1 Youth Progression Tracking System Manual
2 Youth Progression Section Manual Table of Contents The Four Factors 3 Levels... 3 Age Requirements... 3 Participation... 4 Results... 4 System Detail 5 How to Clear a Level... 5 Manual Adjustments (Negative & Positive)... 5 Setting up a Progression Tournament... 6 Ensuring that a Youth Progression Tournament is Searchable in TennisLink 7 Co-ed 10U Youth Progression Tournaments...7 Playing Outside of Home Section in Section That Has Youth Progression... 7 Players from A Section Not Using Youth Progression Registering in a Section Using Youth Progression.. 7 Players Moving Permanently to Another Section.7 Tournament Scheduling... 7 Calculations & Publishing Player Progression... 8 Player Email Notification... 8 How to Opt in to the Player Email Notification... 8 Player Page... 8 How to Access the Player Page... 9 Registration... 9 TDM Adding and Moving Players to and From Events... 10 Administrative Reports... 10 Identifying Proper Finalists and Champions... 11 Administrative Access... 12 Section vs. District Administrative Access... 12 Section Settings and Options 12 Option Settings... 13 Option 1... 14 Option 2... 15 Option 3... 16 Option 4... 17 Exemption Policy (Grandfather Clause) & Current Progression Players... 18 Exemption Policy (Grandfather Clause) for 6 and Under Players... 19 Launching the Progression System 19 Initialize Progression... 19
3 Youth Progression Section Settings Manual The USTA has designed a best-in-class system to track the progress of junior players, ages 10 and under from orange to green to yellow ball competition. The system will track a child s progress through participation in Play Days (optional), Junior Team Tennis and Tournaments. Kids will receive credit for playing and can receive bonus points for tournament results. This helps more advanced players to move faster through the system, and is similar to what they will experience with the 12U- 18U ranking system. Kids will be given a mission to clear each level in their progression ball color. They can complete each mission by collecting participation stars and trophies based on their results. Sections will choose from four options to best suit their competitive structure and geographical areas. Each option has 4 different factors: 1. Levels 2. Age Requirements 3. Participation 4. Results The Four Factors Levels Each progression tournament event group (TDM event group) will have a ball color and level assigned. Options 1 & 2 have one level of orange and one level of green. Options 3 & 4 have two levels of orange and one level of green. For the two levels of orange, the lowest level is Orange Level 2 and the higher Level is Orange Level 1. Age Requirements All four options have the same age requirements - a minimum of 7 years old and maximum of 10. The minimum age to start playing in progression tagged tournaments is 7 years old for all the setting options. There is no minimum age to start playing in Play days and Junior Team Tennis. The system will not restrict players 6 and under from participating in Play Days and Junior Team Tennis in the 10U and 12U divisions; however, they are strongly encouraged to play red ball events only until they either turn 7 or have achieved everything they can achieve on the red court. At this time the system will not delineate ball color in Junior Team Tennis registration. On the first day of a player s 11 th birthday month they will automatically advance out of the 10 and under progression tracking system.
4 Participation Each option has participation points (virtual stars) that can be collected by playing in: 10U Progression Tagged Tournaments or 12U Green Progression Tagged Tournaments (Green Level 1 Players Only) (see Setting up a Progression Tournament on pg. 5) a) Singles Only (Doubles events do NOT count towards progression credit) b) No points for defaulted matches (includes default, withdraw, walkover and retired matches) c) 10U Green Level 1 players can register for both a 10U Green Level 1 and 12U Green Level 1 in the same tournament. Player will only receive credit in the 10U event. Junior Team Tennis a) Championship & Local Junior Team Tennis: 10U & 12U Singles & Doubles (Only 10U receives automatic participation credit) b) Age validated & Non-age validated programs c) Must play a minimum of 2 matches (different match IDs) for team (Excluding default matches) d) Player will only receive participation stars for one team per season e) Can receive credit for a maximum of 2 seasons per calendar year f) Players can register in either 10U orange and green ball leagues and receive automatic participation stars in their current level. JTT participation stars will show up on the flight end date. It is recommended that coordinators keep this in mind while creating their 10 and under division flight dates. g) Players can also register in 12U green and yellow leagues; Players will not receive automatic progression credit from12u flights; Section has the choice to give a manual adjustment. It is recommended that sections only offer green ball in 12U Beg. or 12U Int. JTT leagues. Play Days a) Optional b) Points entered manually by section admin. (see manual adjustments on pg. 3) Results* Players collect bonus points in singles for achievement: Winning a 10U (Orange or Green) Progression Tournament or a 12U (Green) Progression Tournament Finalist in a 10U (Orange or Green) Progression Tournament or a 12U (Green) Progression Tournament Tournament Matches Won (Maximum of 3 matches per tournament; Option 4 only) *In order to include results in calculation, the Check Finalist Progression box must be checked in event properties. See Identifying Proper Finalists and Champions on Page 11.
