ANSWER....WHO MAY CALL A LET?

Who may call a LET?   Per USTA comment 23.4 ONLY an official or player may call a let.  A player may call a let only on the player’s court.  

So why does a LET call cause so many issues on the court?  Consider following this rule:  Promptly make ALL calls, including let calls.  This eliminates the “two chances to win the point” option that some players practice.  To illustrate, a player is advancing to the net for an easy put away and sees a ball from an adjoining court rolling toward the court.  The player continues to advance and hits the shot, only to have the supposed easy put away fly over the baseline.  The player then claims a LET.  The claim is not valid because the player forfeited the right to call a let by choosing instead to play the ball.  The player took a chance to win or lose the point and is not entitled to a second chance.   

In reverse, if I see a ball rolling onto my court and my opponent has a probable put away shot on a high floater, I try to call LET promptly.  However if the put away shot was very close in time to my LET call, I will award the point to my opponent if their put away shot was good.  If their put away shot was out, we replay the point, assuming my LET call interfered with my opponents ability to hit the shot. This helps to eliminate issues and keep peace in the valley  and friends.

What if a ball falls out of my pocket or my hat falls off or blows off while a ball is in play?  Can I call a let?
Per USTA Comment 26.2  NO, nothing a player does entitles that player to call a let.  For example, a player is not entitled to a let because the player breaks a string, the player’s hat falls or blows off, or a ball falls out of the player’s pocket.  Your opponents may call a let if they choose as a result of these incidents, but if they do not immediately call it, play continues to its natural end.

May the receiver claim a let if the server loses control and grip of the racket and it lands during the service in the server’s court?  Per USTA Comment 22.1….NO such an occurrence is not sufficiently unusual to justify a let.

These are only 3 incidents as describe in the Friend At Court…there are MANY others.  If you’d like to review the LET rules in their entirety, I'd encourage you to purchase a rule book of your own.  You’ll find a good many rules that you thought you knew only to find out perhaps you don’t know them as well as you may think.  Officials are no different in this regard.  The rule book is 290+ pages long, which is difficult to keep them all straight, even for those of us that read the book each year for officiating certification.

If you have questions about this or other rules, this is the forum for them ladies….ask away.

WINNERS of The BEARY Sun-brrrr..nd Tournament

 Congratulations to all our winners!  Everyone survived the heat and had a fun weekend of tennis!

Women's 3.0 Doubles;  Garcia/Vazquez
Women's 3.5 Doubles;  Bianchi/Dill
Women's 4.0 Doubles:  Myrick/Nitardy
Women's 4.5 Doubles:  Byrne/Flynn
Mixed 3.5 Doubles:      Herren/Ridlehuber
Mixed 4.0 Doubles:      Dahlstrom/Hale
Men's 3.5 Doubles:       Kizer/Lewis
Men's 4.0 Doubles:       Portnoy/Willman
Men's 4.5 Doubles:       Frick/Vicalis

WHAT IS THE REAL RULE?

It's soon to be that time of year when WTTA begins and our Fall USTA leagues run simultaneously.  With that, I thought a new section might be of interest to our fellow womens10s bloggers.  It will be entitled..WHAT IS THE REAL RULE? 

So, WHAT IS THE REAL RULE....begins with this one subject that creates a host of issues on court even for the most veteran of players and officials.  WHO MAY CALL A LET?  When should you call a let?  If my hat falls off or a ball falls out of my pocket, may I and/or my opponent call a let for this happening during play?  What if my racket flies out of my hand and falls onto the court....let?

Seem simple?  Well it's really not, which is why we'll begin with LETS?  For a while, I'll post the answers per the 2011 Friend At Court the next day or soon after, while also posting a NEW rules question for you to ponder.  Look for the picture above for future posts for USTA rules. 

So...WHO MAY CALL A LET?  Do you know?  Can anyone call a let?  Can players on the court next to you call a let because of a stray ball they see, but perhaps you do not?  There are numerous rules on lets...so we'll start here.  What say you womens10s players of Greater Austin? 

BEARY Sun-brrr..'nd Nothing but Doubles tourney STARTS at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow....

The time is near for FIRST SERVE of the Beary Sun-brrr'nd tournament.  Players need to hydrate well and get prepared for some hot fun in the hot sun. 

