TENNIS E-News * WEEKEND  

*A South Carolina-registered service mark *

Friday, Nov. 19, 2010         Vol. IX,  No.151                          Winner of the South Carolina Media of the Year Award                                    Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

It's South Carolina Singles Team State Championships -- Another FIRST for South Carolina

Following all the doubles play, this weekend marks the first for Singles Team League State Championships. Check back throughout the weekend for updated results on the Hilton Head Island and Coastal Carolina teams. Results will jump to the website as they are posted on TennisLink. See today's story next.

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Weekend Action

     Win Some, Lose Some at USTA SC First Singles Team State Championship at Wild Dunes (and Sun City)

        HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Hilton Head Island's Singles Ladies andSwinging Singles and Coastal Carolina Hampton Lakers went to Wild Dunes and won today. Sun City guys stayed home and won. It was the start of action today in the inaugural USTA League South Carolina Singles State Championships that is being played in the same three-court format that the Super Senior doubles teams used in their State playoffs two weekends ago.

    HHI's Singles Ladies won 3-0 in the opening Adult 4.0 match on Isle of Palms. Meanwhile, the Senior 3.5 men stayed at home because only two teams entered, and Sun City won 2-1 over Spring Lake in that match. The Senior 3.5s will meet in a rematch Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. (revised time) at Spring Lake.

    Seven of the nine levels that are being contested at Wild Dunes are from Adult leagues from throughout the state, including of two Adult teams from HHI and one from Coastal Carolina and one Senior team from CCTA. 

Note: If you are searching for Singles States results on TennisLink, they are listed under "Other" toward the bottom of the long list of 2010 District Championships.

    Here are the schedules as posted on sctennis.com and TennisLink for HHI and CCTA teams.  

 (Key to abbreviations: AATL = Aiken Area; CCTA = Bluffton to Beaufort area; CTL = Columbia ; FTA = Foothills/Greenville; GATA = Greenwood ; GSTL = GrandStrand/Myrtle Beach; LATA = Lexington Area; LCTA = Lowcountry/CharlestonArea; MCTL = Mid-Carolina/York County/Rock Hill; PD = PeeDee/Florence; SATL = Spartanburg Area; UPTA = Upper Piedmont/Greenville)

Friday the 19th

Noon -- A2.5W -- CCTA/Palmetto Bluff 0, AATL/Houndslake 3

Noon -- A4.0W -- HHI/Singles Ladies 3, MCTA #2/Rock Hill Lady Gaga's 0

12:30 p.m. -- S3.5M -- HHI/Spring Lake 1, CCTA/Sun City 2 at Sun City Tennis Club, Bluffton

1:30 p.m. -- A3.5W -- HHI/SCYacht Swinging Singles 2, GSTL/Prestwick's Girls Got Game 1

3 p.m. -- S4.0M -- CCTA/Hampton Lakers 3, LATA/Crescent Stars 0

4 p.m. -- A4.0W -- HHI/Singles Ladies vs. GSTL #1/Mixed Ups

5:30 p.m. -- A2.5W -- CCTA/Palmetto Bluff vs. LATA/Quail Valley Volley Girls

Saturday the 20th

10:30 a.m. -- S3.5M -- HHI/Spring Lake vs. CCTA/Sun City at Spring Lake Racquet Club, HHI

11 a.m. -- A3.5W -- HHI/SCYacht Swinging Singles vs. AATL/North Augusta Aces

12:30 p.m. -- S4.0M -- CCTA/Hampton Lakers vs. GSTL/Larry's Team

1:30 p.m. -- A4.0W -- HHI/Singles Ladies vs. FTA/Brookstone

3:30 p.m. -- A3.5W -- HHI/SCYacht Swinging Singles vs. UPTA #2/Brookstone Serves & Curves

