8/7/2008 12:15:00 AM
STONINGTON, Conn. - Stonington High School girls' tennis coach George Crouse was named one of 12 finalists this week for the 2008 United States Tennis Association Starfish Award.
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| George Crouse |
The Starfish Award, which honors high school tennis coaches who implement a "no-cut" policy for their teams, will be honored at the 38th annual USTA Tennis Teachers' Conference in New York, Aug. 25.
"We are extremely proud of what George has accomplished not only because his team has been a model for competitive, championship-caliber high school programs, but because of his ability to combine success with opportunity," said Deirdre McCormack, USTA New England's Director of Community Tennis. "For every champion player Stonington produces, there are dozens more lifelong tennis players whom, if cuts had to have been made, may not have had the chance to experience a sport that they'll continue to enjoy for a long time."
Crouse was also honored in May as the Connecticut High School Coaches' Association girls' tennis coach of the year. He has coached either the boys' or girls' tennis teams at Stonington since 1973 and is 324-95 with the girls' team, which has been to three straight Class S state championship matches.
Reasons why the combo league is popular?
ü Combined ratings allow friends to play together.
ü .05 rating difference provides compatible play.
ü Helps teams form if there aren’t enough players at one NTRP level.
ü Encourages outdoor play during the summer
ü Players meet new friends, stay fit and have fun.
ü Current USTA league players, this will not effect your dynamic rating!
2009 Summer Season:
Ø The league season is 8 weeks long, late Sunday afternoons, from July 12 through August 23
Ø August 29 & 30, South Kingstown Parks & Recreation will host a play off with refreshments and trophies
Ø Match schedules are determined by the individual local league coordinator, Sandy Sweet combo@ustari.org
Ø Teams are forming now, registration to add your own team for this league ends JUNE 26. However, individual player registration will be ongoing throughout the season!
Eligibility:
Ø Players must be USTA members (refer to benefit plan on www.usta.com )
Ø Players must be 19 years or older
Ø Players must register on TennisLink before playing a match
Ø Players may use a computer NTRP rating or self rate using the on line TennisLink process
Cost:
Ø League registration fee of $20 per player
Ø Court fees will be the responsibility of the Home/Hosting team.
Ø 3 New cans of tennis ball will be the responsibility of the Home/Hosting team per match.
Levels of play:
Men’s 6.5 & 7.5 and Women’s 5.5 & 7.5
Ø Maximum NTRP rating difference allowed at each level of play is .05
Ø The combined rating cannot be greater than the level of play
Ø Teams are single gender (not mixed)
Example: double combinations.
Singles players can be either 2.5 or 3.0
| 5.5 |
2.5 + 2.5 |
| NTRP level |
2.5 + 3.0 |
Example: double combinations. Singles players can be either 3.5 or 4.0
| 7.5 |
3.5 + 3.5 |
| NTRP level |
3.5 + 4.0 |
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3.0 + 4.0 or 3.0 + 3.5 |
Match format:
Ø Match format is 1 singles and 2 doubles (1D, 2D) positions
Ø Matches are best 2 out of 3 sets with a match tie break (1st to 10 by 2) in lieu of a 3rd set. At 6-6 in any set a set tie break (1st to 7 by 2) is played. Ad scoring.
Ø Matches will be allotted 2 hours to complete the match
Ø Matches are played outdoors
Team formation:
Ø The minimum number of players on a team roster is 5, but to avoid defaults a roster may have 8-10 players registered.
Ø The league coordinator will assist players in forming teams based on geographic area.
Welcome 