Format for the tournament is already shortened due to the heat and the number of matches you will play.  Remember you are  "GUARANTEED 3" and you'll possibly play more if you keep on winning.  Don't try to understand the draws, except for the EAST draw.  It's the only prize-winning draw for those that continue to WIN!  There are 7 different consolation draws that you can move to depending on if/when you have your loss(es).  Remember to check in at the tourney desk to BE SURE your tournament experience is over....it does eventually end for everyone and a nice cold beer awaits you at the Courtyard Bar for a minimal charge!  We've defaulted ladies on Sunday for failure to show up when they'd already played 3...remember there may be more in store for you too!  

Consolation matches are for FUN so if you get to feeling dizzy, lightheaded, chilled etc. you are  likely overheated.  It's PAST TIME TO STOP!  Just because you retire one match, does not mean you can't play more....This tourney is very player friendly.

See you tomorrow!!!!

BEARY SUN-BRRR...'ND TOURNEY DEADLINE TONIGHT

Deadline is tonight ladies...REGISTER HERE

DAVIS CUP TICKETS FOR SALE...

If you are looking for tickets to Davis Cup, I've been notified that Stephanie Arena at USTA Texas has access to some for sale.  You'll want to contact Stephanie directly by email at sarena@texas.usta.com;

RAFA LOSS TAKEN HARD BY FEMALE FAN AND BLOG AUTHOR

In all seriousness, Djokovic absolutely earned every ounce of this Championship.  He was on FIRE in the first two sets.  It's one thing when you beat yourself, but it's quite another when you just flat get BEAT.  You have to RESPECT that!  Kudos to Novak.

NEW WIMBLEDON CHAMPION, PETRA KVITOVA

WE HAVE A NEW WIMBLEDON CHAMPION....Petra Kvitova WINS her first major against former 2004 Wimbledon Champion, Maria Sharapova in a straight set win.  Kind of reminds me of the day when Sharapova beat Serena Williams some 7 years ago.  Those "OVAS" certainly show great mental toughness...she didn't appear nervous at all.  Nor did she show great bounds of emotion when she won. 

Maria Sharapova in fine fist pumping fashion!

These sweet little Bryan Brothers...they sure know how to play great doubles and win once again.  It was even televised on center court today at Wimbledon. The Bryan Brothers are now tied with Woodforde and Woodbridge for the most Grand Slam doubles titles...11 and still counting...WE HOPE!

Novak looking to beat RAFA tomorrow and secure his 1st Wimbledon title...Well he can have the #1 spot, but I'm hoping and cheering for a RAFA victory again tomorrow...I had a real skimpy pic of Novak modeling a black speedo, but chickened out posting it.  However, I can be persuaded ladies :-)

RAFA, My RAFA!  He's SO CUTE. Such a gentle and humble young man who fights for every point until the last ball is struck...I hope he wins the last point tomorrow!!!!!  But even I know he can't walk on water...

BEARY Sun-brrr..'nd Nothing but Doubles tourney coming SOON

It's nearing July and along with other July traditions, the fun Beary Sun-brrr...'nd nothing but doubles tourney is back.  Players are GUARANTEED 3 doubles matches and in larger draws like 3.5 and 4.0, players have played as many as 5-6.  Because you play so many rounds, all your friends are there on site the entire weekend for lots of good camaraderie, fun, fellowship, a little beer maybe and cheering on your favorites.  The entry fee, while a bit higher than the tournament "norm", breaks down to more tennis for your money due to the higher number of matches you are guaranteed to play.  Anyway, we hope you'll REGISTER.  It's a great time.  Matches will be played at Courtyard and another site, yet to be determined.  Deadline to register is July 13th. 

What's happening tennis-wise these days...

•  Lovin that Wimbledon TV coverage...missed having it on TV today...
• 10sPortal.com Open ended today at Polo Tennis and Fitness Club
• WINNERS:  Anders Eriksson Men's Open Singles;  Anders and Emilien Men's Open Dubs;  On a side note, Anders beat several young guns (college-aged) rather definitively in all rounds.  QUITE impressive play by one of our best pros in town.
• WINNERS: Aussel Kussainova W3.0S 
• WINNERS: Andrea Swanson W3.5S
• WINNERS: Ronnica Matousek and Loretta Charlton  W3.5D
• WINNERS: Jennifer Grubbs and Kathie Meyering W4.0D
• Courtyard's Hotter than Heck tournament is coming soon...July 1-3rd;  Ron Guse has been working diligently on the draws :-)
• Wild cards for Sectionals are due out in the next week to 10 days
• Debate over optional playoffs have been a topic of much discussion since last weekend.  Here's your opportunity to speak freely about what'you liked and didn't like
• Mid-season ratings due out July 15th...will you get a BUMP?
• Beary Sun-brrr..'nd Nothing but Doubles tournament July 22-24;  Deadline is July 10th
• 40+ league is in full swing
• Summer Doubles is named correctly...it's definitely SUMMER outside!  
• Davis Cup is coming...can you say RAFA, RAFA, RAFA

