HOWARD MAST “RAISE A RACQUET” DAY

SPONSORED BY THE SUFFOLK TENNIS ASSOICIATION AND THE SUFFOLK DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION

 

April 25, 2009 from 1pm-4pm

 

MISSION: To remember and honor the hard work that Howard Mast put into the tennis program in Suffolk, to encourage participation in tennis leagues, to honor the recipient of the Howard Mast Scholarship, to give instruction in doubles play and some fun tennis games for kids.                        

 

AGENDA FOR THE RAISING A RACQUET EVENT

1:10 pm Welcome: Explaining the agenda for the event

1:20 pm Doubles clinics & kids games                         

2:30 pm Break for refreshments, tell about Howard & Honoring the Scholarship Recipient

2:45 pm Explain League Play/Sign up for leagues

3:00 pm Match up by skill level to play doubles Play level Rating for the Leagues

 

The STA will provide the refreshments: Gator aids & bottled water & Fruit & Energy Bars. There will be a table for the STA to sign up people for the leagues and encourage play. The Rec. Department will tell of their lessons and the times that staff will be at the courts. [Alternate date in case of rain would be April 26, same times.

 

LEAGUE PLAY SPONSORED BY SUFFOLK TENNIS ASSOCIATION

Get in the Game!! E-mail us at SuffolkTennisLeagues@g-mail.com

We will contact you and get you in a league to play once a week

 

The purpose of creating “League Play” is to offer tennis players the opportunity to have a set time and place to play with other players of their similar skill levels on a weekly basis.

 

The Suffolk Tennis Association [STA] will be the main sponsor and co-coordinator of the leagues. By accumulating an e-mail list of local players, the STA will contact the participants and invite them to be part of the leagues. The STA will also use the Howard Mast/Raising a Racquet event to sign up participants. The local news papers will be sent news releases to explain the league play opportunity.

The proposed Raising a Racquet Leagues are as follows:

 

LADIES & MENS

Beginner-2.5

3.0 – 3.5

4.0

4.5

 

Leagues will be offered in the evening on week day nights, beginning the week of May 18th. Starting time will be 6:30 and each league will play till all participants have the opportunity to have played two sets.

Morning leagues will be offered for players who cannot make the evening scheduled times. The leagues will be hosted by the courts at the Mast courts, Suffolk Racket Club, NSA and Cedar Point Club.

 

PLAY FORMAT:

Each league will have a volunteer co-coordinator that will use e-mail to communicate with the players. The format will be doubles, with partners be pared up each time. With the purpose being to have tennis players have the opportunity to play with people of similar abilities, then each week will allow the participants to play with different partners. Each team will stay together for the evening playing two sets with “tie breakers” at 6 all and a 10 point tie breaker for the third set if they split sets. A set format of matching players into teams will be used. The players will take turns providing the balls.

 

Since the purpose is to promote play and have the tennis community get to know each other, then all participants are asked to sub-in after the first set, if there is an odd number or to hit singles until it is their turn to play. Some participants may want to play an extra set, which is encouraged.

 

The leagues are to be inclusive by nature and welcome new players. The idea number for a league is 14, knowing that there will always be one or two players that cannot come every week. As few as 8 players can make up a league. If substitutes are needed, they can be arranged by the Volunteer League Co-coordinator. Each player will be ask to e-mail the co-coordinator if they cannot come, so that he/she will have a good idea how many players are participating at their scheduled time.

 

For more information contact Harry Cross [434-9084] or e-mail us at SuffolkTennisLeague@gmail.com

 

Get into game, join a tennis league!!!