A Roster Deadline

Correction from last issue: Jacque Houck can be contacted at swimjac2@aol.com or 681-3225.

TENNIS E-News

Dec. 31, 2007 Vol. VI, No. 139
South Carolina Tennis 2006 Media Award Winner
Hilton Head Island SC

One Week To Go for Required USTA League Roster Minimums in TennisLink

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) – Captains have a week to get a minimum number of players in TennisLink and thereby officially qualify teams for the scheduling process for the USTA League Adult and Senior spring season.

At latest check, 60 Adult teams and 108 Seniors are pre-registered, but each team must have a minimum eight players for Adult and six for Senior in the team’s TennisLink roster by Jan. 6. Scheduling then will be completed. Rosters are open and players can be added until late in the league season.

Total team numbers are down some from last year. If the figures hold, it will be the first year that the number has decreased from one year to the next. Year-end ratings always affect team composition, but this year that component may have had a bigger impact. An increase in rating upgrades coupled with a decrease in appeals granted compounds the affect.

“If any Southern (section) team wins Nationals,” Southern league coordinator Marilyn Sherman explains, “that raises the rating points for all Southern players competing at that level. And that happened this year.”

The statewide number of ratings appeals and denied is due out shortly.

Here are the figures for Spring League 2008 and, for comparison, the 2007 number of teams and number on players on the final rosters:

Adult # of teams (also # of ’07 players)

Rating 2008 2007

2.5M 1 3/30

2.5W 5 5/53

3.0M 6 6/77

3.0W 8 11/161

3.5M 8 8/114

3.5W 18 12/175

4.0M 4 4/55

4.0W 6 6/87

4.5M 2 0/0

4.5W 2 2/26

5.0M 0 2/14

A5.0W 0 1/6

A5.5M 0 1/8

Total 60 63/811

Senior

2.5M 6 5/54

2.5W 3 4/44

3.0M 21 27/317

3.0W 19 19/24/300

3.5M 19 20/238

3.5W 24 19/238

4.0M 6 5/60

4.0W 6 7/84

4.5M 2 1/8

4.5W 2 2/22

Total 108 118/1,373

Are You Ready for Some More Senior Singles?

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) – The weekly Senior Singles guys have taken a break through the Super Senior league season, but are ready to get back into action, starting with a New Year’s opener Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 at Port Royal Racquet Club.

The informal format is set up for 3.5 players “and those competitive with 3.5s”. Seven-game “sets” are played, then players switch opponents. “It’s very laid back,” coordinator Dennis Malick said. “No cumulated scores are kept. Play a couple rounds until you get to beer time. Walk-ons welcome, and so are snowbirds.” Cost is the club’s guest fee of $7 per person.

In order to coordinate courts, an email to banana@hargray.com is requested.

TAHHI Annual Business Meeting, Banquet, Awards, Dancing Feb. 6

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- The Tennis Association of HHI annual meeting and dinner-dance will be held Feb. 6 at Hilton Head Island Beach and Tennis Resort. Invitations to members are in the mail.

Annual business meeting will be 6-7 p.m.; 7-7:30 cocktail hour-cash bar; 7:30 dinner (chicken or grouper); 8:30-9:30 dancing-DJ Alan Palchak; 9:30-10 award presentations

Cost is $17 per member and $30 per guest. Send your menu choice and check (payable to TAHHI) by Jan. 30 to: Pat Leinberger 3 Seburn Drive Bluffton, S.C. 29909. Direct questions to Pat at 705-6014.

Additional information is available on http://www.tahhi.org.

At Last Word, These Teams Still Are Looking for Players for 2008 Spring Season

-- 3.0 Women's Adult. Wexford. Contact Mary Navis at marynavis@aol.com or 785-1916.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Wexford. Contact Betty Melkon at 298-0688 or Patrick Mason at 686-8816.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Palmetto Dunes. NEW 3.0 team senior team and maybe combo as well. Contact Steffi Cahn 682 - 4056 or e-mail stefficahn@hargray.com

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Palmetto Dunes. Saturday play only. Contact Cindy Knight at teamtennis1@yahoo.com.

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Singles players for Colleton River. Contact Pat Rustad (ner2pr@hargray.com).

-- 3.5 Women's Adult - Singles players. Wexford. Contact Call Andi Purple at 785-5867.

-- 3.5 Men's Senior. Spring Lake Mis-Hits. Contact Tom Larkin at tlarkin@aol.com or call 689-3685

-- 3.5 Men's Adult - Wexford. Contact Joe White (joscow@roadrunner.com)

-- 4.0 Women's Adult. New team at Long Cove. Contact Laura Bracken laurahbracken@hotmail.com or 341-5663

-- 4.0 Men's Adult in Bluffton. Contact Tim Austin at (vegas@hargray.com).

20th Clay Court Maintenance School Set for Jan. 23, 24

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) - Want to learn how to maintain soft tennis courts? The 20th annual Tennis Court Maintenance Training School will be conducted Jan. 23 and 24 at Port Royal Racquet Club.

The sessions, conducted by HT Tennis and Lee Tennis, are geared to tennis pros, supervisors, employees and anyone else interested in court-maintenance work. The course begins Wednesday the 23 with morning class, then afternoon on-court training. Thursday session will include daily maintenance routine, installation of tapes and tournament maintenance.

Training fee is $250. Deadline for registration is Jan. 15. Applications are available at Port Royal or HT Tennis, P.O. Box 569, Hagerstown MD 21741 (800-842-6104).

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TENNIS E-News FootNote

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( ) In case you missed this HHPrep fourth grader's answer to:

( ) How does Santa know where you live?

(___) "He calls the President and asks him."

-- Dennis Malick