 

• Or would you rather say Roddick, Roddick, Roddick...
• Hope you're having a great summer with a lot of fun tennis mixed in!
• Until next time, this is ZOO girl signing off noting there are only 39 days until the 2011 Boys' 16s-18s National Hard Court Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan.....I can hardly wait
  
  
  

FRAN LEFKOWITZ TEAM SMASH HITS WIN SENIOR MIXED SECTIONALS...

Congratulations go out to Fran Lefkowitz and her Senior Mixed Team for winning Sectionals.  They now have their sites on a National Championship win!  From looking at the FINAL scores of the FINAL round at Sectionals in Corpus Christi, it appeared to be a real nail biter.  Fran Lefkowitz and her partner Jeffrey Scott Morgan won the final and deciding match with a 7-6; 7-6 win over their opponents at Line 3.  What an exciting way to advance to Nationals.  Congratulations to the entire team...it takes everyone to do their part to WIN!  Best of luck at securing the coveted National Title....

LADIES LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

3.0 WINNERS - KICKIN' ACES, CAPTAIN:  MELANIE LUDICK

                         
3.5 WINNERS:  TIGHTLY STRUNG, CAPTAIN SUSAN PYLE

 
4.0 WINNERS:  ROCKIN' RACQUETS,
ACTING CAPTAIN BECKY NUSS

Playoffs were completed this past Saturday, a sunny and toasty June day in the Texas sun.  You could feel all the nervous energy in the air prior to the start of our 9:00 a.m. matches.  Highlights of the day:

• Great tennis on all courts
• One of only three ladies bathroom stalls out-of-order again
• Several with severe leg cramps
• Jugs were full of water, pickle juice and gatorade and players were drinking it willingly
• Only two necessary retirements due to heat
  
• One ambulance visit with NO trip to the ER thankfully.  We're pleased to hear she's doing very well now
  

After a fun but hot day filled with highly competitive tennis, we did have victors emerge.  There were lots of good matches played.  Great day of tennis.  Congratulations to all our winners and best of luck to you at Sectionals.  It will be MUCH hotter in August so everyone be sure to HYDRATE VERY WELL!

AND THEN THERE WERE 3....

And then there were 3 teams....First serve at our Ladies Championship playoff for 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 begin this Saturday, June 4th at 9:00 a.m. at UT Whitaker courts.  Players may warm up at 8:00 a.m. if desired, but will need to conclude warm-up and report to the Tournament Desk no later than 8:45 a.m. for a brief coordinator fellowship with yours truly, ZOO GIRL.

WARM UP COURTS AT UT WHITAKER HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED FOR YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL; 
                                               3.0 WOMEN - COURTS 11-20
                                               3.5 WOMEN - COURTS 31-40
                                               4.0 WOMEN - COURTS 21-30

THESE WILL BE THE SAME COURTS WHERE YOUR TEAM WILL PLAY YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES FOR THE DAY!  In an effort to keep the playoffs on schedule, following are the........................................RULES OF THE DAY:

1. All Players Clear Courts 8:43 and report to Tournament Desk by 8:45
2. Match Play MUST begin no later than 9:15 am  allowing players for a 10-minute warm-up
3. One hour will be allowed between matches for those teams playing at back to back times, ie 9:00 a.m. match and 12:00 p.m. match
4. Make sure your TEAM brings PLENTY of food, drinks (water, water, water), ICE, ICE CHESTS, Mom, Dad, spouses, friends, and significant others, to cheer for your TEAM when they've done GOOD.
5. Absolutely NO COACHING ALLOWED.  You can say great serve or good shot, but you cannot say hustle up, get to the net, or way to hit to their backhand...You get the point. 
6. Clif Bars and Bananas will be provided compliments of CATA
7. Most importantly............HAVE FUN!

