Welcome to JDS and MTA. We hope
you have decided, or will decide, to join a team and play with
us! USTA League Tennis offers opportunities for meeting friends,
the camaraderie of being part of a team, the sense of
accomplishment as you gain competence, and physical activity to
maintain fitness, health, and well-being. Last year
approximately 800 people played on 188 teams through our
programs.
How do I start and what does it cost?
The first step is joining the USTA. This entitles you to play is
all leagues, plus you get a great magazine, TENNIS. Joining is
easy on the internet: Go to www.macontennis.com, click on the
link on the left to www.usta.com, then click on “Membership,”
and follow the directions. You will be asked for your NTRP
rating. ( More about this later.) You will be given a USTA
number, which you will use each time you sign up for a team.
Cost for USTA membership is $40 per year. Each time you sign up
for a team, the cost is $20. Later, there is a charge assessed
for court fees, which varies according to facility and number of
matches.
Click here for more about
USTA Leagues in Middle Georgia
What’s the level system?
The NTRP rating system is designed to ensure that players play
with and against players of similar skill levels, as much as
possible. When you first join a team, you give yourself a
rating. After you have played a year in the league, the computer
may change your rating up or down, determined by a complicated
mathematical analysis of all matches played in the country.
(Don’t even TRY to figure it out!) You must play at or above
this rating. The beginning level is 2.5.
Click here for USTA League Tennis NTRP Local Rules
How do I get on a team?
If you have already decided on a team, the captain
will give you the team number. With this and your USTA number,
you sign up online at www.macontennis.com. On the left side,
click on “tennis link.” Then on the right side, click on
“register for a team” and follow the instructions.
If you want to create a new team, after clicking on “tennis
link,” go to “Create a team online,” on the right. You will be
guided to choose a “Section,” which is “Southern,” then a
“District,” which is “GA,” then a “sub-area,” which is “Macon.”
Next you will choose a league, either adult or senior, then you
will choose your league level.
What does the captain do?
The captain gives the people who are to be on the team the team
number so they can register online. The captain does the
line-ups for each match and records the scores. At the beginning
of the season, the captain also attends the captains’ meeting
(AND GETS A PRESENT!) Often a co-captain is enlisted to help
with these tasks and with communication with players on the
team.
How does league play go?
After all teams have been registered, a schedule of matches is
created. In the 2.5 league, a team match consists of three
individual matches, one of singles and two of doubles. All other
adult leagues play two levels of singles and three levels of
doubles. 2.5 men will play Monday nights. 2.5 women will play
Monday morning and/or Tuesday night. (Yes, you can play on a
morning team and a night team.) 3.0 men play Thursday night; 3.0
women play Friday morning and Thursday night; 3.5 men play
Wednesday night, 3.5 women play Wednesday morning and Tuesday
night; 4.0 men play Saturday morning, and 4.0 women play Friday
morning and Monday night.
What if my team wins the season?
Local winners at all NTRP levels advance to the District League
Championship Tournament, where they will compete against teams
all over the state.
HELP!
The MTA
staff members are ready, eager, and able to help you with all
aspects of league play. Donna Bailey is the Executive Director
of MTA and League Coordinator, and Susan Cooper is the Senior
Coordinator and Donna’s assistant. They can be reached at
477-1957. Other helpful people are the staff of JDS: Carl Hodge,
our Pro, Sarah Witherspoon, his assistant and Robin Bateman, the
center manager. Diane Hanberry owns the ‘Shoppe and Volley’ and
can help you with equipment and clothing. |
