2013 USTA League Alabama Adult 55 & Over Championship

2013 Championship Procedures
(updated 4/25/2013)

USTA Alabama is comprised of twelve local leagues: Anniston, Auburn, Birmingham, Decatur, Dothan, Gulf Shores, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, Shoals and Tuscaloosa. The USTA Alabama Championship Procedures will apply to all USTA Alabama State Championships. When not stated in the Championship Procedures, the National, Sectional and Alabama regulations and Friend at Court will apply. 

USTA Alabama offers a state championship for each of the following programs:

• USTA League Adult 18 & Over
• USTA League Adult 40 & Over
• USTA League Adult 55 & Over
• USTA League Adult 65 & Over
• USTA League Mixed Doubles
• Southern Combo Doubles
• Tri Level
• Invitational Mixed 55 & Over
• Invitational Combo 65 & Over

Team Qualification
·         Local championship teams will be allowed to advance to the USTA Alabama State Championships. If a local championship team declines their invitation, then the state association may offer the bid to the next priority team.
·         Wildcards will be issued to fill up draws at the state championships. Additional wildcards may be extended under discretion of the State League Coordinator.

 Championship Format
·         USTA Alabama Championship 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. Levels with two flight winners will offer a single elimination finals match to determine the champion.  For those levels that have three groups the second place team or teams with the best record as determined from national regulation 2.03H will be designated the wildcard.  2.03H(5) If all are tied after regulations 2.03H(1-4) have been met then a flip of a coin will determine the winner.  

If any of the flights have a different number of teams, the procedures shall be determined as follows:  Games.  The team with the highest percentage of games won by them vs. games played by them in their round robin.  Defaults received shall not count.

If a draw results in the second place team playing against the first place team from its own group, the draw shall be altered as follows: second place team shall exchange places with team from the top line of the other semi-final.

Semi-finals will be played as follows for those with three groups:  Winner, Flight 1 vs Second place team, Winner flight 2 vs Winner Flight 3.

Eligibility

• All players must possess current USTA memberships through the conclusion of the USTA Alabama State Championship.
• All players must be prepared to present photo identification immediately upon request.
• USTA League Adult 18 & Over, Adult 40 & Over, Adult 55 & Over, and Mixed Doubles: Players are eligible to advance to the state championship level competition if that player has played on that same team in at least 2 matches during its local league season.  A maximum of 1 default received by the player during local league competition shall count for advancing to State Championships.

   o    A minimum of eight (five for 2.5 & 5.0+ levels) team members who were on the final roster of their Adult 18 & Over and/or Adult 40 & Over local league team at the conclusion of local league play must be available and eligible to compete.  The Championships Tournament Committee, by majority vote, can reduce that number to not less than four (three for 2.5 & 5.0+ levels).
o     A minimum of six team members who were on the final roster of their Adult 55 & Over or Mixed Doubles local league team at the conclusion of local league play must be available and eligible to compete. The Championships Tournament Committee, by majority vote, can reduce that number to not less than four. 

• Adult 65 & Over*, Southern Combo Doubles, and Tri Level*:  Team members are eligible to advance to championship level competition if that player has played on that same team in at least 1 match (1 of which may be a default received) during its local league season or state championships.
  • A minimum of six team members (three eligible pairings) who were on the final roster of their local league team at the conclusion of local league play must be available and eligible to combine and compete.  The Championships Tournament Committee, by majority vote, may reduce that number to not less than four.

                    *Please refer to 2013 Alabama Rules and Regulations for full details on eligibility for Adult 65 & Over, Combo Doubles and Tri Level.

             Registration and Entry Fee Requirements

• Championship Entry Fee:  $30.00 per player late additions will be charged $40 per player.

• Players should be registered on both TennisLink and the Alabama web site.