Should be some really good tennis to watch, so I hope you will bring your lawn chairs, favorite beverage (non-alcoholic please) and snacks and sit court-side watching the TOP 3 teams slug it out for the ever coveted bid to Sectionals.  We hope to see you there....For those that are playing in the playoffs, remember to start hydrating BEFORE match day.  It will help you deal with the heat much better. Good luck to ALL the playoff teams.  May the BEST TEAMS WIN and REPRESENT AUSTIN PROUDLY AT SECTIONALS!

10sPortal.com has A NEW TOURNAMENT IN TOWN....

  HEAD OVER HEALS FOR TENNIS?

Then you'll want to consider playing this 10sPortal.com tournament...prize money for THE WINNERS in all divisions (registration money refunded).  Tournament dates are June 24-26th with Headquarters at Polo Club Tennis & Fitness...there's word of a GREAT tournament party on Saturday so you'll want to be a part of this first annual event, put on by 10sPortal.com.  Click here to register:  10sPortal.com Tennis Tourney Registration  
We hope you'll plan to join in the fun!  Zoo Girl will be serving as your tournament director for this fun time!

ROCKIN' RACQUETS WIN LADIES 4.0 WEEKEND LEAGUE....

With the completion of weekend competition at the Ladies 4.0 level, Rockin' Racquets is definitely "rockin".  After playing 11 matches and winning all 11, Rockin' Racquets, captained by Camden Bobek and co-captain Becky Nuss, advance to the local league Championship playoff and will take on the North and South weekday league winners, Polo Partners (South/Alecia Ragan captain) and Tennacious (North/Martha Ware captain).  A ROAD TRIP to Sectionals is the coveted prize awarded to the playoff victor.  Local League Championship Playoff is June 4th with matches scheduled for 9 a.m., noon, and 3:00 p.m. (schedules coming soon).  June 11th is the scheduled "rain date" if needed.  Good luck to these winning teams!

2011 SECTIONALS: 

August 5-7, 2011: 2.5-3.5 & Lonestar - Dallas, TX

The 2.5-3.5 & Lonestar Sectionals- August 5th - 7th in North Dallas.The main hotel is The Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel 900 East Lookout Drive Richardson, TX. 75082Reservations number is 1-800-264-0359 and the room rate is $79.00.The back up hotel is Hyatt Regency North Dallas701 East Campbell Road Richardson, TX. 75081Reservations number is 866-593-6300 and the room rate is $85.00.

August 12-14, 2011: 4.0-5.5, Open - Dallas, TX

The 4.0 & Up Sectionals-August 12th - 14th in Dallas The main hotel is The Marriott Dallas/Addison Quorum by the Galleria14901 Dallas Parkway Dallas, TX. 75254 Reservations number is 972-661-2800 and the room rate is $82.00.The back up hotel is The Omni Hotel Park West 1590 LBJ Freeway Dallas, TX. 75234. Reservations number is 1-800-THE-OMNI and the room rate is $89.00. 

2011 WOMEN'S LITTLE STATE: August 12-14, 2011, Corpus Christi, TX - Gerry Maingot Contact, roddy4@aol.com .  Also check out www.texaslittlestate.com.

2011 MEN'S LITTLE STATE: August 12-14, 2011, Montgovery, TX - Mike Doty Contact, mdoty@bentwaterclub.com .

IT'S ALL OVER BUT THE CRYIN' GIRLS :-)

We're nearing the completion of our Spring USTA Weekday league season and many of us are weeping wildly into our crying towels. :-)  Everyone put up a good fight this spring, but there are clear winners for the North and South 4.0 leagues.   This spring's winner for the 4.0 Weekday North is Tennacious, captained by Martha Ware;  Winner for 4.0 Weekday South is Polo Partners, captained by Alecia Ragan;   These two teams will play a Round Robin Playoff format along with the winner of the Weekend 4.0 League (TBD but it looks like Rockin' Racquets may have it sewed up).  The Championship Playoff is scheduled at UT Whitaker for June 4th, Rain Date is June 11th. Match times are 9:00 a.m., Noon, and 3:00 p.m. Winner advances to Dallas Sectionals August 12-14, 2011 for 4.0 women.  Little State in Corpus, TX will be August 12-14th for 2nd and 3rd place Championships playoff finishers.  Should be some GREAT tennis so come out and cheer on your favorite team to advance to SECTIONALS!  Good luck to our winning teams.  Do us Austinites proud! For more playoff information, click here:  Playoff information

ATTENTION to all WTTA tennis players:  Due to large league growth, WTTA teams will be fully split into North and South Geographic regions starting with the fall 2011 season.  It is anticipated that the league will be starting play one week earlier for most flights so we can end our season by the end of November. 

