, senior, mixed and super senior leagues.
The Section League Coordinator, in conjunction with USTA Middle States Section Adult Leagues Committee Chairman and Vice Chairman, shall have the authority to interpret the USTA League Tennis Middle States Section Regulations.
USTA League Tennis Regulations (National and Middle States) are available on the USTA Middle States Section Web site: www.middlestates.usta.com. On the left click on USTA League Tennis. Printed below are the USTA Middle States Section League Regulations as authorized by the USTA League Tennis National Regulations:
GENERAL
OFFICIAL LEAGUE REGISTRATION
. Each area shall establish deadlines and procedures for registering teams/players on TennisLink. Local leagues that will be played at section championships must have the minimum number of players registered by April 1 for mixed doubles, July 1 for adult players and August 1 for senior and super senior leagues. All players must register through TennisLink before playing in a team match. If a player has difficulty registering before a match, he/she must notify the coordinator before match play for the match to count. The player will be disqualified if he/she does not notify the coordinator. A player may transfer to a different team up to the final date for registration provided that individual has not played a match or received credit for a default. Refunds will not be given after the league season starts. Players who submit an appeal to their self-rating through the TennisLink system before their local league deadline to register players will be permitted to register if the appeal is granted.
OFFICAL SCORE REPORTING AND STANDINGS SYSTEM
. All scheduled matches must be completed and scores reported in TennisLink within 72 hours of the completed team match. TennisLink will automatically confirm scores 48 hours after the team match is initially reported in TennisLink if not confirmed by opposing captain. Both captains are responsible to report the match scores. Wherever possible, matches should be played on the originally scheduled date.
All matches must be completed and scores reported by the deadline established by the district rules. Teams that do not comply with this requirement may not advance to any championship level.
AMENDMENTS
. These USTA MS Section Regulations may be amended by the Section League Committee.
LEAGUE COMMITTEE. The USTA Middle States Section league program shall be governed by the USTA Middle States League Committee appointed by the president of the USTA Middle States section and subject to the control and direction of the USTA Middle States Section Board of Directors.
LOCAL LEAGUE SEASON
. All local leagues shall obtain approval of the Section League Coordinator for the dates of the local league season(s) within the Middle States section. The Local League Coordinator shall establish match schedules. In case of staggered matches, team captains must agree in advance (in writing – e-mail) on start time for each individual match. The host captain has the final say if no agreement can be reached. Generally, two (2) hours should be allotted for each court match.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
. Complaint Forms are available on the Web site (
www.middlestates.usta.com.) All regulations will include the names of grievance and grievance appeal committee members and will be distributed to captains prior to beginning of the local league season. Distributions via captains’ packets and/or websites are acceptable. The section shall approve all League Grievance and Grievance Appeal Committees. Sanctions imposed by grievance decisions will be applicable to all leagues in the USTA Middle States Section league program. For example, if a player is suspended in the adult league, he/she cannot play in any league sponsored by USTA MS.
Self-Rate Grievance Complaint. Form on website. The USTA Middle States Section will administer Self-Rate Grievance Complaints. Complaints should be first delivered to the section league coordinator who will forward to the Middle States Self-Rate Grievance Committee Chairman. This committee will have jurisdiction over grievances filed against any player and/or captain who enters or condones entering at one level when their actual skill level is at the top of the next NTRP level or higher. Self-Rate Grievances filed within two weeks of the start date of the player’s and/or captain’s District or Section Championships will be administered after the event unless the section 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.
REGULATIONS
SCORING AND REST
. Each district may determine the method of scoring for local league competition.
Point Penalty System
.
- The USTA Point Penalty System for lateness will be in effect unless amended in the district rules.
- The PPS will be in effect at all championships starting with Area/District.
- Penalties for Lateness (Friend at Court); 5 minutes or less: Loss of toss + 1 Game; 5.01 – 10 minutes: Loss of toss + 2 Games; 10.01 – 15 minutes: Loss of toss + 3 Games; More than 15 minutes: Default
Warm-up. Warm-up including serves must be taken before the match begins. Warm-up should be no longer than 10 minutes. Warm-up is never forfeited because of lateness.
