By Kim Dlogolenski, Senior Day League Vice President
After an unexpected break from tennis, it is time to get out in the fresh air, relieve stress, and get some social interaction at a safe distance. Senior Day is a fun ALTA league that plays in the spring and fall. ALTA members may join a Senior Day team anytime during the year of their 55th birthday.
The women play at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays, and the men play at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays. The Senior Day leagues only play three lines of doubles for each match, so you only need eight players to form a roster. Since there are only three lines, the match is typically over by 1:00 p.m., so the rest of the day is open for whatever plans you may have. If your job or work schedule has changed and you now have some flexibility in the morning, give ALTA Senior Day a try. The league is a good way to play within your own age group and meet new friends.
The Senior Day Leagues continue an 8-percent increase in teams for the men and a 4-percent increase for women. There was a 6-percent increase in players for the men and a 4-percent increase for the women. In the fall of 2019, an additional level of C3 was added for Senior Day Women. Prior to that there was only one level for C’s which was C1. So, if you are 55 and over and play C-level, consider forming a team with your friends and neighbors for Senior Day.
The goal each season is to place teams where they can play competitive, fun matches, and at the same time manage travel issues. Navigating Atlanta’s traffic can be a challenge; as the Senior Day Leagues continue to grow by adding more teams, this should mean less travel for matches.
I hope all of you completed the survey you recently received by email from ALTA. One of the questions for the Senior Day Leagues was “Would you rather play the same, closer teams twice, or travel farther to play teams only once.” Many of you chose to play the same teams twice. We will continue to do what we can to make the travel as easy as possible.
Roster registration for fall is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 6 and end on Friday, July 24. So spread the word and help grow our Senior Day Leagues. To submit a roster, the only requirements are to be 55 years young and have at least eight players.
The last few months brought on many changes to our work and home lives. Our free time was spent cooking, baking, doing yard work, organizing, puzzles, etc. Now is the time to get ready for fall tennis. Get outside, take a walk, and set up a practice match with friends, as many of us will be adjusting to get our “quarantined bodies” back into tennis form!