Because of this, we are "volleying" around the idea to host a WTTA end of season Championship match for all flights.  For example, flight 1 North Champions (Sandy Arico's Cimarron's Tennis Express) would play against the flight 1 South Champions (Dorie Gordon's Grand Slammers), the 2nd place team in the North would play against the 2nd placed team in the South etc....  We'd do the same for all the placed teams within each flight.  Let me know if you like the idea and if you think that your team would choose to participate.Here are some issues that need to be squared away by Susan Cippele and the WTTA board.

• Would you want an event give-a-way WTTA shirt?
• Would you prefer a TEAM entry fee or individual entry fee?
• Would your team be willing to provide balls?  If you provide balls, entry fee would be a bit lower.
• Would your team likely participate?  You'd have to have 8 players for your team.
• Subs on your sub-list could be used to fill out your team of 8.
• What do we do if only 6 on a team wish to participate and you have no available subs?
• We would likely have to do it over a 3-day period due to the number of courts required.  Days of week would be Mon., Tues., Wed., to not interfere with USTA league play.  Courts would be difficult to come by on Thursday's and Friday's.
• What do you think is a reasonable entry fee for this.  Bear in mind there are embedded costs such as additional court fees, balls if provided by WTTA, food and beverages, t-shirts, TD and site folks to help run the sites, awards if we opt to go with that for the Championship match in each flight. 

Let me hear from you if you have some good suggestions or feedback.  The WTTA board wants to host this event FOR YOU so send along your thoughts.  I think it would be great to gather everyone together from a particular flight, enjoy some good tennis, fellowship with our North/South compadres that we don't get to see and/or play with the new flight splits.  Sound like FUN?

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBUNNY....

This post is wishing you blessings at Easter and always.  Have a great Good Friday and Easter weekend.  If you're playing tennis in Houston at what many of us still call The COKE, good luck bringing home the hardware :-)

 

Westwood Country Club's Senior Category II Championships deadline is fast approaching so be sure to REGISTER ONLINE no later than the May 16th deadline.  Tournament ID number is 800036511 and tournament start/end dates are May 26th-May 30th;  

CLICK here to:  REGISTER ONLINE.   

Should be a fun way to start your summer of tennis!

BAYLOR MEN'S TENNIS COACH SUSPENDED

April 12, 2011
IRVING, Texas - Big 12 Conference commissioner Dan Beebe announced today the suspension of Baylor men's tennis coach Matt Knoll from the Bears' April 15 match vs. Oklahoma for violation of the Conference's Sportsmanship Policy. During Baylor's April 6 match at Texas, Knoll directed a vulgar comment toward an opposing player, and then initially denied his actions to university and Conference officials."Coach Knoll's conduct toward an opposing student-athlete, along with his initial denial about the matter, are inexcusable and will not be tolerated," said Beebe. "The suspension would have been for more matches if Coach Knoll had not admitted his mistake and expressed remorse for his conduct. I appreciate the cooperation by Ian McCaw, director of athletics, and others at the institution in addressing this matter, and Baylor's continued commitment to follow Conference rules."

ZOO GIRL'S commentary:  Seems like there is no love lost between Coach Knoll (pictured above) and UT's colorful line one singles player, Kellen Damico.  Confirmed by numerous sources, Coach Knoll dropped the F bomb and it was directed to Kellen Damico at the line one singles matches conclusion.   Good sportsmanship in tennis can sometimes go by the wayside, no matter the level.

COMMENTS ON SINGLES FIRST, THEN DOUBLES

I think singles should be played before doubles, absolutely.  It's insane, and frankly dangerous, that singles is played in the hottest part of the day down here.  I moved here from Houston in 1994, and in the Houston leagues I played in all singles were played first, with doubles following.  I would strongly support an effort to change this approach for Austin tennis.  Thank you!

