November 11, 2008
DO YOU KNOW THE RULES?
As our ATA Tournament Director over the past few years, I have gotten a number of questions from players and parents about the rules that govern tournament play for our junior players in Texas. I have to admit, I don't always know the answer, but I do know where to go to find those answers. I would like to share with you some of the most common questions (and their answers) as well as an invaluable resource that I use to research those questions that stump me. This is the first of a series of articles that I plan to publish to help our players and parents better understand the competitive system. This first article is mostly geared towards our less experienced (or just starting out) tournament players and parents. For everyone, when you have a question about the rules, go to the following link and read over the "Junior Know the Rules" section on the USTA Texas Section website. This is where I go! http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/texas/doc/content/doc_15_49.pdf
Here are 2 questions that I get all the time. If you have these questions, read on...
Q1. For those players just getting started, "How do I find and enter an appropriate tournament for my child?" First you can go to www.austintennisacademy.com and view our "Upcoming Events" list on the right side of the homepage. That will give you a list of upcoming tournaments that our players are playing. For players just getting started, you want to look for "ZAT's" and "Open" tournaments. Champ Major Zones and Superchamp Major Zones are higher level events that players must earn their way into through their results in ZAT tournaments.
If you would like to look a bit further ahead, you can go to the bottom right hand side of the ATA website and click on "tournament lookup". That will take you to the USTA website. From there, you can search for tournaments by keyword (for example, enter ZAT and you'll get all the ZAT's or enter Spenco and you'll get lots of ATA tournaments), by section (our section is Texas) and month (that's my favorite way since it gives me an overview of all the tournaments in a given month around the state), or you can even find upcoming national junior tournaments by using the short cut on the right side of the page.
One more great option, in the spring and summer, there are a series of local events in the Austin Area sanctioned by the Capital Area Tennis Association (CATA). These are not USTA tournaments, but offer great competition for players just getting started in tournaments up through experienced ZAT players. Visit www.austintennis.org and click on "Junior Programs" on the left side of the homepage. That will give you a current list of CATA Junior Events. ATA hosts one of these every August. The 2008 season is over, and the 2009 season will begin in March or April.
Once you've found the tournament to play, now it's time to register. Entering is just a few mouse clicks away. First the player must be a USTA member. If you are, be sure to have your USTA# handy. If you can't find it, a quick call to the USTA membership division should do the trick: 1-800-990-USTA. If you're not a member, look on the left side of any tournament homepage and click on "Join the USTA" under Membership. From there you'll just need to follow the directions and enter your credit card info to cover the membership fee. Once you've gotten your USTA# (which happens immediately after registering online for a membership), go to the tournament homepage and click on the " Click here to register online". From there it's just a matter of following directions, entering in the appropriate division (choose the division that matches or is older than your child's age during the month of the tournament). In other words, if your child is 11, they must play in the 12's. If your child is 12 they should also play 12's unless they are turning 13 before or during the month of the tournament they are entering. If so, they must play 14's. You can also click on the following link for more info on entering a tournament, checking your first match time and location, reading the draw, etc. http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/texas/doc/content/doc_15_1159.pdf
Q2. What's the difference between "Qualified", "Non-Qualified" and "Open" when entering a tournament?
Many Open tournaments as well as some of the CATA events offer divisions with names like, "Qualified", "Non-Qualified", "Open", "Champ" or "Superchamp". These divisions help separate competitors by their level. Let me define all of the terms above:
1. Open - Anyone who is age eligible can play. All levels are mixed in an Open division.
2. Non-Qualified - All new competitors and anyone participating in ZAT's. This event is for players who have not yet "qualified" for the next level of play through their results in the ZAT's. If you're not sure whether you are qualified or not, you are not.
3. Qualified - This is for all competitors who have moved through the ZAT system and are on to the next level or beyond. Anyone who is in Champs or Super Champs must play in the Qualified division.
4. Champ - Texas has a 3 tier system. ZAT's are entry level tournaments. Players then earn points in the ZAT's and when they have enough points they advance to the next level, which is the Champ level. Only Champ players can play in the Champ division.
5. Super Champ - This is the 3 tier (highest level) of the Texas system. Players earn points in the champ tournaments in order to advance to Super Champs. Only Super Champ players and approved players from other sections can participate in the Super Champ division.
Director of Junior Academy
Austin Tennis Academy
512-426-0045
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