12 20 a s d i i r n o n l e f e t u a m g t a a s e e u.t l l r o j o h c s
CONTENTS 2 LEAGUE FEE BREAKDOWN 3 STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE 4 DIVISIONS OFFERED 5 CAPTAIN MEETING AGENDA 6 INTRODUCTION TO USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS 7 SEASONS 8 SKILL DIVISION 9 FORMAT OF PLAY 10 STATE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP 10 RESOURCES 11 LLC RESPONSIBLITIES 12 FAQs
Standards of Excellence School League Training: All Jr. Team Tennis Local League Coordinators (JTT LLC) meets the following criteria: Attendance at USTA Florida s JTT LLC Workshop. or Participation in local training (to include TennisLink) from USTA Florida staff before the start of a USTA Jr. Team Tennis League is required. and Provide a preseason captain s meeting. This will be done in person or via conference call. Section office will provide Captain s Guide for distribution to team captains. Consistent Marketing/Branding: Consistent use of the league name and logo (USTA Jr. Team Tennis) on all flyers, registration and marketing pieces, etc. JTT LLC use of forms, flyers, etc. provided by USTA Florida All marketing materials created by JTT LLC s reviewed and approved by USTA Florida before distribution. Communication: Regular, open communication between JTT LLC s and Tennis Program Coordinators (TPC). JTT LLC participates in preseason and post season WIG sessions with TPC. Regular communication between JTT LLCs and TPCs with sites/facilities so that USTA Florida information is communicated down to coaches and captains as needed. League Requirements: League must follow all requirements as listed in Jr. Team Tennis manual: 1. League is called USTA Jr. Team Tennis. 2. All Players have a USTA membership 3. League has at least 12 players per division. 4. League has at least 2 teams per division. 5. League schedules at least 6 matches over a minimum of a 4 week window. 6. All teams/players register using the TennisLink online registration system prior to each season roster deadline. 7. League schedules and scores their leagues on TennisLink. 8. Scores are entered within three (3) days of the completed match. 9. League provides season ending awards/party. 10. League forms a USTA Jr. Team Tennis committee (3-5 people) to assist with the responsibilities of JTT
DIVISIONS OFFERED Middle School 14 & Under Middle School League 1. Must Represent School 2. Must have current USTA Junior Membership 3. Maximum of 10 players per team 4. School may have as many teams needed to accommodate. No Cut program. 5. Team must have coach. This may be school staff or certified tennis pro. 6. Fee $60.00/Player High School 18 & Under High School League 1. Must Represent School 2. Must have current USTA Junior Membership 3. Maximum of 10 players per team 4. School may have as many teams needed to accommodate. No Cut program. 5. Team must have coach. This may be school staff or certified tennis pro. 6. Fee $60.00/Player Coach Coach will receive a stipend of $30.00 per player provided the following is complete: AT LEAST ONE COACH PER TEAM REQUIRED. 1. Coach will facilitate at least one practice per week during league season. 2. Coach will attend (or send comparable substitute) to each scheduled match. 3. Coach will submit W-9 available at www.irs.gov and a check request form. 4. Forms are available: http://www.ustaflorida.com
Team Captain Meeting Agenda Introductions & Welcome I. League Overview- Go through the Captain Guide League schedule Insert dates for season. 6 weeks of match play Rain makeup End of season party II. Captain/Team Managers Must complete Become Coach/Manager: on JTT TennisLink home page. Must register team on TennisLink (once you have a team number, you may provide players with number to register on TennisLink). Must select the Nike Jersey Color before registering any players or color will default. Must have players registered by deadline. Must book/reserve courts at home site when schedule is posted. Must communicate with opposing team captain prior to match. Must report scores on TennisLink within 48 hours of match. III. Scorecard Procedures Captain or Team Manager is responsible for logging into TennisLink and printing a scorecard prior to the match. If a player is not listed on the scorecard, but is in the lineup, confirm with the opposing coach that the player will be registered by days end. If the player does not get registered, they will NOT get credit for the match and the other team will get the default results. Scores MUST be posted online within 48 hours of match by the home team. If the home team is unable to do score entry, the visiting team may agree to do it for them. Once team scores are entered, teams may not be moved to another division, and players may not be moved to another team. IV. Awards Teams will receive awards for 1 st & 2 nd place in their division. Will be awarded at the end of season party. All QuickStart Division players will receive a medal. V. Tennis Facilities - All matches will be played at Please note that matches played on clay require proper shoes. Players without the proper tennis shoes may not be allowed to participate at some facilities. VI. Master Schedule will be posted on TennisLink. VII. VIII. Rules & Regulations Please read this very carefully. Page 5 & 6 of Captain Guide If scoring format for divisions 8 game pro set. Tiebreak played at 7-7. Section Championships All teams 12s-18s are invited to participate in Section Championships. The next championship is December 11-12 in Daytona Beach. Players must have 3 team matches in TennisLink to be eligible for advancement. Top teams from Fall Section Championship will receive a bid to participate in the USTA Florida Jr. Team Tennis ITC Invitational in Delray Beach in February 2011.
