By Linda Shepherd, Sunday Women’s League Vice President
Spring season in Atlanta is just beautiful. There is nothing better to see than the tennis courts full of excited ladies, dressed in colorful clothes, enjoying new and old friendships while taking in the thrill of victory or graciously conceding a loss. Our Sunday Women’s League runs from the start of spring in March to the middle of May. A wonderful time starts on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. when more than 1,000 teams across the city arrive at their courts for an afternoon of tennis, physical fitness, and recreation.
COVID-19 certainly threw a reset on us. Our favorite routines are no longer easy to accomplish. ALTA, determined to stand up to the virus, took a positive approach and was able to get members back on the courts in the safest way possible. ALTA had to put some guidelines in place. While some players really liked the changes, some did not.
As we look into our crystal ball, and our lives return to a new normal, what will stay? What will go? Maybe we do not exchange balls at the end of the match. Maybe the good handshake will be back. Maybe we will not set up the wonderful assortment of refreshments to share. Maybe we will play a complete third set again. Whatever the case may be, one thing we can be sure of is that there will be tennis, and there will be fun.
To have fun matches, of course, we all need to exemplify good sportsmanship. Treating players with respect, having a positive attitude, and giving your best effort will lead to a pleasant experience, no matter who wins. ALTA encourages nominations for good sportsmanship awards that are reviewed seasonally. You might even see one of our unique “Sportsmanship Winner” bag tags. Be sure to congratulate these players for a job well done. It is easy to locate the nomination form on the ALTA website under ALTA Documents. All you have to do is complete the form and submit it to firstvp@altatennis.org.
So, how much fun can you have? Following the ALTA Adult rules, a member can play in more than one league in each season, but not on more than one team in the same league (for example: you cannot be on two Sunday Women’s rosters in the same season, but you can play on a Thursday Women’s team and Sunday Women’s team in the same season). Ladies can play on a variety of teams. In addition to the Sunday Women’s League, ALTA offers a Thursday Women’s League, and both are open to women (18+). ALTA also has a summer Senior Women’s League (45+), as well as a Senior Day Women’s League (55+) in the spring and fall. Also available are Run ‘N Roll and Wheelchair Leagues.
So, ladies, do not miss out on all the opportunities available to you! See you on the courts!
. ALTA also has a summer Senior Women’s League (45+), as well as a Senior Day Women’s League (55+) in the spring and fall.){kind=link}