The group text for my 5.0 40+ team was hopping last weekend. The burst of activity was sparked after our captain was informed that we were the only team registered for the Dallas USTA League this upcoming season. Last year Dallas managed to scrape together two teams in that division. I happened to be on the one that would have advanced to the Sectional Championships. As it turned out, no other city in Texas conducted local competition at that level at all.
We literally made the discovery that there was no other team for us to play at Sectionals when the draws and schedules for that event were released. I canvassed all the other USTA Sections to see if there were any other teams for Nationals. There were only 3 leagues ostensibly at 40+ 5.0, and none of the other local leagues used the same format as the Dallas League. That brings me to the inescapable conclusion that 40+ 5.0 women’s USTA League tennis isn’t an actual thing.
Coincidently, last weekend I enjoyed a rare fit of organization and made a dent in my “Perpetual Pile of Ignorance.” That stack included a hard copy of the USTA’s “2019-26 Long-Term Strategic Plan.” That document includes a summary of the USTA’s “Core Values.” One, in particular, is relevant to this situation.
Innovation. We embrace change and encourage creative approaches to delivering products and services that exceed the expectations of our members and tennis consumers. By taking educated risks, we ensure that consumers of all ages and abilities can participate in tennis for a lifetime.
USTA “Core Value”, 2019-26 Long-Term Strategic Plan.
USTA Texas, we have an opportunity to demonstrate our innovation and develop a creative approach to deliver tennis to the 40+ 5.0 segment of the tennis population where organized USTA League Play is clearly not happening. Tennis for a lifetime should extend significantly past the 40th birthday.
I propose that USTA Texas should create a pilot program that allows Qualified CTAs to conduct a local progressive league that advances to a Sectional Championship for 40+ 5.0 players. Dallas and Fort Worth would likely both field teams under that format. Many of the larger CTAs might also jump at the opportunity.
The details could certainly be workshopped, but I am thinking that the first step is to decide on the format for Sectionals and work backward from there. Let’s say two lines of doubles and one line of singles. The doubles part of the league should play at a set time each week in a strict progressive format. The singles part of the league could play out separately and operate more like a flex league with individual players arranging matches.
At the end of the progressive season, the top two singles players and the top six doubles players are “named to the team” that advances to Sectionals to compete. Captains could either be appointed by the qualified CTA or via a team vote. (Susie isn’t here? Awesome, she’s the captain by unanimous decree.)
Unless another qualified CTA in Texas has managed to scrape together a 40+ 5.0 league for the upcoming season already, I don’t think it would be leaning too far forward to try to make this happen in 2023. I also believe that this is an extremely low risk proposition since USTA Nationals at 40+ 5.0 did not occur last year. There literally is no USTA National Championship to play into. This proposed pilot project doesn’t break anything.
Unlike some of the crazy ideas that I have explored on this site, I am 100% serious about this one. What do we need to do to make this happen?
- 2019-26 Long-Term Strategic Plan, USTA Web Page, accessible from the “About” page.
In my haste to get this post out, I didn’t want to bog the writing down with a definition of “Qualified CTAs” which is a term that I believe to be unique to USTA Texas. In a nutshell, each “Qualified CTA” has the right to send a team to the Sectional Championship on the basis of local league play. “Geography Lessons from USTA Texas” and “The USTA Texas Qualified CTAs” posts provide more details.
It’s difficult to fill 5.0 women teams, both in 18+ and 40+. While is there 18+, 5.0 USTA National, NorCal sends 40+, 5.0 to Las Vegas for the Invitational, National Open & 5.5 Team Championships every year.