4 p.m. -- S4.0M -- CCTA/Hampton Lakers vs. LATA/Crescent Stars

Sunday the 21st

8 a.m. -- A2.5W -- CCTA/Palmetto Bluff vs. LCTA/Charleston Powergirls

9:30 a.m. -- A3.5W Semifinals -- TBD vs. TBD

9:30 a.m. -- A3.5W Semifinals -- TBD vs. TBD

9:30 a.m. -- A4.0W Semifinals -- TBD vs. TBD

9:30 a.m. -- A4.0W Semifinals -- TBD vs. TBD

TBA  -- S3.5M -- HHI/Spring Lake vs. CCTA/Sun City (if necessary) site TBA

Noon -- A2.5W -- CCTA/Palmetto Bluff vs. SATL/Spartanburg Athletic Club

12:30 p.m. -- S4.0M -- CCTA/Hampton Lakers vs. GSTL/Larry's Team

1:30 p.m. -- A3.5W Final -- TBD vs. TBD

1:30 p.m. -- A4.0W Final -- TBD vs. TBD

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Pre-registration Under Way

     USTA League Level Coordinators Set for 2011 Spring Season

        HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- That cloud forming to the North is the looming 2010 yearend ratings due in a week or so, but USTA League local coordinators are not sitting under an umbrella clicking their mouses (mice?) and waiting. Pre-registration of teams for the Spring league is under way for all Adult and Senior levels. Captains have to take a deep breath, hope another 90,000 players don't get upgraded like last year and email their team intentions now.

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for Super Senior Sectional Sites Dec. 3-5

    You are saving at least $200/person by having Southern Super Senior Sectionals on Hilton Head Island. Now it's time to volunteer for a couple of hours that weekend to assist at the host and satellite sites. You remember from SS States how nice it was at the sites with volunteers and how not so nice it was at sites that didn't. Champion or regular players can help by contacting volunteer coordinator Mary Ellen Arboe at tennisbeachbums@aol.com.

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The $1.5 Million Southern Sectionals Coming to HHI; Local Champs Saving a Bundle

Projecting figures compiled in an earlier USC-Beaufort financial impact study, the more than 1,000 players, spouses and fans coming for the Southern Section Super Senior League Championships next month will pack a $1.5 million pre-Christmas gift to HHI and area businesses in one weekend. Match that, thank you, with the similarly sized South Carolina Senior League Championships in May that will be returning in May. In the pockets of HHI area teams will be the $$$ NOT spent traveling to Mobile or Birmingham or Columbus to compete for the Southern titles. Hello, Chamber of Commerce, do you prefer a pink or blue ribbon on your member businesses' gift?

For details on the Southern Championships, see Ron Cioffi's story that follows. Ka-ching!!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

The $1.5 Million Tournament

  2010 USTA Southern Super Seniors Section Championships Teams to Compete on Hilton Head Island

        By Ron Cioffi

        Southern Tennis Association

           ATLANTA – Nov. 17, 2010 – An expanded field will compete in the 2010 USTA Southern Super Seniors Section Championships Dec. 3-5 in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

      This is the first year in the championships’ history 70s women will play at the 4.0 level and the men’s 4.0 70s have a 10-team competition. There are 71 teams entered in 60s (60 years and older) and 40 teams in the 70s (70 years and older) with about 925 players. The 60s teams will battle for the right to represent USTA Southern in the USTA League Super Seniors National Championships in Surprize, Ariz. April 14-17, 2011. There are no national championships for the 70s.

            The teams are scheduled to play 422 team matches consisting of 1,266 matches of doubles. Here are the levels that will be played: men’s and women’s 60s, levels 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5, men’s and women’s 70s, levels 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0. Ten levels will be decided in a championship match set for Dec. 5. Four levels will be decided by round-robin competition.

            This year’s event will draw the top teams from throughout the section’s nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The teams – which represent various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations – have finished at the top of their local leagues and advanced through state tournaments.

            Matches will be played at four sites: Van Der Meer Shipyard Racquet Club (main site), Palmetto Dunes Racquet Club, Port Royal Racquet Club, Sea Pines Country Club and South Beach Racquet Club.

            “Hilton Head Island is a fantastic resort destination and we look forward to a great tournament,” explained Tournament Director Holly Goddard. “The island provides great tennis facilities and hotels within 10 miles of each other, providing extraordinary convenience for our players. Additionally, there is a host of outstanding attractions for everyone to enjoy.”

            This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the USTA League. Established in 1980, it has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 625,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis program.

      The USTA League was established to provide adult recreational tennis players throughout the country with the opportunity to compete against players of similar ability levels.  Players participate on teams in a league format, which is administered by the USTA through its 17 sections.  The league groups players by using six NTRP levels, ranging from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced).  USTA League is open to any USTA member 19 years of age or older. It features Adult and Mixed Doubles divisions, as well as a Senior Division (age 50) and a Super Senior Division (age 60 and age 70).

            For more information about USTA League program or the USTA as a whole, visit www.usta.com.

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YEAR-END RATINGS MESSAGE FROM USTA and TENNIS-LINK: "The 2010 year-end rating calculation process is currently under way. It will include matches played from Nov. 2nd 2009 thru Oct. 31st 2010. The expected date of publication is November 29th 2010."

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