Team Match and Scoring
. District or local league rules may decide how to handle team defaults at the local level. Each team match in a local league shall consist of such number of individual matches of singles, doubles or any combination thereof, as determined by the local league. Any team that defaults an entire team match may not advance to championship level unless superseded by a district or local rule. Results of defaulted matches stand unless superseded by a district or local rule.
Team Lineups. Team captains shall exchange lineups simultaneously PRIOR to the scheduled start time of a team match. An individual match is started when the first ball is put in play (first serve attempt). After the start of an individual match, if injury to, illness of, or disqualification of a player occurs, the opponents will be awarded a default for that individual match only. The default principles in 3.03L, shall be applicable, with the section modifications that:
a. In the event of illness, injury, or disqualification of a player prior to the start of an individual match (once the lineup has been exchanged), a team may substitute a player in the affected position within the 15-minute default time, using a player not already listed on the lineup. If no such substitution can be made, the affected position only will be defaulted in local leagues.
b. When a match is postponed to another day and an individual match has not started (as defined above) a captain may change the lineup for any such match.
c. In the event of rain, completed individual matches will stand as played. Incomplete matches must be continued by the same players and resumed at the exact score as they stood when halted (any point played is always counted and never replayed). If teams have assembled to play and the beginning of the match is delayed by rain or wet courts, teams must wait no longer than one hour past the originally scheduled time for the start of the first match to determine if the courts are playable. If courts are still not playable after one hour has elapsed, teams are free to leave and reschedule unless BOTH captains agree to wait longer. (NOTE: See "b" above)
d. Postponements: Matches may be rescheduled for the following reasons only:
*Rain or Snow
*Unexpected court availability issues
*USTA league playoff matches. A team may request that a local match be rescheduled if two or more players are involved in a district or section championship.
*Teams may reschedule on their own if both captains agree (in writing – e-mail).
e. Two doubles players will play together in the higher position when both of their partners do not arrive in time in order to avoid two defaults.
A player may play on more than one team at the same NTRP level as long as they are playing in different districts. Areas may limit the number of team members from one team permitted to play together on a team in another district. Areas imposing such restrictions are responsible for identifying and monitoring such activity in their area. Areas are responsible for establishing and imposing penalties upon those players who violate area rules. Players who qualify may play at more than one level at any championship. The schedule will not be written to accommodate playing at more than one level. If eligible players do not participate at the district championships, they may participate in the section and/or national championships
DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS
The format for winning teams to progress from local league competition to Section League Championships is as follows:
The area shall determine the progression from local league to Section Championship. This process – including the structure for any playoffs (flight, area, for example) - shall be distributed in writing to team captains prior to the start of the local league season.
- District Championship
:
- Comprised of flight winners (did not play each other during the local league season) and wild cards as necessary to optimize round robin or tournament play. Example: Winners of three flights and one second place team to complete the draw.
- Flight Championship
:
- Comprised of multiple teams from the same flight or multiple flights (may have played each other during the local season). Example: The first and second place teams from each of two flights or the top four teams in the same flight
The Districts shall identify to the Section their winning teams at each level.
SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS
. Section Championships format shall be round robin in all levels of competition. Each team shall play every other team in its flight and the team with the most team points shall be champion in its flight. In the event of a tie in team points, the winner shall be decided by using 3.03l in the national rulebook. Each team shall be scheduled for a minimum of three (3) matches in either a championship or a local league played during championships.
Championships
Eligibility
Players who register for a local league prior to the publication of year-end ratings and whose rating at the time of registration was in level may advance to championship play with that team at that level unless their NTRP rating reaches the disqualification mark for that level.
The Coman Tie-break Procedure will be used at all levels of championship for both the set tiebreak and the match tiebreak.
SCORING OF TEAM DEFAULTS
. Teams forfeiting an entire team match during championship play may receive further penalties imposed by the Tournament Committee.
