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2008 Alabama Junior Ranking Requirements
We now have Southern level 3 events held in 4 Alabama cities across the state.
We are excited as this will give our juniors the ability to reduce travel costs
and to afford them more opportunities without having to travel as much out of
state. It is extremely important that all our top players support these events
as each event is judged each year on its level of players participating and we
want to make sure we continue to have these level events in the future. New for
2008 will be the combined rankings/standings in which Doubles results of your 8
best events will be added to your singles results at a percentage of 15% of the
doubles points earned. Level 5 our Challenger or Novice events may use 4 game, 6
game or 8 game prosets and they may use the short court format as well, play in
these events will be included in challenger standings/rankings only and will not
count toward our other standings/rankings or that of Southern or National.
Level 1: Alabama Junior Qualifier, Alabama Junior Closed, Southern Closed,
National Claycourts and the Summer National Hardcourts.
Level 2: Alabama Junior State Spring Clay court Open(Huntsville), Alabama Junior
State Spring Hard-court Open(Birmingham), Alabama Junior State Fall Hard-court
Open(Mobile), National Opens, Other National Championships, Southern Opens,
Southern Spring Championship, Fall Southern Closed, Alabama 10’s Zone Team
Championship, National Zonal and Junior Davis Cup events, Bull Frog's and
Blue/Gray Junior.
Level 3: Designed to be Alabama's regional level circuit. Level will be shown in
tournament title on usta.com
Level 4: Is Alabama's general events throughout the State. Level will be shown
in tournament title on usta.com
Level 5: Designed to be for the entry level circuit and these events will be
included in a separate Challenger Ranking/Standing results and not in the
regular standings/rankings. Play in this level event is designed for players who
did not have a year end ranking in our regular ranked list in the previous year.
Alabama Junior Spring Claycourt Open: (Huntsville) is open to any junior
player from the Southern Section who is a current member of the USTA. It is a
level 2 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 3(NEW) for Southern
Rankings. This event follows the STA guidelines for STA Level 3 events.
Alabama Junior Spring Hardcourt Open: (Birmingham) is open to any junior
player from the Southern Section who is a current member of the USTA. It is a
level 2 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 3(NEW) for Southern
Rankings. This event follows the STA guidelines for STA Level 3 events.
Alabama Junior Qualifying Championships: (Montgomery) This event is the
Qualifying Tournament to determine who will represent Alabama in the Southern
Closed Championships play in this event is restricted to Alabama residents. It
is mandatory that players play in the Alabama Junior State Qualifying
Championships to be considered for the Southern Closed. To be on Alabama’s list
of endorsed players does not guarantee entry into the Closed. It is all players’
responsibility to enter the Southern Closed prior to the deadline to be
considered. (In special circumstances, the Alabama Junior Competition Committee
may grant a waiver, said waiver request must be made at the earliest time
possible and let it be known in advance that the Committee has a long history of
not granting said waivers, as it feels the importance of participating in our
Qualifier is top priority.). With that said it is Alabama's responsibility to
send the strongest quota of players in each age division, based on the results
in the qualifier we will select players on the following criteria; for the B/G
14-18's the 4 semi finalist in the main and the 4 semi finalist in the back draw
are selected automatically, for the B/G 12's the 4 Semi Finalist in the main
draw and the 2 finalist in the back draw are automatically selected, for the B/G
10's the 2 Finalist in the main draw are automatically selected and the
remaining quota spots in each age division will be determined by the Alabama
Junior Competition Committee based on all USTA National, Sectional and District
ranking/standing information available, as well as recent head to head results.
Alabama's quota is based on the number of junior USTA memberships in the state
and will vary from year to year. It is a level 1 event for Alabama
ranking/standing and level 4 for Southern Rankings.
Alabama Junior State Closed Championships: (Montgomery) is open to any Alabama
Junior player who is a current member of the USTA. It is a level 1 event for
Alabama ranking/standing and level 4 for Southern Rankings.