5 System Detail How to Clear a Level A Player needs 1000 points to clear a level. 1 Star = 50 points 1 Trophy = 50 points A combination of 20 stars and/or trophies are needed to progress to the next level. Manual Adjustments Sections will have the ability to give manual adjustments to a player s progress. Examples of adjustments could include: a) Points for Play Day participation b) Points for EDC Camp participation c) Points for sportsmanship recognition d) Points for a 10U doubles tournament e) Points for an additional JTT program f) Points to skip a level if inventory is low Sections will also be able to give negative adjustments to take away points from a player s progress. This includes the ability to change a player from Mission Complete back to Green Ball Level 1 or Orange Ball Level 1 or Orange Ball Level 2. If there is any Tournament play and/or Team Tennis play between the effective date of the player becoming Mission Complete and the Adjustment Date (back to prior ball color and level) they will not be included for display and they will not be included in the calculation of points for the player. For example, if a section wants to take away 100 points they will enter -100 into the adjustment field. Adjustments must be made directly on an individual s Player Page by clicking on Adjust Points in the upper right corner (see screen shot #1 on page 4). Admins will have the opportunity to choose from a drop down list of reasons for the adjustment as well as provide an additional explanation in a comment box (see screen shot #2 on page 4).
6 First Time Play Day Only Participant a) Sections are encouraged to instruct 1 st time Play Day only participants to create a non-member USTA Account # so that their information and progress can be immediately imported into the system. b) Once a Play Day only player gets a non-member USTA account at this website: http://www.usta.com/createaccount c) Click on Add Player from the Youth Progression Menu, Admin will enter the Player s USTA Account #, verify the player s identity, save the player and their assigned ball color and level into the Youth Progression system. d) Then manual adjustments for Play Day participation can be entered. (see below) Setting up a Progression Tournament To include a tournament in the progression calculations, Tournament Directors will have to tag their events at the level drop down in the events tab in the online sanction form or in event properties in TDM*. Event groups were increased to 8 to accommodate Progression Levels. *Please note that it will be necessary to tag in both areas if tournament was approved by administrator prior to launching Yo. Pro and before tagging in OLSF. Once approved by the section, then the tournament director cannot change the event group level from or to a Youth Progression Level (e.g. Orange-Level 2 to Orange-Level 1, etc.).
