2008 - GSTL
SUPER SENIOR LEAGUE
RULES
THE USTA, USTA SOUTHERN SECTION, AND USTA SOUTH CAROLINA RULES AND
REGULATIONS TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER LOCAL LEAGUE RULES. IF A CONFLICT OCCURS, THE ABOVE WILL OVERRULE THE LOCAL LEAGUE RULES. LOCAL LEAGUE RULES MAY HAVE TO BE CHANGED ANNUALLY WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF LOCAL MEMBERSHIP IF STATE, SECTIONAL OR NATIONAL USTA REGULATIONS ARE CHANGED.
CAPTAINS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING ALL THE USTA, USTA Southern, USTA SC, AND GSTL RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND FOR ENCOURAGING TEAM MEMBERS TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THESE RULES AND REGULATIONS. CAPTAINS SHOULD ENSURE THAT EACH TEAM MEMBER HAS ACCESS TO THE RULES AND REGULATIONS.
A. FORMAT:
1. Three Doubles Partnerships. Minimum of (6) Players (three positions) must be registered by August 13, 2008. There is no limit on the total number of players on a team.
2. Men’s and Women’s teams are offered in the following NTRP levels:
a. 60’s— 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5.
b. 70’s— 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0.
c. 75’s –3.0 and 3.5 in both men and women (Pilot Program for 2008)
3. Individual matches = best 2 of 3 sets with a ten-point match tie break in lieu of the third set.
B. ELIGIBILITY:
1. Players must have a current USTA membership through November 2008.
2. Players renewing memberships must do so before they can be put on a team roster.
3. Age’s 60- 69 are allowed to play in the 60’s Division only. Ages 70 and above may play in both the 60’s and/or the 70’s.. Ages 75 and above may play in 60’s, 70’s and/or 75s.
4. A player may play on multiple 60’s and multiple 70’s teams in South Carolina as long as they are at different NTRP levels.
5. A player may play on both a 60’s, a 70’s, and a 75’s team at the same NTRP level.
6. NO SCHEDULING ACCOMMODATION WILL BE MADE FOR PLAYERS ON MULTIPLE TEAMS.
7. A player may not be dynamically disqualified based on match results from Super Seniors. However, match results will be incorporated in year-end NTRP computer ratings for 2008.
8. A Player may not play out of his/her Local League area (as defined by the player’s primary residence as listed in USTA records) without approval from the player’s Local League Coordinator and the approval of the Local League Coordinator in the area the player wishes to play. Each Local League has the authority to accept or deny participation. The Local Leagues also have the option of setting rules to govern their own approval process. A player playing out of his/her Local League Area without obtaining prior approval will be subject to sanctions, including, at a minimum, defaulting of all matches played prior to receiving approval as well as possible disqualification from the league.
9. A player from another state (as defined by the player’s primary residence as listed in USTA records) may not participate in South Carolina without approval by the Local League Coordinator (LLC) representing the area that is affected and the State Super Senior League Coordinator. A player playing out of his/her home state without obtaining prior approval will be subject to sanctions, including, at a minimum, defaulting of all matches played prior to receiving approval. Sanctions may be applied to the team captain as well. A player from another state who previously received approval to play in South Carolina and who has played in South Carolina in every year since that approval was granted, need not reapply for approval to play in 2008 in the same local league and the same division (adult or senior) and same level as in 2007
10. GSTL area players are not eligible to play in another SC league without GSTL LLC approval. GSTL area players may play in another state without GSTL LLC approval as pre-approval is granted to any GSTL player wishing to play out of state.
C. COMPUTER RATING:
1. A player with a valid computer rating as a result of playing in the Adult, Senior or Mixed USTA League Tennis Program must play at that rating level or higher.
2. Players may appeal their 2007 year-end ratings at any time during the 2008 league
year. USTA will allow one appeal. 2007 National benchmark players cannot
appeal their 2007 year-end ratings except for medical reasons. 2008 Area,
Sectional and National benchmark players cannot appeal their 2008 year end
ratings except for medical reasons. Medical Appeals and appeals to move
down from a self-rating must be submitted in writing, by fax, mail, or email, to
Mary Goins, State League Coordinator. Forms for appeals are available on
www.grandstrandtennis.net. Appeals must be done on an individual basis; no
group appeals will be accepted.
