USTA League Tennis Restructuring in South Carolina
Latest News
Top Five Most Asked Questions About League Restructuring
Q. My friends and I are perfectly happy with the existing league structure. Why the change?
A. The final decision to realign the USTA League structure came down to a desire to better align league participants with players of their own age, and to better distribute USTA League players across the age categories. Research shows that this should result in more play opportunities, more participants and more competitive match play, and subsequently more accurate NTRP ratings.
"Under the current model, we have players of the same ability, but not necessarily of the same playing style or fitness level," says USTA League Committee Chair Bud Spencer. "Plus, USTA League is a social game as well as a competitive one, and in many instances, a 60 year old and a 20 year old may not have as much in common. The new system narrows that window to create more social commonalities. The 60 year old may still choose to play in the 18 and over, but now we feel we’ve presented that player with more age appropriate competition at the local level."
Q. I saw there are going to be National Championships for the 18 & Above, Adult 40 & Above, Adult 55 & Above and Mixed 18 & Above under the new USTA restructuring. Why were the National Championships for the other leagues discontinued?
A. No National Championships are being discontinued under the restructuring. Currently there are four National Championships–Adult 18 & Above, Senior 50 & Above, Super Senior 60 & Above and Mixed 18 & Above. There will be four National Championships under the restructuring, plus one National Invitational Event for Mixed 40 & Above. Others may be added in the future, depending on participation levels.
Q. I’m confused about restructuring. I don’t really care whether a program advances to a National Championship; I just want to know what league programs I will be able to play in South Carolina beginning in 2013.
A. South Carolina players will not see any reduction in the type of league play opportunities. The following USTA League programs will be offered in South Carolina. Some will advance to National Championships, some will advance to Sectional Championships and some to South Carolina State Championships.
Adult 18 & Over State, Sectional and National Championships
Adult 40 & Over State, Sectional and National Championships
Adult 55 & Over State, Sectional and National Championships
Adult 65 & Over State and Sectional Championships
Adult 75 & Over State Championship
Mixed 18 & Above State, Sectional and National Championships
Mixed 40 & Above State and Sectional Championships & a National Invitational Event
Mixed 55 & Above State Championship
Combo 18 & Above State and Sectional Championships
Combo 40 & Above State and Sectional Championships
Combo 55 & Above State and Sectional Championships
Singles 18 & Above State Championship
Singles 40 & Above State Championship
Q. Isn’t it true that the USTA is changing the age groups in order to get more people to play in multiple leagues, and thus bring in more money?
A. No, that is not correct. Actually none of the money from leagues goes to the USTA or to the USTA Southern. Here is where your league registration money goes:
$3.00 to the contractor that operates Tennis Link
$6.00 to the USTA South Carolina to support its operations
The remaining funds, which vary based on your local league, go to the local league to operate the programs that you play in
Any increase in participation due to the restructuring will mainly benefit your local league organization and the state organization, which helps fund local programs.
Q. This restructuring seems like a pretty big deal. When will there be more information on how it is all going to work?
A. The USTA National regulations for restructuring will receive final approval in March. These regulations will provide all of the details on the restructured system. Then, additional regulations will be issued by the Southern Section and the USTA South Carolina for those league programs under their direction. However, all of the essential changes have already been approved and that information is currently available on various USTA websites.
From April through the fall, there will be a great deal of additional information and details on the actual implementation of league restructuring.
Bookmark www.sctennis.com for the latest information on USTA League Restructuring.
USTA members from around the state have seen information and heard conversations on the planned USTA League restructuring scheduled to roll out in 2013. Since this restructuring impacts league programs run by USTA National, Southern and our own South Carolina, information is being released from national and southern offices that lacks information about SC league programming. As a result, there has been some confusion and even misinformation regarding how restructuring will affect your teams and you as a player.
The USTA feels that the name change and division breakdown will allow players to have more opportunity to participate on teams and will give each player the option to choose the levels of play that best fit their needs. One example: a 55-year-old player can choose to play in the 18 and Over Age Group, the 40 and Over Age Group, and the 55 and Over Age Group, if they so desire.
New Age Groups starting with the 2013 League year are listed below:
THREE DIVISIONS: ADULT, MIXED AND COMBO
ADULT
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ADULT 18 and OVER
Levels: 3.0; 3.5; 4.0; 4.5
Levels: 2.5; 5.0+
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2 singles, 3 doubles
1 singles, 2 doubles
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ADULT 40 and OVER (Old Senior League)
Levels: 3.0; 3.5; 4.0; 4.5+
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2 singles, 3 doubles
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ADULT 55 and OVER (Old Super Senior 60s League)
Levels: 3.0; 3.5; 4.0; 9.0 Combined
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3 doubles
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ADULT 65 and OVER (Old Super Senior 70s League)
Levels: 3.0; 3.5; 4.0; 4.5
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3 doubles
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ADULT 75 and OVER (Currently a SC Program)
Levels: 3.0; 3.5; 4.0
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3 doubles
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MIXED DOUBLES
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MIXED DOUBLES 18 and OVER
Levels: 2.5; 6.0; 7.0; 8.0; 9.0; 10.0
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3 doubles
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MIXED DOUBLES 40 and OVER
(Old Senior-Currently a Southern Program)
Levels: 6.0; 7.0; 8.0; 9.0
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3 doubles
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MIXED DOUBLES 55 and OVER
(Old Super Senior Mixed-Currently a SC Program)
Levels: 5.5; 6.0; 7.0; 8.0;
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3 doubles
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COMBO DOUBLES (Currently a Southern Program)
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ADULT COMBO DOUBLES 18 and OVER
Levels: 5.0; 5.5; 6.5; 7.5; 8.5, 9.5; 10.5
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3 doubles
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ADULT COMBO DOUBLES 40 and OVER
(Old Senior Combo)
Levels: 5.5; 6.5; 7.5; 8.5
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3 doubles
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ADULT COMBO DOUBLES 55 and OVER
(Old Super Senior Combo- Currently a SC Program)
Levels: 5.5; 6.5; 7.5; 8.5;
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3 doubles
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SINGLES (Currently a SC Program)
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SINGLES 18 and OVER (Currently a SC Program)
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3 singles
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SINGLES 40 and OVER (Currently Senior Singles)
All Levels Stay Same: 2.5; 3.0; 3.5; 4.0; 4.5
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3 singles
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The restructuring will bring about change; what will not change is the number and type of leagues available to USTA South Carolina players.
Other Restructuring News
Both USTA National and the USTA Southern office have issued information on the restructuring of USTA Leagues. While none of it changes the information outlined above, the information does have helpful information.
If you have any questions, contact Mary Goins, USTA SC Director of Leagues at 864-855-0881.
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