Dear Southwest Juniors & Parents,
Here is the necessary information to start thinking about endorsement for our Summer National teams and National Championships.
What is Endorsement?
Endorsement is the Section's approval of a junior player to play National Events (such as team events and the Hard/Clay Court National Championships) based on ranking during a particular time period. We have spring, summer and winter endorsement periods.
This letter serves the summer endorsement period. Team endorsement is based off of the summer endorsement list and it is at the Junior Competition Committees discretion to change the order of the players to submit line-ups in order of strength.
The Junior Competition Committee can also decline an endorsed player due to unsportsmanlike conduct regardless of the venue or medium, including but not limited to unsportsmanlike conduct on court, at tournament sites, tournament activities, hotels or other housing venues, or online.
Citizen and Residency Requirements
To be endorsed and play in these national events you must be a U.S. Citizen (or have an Alien Registration Card/Green Card) and be a resident of the USTA Southwest Section. Residency is defined as follows: Only players who maintain a permanent residence within the boundaries of the Southwest Section (states of Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso County, Texas) are eligible for Southwest endorsement, ranking and closed tournaments.
A junior player, who lives with one or both parents, or a legal guardian, shall be considered a permanent resident of the location where he or she physically resides for the majority of the year, where he or she attends school and/or where he or she primarily engages in training and playing tennis.
A junior player who is an established resident of the Southwest Section according to the aforementioned criteria, but is currently living apart from his or her parent(s) for reasons such as college, tennis academy or boarding school attendance, military involvement, etc. will continue to be considered a permanent resident of the Southwest Section as long as his or her parent (S0 maintain a permanent residence within its boundaries.
For this purpose, permanent residency for the calendar year for the parent(s) is defined as a minimum of 184 days. Anyone moving into the section during the year must change their membership with the membership department. The residency committee has the right to ask for proof of permanent residency. The burden of proof will be on the player/parent.
If you are interested in trying to gain entry into national events it is important that you complete all of the following steps:
1. Read the following pages carefully regarding endorsement procedures and regulations.
{Fill out and return the Endorsement information sheet and return by June 1st. Should you check an event and later be unable to attend that event, this is not a problem. This sheet is a register to make sure that no one is overlooked or uninformed.
2. Maximize your singles and doubles points by playing the appropriate tournaments. In points per round there are no minimum requirements. For summer endorsement, a player's Best Five (5) singles (100%) and doubles (25%) tournaments will make up the combined endorsement standing list. Your Best Five (5) singles tournaments may be different then your Best Five (5) doubles tournaments. Remember this is only for tournament play between January 1, 2012 through June 12, 2012 (completion of the SW Jr. Closed).
You can view the current Summer Endorsement Standings at the same place you view the regular standings. The Summer Endorsement list will used for selection of our summer national teams representing the USTA Southwest Section and make players eligible for Hard & Clay Court Championships.
The top two players that enter the Hard & Clay National Championships will automatically get in. This list will also determine the order of the team lineup. Note the Summer Endorsement Standings will not be posted until the completion of the Spring Nationals.
Endorsement Events
2012 Summer events that require Sectional Endorsement
{C}{C}· {C}{C}BG 18, 16, 14, 12 USTA National Clay Court Championships (2) Internet Entry required!!
{C}{C}· {C}{C}BG 18, 16, 14, 12 USTA National Hard Court Championships (2) Internet Entry required!!
{C}{C}· {C}{C}BG 16, 14, 12 USTA Zone Team Championships
(16’s – 5-10 ranked boys & girls, 14’s – Top 6 ranked boys & girls, 12’s – Top 12 ranked boys & girls)
{C}{C}· {C}{C}BG16 USTA Intersectional Team Championships (Top 4 Boys and Top 4 Girls)
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Boys’ 18 National Team Championships (Top 7)
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Girls’ 18 National Team Championships (Top 6)
Team Event Information
All team entry forms and entry fees are due to the Southwest Section office by Monday June 18th.
Payment by Check. You can mail the team entry fee and entry form to me here at the Southwest Section office or give it to me at the Southwest Junior Closed. If you are giving it to me at the Closed please put it in an envelope with the players name on it.
Checks for Zonals are made out to the specific tournament NOT the USTA Southwest Section. Checks for Boy’s & Girl’s 18s National Team are made out to the USTA Southwest Section. Boy’s & Girl’s 16 Intersectionals has two checks for the player entry fee and one for hospitality. The player entry fee is made out to the USTA Southwest Section and the hospitality fee is made out to Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club.
