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President
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Rules Rules and Regulations 1: LADDERS 1a. The annual fee to join the HTA is $25 for individuals and $35 for families. This fee is non-refundable. 1b. The season begins April 15 and runs through September 30, but there is no minimum-match requirement for April. Ladder categories are determined by executive officers. 2: ENROLLMENT 2a. Ladders are open to all HTA members upon registration and payment of the membership fee. Registration is ongoing throughout the April-to-September season. To retain a ladder position from the previous season, a member must register and pay by midnight, March 15. 2b. New members enter a pool and are allowed to FREE CHALLENGE anywhere on the ladder. If the pool member loses this Free Challenge match, he/she can play a second Free Challenge match. If the pool member wins this match, he/she assumes the defeated player’s ladder position. If the pool member loses the second FC, his/her name is placed on the bottom of the lowest ladder. A pool member may forgo the Free Challenge and immediately begin playing at the bottom of the lowest ladder. Free Challenge matches must be exercised by midnight, June 30. After this date, players joining start at the lowest ladder section. 2c. Free Challenge matches must be registered via globaltennisnetwork.com. Results must be recorded within three days. New players who lose, forfeit or fail to report results within three days start at the bottom of the lowest ladder section. If you Free Challenge after the 20th of the month, rule 4b. (two plays per month) is optional. This occurs only in the month of a Free Challenge. 2d. Before March 25, players may relinquish their positions earned during the previous season. They are then placed in the pool and subject to rules 2a., b. and c. 3, 4: CHALLENGES Players are allowed one challenge up for every challenge from below. It is preferable to keep ups and downs as close as possible. However you do not have to alternate your ups and downs. For example it is acceptable to play two ups in a row and then your two downs within the same month so you have met your requirement of ups and downs. Failure to play enough downs will result in the player moving down seven positions at the end of the month. The last seven players on the ladder may play any two matches per month. When there are A and B ladders, the top player on the B ladder can challenge the bottom player on the A ladder, but not more than once a month. 3: UP CHALLENGES 3a. Players may challenge any player on the ladder within set number of positions, which may vary by ladder. Matches must be played within three weeks of the date the challenge is accepted. Players who do not have at least two matches scheduled in a given month must accept a challenge and play the match within that month or move down three spots on the ladder. Out-of-range challenges will not be accepted, and if played, will not be recognized. 3b. Results must be reported within three days for the match to be officially recognized. Winning challengers assume the positions held by the defeated player at the time of the match. The losing player and subsequent players below move down one position on the ladder. 3c. Cancellation of a match for any reason other than rain by any player is treated as a decline. The declining player moves down three spots, and the opponent gets credit for having played a match. 4: DOWN CHALLENGES 4a. Players can play an unlimited number of down matches without playing any up matches. 4b. With the exception of April, a minimum of two matches per month are required on every ladder. Forfeited matches do not count as a played match for the player who forfeited. The player who forfeited will move down three spots on the ladder. The other player's position will remain unchanged. 4c. Players who do not play at least two matches in a given month will drop seven positions for that month. 4d. Commitments on one ladder do not excuse players from accepting challenges on another ladder. Those not challenged must arrange matches within the seven positions below to fulfill their monthly obligation. 5: COURT RULES 5a. Unless otherwise agreed on court location, a court roughly equidistant between both players/teams should be chosen. If there is a court fee, both players must agree. 5b. 15 minutes late to the match is a forfeit. 5c. Best of three six-game sets shall determine the winner, with a 7-point tiebreak at 6-6. A tiebreak must be won by two points. An eight-, 10- or 12-game pro set may be played if agreed upon when the match is arranged, with a 7-point tiebreak at 8-8, 10-10 or 12-12 (see TIEBREAK RULES). In case of disagreement, best of three sets is the rule. 5d. Rain-cancelled matches must be handled as new challenges. Check to make sure players are still within range. 5e. If a match is interrupted by rain, darkness or being bumped off the court, the player with eight winning games or more is the winner. If no player has won eight games the match is cancelled. Example: Player A wins set #1. Set #2 is interrupted with player B leading 3-0. Player B wins, with a total of eight games versus player A’s seven games. In the event games are tied, the next point must determine the winner. 5f. If a match is interrupted due to player injury, the injured player must forfeit the match. It counts as a match for the purposes of monthly match obligations if eight games were played. 5g. If a player needs to cancel a match for any reason, he/she must give his/her opponent 24 hours notice. Otherwise, the match is forfeited, and the player who was canceled gets credit for a match played with no change in his/her position. 6: TENNIS BALLS 6a. Both players must bring an unopened can of balls to the match. The challenging player’s new balls are used for the match. Whichever player wins gets/keeps the unopened can of balls. If the loser did not bring a new can, he/she must pay the winner $3 for a new can of balls. Old balls may be used if both players agree. 7: AWARDS Executive board members will decide if and what type of award shall be presented at the end of the season to the first-place finishers on each ladder. 8: GENERAL RULES 8a. HTA members are obligated to respect one another’s rights and feelings, and to behave in a friendly, sportsmanlike manner. They must accept the decisions of the ladder captains and avoid involving them in any personal quarrels. Serious disputes are referred to the executive officers for final decisions. 8b. Executive officers have the authority to reprimand, suspend or cancel the membership of any player who seriously violates these rules. 9: TIEBREAK RULES Whoever would be the next server starts the tiebreak. This player (player A) serves once from the deuce court. Player B (in doubles, this would the player on the opposing team who is next to serve) then serves twice, starting from the ad court. Play continues in this manner, with each player serving twice, starting from the ad court. Players change sides every six points. The tiebreak is over when a player wins seven points (by a margin of two). A tiebreak counts as one game, so the winner would win a regular set 7-6 and a pro set 9-8. Change sides for game one to start the next set. Server of the new set is the player who did not start the tiebreak. In doubles, teams may choose who is to serve first in each new set. For any rules not covered in this document, The Rules of Tennis shall apply. For a copy of this document, go to www.usta.com and enter “rules” in the search field. 10: HTA-FARMINGDALE TOURNAMENT If you play on both the Famingdale and Huntington ladders throughout the season, you cannot represent both ladders in the end-of-season tournament. For example, if you're playing women's first singles for HTA in the tournament, you cannot play women's doubles for Farmingdale in the tournament. You have to decide whether you want to represent HTA or TAF; you cannot represent both. |
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