Any tennis moms?

[Momling]

My 9 yr old daughter has been taking tennis lessons for a year now and is getting really good. Her coach suggested she sign up for some tournaments this summer... I don't know how to play tennis and I definitely don't know a thing about competitive tennis. Can somebody translate this entry information for me? " Entry Information: $33.00 per player for BG(18-12)s,FMLC, Challenger. $18.00 per player for BG(18-12)d,FMLC, Challenge"

What does that mean? What do we need to know to do this? I don't have a clue about what a tournament looks like or how it works... Help!

[Danestress]

It means that you would register her for singles for $33, and if she loses her first match, she would play in the back draw. FMLC means first match loser consolation. If she loses the back draw match she would be done.

 

They are also doing doubles - $18.

 

Looks like they don't have a 10 and under draw, so she would have to play in a 12 and under draw.

 

Is this a USTA tournament? Has anyone helped you figure out how to find the right level of tournament?

[lmrich]

Your coach should be able to help you figure this out. Tournaments are a great way to play opponents of equal ability which makes tennis more fun.

[Laura in STL]

Yes, has her coach helped you look through a USTA schedule for appropriate events? Does she play with the orange ball, green ball, or the regular yellow ball? In USTA 10 and under most tournaments now play with the orange ball(low compression so it bounces slower) and on a shorter 60' court. If she is used to a full court and yellow ball then you may want to skip 10s and go right into 12s. The green ball is a transitional ball that is used in some 12s tournaments. Also, tournament names are a clue to the level. Satellite/novice are beginner level, open is the next level, followed by challenger. Endorsers are a tougher tournament that can qualify players for the super in a district. You can also qualify by your point standing. Try to get a hard copy of the USTA schedule because it has all the abbreviations in the front. BG means both boys and girls divisions for the tournament. (18-12)s means 18 and under, 16 and under, 14 and under, and 12 and under singles. Same for doubles. Also, make sure she knows the rules and score keeping, because you cannot coach them during the matches(not sure about 10 and under-we never played those).

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Here's a link to the USTA website list of abbreviations.

http://tennislink.us...breviation.aspx

 

It's fairly comprehensive. What you need is at the beginning of the list.

 

Here is the link to the main USTA site: http://www.usta.com/

 

As far as playing the different junior divisions, many tournaments are listing those divisions like this:

 

Quick Start: E(10 (60'Court/Orange Ball) )s,RR; Quick Start: E(8 (36'Court/Red Ball) )s,RR; BG(10 (78'Court/Green Ball) )sd

 

It indicates court size and type of ball. The first division is for 10 and younger on a 60' court with the orange ball, singles only in a round robin style draw.

[Momling]

Yikes - I have some homework to do to get up to speed! She started with the QuickStart balls and was quickly moved up to the "rookies" and now "challengers" class. I don't know what that actually means in terms of level, but she definitely plays on a regular court with regular balls and older kids. I'll ask her coach more specifically which tournament to sign up for. I did register her for Usta membership (free for under 10's!) .

Thank