By Mitch Falkin, Men’s League Vice President
We are excited to be gearing up for what is always THE premier doubles tennis league in Atlanta: ALTA Spring Men’s League! You may not know the magnitude of the ALTA Men’s League experience, so here are some interesting data points to noodle around:
- 2021 Spring Men’s League total # of players: 16,545
- 2021 Fall Men’s League total # of players: 17,928
- 2021 Spring Men’s League total # of teams: 860
- 2021 Fall Men’s League total # of teams: 887
- Total # of Men’s League coordinators: 25
- Total # of Men’s League overall coordinators: 4
- Total # of Men’s League Vice Presidents: 1
- 2021 Spring Men’s League total # of extremely satisfied players: 16,545
- 2021 Fall Men’s League total # of extremely satisfied players: 17,928
OK, I made those last two numbers up just to see if you were paying attention … but I truly believe MOST players in our league really enjoy themselves!
Roster registration for the spring season starts Saturday, January 1 and the registration deadline is Monday, January 20, so spread the word and make sure you get on a roster ASAP. If you are new (or returning) to the area and want to join a team, check out the ALTA website section entitled “Teams Looking for Players,” and also put your name in the “Players Looking for Teams” section. Other solid ways to find teams are: (1) ask your tennis friends what facility they play out of, and if they are looking for players; (2) inquire with the tennis pros at tennis facilities near where you live or work if they have ALTA Men’s teams; and (3) send an email message to the Men’s League Vice President at mensvp@altatennis.org.
Our number-one goal this season is to reduce the number of after-the-match point penalties for movement violations and improper lineups! Captains, you can really help us here: We strongly encourage you to use the ALTA website lineup checker to manage team communications and prepare weekly lineups, instead of any third-party programs. The ALTA lineup checker eliminates more problems with movement violations because it is based on the actual results from previous weeks, and not the results that were told to the system initially, but ended up being changed “on the fly” at the matches. Plus … it’s free!
Our secondary goal this season it to improve our mapping function to minimize driving distances to away matches. This can be difficult, since our league has grown and spread across the entire Metro Atlanta area, but please be assured we are working diligently on this.
And our third goal this season is to ensure that teams are initially placed competitively during the leveling process. We personally reviewed over 25 percent of all team rosters at the beginning of the 2021 fall season to ensure accurate team placement; we are trying to make 2022 spring the season where everyone is happy with their team’s placement. Yes, we ARE trying to please everyone.
In closing, I want to personally thank all the players, captains, coordinators, and overall coordinators in advance for their upcoming participation in the ALTA 2022 spring Men’s League. Good luck to every player and every team, and I look forward to seeing you out on the courts!