Team event selection will be based on your combined standing/ranking between January 1, 2012 and June 12, 2012 (completion of the SW Jr. Closed).
A player's Best Five (5) singles (100%) and doubles (25%) tournaments will make up their standing. A player’s Best Five (5) singles tournaments may be different then your best 5 doubles tournaments.
Notification of selection to a team
Players will be notified of selection to a team by phone or email.
Withdrawals
If you must withdraw from a team event please notify USTA Southwest Junior Competition immediately so w can fill the spot with the next person on the Endorsement List
TEAM EVENTS
Boys 18 National Team Championships
July 28-31 in Urbana, IL (U. of Illinois) #856101612
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Coach selected by the USTA Southwest Section Junior Competition Committee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Top 7 boys applying for the team from the summer endorsement list
{C}{C}· {C}{C}The USTA Southwest Section pays for coach, hotel, team entry fee, rental van, hotel and meals associated with the team entry fee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Players must provide their own air transportation and spending money
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Players and coach have rental van and team up in hotel rooms (section pays)
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Please call Jr. Player Dev. Manager to coordinate flight departure and arrivals with the coach’s
{C}{C}· {C}{C}All USTA Sections are represented in this competition
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Entry Fee: Check made out to USTA Southwest Section for $75. Section sends one check for team entry fee, player entry fee and hotel.
Girls 18 National Team Championships
July 30 - August 2 in Claremont, CA #651749112
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Coach selected by the USTA Southwest Section Junior Competition Committee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Top 6 applying for the team from the summer endorsement list
{C}{C}· {C}{C}The USTA Southwest Section pays for coach, hotel, team entry fee, rental van, hotel and meals associated with the team entry fee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Players must provide their own air transportation and spending money
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Players and coach have rental van and team up in hotel rooms (section pays)
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Please call Jr. Player Dev. Manager to coordinate flight departure and arrivals with the coach’s
{C}{C}· {C}{C}All USTA Sections are represented in this competition
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Entry Fee: Check made out to USTA Southwest Section for $75. Section sends one check for team entry fee, player entry fee and hotel.
Boys and Girls 16 Intersectionals
July 8-12 in Shreveport, LA #703708412
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Coach selected by the USTA Southwest Section Junior Competition Committee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Top 4 Boys and Top 4 Girls applying for the team from the summer endorsement list
{C}{C}· {C}{C}The USTA Southwest Section provides team entry fee, $200 travel reimbursement and coach
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Coach will have rental van. Players will have housing available or can get hotel room at own expense. Players have usually housed as part of the tournament's tradition. This event does not require parent chaperone. Players have traditionally used the housing.
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Please call Jr. Player Dev. Manager to coordinate flight departure and arrivals with the coach’s
{C}{C}· {C}{C}All USTA Sections are represented in competition
{C}{C}· {C}{C}This event is played on Clay
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Two Checks Required: One check made out to Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club for hospitality for $95 (Club provides lunch each day and several dinners) and one check to USTA Southwest Section for $50. Section sends one check for team entry fee and player entry fee and forwards hospitality check to tournament.
Boys and Girls 16 Zonals
July 25-29 in Salt Lake City, UT #257703312
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Coach selected by the USTA Southwest Section Junior Competition Committee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Top 5 through 10 ranked Boys and Girls (first 4 players go to Intersectionals) applying from the summer endorsement list (6 Boys and 6 Girls).
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Parent chaperones are required. Players and parents may team up for chaperones but players and parents are required to have their own ground transportation in Utah
{C}{C}· {C}{C}USTA Southwest Section provides $200 travel reimbursement and coach
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Competition includes Hawaii-Pacific, Intermountain, Northern, N. California, and S. California
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Entry Fee: One check made out to Utah Tennis ($95)
Boys and Girls 14 Zonals
July 25-29 in Arlington, TX #809697612
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Coach selected by the USTA Southwest Section Junior Competition Committee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Top 6 Boys and Girls applying for the team from the summer endorsement list
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Parent chaperones are required. Players and parents may team up for chaperones but players and parents are required to have their own ground transportation in Florida
{C}{C}· {C}{C}USTA Southwest Section provides coach and $200 travel reimbursement
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Competition includes Caribbean, Florida, Missouri Valley and Texas
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Entry Fee: One check made out to Arlington Tennis Center ($95)
Boys and Girls 12 Zonals
July 25-29 in Tucson, AZ ID#759205612
{C}{C}· {C}{C}2 coaches selected by the USTA Southwest Section Junior Competition Committee
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Top 12 boys and top 12 girls applying from the summer endorsement list
{C}{C}· {C}{C}All players must have a chaperone. Players and parents may team up for chaperones
{C}{C}· {C}{C}USTA Southwest Section pays for the two coaches
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Competition includes Hawaii-Pacific, N. California, Pacific Northwest and S. California
{C}{C}· {C}{C}This event typically requires more than 12 boys and 12 girls as we are the host section and provide substitutes for other teams.
