PROMOTING SPORTSMANSHIP Purpose/Goal of Sportsmanship is important because it sets the tone for the experience the player will have at the tournament. Players need to feel safe and secure in their environment and part of that comes with sportsmanship of the players. Below is a compilation of some of your best ideas for promoting sportsmanship at your tournaments 1. We have the official and tournament director bring all the players around the tournament desk before the start of the first match and specifically talk them about sportsmanship. Having an official or authority figure look the players in the eye is important and sets the tone 2. We have a sportsmanship nomination form and allow the players to vote throughout the event. The winner is honored on the tournament homepage 3. We order a trophy just for sportsmanship and allow the officials to pick a winner 4. We put a message on our district website asking parents and/or players to email us throughout the year when they witness good sportsmanship at a tournament. We then review them and use the comments to help us award our district end of the year award winners. 5. We have the players sign a sportsmanship pledge when they check in(sample below) 6. We make sure to give verbal recognition at the tournament and also use these scenarios for other award nominations within our district 7. I meet with my officials and ask them to report any outstanding displays of sportsmanship for recognition and a gift card reward 8. We recognize someone at each of our tournaments and submit names to our district JCC representative 9. We have the players rate their opponents on sportsmanship after each match(sample below). This way the players are aware that their opponents are going to rate them and there is potential for their behavior to improve when they know they are being rated. 10. We recognize a sportsmanship winner each day of the tournament and announce it over our speaker system 11. Our officials elect one player from each age group and we follow up with a letter to the player thanking them for being good role models 12. For some of our national events, we were able to secure a sponsor for sportsmanship. We would give one boy and one girl a sportsman of the day trophy. We recognize the players on the tournament homepage, on our Facebook page, and we also email the pictures to the parents 13. We have players fill out nomination cards and offer brag tags for the sportsmanship winners SAMPLES Sample 1: Player Evaluation Card Opponents Name: Player Evaluation 1. Match Result(Circle One): I won my match or I lost my match 2. Was my opponent respectful: Yes or No 3. Was my opponent fair: Yes or No
Sample 2: USTA Player Promise USTA Junior Player Promise I recognize that tennis is a sport that places the responsibility for fair play on me. I promise to abide by the rules of the game which require me to give the benefit of the doubt to my opponent. At all times I shall strive to compete with the true spirit of sportsmanship, recognizing that my behavior on the court is a direct reflection of my character. Whether this match ends with my victory or defeat, I promise to conduct myself in a way that honors my opponents, my team, those who support me, and the game of tennis. (Player Signature) (Date)
PLAYER PARTY & GIFT IDEAS Purpose/Goal of Having a player party or budgeting for a player gift is a nice touch. Tournaments can be intimidating and it is nice to feel welcome and appreciated as a player. It also provides a great social atmosphere for the players. Below is a compilation of some of your most successful player parties and/or gift ideas. 1. Any gift that doesn t require sizing is nice. It is nice to get player families to donate homemade snacks to have for players around the desk(brownies, cookies, etc) 2. We hosted a bowling party for a team event 3. We offered novelty vibration dampeners for all participants 4. We have done a cookout for the players on the first night of the tournament where we grill hamburgers for everyone. Great social atmosphere away from the courts! 5. We run a ping pong tourney at each of my Junior Tournaments with a huge trophy for the winner. Keeps the kids away from the desk all weekend and creates a fun environment where the kids are just hanging out. 6. Last year we had a snow cone truck come on site and offer each player a free snow cone. It was a huge hit for an August event! 7. We have had the doubles teams tye- dye t shirts the night before the start of the event so they could wear them with their doubles partners at matches the next day 8. We have a pizza party with non- tennis related games such as bags, washers etc. Great time for the players to interact off the court 9. We do a random gift drawing each day of the tournament. We get local businesses to donate gift cards and draw names each day where the winner receives one. 10. We do t- shirts, but have recently switched to doing both male and female cuts. Crew neck for the boys and v- necks for the girls. It has been a popular switch! 11. We have local food trucks come on site for our tournament to offer quick and convenient access for the players 12. Player towels have been the most popular gift for us. You don t have to worry about sizes 13. We make sure to give out a coupon book of local restaurants/entertainment venues so our players have an idea of where to go to eat etc. 14. We ve done player bracelets before with the name and date of the tournament listed 15. Water bottles are always a nice gift. You don t have to worry about sizing and can also offer them to your officials! 16. We always have Gatorade for junior players. It makes them feel like a pro! 17. We do a social media contest each year with prizes for the winner. We outline the rules of the contest and tell them what we are looking for. We then have them post on our club s social media outlets. It generates traffic to our page, and also gets the players involved 18. We had a photo booth at one of our tournaments. It was a really popular and created a keepsake for the players 19. We once had a massage therapist onsite for players to give seated massages. It was great!