INTRODUCTION TO USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS: About USTA Jr. Team Tennis USTA Jr. Team Tennis bring kids together in teams to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles against other teams. It promotes social skills and important values by fostering a spirit of cooperation and unity, as well as individual self-growth. Also, it s a fun environment for kids in where they learn that succeeding is really more about how they play the game win or lose. How does it work? USTA Jr. Team Tennis is designed for kids ages 5-18. They are immediately placed on teams. All you need to start a league are two teams. Matches can be held anywhere from a local park or school to a commercial or private club. Teams are preferably co-ed but can also be single gender (boys only or girls only). They are divided by the following age and play levels: Age Groups: U18, U14, U12, U10 QuickStart Play Format, and U8 QuickStart Play Format Play Levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced TennisLink All players have access to TennisLink, the USTA s online player registration system. TennisLink allows registered players to keep track of their records and stats, as well as scout their competition. Whether on the court or online, USTA Jr. Team Tennis builds a passion for a sport kids will be able to play for life. This manual will take you through the general philosophy of USTA Jr. Team Tennis and give direction and guidelines on how to successfully start and coordinate a USTA Jr. Team Tennis program in your community. Any and all questions related to this manual and the USTA Jr. Team Tennis league can be answered by contacting the Michelle Willis, Team Tennis Coordinator at 386-671- 8937 or willis@florida.usta.com. You can also visit our website at www.ustaflorida.com and click the USTA Jr. Team Tennis option for more information. It s a whole new ballgame for kids tennis! With equipment and courts tailored to suit their needs and abilities, kids will feel confident as soon as they pick up a racquet. The shorter racquets, slower and lighter balls, and smaller courts - all of which make up the QuickStart Play Format Tennis - allow kids to rally back and forth over the net right away and enjoy the game right from the start. You d never send your 8-year-old out with adult-sized equipment to a full-sized baseball field or basketball court, so why do that on a tennis court SEASONS:
USTA Florida school leagues are offered year round. League dates are set by the Local League Coordinator. The season dates are as follows: MS/HS Conference Season: January 1, 2012 to December 14, 2012 The Middle School and High School Conference are separate from other USTA Jr. Team Tennis Leagues. The league teams may advance to the MS or HS conference championships held in April each year. This league is separate from other USTA Jr. Team Tennis leagues. Teams may participate in their local JTT league in addition to the school conference league. Conference league may not participate in section championships other than the conference championships. SKILL DIVISIONS OFFERED: USTA Jr. Team Tennis is divided into many different divisions of play based on both age and skill level of players and teams. USTA Florida uses the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) system to rate players based on skill. The rating system can be found below. Beginner: Intermediate: Advanced: This division is defined as a player rated at the 2.5 skill level & below. This division is defined as a player rated 3.0 skill level. This division is defined as a player rated 3.5 skill level and above.