{C}{C}· {C}{C}Entry Fee: One check made out to Dickinson Sports LLC ($95)
NATIONAL CLAY AND HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION
National Clay and Hard court events require you to sign up on the Internet using TennisLink at tennislink.usta.com. The close dates for the events are as follows:
Event Close
BG18, 16, 14, 12 Clay Courts June 21
BG18, 16, 14, 12 Hard Courts July 12
Sectional Endorsement lists for CLAY AND HARDCOURTS will be posted by June 18th, 2012 at tennislink.usta.com under the Southwest ranking/standing pages.
Alternates
To be an alternate you must be endorsed by the Section and appear on our Endorsement list. This means you must have earned points in one tournament with at least one win during the summer segment.
An alternate list is published for each national event. This list is used if someone drops out of the tournament. If you must drop out and gained entry as a sectionally endorsed spot please notify the tournament and myself as soon as possible. If the draw has not been made and you are an endorsed player and you drop out they will take the next endorsed player from our section. If the draw has been made then they move on to the alternate list and then on-site alternates.
Medical Release Forms
The USTA and Medical Release forms associated with these tournaments may be printed while registering online for Nationals and must be filled out and brought to on site registration.
Information on a specific National Championships
The normal "tournament information" can be seen on the www.usta.com by locating the tournament. Any information sheets sent to me for Nationals will also be distributed but there will not be paper entry forms distributed for these National events.
Withdrawals
{C}{C}· {C}{C}If you must withdraw from a national tournament before the draw is made please notify the tournament director and USTA Southwest Junior Competition immediately so we can ensure that the next person on our endorsement list gets in.
{C}{C}· {C}{C}If you must withdraw from a national tournament after the draw notify the tournament director and USTA Junior Competition. At this point, the tournament will be filled by the alternate list (order of strength).
Please keep in mind that at national tournaments singles draws are not done sooner than one week before the start of the event (you may not even see the draw until the day before) and doubles draws are done at on site registration.
In Summary, here are the important dates to remember!
- May 28 – Entry Deadline for the Southwest Junior Closed. You can enter online @ www.southwest.usta.com, tournament ID# 759211212.
- June 1st – Endorsement Information sheet due
- June 18th – Team entry forms and fees due to the USTA Southwest Section office
- June 18th – Latest our Southwest Section Endorsement list will be published
Be aware of Internet Entry deadlines for The National Championships.
(They are 12 Noon EASTERN TIME!!)
If you have any questions please feel free to contact USTA Southwest at:
Johnny Parkes, Junior Player Development Manager
juniorcomp@southwest.usta.com or 480.289.2351 x106
or
Eric Mitchell, Executive Director
mitchell@southwest.usta.com or 480.289.2351 x107
USTA Southwest
7010 E. Acoma Suite 201
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Did you know?
There are two other team events this year that are not part of the National Junior Tournament Schedule. Check them out. Information on these events will be sent to prospective players later in the year.
16TH ANNUAL BILLIE JEAN KING
WORLD TEAM TENNIS (WTT) JUNIOR NATIONALS
Barnes Tennis Center - San Diego, CA – July 30-Aug 2
This event includes sixteen teams from throughout the nation competing in the World Team Tennis Format which includes Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Our team will be made up of 3 boys and 3 girls in the 18s and 16. This is one of the truest team competitions out there. Very competitive and very fun.
SLAMMIN' 10'S INTERSECTIONAL TEAM RALLY
#809651112
Arlington Tennis Center – Arlington, Texas – September/Ocotber TBD
This event includes six teams from other USTA Sections including the Midwest, Intermountain, Texas, Southwest, Missouri Valley and Mid-Atlantic. Our team will be made up of 6 boys and 6 girls from the 10 and Under division. This tournament will use the green ball on full court. It’s a blast!