By Cameron Turner, Mixed Doubles League Vice President
Thanks to everyone who came out and played in the Mixed Doubles League this summer. We had another great season of tennis! As the ALTA Rules Committee met over the past several months, we had strategic and thoughtful conversations about how to make all our leagues more inclusive, especially for teenagers who are top-level tournament players and who are looking for a higher level of competition.
This fall, we are kicking off a pilot program to allow advanced junior players who are 16 and 17 years of age to play on an adult AA team. The pilot will be for the Sunday Women’s and Men’s Leagues and will also be available for the winter 2022 Mixed Doubles teams.
Junior players need to go through an approval process, so here are the guidelines:
- Junior players may be considered for this program if they are 16 years of age during the season.
- Play is restricted to Men’s, Sunday Women’s, and Mixed Doubles Leagues only.
- Qualified junior players may only be included on or added to AA rosters. If a junior player is added to an A-level roster, that team would be leveled at AA.
- Two qualified juniors will be allowed per AA team.
- Each qualified junior player must play matches with an adult team member.
- Once junior players participate in the adult league, they may not play in the ALTA Junior Leagues.
Captains who want to participate in this program must:
- Send an email to MensVP@altatennis.org for the Men’s League, SundayVP@altatennis.org for the Sunday Women’s League, or MixedVP@altatennis.org for the Mixed Doubles League and provide the player’s name, birthdate, ALTA number if they have one, and any other helpful information for consideration. Be sure to copy FirstVP@altatennis.org on the communication.
- Once the junior player is approved, they will need an ALTA membership if he or she does not already have one from past ALTA league play.
- The ALTA office staff will assist with the $30 adult membership payment which is required to play in the adult league.
We are excited about this pilot program and hope you will cheer on these players with us as they join the adult leagues!