                Scheduled Matches

• The captain is responsible for checking his/her team in at the site of the match.  When all players are present and ready to play, the captain will turn in their lineup at the site desk using one of the scorecards in the registration packet.  It is asked that captains turn in scorecards 30 minutes prior to the start of their scheduled match.
• If a team has a known default, the opposing team will have the opportunity to revise their scorecard once both scorecards are turned in and the default has been announced by the site director.
• In the event of illness or injury prior to the start of an individual match (once the line-up 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 line-up. If no such substitution can be made, the affected position only will be defaulted.
• If a captain duplicates a name in error on a scorecard, a team may be allowed to substitute a player for the duplicate name in the lower position (at the discretion of the Tournament Committee), using a player not already listed on the line-up. A substitution may only be made in the lower position if the error is discovered before the match begins. If no such substitution can be made, the affected position only will be defaulted.
• The Point Penalty System, which includes the 15-minute default time rule, will be strictly enforced.   Court monitors may be used to time warm-ups and changeovers.
• A ten-minute warm-up will be observed which will include serves.  The referee may allow a five minute warm up in the event of a short inclement weather delay or if players are late.
• Winners of individual matches will take the balls and report the score immediately to the site desk.
• Captains are expected to sign each scorecard after each scheduled match is completed before leaving the tennis facility. Failure to sign the scorecard may result in scores posted online only confirmed by opposing captain.
• If a team match is postponed following the exchange of line-ups, the original line-up will stand for the make-up match UNLESS teams are released from the tournament by the Tournament Director and/or Referee. If teams are released, the line-up would stand only for those positions that have already started (first service attempt) and all other positions (even those that were in warm-up) may be changed including defaulted courts.
• Tournament Referees will not be used to make line calls or call foot faults.

                 Scoring

• Each team will receive 1 point for each team match won.  In the event of a tie, the tiebreak procedures will be total of individual matches, then least sets lost, then least games lost, then head to head, then a coin toss. All scores are final 48 hours after the conclusion of the tournament.
• Coman procedure will be used for all tiebreaks.

   ·    Team standings may be posted at the tournament headquarters each day. Results will be entered into Tennis Link throughout each day and can be viewed on TennisLink.

   ·    All teams are expected to play all scheduled matches. Any team not complying may be subject to grievance procedures.  In accordance with USTA League Tennis Regulations, any team forfeiting an entire team match for any reason will result in all matches of that team previously played or to be played to be declared null and void.  If all teams in contention for the Championships have already played the forfeiting team in good faith, the matches stand as played.

                 Grievances

• Forms are available at each of the sites at the tournament desk.  Completed grievance forms must be presented to the Site Director at the site of the match within 30 minutes of the completion of the team match. 
• The committees involved will handle all Grievances as promptly as possible.  Unless requested by the committee, only the captain and the player(s) involved will be permitted at any hearings.
• NTRP Grievances filed within 21 days of the start date of the player’s and/or captain’s state championship 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.

·         A team forfeiting an entire team match during championship play may receive further penalties imposed by the Championship Grievance Committee.

·                         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.  Any team that defaults a court throughout the championship is also subject to the $75 fine unless excused by the tournament committee.  Said players will be ineligible to compete in any USTA League including Tri Level and Southern Combo Doubles until the fine is paid.  Appeals may be submitted to the chairman of the Adult League Committee within one week of the said championship.

NTRP Dynamic Disqualification

• USTA Southern follows national regulation 2.04E(2)c in that dynamic ratings will be generated following the State Championships.  Points earned by disqualified players will stand.  The disqualified player will not be eligible to advance to the next level of competition.  
• NTRP Grievances filed within 21 days of the State championship against anyone participating in the state Championships will be administered after the State Championships unless the USTA Southern Section Adult League Committee Chair, Vice-Chair and Sectional League Coordinator authorize the administration of the grievance prior to that time.  If the grievance is not administered until after the State Championships, points won by players will stand. Disqualified players and/or captains that are suspended will not be eligible to advance to the Sectional Championships.

                 Tournament Cancellation Policy

• Should inclement weather or other circumstances prevent the completion of a State Championship, the Tournament Committee will determine whether the matches played at the point of cancellation will be used to determine round robin group winners and a champion and finalist in each of the levels.
• If the Tournament Committee determines that there was a lack of "equal opportunity" for all teams in the level due to the schedule of play, the Tournament Committee will place all teams in a drawing to determine the champion and finalist in each level. (For instance, in a five team round robin, one team may be in first place at the time of cancellation with two matches played, while other teams in the round robin have fewer matches played. This example would not provide "equal opportunity" for all teams in the round robin and would not be used to determine the round robin group winner). If any team in a round robin flight is mathematically out of contention at the time of championship cancellation, then those teams will be excluded from the drawing.

                 Administration

• Rain Hotline Number: 1-800-592-1838
• Tournament Committee will use proper and fair judgment with regard to all State tournament-related issues.
• Tournament Committee: To be appointed by Alabama State League Coordinator.
• Championship Grievance Committee: To be appointed by Alabama State League Coordinator.
• Championship Procedures may be amended at Tournament Committee’s discretion.