7 Ensuring that a Youth Progression Tournament is Searchable in TennisLink In order to ensure that consumers can easily find youth progression tagged tournaments, make sure you add the progression level to the Category drop down on the online sanction form. Co-ed 10U Events Co-ed 10U events can be tagged as Youth Progression Tournaments and will be included in the calculations. Playing Outside of Home Section in Section That Has Youth Progression Players can register for events in same ball color-one level up or one level down outside of home section e.g. OL2 Florida player can register in Midwest OL1 event but will not get credit; Event must be in same ball color or level to receive participation credit e.g. Mo Valley OL1 player can register and receive participation credit in a Texas OL1 event Points earned still follow home section progression settings Not eligible for bonus trophies/results Border sections should consider choosing the same option for consistency and clarity Players from a Section Not Using Youth Progression Registering In A Section Using Youth Progression 10 and under players from a section that hasn t launched youth progression will be able to register in the lowest youth progression level allowed by the section in which event occurs No credit for participation (or results) Players Moving Permanently to Another Section The player will automatically show up in the new Section s Youth Progression with the stars/trophies and eligibility level from the previous Section. Please note, section has choice to adjust player s points to match new section s system if the setting options were different or honor the ball color that was earned in previous sections system. Tournament Scheduling The location and amount of progression tournaments sanctioned is determined by the section/district. There are no monthly limits on the accumulation of points. Scheduling of events is another way to control the amount of time it takes a player to progress. Scheduling options include: Unlimited: Every tournament/weekend counts Limited: Designate 2x/month, 1x/month, seasonal, etc. Designate progression tourneys within section levels
8 Additional Orange and Green Ball non-progression tournaments may also be sanctioned at the discretion of each section/district Calculations & Publishing Player Progression All players progression will be calculated daily at 3:00 a.m. but not visible to public and will be based on home section settings. Sections will be able to validate calculation results prior to the automatic publishing. It is recommended that sections review calculated reports to verify that there are no errors. If there are inaccuracies in the players matches, corrections can be made via player adjustments to be included in the next publishing. Publishing will occur every Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Take into account publishing schedule before TDs finalize draws. So that they will have the latest results for progression players. Remind TDs to input their scores before the Tuesday 3:00 a.m. calculation if they want their results included in the next publish. Player Email Notification Emails are automatically generated to inform the kids who have cleared their level to a new Ball Color Level. Players will also receive emails with inspiring status updates and aging up notification (15 days prior to birthday). When a player earns 1,000 points in the last level (Green Level 1) or ages up, a Mission Complete email is sent and player will be eligible to enter in the 12 and under yellow division. How To Opt In To The Player Email Notification In order to receive inspiring status updates and aging-up notification emails, the contact information on file with USTA Member Services must be accurate and current. To update the email address, login to Tennis Link and click Manage Account directly under the player s USTA account number in the top right corner of the Welcome screen. The information can also be updated by contacting USTA Member Services at 1-800-990-8782. Player Page Each player s page will track his/her progress and accumulation of stars and trophies as opposed to ranking points. Players will be able to see all their current activity which is updated nightly but won t see their updated stars and trophy progress until after the automated publish dates. Non-progression events will show up on a player s page only if the nonprogression event ball color matches the Youth Progression player s ball color. 1
9 How To Access The Player Page To access the player page, go to https://tennislink.usta.com and click on the My Tennis tab. Enter in the player s USTA number and password to be directed to the player s Welcome screen. The match information is updated nightly, but players will not see their updated stars and trophy progress until after the automated publish dates (every Tuesday night). If desired, the player can upload a photo to his/her player page by clicking Manage Account directly under the player s USTA account number in the top right corner of the Welcome screen. If a player continues to play in the division, once he/she accumulates 20 stars and/or trophies, additional stars and/or trophies earned in that division will NOT appear on the player page. Registration A new player registering for a Progression Event for the first time will only be eligible to register to play in the lowest Ball Color Level available in their section, providing they meet the age requirements. This does not apply to grandfathered players that have been assigned a higher level at start up. When a player with an assigned Progression Level attempts to register for a Progression Event, the tournament event must be at the player s own ball color and level, or one level down, and the player must meet the minimum and maximum age requirements. New 10U players who have never played in a Progression Event or who have not been assigned a Progression Level will be able to register for the following events: a) For 6 and under aged players They can register in Play Days, 10U or 12U Junior Team Tennis flights and red ball tournament events only b) For 7- and 8-year-olds They can register in Red or Orange Non-progression Events and Orange Progression Events (lowest level) c) For 9- and 10-year-olds They can register in Orange Non-Progression Events and Orange Progression Events (lowest level) only d) JTT 10U (credit) and 12U flights (no credit) e) Play Days f) 10U Doubles Only Tournaments (no credit) g) Family Doubles Division (no credit) h) Junior Wheelchair Divisions (no credit) i) Adult Wheelchair Divisions (no credit) j) Non-Sanctioned tournaments (no credit) A player with an assigned progression Level is allowed to register for the following events: a) Red Ball Tennis Events (age eligibility rules apply) b) Orange Ball Non-Progression Tennis Events and Orange Progression Events (at the appropriate level) c) Green Ball Tennis Events and 10U & 12U Green Progression Events (must be a green level 1 player) d) 10U Doubles Only Events (no credit) e) Family Doubles Division (no credit)