OBTAINING SPONSORSHIPS Purpose/Goal of Sponsorships are a great way to promote tennis in your community as well as help cover some of the costs for your tournaments! They add value to your event and to the participants. Below are some of your best ideas on obtaining sponsors 1. Yes. We offer recognition opportunities for our sponsors. We usually try local tennis families who love the game and want to support junior tennis. Our sponsorships are tiered with recognition on the Tshirt, program, and/or banner depending on the size of the donation. 2. Yes, we receive a donation from a local auto dealership. In return, we put their name on a banner at our site. The money helps cover the player party and awards 3. We get sponsors for our tournament. I would recommend finding a sponsor who cares more about tennis and less as about using sponsorship as an advertising opportunity. 4. We have sponsors that are local supporters of tennis. They fund a series of our events and we put their name on our trophies for publicity. 5. We get support from our local Visitor s Bureau and Tourism Bureau. They are happy that our events help bring people to the city and boost the economy. They give us a good amount that can be used towards the player party and enhancing the experience. You will just need to demonstrate how it will help the economy. 6. The only sponsor we secure is our hotel. They give us a discount on the rooms as well as a $5 kickback per room. Our visitor s bureau will give us financial support as well by paying for our umpires or VIP rooms when needed. They will also put together gift packages to our VIPs, umpires, etc. 7. We don t necessarily get sponsors, but we do work with local restaurants, hotels etc. to secure discounted rates for the players 8. We get prize sponsors for our events who donate door prizes. Makes for a fun atmosphere. 9. I would recommend creating a handout to take to potential sponsors with tiered values. Ex: if you donate $1,000 you ll get your name on a banner and in our program, for $500 you will get your name on the homepage etc. They like to have options for donating. 10. Yes, I would recommend meeting with your Visitor s Bureau to get information about sponsorships and/or grants they offer 11. I have used Active before. They offer free samples at various times throughout the year. If it lands during one of your tournaments, you could get some free goodies to stuff the player bags with. I ve received Emergen- C packets, granola bars, and over grips before. You just have to be willing to send a few pictures at the conclusion of the event.
USE OF TECHNOLOGY Purpose/Goal of Technology can be used not only for communication with players but also for promoting and/or advertising any event. In this day and age when everyone has a cell phone and or tablet at their fingertips, this could be the best way to relate to your participants! Below are some common apps and/or examples of technology use at your tournaments. 1. We have a Facebook and twitter where we post pictures and success stories from our events 2. I use report wizard in TDM and the alphabetic entrant report to get up to date emails for the players. I always email them prior to the tournament to congratulate them and welcome them to our site. I also include fun events in the area and other amenities 3. I use radar app on my phone to assess weather conditions 4. We use an online mass messaging service called Blackboard to send out mass message updates to participants(schedule changes, weather updates, etc) 5. I use the Weatherbug app for its radar and lighting alerts 6. I use an app called Wx Alert USA to check the weather. 7. We have installed four 27" monitors in our clubhouse that we post our tournament draws on. It is so easy to update the draws. No writing in names and scores, just hit Refresh! 8. We use RainedOut which is a free text messaging service. Players/parents just need to subscribe to our group. It is a quick way to reach a large audience instantly 9. We have a tournament website, www.westwoodtournaments.info that gives a lot of general information about each upcoming tournament that helps the players prepare when they travel. We have a Doubles tab on that website that allows players to post their contact information when looking for a partner (Of course they give us permission to do so). 10. We have a flat screen TV as a monitor for our laptop running the tournament desk. Tournament Desk in TDM is posted on the TV so the players know if the opponent has checked in, where they are in the queue, and what court players are assigned. It saves a lot of questions at the desk. 11. TDM is the best! The ability to place a message under Important Info ensures that all players instantly know the status of anything of importance. We also place messages on the tournament phone. Always keep your homepage up to date! 12. I use the tornado safety app from the American Red Cross