Alabama Junior Fall Hardcourt Open: (Mobile) is open to any Southern
junior player who is a current member of the USTA. It is a level 2 event for
Alabama ranking/standing and level 3 for Southern Rankings. This event follows
the STA guidelines for STA Level 3 events.
Junior Davis /Federation Cup: The Junior Davis/Federation Cup is a team
competition. The strongest players from Alabama team up to compete against the 8
other states in the Southern section. Each team consists of the 3 players in the
age groups Girl's and Boy's 12, 14, 16 and 18's. The winner of the Alabama
Qualifying Championships in the appropriate age group is an automatic member of
the team in that age division, the other 2 players are selected by the USTA
Alabama Junior Competition Committee based on all USTA ranking/standing
information as well as recent head to head wins. It is a level 2 event for
Alabama ranking/standing
Alabama 10’s Indoor Team Competition (New for 2008) is a team event for our top
ranked 10 and under. Players will be selected by the Junior Competition
Committee based on most current standings in the Southern and Alabama 10 and
under as well as recent head to head results.
Players must have 100 a minimum points to show up on the standings and 200
points to be included in the Final rankings. Play in the next higher age
division will be included in the rolling standings only and will not be included
in the year end rankings or any endorsement list used during the year.
USTA Player Development Programs: The Player Development Program began in
1987 and was initiated by a special committee appointed by the USTA Board of
Directors. Three goals of the program are:
(1) Attract more young people from every background to tennis and keep them
playing.
(2) Help good players reach their maximum potential.
(3) Help out players win the Grand Slam events, the Davis Cup, Federation Cup
and the Olympics. To achieve the second goal, USTA Competitive Training Centers
have been established. The goal of the Alabama program is to help the players
selected for each of the Area Training Centers to focus on achieving skills that
will enable them to reach their maximum potential. The centers are to supplement
the player's current programs and complement already acquired mental and
physical skills. Being selected for any player development program is an honor.
If a player chooses not to attend, with no explanation, then he or she
jeopardizes their chances of being invited in the future.
Competitive Training Centers: Competitive Training Center is located in
Birmingham. The Head Coach will select the best players to attend the training
center. Criteria include: player ranking and record, sportsmanship, attitude and
all-court game.
The Challengers Circuit Tournaments: A challenger tennis player should be
a player not ranked in the previous years regular ranked list. The Challenger
Circuit is currently offered in various cities in Alabama. It is a sanctioned
level 5 event designed to introduce players 6 - 18 to "real match play". The
goal of this "challenger" series of tournaments is to encourage and give
opportunity to junior tennis players who have an interest and potential to play
and enjoy the game. The Challenger series has its own separate
standings/rankings calculated; these series will not count toward regular ranked
players standings/rankings. USTA membership is required to participate.
Schools Program: The USTA Schools Program helps schools introduce
students K - 12 to the lifetime sport of tennis through their physical education
curriculum. School systems have received free in-service training and curriculum
materials. Many schools have kicked off their "tennis unit" with a fun-filled
motivational assembly, conducted by a State Recreation Director. School systems
are being encouraged to develop after school programs to give every child an
opportunity for a low-key competition.
National Junior Tennis League (NJTL): NJTL provides entry-level tennis
opportunities, which will capture the interest of all young athletes. Starting
with beginners, ages 8 - 18, everyone belongs to a team, enjoying the fun of
instant tennis and developing tennis skills. There are a number of chapters in
Alabama offering free or low-cost summer programs. Equipment is provided to
anyone who does not have a racket.
Junior Competition Committee: The Junior Competition Committee is one
branch of USTA Alabama. Its purpose is to propose policies to the USTA Alabama
Board of Directors regarding any and all junior programs and to be of service to
all Alabama junior tennis players. The Committee is in place to tackle all
concerns of junior tennis, to answer questions regarding the Alabama junior
programs, and to propose and adjust rules and guidelines, with approval of the
USTA Alabama board.