HOW TO USE THE TENNISLINK

ONLINE SANCTION PROCESS

Finding the website:

• Go to www.usta.com, or any of the section or district websites.
• Click on the Tournaments link on the side navigation bar
• Click on the Schedule Admin link on the side navigation bar

Logging in:

• Once you have been set up as a Tournament Director in the online system, use your USTA member number (or the non-member number that you have been assigned) as your login. Your number will also be your password the first time you login.
• You will be prompted, the first time, to set up a password that you choose. Please write it down and keep it in a safe place where others do not have access to it. Remember that each user should have their own unique USTA number to sign in with. Do not share your ID or password.
• After you log in, choose the sanction period that you wish to work on, such as 2002, for the group of tournaments already approved, or 2003 for sanctions that are incomplete, pending or approved.
• You will then be presented with a list of tournaments that have been associated with your login number. If you do not see a tournament that should be associated with you, email the linkteam@usta.com
• You can now choose to maintain an existing tournament or choose to create a new sanction by clicking on the New Sanction Form link on the side navigation bar.

Creating a new sanction form:

• Click on the New Sanction Form link
• Enter the Tournament name, the start date of the tournament, and the USTA number of the sanctioning organization. Continue
• Summary page is a snapshot of the information contained in the various pages that make up the complete sanction form. . You do not enter any data on this screen.
• Organization page is mostly auto-populated from the information contained in USTA membership database based on the USTA number of the organization requesting sanctioning the particular tournament. It is not editable, and a link to the Membership Department is provided if errors are detected in the database. Once it is corrected, the information associated with that USTA number will be fixed in all of the tournaments associated with it, automatically. This information appears on the Tournament Home Page. An overwrite option will be available if the site information needs to appear differently to the public on the Tournament Home Page. Fill in the court information for the numbers of courts that will be available for this tournament.
• Contacts page contains information about the Tournament Director, the organizer (if applicable, otherwise, leave blank), and the Referee. The TD information is auto-populated based on the login number of the TD. It is not editable, and a link to the Membership Department is provided if errors are detected. Once it is corrected, the information is fixed in all of the tournaments associated with that number. This information appears on the Tournament Home Page.
• Dates page defines the start and end date of the tournament, entry open and close dates and time of day that entries close, and draws posted date. For a new sanction request, it allows the requestor to specify 2^nd and 3^rd choices of start dates, in the event that the sanctioning body denies the original date. Enter the tournament start and end dates and the breaks/resumes dates, if applicable. Fill in the entry limits fields, as necessary. Also, specify an entry open and entry close date, as well as the time you wish the entries to close, or leave the defaults. These dates are strictly enforced in the online registration system. Enter a date that you intend to post the draws. All required fields are denoted with a red *.
• Entry Info Page describes the entry fees, the entry limits, and the entry method. There is a fee description text box, which is mainly for the use of the National, Section, and District administrators, and is used for the export to a yearbook publication of the schedule.
• There are 3 ways to define the entry fees:
• Flat fee=one flat fee regardless of the number of events/divisions entered
• First/Additional=A separate fee is charged for 1^st singles and additional singles, 1^st doubles and additional doubles
• By event=a different fee can be defined for different events (this requires set-up on the event definition page)

A mawimum fee to be charged (meaning, not to exceed) can be set for the 2^nd and 3^rd methods.

Entry limits can be defined, primarily for use by the online registration system. Online registration can restrict players from entering more than the specified number of events. If NTRP divisions are included in the tournament, the registration system will check the NTRP rating of the player and determine eligibility. You can also tell the system if junior players are allowed to enter NTRP events.

If you require that players enter as a doubles team, you can check that option.

If you do not wish for the list of applicants who have registered on line, to be visible from you tournament home page, you can turn off that feature by checking “Hide Applicant List.”.

The “Other” table allows you to trigger online registration, as well as determines if you will accept mail/phone in entries only, or a combination of the two. A message is displayed on the Tournament Home page accordingly.

Entry type allows you to choose the “type” of entry, and drives a corresponding message to appear on the Tournament Home Page. This for purposes of displaying a message, and for setting “rules” for online registration.

· Open=Entry is open to all USTA members

· Closed by section=Entry is restricted to only members from the hosting section

· Closed by district=Entry is restricted to only members from the hosting district

· Invitational=Entry is restricted by invitation only NOTE: The online registration system cannot validate entries for this entry type.

· Restricted=Entry is open to only eligible players. Consult your local section/district rules for entry to this tournament. If you entry this event and you are not eligible, refunds are at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

· There are also ways to use a selection process, which must be discussed and set up by the sanctioning administrator. In these cases, the credit card processing of the entrants is delayed until the selections are complete, thus eliminating the need for refunds to those not selected to play. They are:

o Selection from a pre-determined Star Companion Pro generated list

o Tournament Director selection=TD selects the players from the total list of applicants WITHIN 3 DAYS of the entry close date.

Additionally, emails are sent to the selected players and the alternates, accordingly, after the selections are complete.

• Events page defines the events/divisions that are to be held for the tournament. You can potentially set up 3 different levels (levels are defined by the area holding the event. Some may not apply to your area.). You must define at least 1 event group. The process must be completed for each group that you wish to define.
• Select a level if applicable
• Click on the 3-dot lookup button.
• Select the group of divisions that you wish to select from (juniors, adults, etc)
• Highlight the first division you are selecting and then click the arrow that is pointing toward the Selected Divisions window. The selected division will then show in the Selected Divisions Window. You can move multiple divisions by holding down the Shift key, and clicking on multiple divisions, then click the move arrow. You can de-select by highlighting the division, and using the reverse arrow. You can move all, by clicking the double arrow, or de-select by clicking the double reverse arrow.
• Select the draw type by clicking on the drop down, and clicking on the appropriate one.
• Specify draw limit, if applicable. It will apply to all selected divisions
• Specify surface, if desired. It will apply to all selected divisions
• Set a default fee. It will apply to all selected divisions

Click Continue. This screen allows you to define different attributes for each division. IF you chose to define fees by division, a fee column will appear that will allow you to assign a different fee for each division. If you do not wish to further define the attributes, Click Continue. This takes you back to the EVENTS page where you can continue to add an additional group.

· General page provides for an area in which you can add additional information about your tournament. You can add notes (up to 1000 characters), create a group of “canned” messages that you can use over and over, and add the “canned” messages to the tournament that you are currently working on. Messages are stored by your specific login. You can add your tournament website address, if applicable, and denote if you are a TMS user.

· Sanction fee page displays the sanction fee information, the sanction period, who is responsible for approving the sanction, and allows you to choose how you wish to pay the sanction fee. If you choose the online method, it allows you to input credit card information that ONLY THE PERSON INPUTTING THE INFORMATION has access to. An attempt to charge the card is not made until the sanction is approved. ONLY then does the tournament become part of the USTA Searchable Schedule.

· Click here to finish is located above the Sanction Fee tab.