D. SELF-RATING:
1. A player without a computer rating must declare a self-rating on TennisLink in accordance with the NTRP guidelines.
2. A player who self-rated in the Spring, Mixed or Combo Leagues must play at the same or higher level.
3. Players who do not have a computer rating on file in TennisLink shall self-rate in accordance with the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) Guidelines and self-rating on TennisLink when registering for a team. Failure to do so or omission of information regarding a player’s tennis history will subject the player, the captain and/or others who condoned inaccurate self-rating to sanctions and disqualification.
4. A player who does not have a computer rating, but does have a self-rating on file in TennisLink, must play at that level or higher and cannot self-rate lower for SUPER SENIORS. A self-rating is valid for 12 months if a computer rating is not generated by playing in the Spring Leagues or Mixed Doubles League.
E. ROSTERS AND FEES;
1. TennisLink is the official system for team registration.
2. Deadline to register a team for Super Seniors is August 13, 2008. Teams may not be added after the deadline (unless only one Team in a level). THE LAST DAY TO ADD ADDITIONAL PLAYERS TO A ROSTER is October 17, 2008. Subsequent additions require LLC approval.
3. Fees will be collected (via credit card) when the captain/players registers on TennisLink. The player fee for the GSTL Super Senior League is $20.00 (includes TennisLink Fee).
Once placed on a roster through TennisLink, TennisLink fee and SC Head Taxes will not be refunded.
F. LOCAL PLAY:
1. Each team will play a round robin competition with at least one other team in the same level.
2. Each team in a round robin must play every other team in the round robin at least once and an equal number of times.
3. It may be necessary to divide a level in to several divisions if there are too many teams for a single round robin, or if there are not enough weeks for us to complete a full round robin in that level. In this case, there will be a local league play-off.
4. Each team must play at least three (3) matches in local league to qualify for championship play. If there is only one team in a local league, that team WILL ADVANCE DIRECTLY TO the state championships.
5. Each player must play at least ONE LOCAL MATCH OR ONE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH to advance to the SECTIONAL Championships.
6. Winners will be determined based on team matches won or winning percentage of team matches. Procedures for playoffs may vary according to the flight and number of teams. In all cases, ties will be broken in the following order.
a. Winner of most individual matches
b. Loser of fewest sets.
c. Loser of fewest games.
d. Winner of head to head.
e. Toss of coin by the League Coordinator.
7. Home team is responsible for providing courts, paying court fees (if applicable), and providing new balls.
8. Rained out matches are to be made up before the next scheduled match. If captains cannot agree on a date, the Super Senior Coordinator will set a date. CAPTAINS MUST RESCHEDULE AND NOTIFY THE SUPER SENIOR COORDINATOR, WITHIN 24 HOURS, OF THE RESCHEDULED TIME. ONCE A RESCHEDULE DATE HAS BEEN SET, NOTHING CAN CHANGE THIS DATE EXCEPT BAD WEATHER. Make-up matches may be played individually.
Captains should call the host club to ask about the availability/playability of
courts. ONLY captains may tell their players that a match has been delayed,
cancelled or rescheduled.
9. Captains should encourage all players to SHOW UP AT LEAST 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED MATCH TIME. Captains and players are encouraged to begin the 10-minute warm up at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled match. The 15-minute forfeit rule will apply – unless prior arrangements have been made between captains. Captains should notify the SUPER SENIOR coordinator via letter or email to report non-compliance with this policy.
10. If a home team has access to more than one court surface, the home captain must call the opposing team to let them know at least 4 days before the scheduled match that they will be using multiple surfaces for their match. Within 2 days of this notice, the visiting team captain must notify the home team of the visitor’s choice of which positions will play on hard surfaces and clay surfaces.
G. SCORECARDS AND LINEUPS:
1. Captains should print line-up/scorecards from TennisLink for each match.
2. Captains will simultaneously exchange line-ups 15 minutes prior to match-time. No changes may be made after line-ups are exchanged, except as indicated in the substitution rule. AFTER LINE-UPS HAVE BEEN EXCHANGED, IF A TEAM RECEIVES A DEFAULT, THE RECEIVING TEAM DOES NOT HAVE THE OPTION TO CHANGE THEIR LINE-UP.