10 f) Junior Wheelchair Divisions (no credit) g) Adult Wheelchair Divisions (no credit) h) JTT 10U (credit) and 12U flights (no credit) i) Play Days j) Non-Sanctioned Tournaments (no credit) A player with an assigned Progression Level is allowed to register in non- Progression events provided that the event is the same ball color as their assigned level. For example: A Progression Orange Ball player cannot register in a non- Progression Green ball Singles Event. The player will not see the Progression Tournament Green Ball event in their list of events for this tournament, since they cannot play at a higher ball color. Grandfathered Yellow Ball Players and Mission Complete Players can register for the following events as long as they are age eligible: a) Any Non-Progression event (age eligibility rules apply) (no credit) b) 10U Green Progression Event (age eligibility rules apply) (no credit) c) 12U Green Progression Event (no credit) TDM- Adding and Moving Players to and from Events Tournament Directors will not be able to add/move a player to a Youth Progression Tournament event unless they meet the approved registration requirements outlined above. When using TDM to add a player without directly registering them in the Tournaments application, the same rules listed above in registration for new, existing and former Progression players will be followed. Currently, Tournament Directors have the ability to override error messages issued and allow players to be assigned to tournament events, even if they do not meet age requirements. For Progression Events only, Tournament Directors will not be allowed to override error messages. An exception will be made to create co-ed draws. Administrative Reports Section administrative staff will have access to eight (8) Progression reports All reports can be printed or exported to Excel There are two types of reports: 1. Calculated reports use the player s progression and ball color-level based on the last nightly calculation run. These results are not available to the
11 player s tournament directors, Districts or public until they are published. 2. Published reports show the official ball color and level for a player s progression based on the last time that the results were published. List of Available Detailed Reports: a) Player Progress by Section/District Calculated Listing - This report shows all the players that are in youth progression with the most recent nightly calculation. b) Progression Tournament-Events Calculated Participation Listing -This report will give the detailed event groups for a particular tournament. Tournament ID is needed. c) Number of Progression TMT-Events by Section - Shows a summary of a section s progression tagged event totals and the option they have chosen. d) Progression Tournament List by Section/District - Shows the progression tagged tournaments in section with Tournament Director Information. e) Progression Tournament-Events Published Participants List - Shows the entrants for a specific tournament with players level and email address. Tournament Directors have access to this report when they click on Reports in the OLSF and then click on Youth Progression Reports in upper right hand corner. f) Player Progress by Section/District Published Listing - Shows the most recent published list of progression players with their ball-color and level. g) View Player Progress Page - This report shows you what the player sees on their personal player page. The player s USTA account # must be inserted to view the report. Identifying Proper Finalists and Champions When a division has multiple round robin draws, the Tournament Director can designate which draws will be issuing bonus points (trophies). A field has been added to the TDM Event properties page: Use Finalist for Progression. When the value is set to No (unchecked), the draw will not issue bonus trophy points. Please note, it is recommended to flight kids according to strength in entry level and intermediate tournaments. For advanced tournaments, it is recommended to distribute the stronger players in different draws and offer play-offs. When using formats that have consolation rounds, the matches in the back draw will count towards match wins (option 4 only).
12 Administrative Access 1. Log into your TennisLink account 2. Under the Administration column > Click on Reports 3. On the next screen, Click on Youth Progression Reports located in the upper right corner: Section vs. District Administrative Access Section Administrators with Tournament/TDM Super User status have access to all the functions outlined in this system manual except for the National Settings or ability to edit Publishing Dates. District Administrators with Tournament/TDM User status have access to the tag function in the OLSF and published reports. For now, they don t have access to settings, calculated reports or access to adjustments. At the end of 2016 they will also have the ability to upload grandfather lists and give manual adjustments. JTT Administrators do not have access to the Youth Progression system. Section Settings And Options 1. Once logged into the Progression Admin Page 2. Click on Settings > Section Settings 3. Under Option Settings click Select an Option from the drop down. 4. Click Save
13 Option Settings Section administrators choose which of the four (4) progression options to implement for their sections, as described below in the options. A player needs twenty (20) total stars and/or trophies to move from one level to another in all four (4) options.