FORMAT OF PLAY: Recommended for local school league: Non Gender Specific: No. 1 Singles No. 2 Singles No. 3 Singles No. 4 Singles No. 1 Doubles No. 2 Doubles Format for Middle School: Best 2 out of 3, 4-game set. No-Ad Scoring. 7 point Tiebreak played at 3-games all. If teams split sets, third set is a 10 point super tiebreak. Format for High School: 8 game Pro Set, No-Ad Scoring. Jr. Team Tennis Local League Coordinator has the flexibility to set up the playing and scoring format that best suits its needs. A local league can offer as little as 2 singles and 1 doubles position and not be gender specific. There are multiple scoring formats in which to choose from. Local league scoring usually depends on time constraints and/or court availability. TENNISLINK REGISTRATION FEES: Registration of USTA Jr. Team Tennis participants must be done using the TennisLink registration system. The Jr. Team Tennis Local League Coordinator (JTT LLC) is responsible for providing registration instructions to team captains, coaches or individual players. The TennisLink site is encrypted and password protected for security and privacy reasons. USTA Florida & National USTA staff will have access to all registered information. There is TennisLink support staff and E-Learning available to individual users of the TennisLink system. Technical support is available through staff at USTA Florida. National assistance is available by emailing linkteam@usta.com. Fee is $60.00 for all registrants. USTA membership is required to participate in an USTA Jr. Team Tennis league. USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS LOCAL LEAGUE COORDINATOR STIPENDS: JTT LLC s are eligible for money stipends. Keep in mind, to be eligible for these stipends, all of the USTA Jr. Team Tennis requirements listed must be met and 100% of your participants must be registered online using the TennisLink Registration System by the roster registration deadline for each season. The stipends are as follows: $8.00 per player for the 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 18U at the end of each season of play offered. Incentive based stipends are offered for growth in local leagues.
STATE CONFERENCE AND USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS EVENTS: STATE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS USTA Florida will be offering a Spring Conference Championship following and Spring school league seasons. The following is required for teams/players to be eligible to participate in any of these Section events: Your league must be registered online by the registration deadline date for that particular season. (See Calendar of Important Dates and Deadlines) Your league must use the scheduling and scoring function on Tennislink to show the minimum 3 team match local play history. Play rule: There must be 6 different players on the match lineup. Competitive need to be 6 different players on the lineup. Competitive does not need to play together in local league. Scorecard lineups turned in with less than 6 different players will result in line defaults. Defaults due to illegal score card lineups may be made by the site director and/or tournament director at any time during or after championship event.
FAQs: What is the USTA Jr Team Tennis Middle School/High School Conference? USTA Jr. Team Tennis bring kids together in co-ed teams to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles against other school teams. It promotes social skills and important values by fostering a spirit of cooperation and unity, as well as individual self-growth. Is this program for public schools only? No. All schools may choose to participate. Can private schools participate? Yes. All schools may participate. Is the school covered by insurance? Do I need individual insurance? USTA Jr. Team Tennis leagues have liability insurance for matches. Individuals may be required to have health insurance based on their school s requirements. Who is eligible to play? Students in Middle School who are 14 years of age or younger and Students in High School who are 18 years of age or younger. Do I have to try out for the team? If I do, who is making the selection decision? No. This is a no-cut program. All students are welcome to join. If I pay to sign up for a team and change my mind, can I get a refund?...what if I'm injured? No. Refunds to the league are not available. Please be ready to make a commitment prior to registering. What's included with the registration fee? $60.00 League fee includes, online registration fee, weekly practice, match play, t- shirt, awards, and player party. What if I never played tennis? No problem. This is your opportunity to give it a try! Do I have to have a State ranking to be on the team? All levels of tennis player are eligible to play for their school. State ranking is not necessary. How many players are on a team? A team may have no more than 10 players per team, however, a school may participate with as many teams as it has players.
Do I earn a school letter? Does it count as my PE credit? This may be considered a JV sport. Please check with your school administrator to see if it provides a JV letter. This will not count for school credit. Can I also play in a regular Jr. Team Tennis league? Yes! How do I register? How much is the entry fee? Each school will be provided with a team number to register. Once you have the number, and your USTA Junior Membership number, log on to: http://teamtennis.usta.com and follow the directions: Register to play. Can I wear my school shirt w/logo and colors? Each school has specific rules relating to this. Please check with your school administrator. Does the team have to be co-ed? Yes. USTA Jr. Team Tennis is co-od. When are practices? matches? Days and times? This will be determined by the coaches, school, and local league coordinator. How many matches will be played? Are scores recorded? There will be a minimum of 6 team matches. Scores will be recorded on TennisLink. Does the winning team receive an award?...or does everyone receive a participation medallion? Winning School will receive a perpetual cup that the winning school keeps for the year they won. If I am on the varsity team at my school can I also play in the High School Conference? Yes! Do I need to be a USTA member to participate? Yes. Become a member at http://usta.com/membership