3. Substitution with an on-site player may be made only in cases of injury, illness, no-show or disqualification any time after the line-ups have been exchanged but BEFORE the individual match begins. (An individual match is begun when the first ball is put into play for the first point). In the event rain or inclement weather forces cancellation and rescheduling of a team match, substitutions may be made in any individual match that has not begun. Players involved in a default may not participate in rescheduled matches.
4. DEFAULTS
a. Default - when a team knows in advance it will not be able to field all three positions. In this case, the #3 doubles position must be defaulted.
b. Forfeit by default – when a player who was expected to play fails to appear or becomes unable to play and no substitute is available. In this case, the position in which the player was scheduled to play is defaulted.
c. Forfeit by disqualification – disqualification occurs when a player is ineligible to participate for any reason I.E., not a member of USTA, not on roster, under age, etc.). The position in which the disqualified player played is defaulted.
d. IF A TEAM DEFAULTS A TEAM MATCH (TWO OUT OF THREE POSITIONS) for any reason during round robin play, then that team will be defaulted from the league. All remaining matches scheduled for the defaulted team shall be voided and will not be played. However, all team points awarded to opponents from previous matches played will remain valid. In this case, the team that has the highest percentage of team match victories will be deemed the league winner at the end of the season. A grievance may be filed by the league and sanctions imposed against the captain and/or the team that defaults from the league.
e. Players receiving a default MUST BE PRESENT and listed on the line-up; players giving a forfeit should not be listed. The score should be recorded as 6-0, 6-0, Default. Captains must notify the Super Senior Coordinator before there is the possibility of a team default. THE SUPER SENIOR COORDINATOR WILL WORK WITH BOTH CAPTAINS TO RESCHEDULE POSITIONS TO AVOID TEAM DEFAULTS.
f. Retirement – occurs when an individual match has started and a player is unable to continue due to injury, loss of condition, or emergency. In case of retirement, the score is entered into TennisLink exactly as the score was at the time of the retirement. For tie breaking purposes only, the non-retiring team shall be credited with the number of additional games that would have been won it the match were completed and non-retiring team won every subsequent game.
H. REPORTING SCORES:
ALL SCORES MUST BE ENTERED INTO TENNISLINK WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE MATCH. THE WINNING TEAM CAPTAIN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENTERING THE SCORES, AND THE LOSING TEAM CAPTAIN MUST CONFIRM OR DISPUTE THE SCORES WITHIN 48 HOURS. AFTER 48 HOURS, THE SCORES ARE AUTOMATICALLY CONFIRMED BY TENNISLINK AND CANNOT BE DISPUTED later. IF A CAPTAIN DISPUTES THE SCORES IN TENNISLINK, THE CAPTAIN MUST ALSO NOTIFY THE SUPER SENIOR COORDINATOR RIGHT AWAY THAT THERE IS A DISPUTED SCORE. If the winning team captain has not entered scores within 24 hours, then the losing team captain may enter the scores.
I. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES:
The captain or designated captain at the match has 24 hours in which to register a complaint with the Super Seniors Coordinator, John Semmens, or the LLC, Susie Honeycutt. This initial report may be done by phone but must be followed up within one week with a written grievance. Failure to comply with the 24-hour rule renders the grievance invalid. If the team captain chooses to file a formal grievance, the captain must submit the grievance to the LLC on the USTA SC grievance form (available on grandstrandtennis.net) and to the captain of the opposing team. The LLC will forward the grievance form to the GSTL Grievance Committee for action.
J. Grievance Committees:
Questions, problems or concerns should be directed to the SUPER SENIOR Coordinator for assistance. Official grievance forms(found on Grandstrandtennis.net) must be submitted to Don Dobbins – Grievance Committee Chair.
Grievance Committee –
Don Dobbins – Chairman – 651-0337
Donna Jackman – 222-2768
Tonya Barr - Member – 238-8261
Grievance Appeals Committee –
Dave Kranstuber – Chairman – 281-8380
Kristy Powell – Member – 365-9420
Karen Vanderschaaf – Member – 237-8150
JOHN SEMMENS—293-2952 SUSIE HONEYCUTT—293-5158
SUPER SENIOR COORDINATOR LOCAL LEAGUE COORDINATOR