Pleasant Hill Tennis Club Pleasant Hill, California
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USTA Leagues
Overview. The Northern California Section of the USTA, better known as NORCAL sponsors many "leagues" that provide the opportunity to join other members of your club in competing against teams from other clubs. League winners qualify to go "upward and onward" in playoffs that, depending on the league, may include the opportunity to play for a national championship. A typical league competition will consist of three doubles matches or three doubles matches plus two singles matches. Each league has participant requirements with respect to sex, age, and USTA rating. Different types of leagues play at different times of the year. Click here for an Adobe Acrobat copy of the 2008 schedule. The Pleasant Hill Tennis Club primarily participates in leagues for USTA players with "NTRP" ratings of 3.0 and 3.5. (A reference to a "6.0" or "7.0" team indicates the combined ratings of both players in a doubles match cannot exceed that number.) Click here for a copy of USTA rating chart. The relevant ratings are those in the NTRP column. Players initially acquire a rating by choosing a rating when registering for a USTA team. Players should consult with an experienced club member before doing this. If a rating is too high, the player will not be competitive. If the rating is too low, the player's team may later forfeit matches. The results of all USTA matches are kept in the USTA's computer database. The computer adjusts player ratings twice a year based on match results. For a list of current and recent Pleasant Hill Tennis Club teams, including rosters, schedules, and results, click on the "NorCal Search" link in the left column of the NORCAL home page. Then select "teams" in the first search box, enter "pleasant hill" in the second box, and click the Search button.
Team Captains. Teams are organized by captains. Any club member is eligible to register and captain a team for a particular league. (Club permission is required but is routinely granted in most cases. Contact the "USTA Coordinator" member of the Board of Directors for more information.) A team captain recruits team members (with the help of the club's Board of Directors if requested), determines the number of players who will be allowed on the roster, schedules practices and matches, and chooses which players will play in which matches. Most PHTC captains attempt to assure that all members of the team get substantial playing opportunities, but a captain has the right to play only the best team members--particularly if the captain believes the team might win the league and be successful in the playoffs. Members interested joining a team should always consult the captain before registering for the team on the NORCAL web site.
Membership Requirements. USTA league players on PHTC teams must be members of both PHTC and the USTA. Click here to join the USTA. NORCAL charges a player registration fee of approximately $20 per player per team. Many captains request a $5-$10 contribution to cover the cost of match and practice balls. Players are also asked to contribute refreshments for consumption at home matches.