By Joan Marcinko, Senior Day League Vice President
Every time I think about how much work goes into getting 60,000 tennis players on the courts each season, I am overwhelmed at all that goes into this incredible ALTA tennis organization. To begin with, we have so many volunteers in this “tennis machine” that it is difficult to know who to thank first. I’d like to take the time to thank my Senior Day League captains for all that they do to get their teams registered for the season, for being creative and competitive with their lineups, for hosting visiting teams and paying court fees, and for making sure their team finishes a full seven weeks and sometimes more. A tough job indeed no matter what level of tennis you play!
Being a captain or co-captain is simply not an easy job and being a team leader often can be challenging. Our ALTA captain’s manual is 49 pages long and good captains read every bit of it and share the information with their teammates. To begin with, captains need to submit their team roster before the ALTA roster deadline or give it to their club pro in a timely manner. Smart captains submit requests for review with their rosters if they have any concerns to be shared with the VP. We thank you for any information you share to make the scheduling process easier. Remember that we do check and validate what you tell us!
Once the team schedules come out, a good captain always checks to see that everyone is on the roster before the first match. If additional players are needed, it is the captain’s job to find more players. As the season begins, lineups have to be made, and captains normally map out a playing schedule based on player availability. They need to know all about player movement and sandbagging, too. Our ALTA website offers a great tool for captains to prepare and check for valid lineups. Organized captains plan ahead for matches, print out scorecards, and make sure someone is in charge for each match. Knowing the ALTA rules of play AND the USTA rules is a must for every ALTA team captain; a good leader knows these and helps the team get through issues during match play. A good team captain also knows what to do in case of inclement weather. Make up matches can be tough, and a captain has to know who is available and how to play a makeup without losing any points. After the match, our captains report their scores and approve scorecards in a timely fashion. That makes our senior coordinators’ jobs a lot easier! Captains, thank you for what you do for your teams!
These may all sound like basic, routine captain’s duties, but add to the mix playing matches early due to holidays, addressing protests and complaints from opponents, and a lot of rule interpretations that do not always cover situations addressed in the rules! Whew! But today, as we look forward to a new spring ALTA season, we celebrate YOU, the captains in our league! It will be a fresh new season, with good exercise, great sportsmanship, comradery, and competition.
Having worked with the Atlanta senior tennis leagues for a long time with both USTA and ALTA, I see so many repeat names of team captains season after season. What a gift it is to have so many of you who offer your time and talents. You ARE the backbone of our volunteer base, and we appreciate you so very much. Thanks for all you continue to do to support us playing in the Senior Day League.