WOMENS10S BLOG WANTS TO BRANCH OUT

Calling ALL 2.5 players and up...This WOMENS10S blog is FOR ALL tennis playing women at ALL levels.  Because your blog author (ZOO Girl) plays 4.0 tennis, my tennis circle of friends mostly (not all) centers around my knowledge of 4.0 ladies tennis, and that is predominately weekday.  ANYONE who knows  ANY player that would like to be included in my distribution list I'd welcome their information.  Better yet, I'd LOVE IT if they'd like to send me some information about their team, opponents, standings, anything they'd like to share on this blog within THEIR circle of friends. ALL postings can be made TOTALLY ANONYMOUS.  I don't have anyway of knowing who sends me information, unless you send me something in personal email.  If you do that and you'd like something posted to the blog anonymously, I can do that for you too.  However, at that point, I'd know who sent it obviously.   You can reach ZOO Girl at Vickietennisnut@austin.rr.com or by calling me on my cell (512) 922-7220.  My goal is to make this blog site fun, to show various and sometimes controversial viewpoints (life is full of these),  be informative (remember DAVIS CUP info), and interactive with all tennis-playing women.  I hope you'll try participating. 

CAT FIGHTS ARE OVER....

 Well, it's all over girls.  The cat fight is over and while my "Wilco Cats" put up a great and mighty fight, the bigger CATS from Courtyard took home the coveted WIN.  Congratulations to a great Courtyard team.  Lines 1 and 2 dubs went to a third set tie-break and we had a great singles match with Melissa McAdams gnashing and gnawing out points with Sarah Rooney.  Sarah took the win in a third set tie-break.  Not bad for a 3.5 player or NOT Melissa:-)  Sarah is a very strong 4.0 player and I know Melissa will be there very soon!  The Wilco Breakers took home 1 singles line win with Monee Michna  over a very tough Melinda Floyd.  It was great fun and very sportsmanlike by all who attended, spectated and/or played.  I'm not sure what this does to the standings overall until we see results from other 4.0 teams today...but it ain't over just yet ladies...There's always tomorrow :0)  Tennacious is captained by  Martha Ware, and the Wilco Breakers, are captained by Sandi Corey.  GREAT tennis had by all and we thank our captains for their hard work and stress we put them through!
   Good luck to ALL TEAMS with the rest of their 2011 Spring Season.  The North flighted team     to advance to the local league Championship playoff and possibly to sectionals even with today's results is still up for grabs! 

                   Polo Club vs. Lakeway Closers played  today and both teams were undefeated going into today's dual.  The victor from the South flighted team is Polo Club, also by 4 to 1, captained by Alecia Ragan over The Lakeway Closers captained by Jennifer Jorgenson.....it was a tight match there too, but the Polo Partners edged out the Closers....for today. Remember, it ain't over 'til it's over.  


You can check out all of today's results by going to the USTA Texas website.

WTTA TODAY...COURTYARD SMASH VS. WILCO RALLY GALS

Well, we started out with one of our lines being defaulted due to illness, (get well soon Connie).  My remaining teammates fought the infamous WILCO wind, Delette Sokolosky's down the line shot, and Ellen Vento's lefty serve.  Courtyard Smash managed to pull out 3 lines with a W today.  The Rally Gals, captained by my friend Carol Bagaline, are one of the three tough Wilco teams playing WTTA flight one this season.   FUN tennis with great friends and great players.  The other two Wilco teams showed up at 11:00-ish to play against each other for their 11:30 scheduled match time.  Good luck to you guys!  

 

DAVIS CUP TICKETS....DID YOU GET THEM?

Boy, the tickets went FAST!  Did you get some?

THERE'S A BIG CAT FIGHT BREWING....

Woo hoo...now that Berry Creek got beat today by Danger Zone (thank you Barbara McGary)  it's anyone's ball game in the Women's 4.0 Adult Weekday League.  There's a cat fight in the making for next Friday at The Courtyard when many of my good tennis friends on the Tennacious team play host to the only undefeated team this season, my very own team, THE Wilco Breakers.  Should be a good cat fight with lots of clawing and gnashing of teeth for point, game, set, match.  I can hardly wait for all the fun in the sun :-) Let the count down begin....7 days to DUAL.

NEW SECTION: ISSUES ON THE COURT

Do you have issues that arise on your court that cause you to have a short fuse?  There are a few that I hear about routinely that many of us share.  Feel free to add to the list by sending me an anonymous post (I won't even know who sent it to me in email, I promise).  OK, here's the initial list...

