By Barbara Ingram, Senior League Vice President
The summer tennis season is upon us, and for those of us who are 45 and over, or will be turning 45 this year, it’s time to enjoy the warm evenings with the Senior Men’s and Women’s leagues. This is one of the most fun, yet competitive leagues each year.
If you are in this age group and looking for a team, email me at SeniorVP@Altatennis.org, and I will try to find one in your area. Here are a few helpful reminders:
We try our best to keep travel to a minimum, but sometimes, it is not easy or possible. If you’re the home team, please be mindful of your visitors’ travel distance and allow a grace period should they get caught in traffic. The following week, it may be your team needing the grace!
Any line can play a third set tie-break in lieu of a full third set. This does not have to be decided before the match begins, but after teams split sets. This helps in keeping the matches from going too late, especially if a facility only has two courts. It does have to be agreed upon by all four players, otherwise you are required to play a full third set.
ALTA does not require match play after 11 p.m. If matches go past 11 p.m., they can be retired and completed by the default date. This also applies to a rained-out match.
If you’re a captain, before your first match, please check the lights to make sure they are in good working order and to see what time they are set to go off. If the lights are scheduled to shut off before 11 p.m., please talk to the tennis chair in your neighborhood to have them extended for match play. Should they go out before 11 p.m., you need to move to the visitors’ courts. If they do not have courts, it goes back to the home team to provide nearby, ALTA-approved courts. If the home team fails to find courts, they will retire any incomplete matches.
Good luck to all and enjoy!
