80s and 8s

Rainy-Day Reading: Bumped-Up Benchmarks Will Have To Wait a Year for Appeal -- see below

TENNIS E-News

Oct. 04, 2007 Vol. VI, No. 104
South Carolina Tennis 2006 Media Award Winner
Hilton Head Island SC

It's Mens' 75s, but …

Battle of the Octagonists*: 341 Years … and It Went to a Third-Set Match Tiebreak

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- It’s called the Men’s 75s, but last week’s Wexford Juvenilities vs. Country Club of Hilton Head match turned into something from another decade. With the match deadlocked at one court each, victory turned on the outcome on #3 Doubles court -- Wexford’s Frits Dumpel and Herb Derman, both age 86, against 87-year-old L.A. Sands and youngster Rick Perrini, 82.

First set 6-1 to Juvenilities.

Second set 7-6 tiebreak to Dumpel/Derman.

Third set match tiebreak went to Wexford 10-8.

“Winner irrelevant,” commented local senior men's coordinator and 75s league founder Don Grider. “This is what it is all about, folks.”

Grider emailed match details to, among others, an upstate senior coordinator, who quipped back: “You should’ve made them play out the third set!”

(Nittynote: Of course, TennisLink would have it that the match score was 6-1, 6-7, 1-0 because of its dumb-ass 1-0 usage instead of the actual match score.)

(**kay, so we made up a word for 80s guys tennisbattling.)

8-, 10- & 12-&-Under Age Categories

36/60 Junior Tennis Tournament Will Use Short-Court Format for Novice Players

BLUFFTON SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Bluffton High School tennis courts will be site Oct. 27 and 28 of a novice boys and girls 36/60 tennis tournament with modified courts for play and using tennis training balls to enhance the hitting experience.

Entry fee for the all-singles event is $20 entry fee with three matches guaranteed. All entrants will get a tournament T-shirt and awards will go to winners.

Three playing divisions will be conducted: 8 & under (36-ft. court using Speed balls and short net); 10 & under (60-ft. court using Transition balls); 12 & under (60-ft. court using Transition balls). Participants need to be able to serve from the appropriate distance and score, event director Brett Robertson said. Abbreviated matches may be held, depending on draw sizes.

An entry form is an attachment to this issue. For more information, contact Lowcountry Sports Network's Robertson at 816-2033 or Gavin Cox at 816-1665.

Marked in 2008 Championships

UPCOMING: Bumped-Up Benchmark Players Will Have To Wait One Year Before Appealing

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- While the 2007 USTA League seasons are trundling toward completion, some new rating, appeals and related regulations are appearing on the 2008 horizon -- a couple that would be major changes in makeup of HHI league teams.

Actions that were taken at USTA National meetings at USOpen time are filtering down through section and district (state) officials, to be laid out soon to local organizations.

One move termed a "major" change will affect "benchmark" players who are bumped up in end-of-year ratings. What's a "benchmark"? That's any player who advances "beyond local round robin play to local playoff, state, sectionals or nationals," USTA Southern Director of Adult Tennis Marilyn Sherman explains.

District/area, section and national championship benchmark players who are bumped up will not be able to appeal their upgrades for a year after the "promotion", meaning that a 3.5 upgraded to 4.0 will have to stay at 4.0 a year before appealing. "USTA initially reported that this ruling would affect players in '07 championships and be applied to the start of the '08 league year," Sherman said, "but have since clarified their intent to implement for those players competing in ' 08 championships."

Read that: All benchmark players will not be upgraded. However, those who are will have to wait a year to appeal that upgrading. And this will not take affect until 2008 playoffs begin in Spring Senior and Adult leagues.

In other related matters, Sherman reported:

> Southern majority (9 states including SC) continues to prefer offering the straight Super Senior levels (3.0, 3.5, etc.) even though some other sections use the combine levels (combo 6.0, 7.0, etc., meaning a 3.5/2.5 Ohio doubles team could face a 3.0 HHI team).

> Showing actual match tiebreak scores on TennisLink instead of "1-0" for league matches is a low priority, even though actual scores are used in USTA-sanctioned tournaments. "If the league developers and tournament developers had been on same 'page', you would likely have seen the actual score (recorded) in league matches," Sherman said.

> The USTA is exploring several recommendations to change the way ratings are displayed. Some advocate showing more detail -- even to the point that everyone sees his/her rating change each day (I am a 3.43 today and a 3.48 tomorrow.). Many pros and cons are stated on each side…stay tuned!

"We are going to put together a 'short and simple' fact sheet regarding NTRP myths and truths and will distribute it within the next month," Sherman said. About the benchmarks, she said most people incorrectly believe it means you are at the top of the level, when it only means you advanced beyond local round robin play to local playoff, state, sectionals or nationals.

Updating Dana … beyond tournament directing

KANSAS CITY MO (TENNIS E-News exclusive via Shelby Secret) -- For several years, HHIsland tournament players were accustomed to Dana Andis directing them to courts in Palmetto Dunes tournaments. Dana has some new directing now. Having stepped aside from region rep for HEAD/Penn Racquet Sports, she has become sales manager of a 30-year-old sporting goods outfit in KC about to open a new store with a 16,000 sq. ft. warehouse that will encompass a hitting alley the size of a singles court. 5,000 sq. ft. will be retail and the rest will be warehouse space. Says Dana: "WATCH OUT, Tennis Warehouse, here comes Tennis Set! We will be online with e-commerce soon (www.tennisset.com ) but will go national starting in January."

From a TENNIS E-News reader: "Just curious to see if you ever report on interclub tennis?" HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Every once in a while, TENNIS E-News will mention women's interclub and the fact that women's interclub does not want anything written about it and has frequently stated so. Guess it is time to mention that again. We want to give women's interclub as much promotion as men's. It has been explained that women's interclub is "just for fun" and is "not competitive". Guess what? Same for men's interclub, but why is there some reason we shouldn't be talking about something this is fun?????

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-- Dennis Malick