• Continuous bad line calls on "critical" points (ad out, game points, set points).
• WIND with missing or NO wind screens?
• Opponents who take too much time between points
• Opponents who take too much time during changeovers
• Opponents who warm up to WIN, instead of participating in a "cooperative" warm-up
• Opponents who warm-up with their team, then warm up with you (their opponent) and THEN have to go to the bathroom before the match starts, having wasted 30 minutes
• Opponents who call a let just after you've struck a winner and you get into a cat fight about whether to replay the point or award the point to the team that struck the winner
•  Opponents loudly CHEERING from the sidelines when you make a mistake and not for a good point or shot
•  The majorly rude opponent who tells her partner loud enough for your to hear not to be concerned for your safety when they've struck an overhead smash and it hits you?...This one REALLY happened at a FAR NORTH site within the last few weeks 
• Team captains that refuse your team to play a line on a court beside them (team had a late match), when they had a match there from their own team earlier in the morning

Let me know if you have others that I might post...sometimes we all need a little sensitivity training.

WILCO CONTACT PERSON & EMAIL ADDRESS

NEW UPDATE since publishing the information below:    Ellery McLanahan is the Tennis Center Manager and would also like the opportunity to correct these issues BEFORE we send along our complaints to the county.  I told Ellery that I would put his email info on this blog so you can start addressing your complaints with him.  He asks that you email him before Bbonner@wilco.org and give him a chance to rectify the problem.

Ellery's email address is:  mclanahan@usptapro.com;

If you have any complaints or suggestions for improvement for the WILCO courts in Round Rock, TX, please email Benita Bonner at BBonner@wilco.org;  She wants our feedback.  If you find the facility in need or repairs, if the bathrooms need cleaning, if wind screens are missing or flapping in the air, if no ice is available for potential injuries, etc...please give her a quick shout via email.  They can't fix what they don't know about.

I recently submitted a letter of complaint regarding the following:

• Missing Wind Screens (courts are EXTREMELY windy at WILCO)
• Restrooms are in need of attention
• No water or gatorade available for purchase
• No snacks on site for purchase
• No one available by phone most of the time

I did hear back from Benita, but the only immediate fix mentioned was bathrooms being attended to.

If Benita does not hear from us, none of the above will ever get corrected.  Remember the squeaking wheel gets the oil...

Email address again is:  BBonner@wilco.org;

NEW UPDATE ON DAVIS CUP TICKETS

Current schedule for play:  Friday, July 8 (2 singles matches)
                                        Saturday, July 9 (1 Doubles match)
                                        Sunday, July 10 (2 reverse singles matches)

Tickets Sales per USTA Membership:  Tickets for USTA members will go on sale Tuesday, April 5th at 10:00 a.m. CST) and will continue until 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday, April 6th.  Tickets are available on a first come/first serve basis.  8 tickets per order.  USE member passcode for pre-sales:  daviscup11.  You must also have your membership number.  Tickets can be purchased online at Texasboxoffice.com or by calling one of these two numbers:  512 447-6060;  or 1 800 982-2386.   Some tickets will be available at "selected HEB stores" (what stores is not known at this time). 

Special note to USTA Members: USTA Members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to the upcoming Davis Cup tie through a special Member Only Pre-Sale event**. Current USTA Members will receive information about the pre-sale via e-mail and are encouraged to contact Member Services at 1-800-990-USTA (8782) to confirm they have a current e-mail address on file.
Not a USTA Member? Become one today by calling 1-800-990-USTA (8782) and be eligible to participate in the Member Pre-Sale.

Ok, there it is blogger friends. Good luck and we'll hope to see ALL of you at the 2011 Austin Davis Cup tie!

Fun WTTA Tennis on Thursday....

 

Ok, so my WTTA Team, played a fun Wilco team on Thursday of this week.  I smashed a ball at my opponents feet as hard as I've EVER hit a ball ever so proud of my winner to put us at deuce instead of game and set.  This sweet  little darlin' of an opponent (yes she's cute and little, which only made it worse); anyway this sweet darlin' sticks her racket out, hits the ball AND not only gets it back, but hits an outright WINNER for the 2nd SET.  Normally a few choice expletives might have come flowing spontaneously out of my mouth, like a backfiring combustion engine....It was such a nice shot though that all my partner and I could do was stand jaw-dropped in absolute SHOCK & AWE.  She has to have the absolute BEST hands I've ever witnessed on a tennis court.  Let's see if you can guess who that might have been...Check out the poll to the right and offer your votes!  If none of those names fit your on-court experiences, you can always post a comment of someone equally as stellar on the court....I'll later inform all my fellow bloggers who this little darlin' is and how to best avoid her on a court :-)