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TENNIS PROGRAM AND EVENT DESCRIPTION Description of Program The University Club Junior Program The junior program at The University Club is focused on all levels of junior players and future players. This program includes clinics, private lessons, special events, camps, match play and tournament play that includes out of town travel supervised by our professional staff. Players may participate in a grand prix program that allows points won for different types of participation. Our junior events run year-round and are in a definite growth mode. In 1997, 40 people attended our junior banquet; 80 people attended in 1998, 150 in 1999 and 220 in 2000. Accomplished future collegiate tennis players can feel at home here, as can beginning players. Indoor Court Time Tennis courts are available in the indoor tennis center throughout the year. Courts can be purchased on a contract or non-contract basis. Contracting for court time allows a lower price and guarantees court space throughout the season but courts are still available for purchase week to week. Spring and summer contract seasons run for eleven weeks; fall and winter seasons run for fifteen weeks. Indoor Leagues Many different leagues are run in the indoor building. Ability levels in these leagues range from beginner to past club champions. Our staff contributes to the success of these leagues by recruiting players, creating the pairings and actively promoting all levels. Game-finding The University Club is well known for its game-finding service. This service is available to all members interested in playing tennis, handball, racquetball, and/or squash. The staff's job is to make it easier for the membership to use the athletic facilities. Members who take advantage of this service help us create a card of interested players. Game-finding is done on a daily basis and is considered top priority at The University Club. USA Team Tennis USA Team Tennis is an active nationwide network of leagues for all ages and ability levels. The University Club is committed to an active involvement in these leagues and has used them to build its adult program. In 1999, our 5.0 men's team and 4.5 ladies team both won the Tennessee state championship, the Southern championship and competed in the national tournament. The 4.5 ladies team finished 3rd. In the year 2001, our men's 2.5 team was the Tennessee state champion and competed in the southern regional tournament. The University Club fielded 19 teams in the spring of 2001 and 22 teams in the spring of 2002; this makes us the most active USA tennis club in this part of the state. The University Club also has several USA mixed doubles teams and many teams in the BMW combo leagues. Our 9.5 mixed team finished 2nd in Tennessee in 1999 and were state champions in 2000. These leagues exist for all ability levels and have been a huge boost for our tennis program. We look forward to continued USA league tennis success! Description of Events The University Club Championship Qualifying Tournaments The Qualifying Tournaments for our championship singles events are held in the days prior to the main draw and exist with the intermediate player in mind. The top twelve singles players do not participate in the Qualifying tournaments and automatically qualify for the main draw. This format allows everyone an opportunity to compete against a player of similar abilities. The Qualifying Tournament culminates with four players "qualifying" for the main draw. Their first match will be against the four lowest seeds of the main draw, which also gives them a good chance at winning a main draw match against a player who is playing his first match of the tournament. This format has put a large group of people into these draws by allowing all ability levels a chance at winning matches. The University Club Championship Tournaments Club Championship Tournaments are special events at The University Club. Match schedules are posted around the club prior to the tournament, e-mails keep the membership up to date throughout and member interest in the events is very high. Semi-finals are generally held on Friday nights and spectator attendance has been tremendous. Finals matches are officiated and have been a terrific event for the club. Tournament winners are immortalized in gold leaf on our champion's boards in the indoor tennis center. Mugs Tournaments These tournaments in the past have included approximately 160-170 men and 45-55 women in the singles and doubles tournaments. These are handicapped tournaments that run throughout the summer and include players up to the 4.5 levels. The men's tournaments have been running since 1940 (that we know of) and the ladies tournaments have been running since 1992. These tournaments are our most popular tennis events and are aimed at the ordinary tennis player. Tournament winners are listed in gold leaf on our champion's boards. Holiday Mixed Doubles The holiday mixed doubles events, held on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day are once again events directed towards everyone. Our groups in the past have been split in up to seven different ability levels that have ranged from beginners to advanced players. The University Club has a barbecue dinner set up after the tournaments for social interaction and camaraderie. Summer Friday Night Tennis Friday night mixed tennis at the club is an excellent summer event. Beginning in late May it is available for six Friday nights until the outdoor club championships are held in July. We normally have 100 to 125 players' sign up and average 50-60 players per week. A match may be singles or doubles, mixed or all ladies or all men, and will consist of two sets and a tiebreaker at the end. The only commitment is to let us know you can or cannot participate by Wednesday of each week. The University Club Junior Open The Junior Open is a USTA sanctioned junior tournament that has become the top junior tournament in the area. The Junior Open was the Tennessee Tennis Association tournament of the year in 1996 and has included as many as 240 junior players from eight states. Thirty-eight of our juniors participated in this tournament in 2001. The parents of our junior players have been invaluable in providing volunteer help. This tournament is unique in that it provides participants with a gift bag, snacks, dinner, monitors on every court, continental breakfasts, a tee shirt and internet results. The University Club/Memphis Country Club Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is an event where a singles player, a doubles team and a mixed doubles team represent each level. Team scores are kept adding a point for every match won. The University Club won the Challenge Cup in 2001 for the fourth time in five years. |
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