14 Option 1 Recommended for Sections with limited to moderate inventory of events and/or geography/population challenges. Orange Level 1 awards the same # of stars and trophies for the same action as Green Level 1.
15 Option 2 Viable for sections with a moderate to large inventory of events as well as a solid competitive foundation. Orange Level 1 awards the same number of stars and trophies as Green Level 1. In Option 2, which is more challenging than Option 1, fewer stars/trophies are awarded for participation and results.
16 Option 3 Recommended for sections with a large inventory of events and significant amount of 10U players. Each level becomes progressively more difficult as players move from orange to green to yellow.
17 Option 4 Recommended for sections with a large inventory of events and significant amount of 10U players. Only participation stars are allowed in Orange Level 2. Option 4 includes bonus trophies for winning individual matches (maximum of 3 matches per tournament). No points awarded for defaults. Tournament Matches won only counts if a player isn t a winner or finalist of the tournament.
18 Exemption Policy (Grandfather Clause) & Current Progression Players Before launching progression, sections will be able to import an Excel spreadsheet containing a list of grandfathered/progression players and their appropriate level. All players who will have a start-up level (Orange Level 2, Orange Level 1, Green Level 1 or Yellow) aged 10 and under must be on the list even if they have been grandfathered into yellow. 10 and under players not on the list will start their mission from the lowest level with zero points. The excel spreadsheet must be in the exact format as the example below. Please note, in order for the file to be imported correctly. Make sure you delete column headers after the spreadsheet has been filled out. This file import is intended to be a one-time occasion. Required information includes: a) USTA Account number or Team Tennis ID b) Player First Name c) Player Last Name d) Section Name e) Progression Ball Color f) Progression Level Within Ball Color (Options 3 & 4) g) Participation points toward the next Ball Color Level (0-950 in increments of 50) h) Results Points toward the next Ball Color Level (0-950 in increments of 50) For example in the spreadsheet below Aaron Davis is a 9-year-old that has been grandfathered to play in the 12 and under division. Aaron can be grandfathered in as: Progression Ball Color: Yellow, Progression Ball Color-level: Green level 1, 0 points. Aaron will not be part of Youth Progression to receive awards, but he can still play in Youth progression Green level 1 events for no credit, since he is less than 11 years old. Tara Ahmad has been grandfathered to play green ball and should appear on the spreadsheet with the following: Progression Ball Color: Green, Progression Ball Colorlevel: Green Level 1, Progression Level Participation Points: 0 points, Progression Level Results Points: 0 points. *Please note, if player doesn t have any points toward participation or results you must insert 0 in the column.
19 Exemption Policy (Grandfather Clause) for 6 and Under Players Players aged 6 years old and younger will be allowed to be grandfathered using the Add Grandfathered Player- Special Case function and should not be included on the excel spreadsheet (see screen shot below). Initialize Progression Launching the Progression System When ready, sections must follow the following steps in order to launch the progression tracking system for their section: Step 1: Set-up Section Settings o Choose Section Option (see Section Settings and Option on pg.10) Step 2: Initialize Progression (see below) o Section sets Match Start-up date: Sections will determine the date on which match results will start to be included in the automatic progression calculations. Date chosen must occur after section imports grandfather list or officially launches their system. Step 3: Import Players from File (see Grandfather Clause & Current Progression Players pg.15) o Upload your list of grandfathered players by clicking Browse then Import File and Process. o Remember to delete column headers after the spreadsheet has been filled out. This file import is intended to be a one-time occasion but you will be able to upload multiple lists prior to the match start-up date. Step 4: Tag Section Progression Events o Ensure that all Progression Events include ball color and have tagged the appropriate progression level at the event group.
20 o Existing tournaments (without any player registrations) that have not yet started but were approved prior to progression launch can be updated with ball color and progression level in TDM.