LEAGUE NTRP DISQUALIFICATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURES
LOCAL LEAGUE PROCEDURES
. Disqualified players may register on a higher-level team if a team agrees and there is time to register prior to the end of local round robin competition. District regulations for deadlines and roster limits would be waived if a team is found and time permits.
Scoring Procedures
During Local League. If a player (rating type A, S, M, T, D) is disqualified for that particular level of play, the last three matches played shall be considered losses for the disqualified player and shall be considered wins for the opposing player or doubles team. This rule applies to championships unless the format is single elimination. In that case only the last match played by the player shall be considered a loss by the player and a win for the opposing player or doubles team.
National Championships
Teams that qualify to go to national championships but do not go will be bound by the move-up/split-up rule which means that no more than 3 players (2 for 2.5 and 5.0) may stay together the following year.
YEAR-END NTRP COMPUTER RATINGS AND APPEAL PROCEDURES
Match results from tournaments and super senior leagues will not be included in the year-end calculation of ratings.
Players who want to appeal their self-rating must complete the on-line appeal form available on the last screen during the self-rate process. The section employee in charge of leagues will investigate the information provided in the self-rate appeal form and make a decision within two weeks. Medical appeals will be decided by a committee.
The Section shall utilize a Medical Appeals Committee to adjudicate medical appeals. Medical appeals submitted by players shall be forwarded to the Middle States Medical Appeals Committee. If the injury/illness is deemed permanently disabling and affecting the player’s level of play, the appeal will be forwarded to the National Medical Review Committee for a final decision. Form available on the Web site.
2009 & 2010 USTA Middle States Section League Committees
Adult League Committee: Chair: Nelson Winter, AMD; Vice-Chair: Jay Witmer, CPD
Members: Tom Ellis, Maryann Lyons, Ben Rasmussen, Carol MacLean, Jon Feinstein, Russell Chamberlin
Staff Liaison: Sally Baird
Middle States Grievance Committees & Grievance Appeal Committees are formed as necessary first utilizing members of the USTA Middle States League Committee and Subcommittees and then other committee members selected by the League Committee Chairman and Vice Chairman.
Medical Appeals Committee
Download Medical Appeal Form from the Middle States Web site and submit all paperwork to Sally Baird at the Middle States Section office or by e-mail: baird@ms.usta.com.
Wilson Pipkin Jon Morris Sally Baird
Self-Rate Grievance Committee
Self-Rate Grievance Appeal Committee
Dave Tolbert, PATD, Chair Kris Nonnenmacher, DD, Chair
Ruth Roulston, CPD Maryann Lyons, EPD
Joe McKeown, EPD Jon Feinstein, PATD
Championships Table
|
Championship
|
Team Format (all Championships)
|
Matches required for districts/section
|
Matches required for Nationals
|
Location (Sectional)
|
Date
(Sectional)
|
|
Mixed Adult
|
3 doubles – combined rating (max 1.0 differential)
|
2 matches, 1 may be default
|
3 played
|
Landisville
|
June 19-21
|
|
USTA League Adult
|
3.0,3.5, 4.0,4.5: 2 singles, 3 doubles
|
2 matches, 1 may be default
|
3 played
|
Princeton, NJ
|
Aug 28-30,
|
|
2.5, 5.0: 1 singles, 2 doubles
|
3 played
|
|
USTA League Senior
|
3 doubles
|
2 matches, 1 may be default
|
3 played
|
Princeton, NJ
|
Sept. 11-13,
|
|
Super Senior
|
3 doubles – combined rating (max 1.0 differential)
|
1 played match
|
2 matches; 1 default
|
Landisville
|
Sept. 25-27
|
|
Mixed Senior
|
3 doubles – combined rating (max 1.0 differential)
|
2 matches, 1 may be default
|
2 matches, 1 default
|
TBD
|
Fall 2009
Dates TBD
|
|
Tri-Level
|
3 doubles, 3 different NTRP levels
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|