Monday, February 22, 2010

Spring Around the Corner

Now with the Tri-level Sectionals complete, what can we learn about Dallas tennis for the Spring ?

3.5s
First, it appears Dallas 3.5s will have a strong edge. Bender's 3.5s who struggled in the local tri-level against team Arcaria and team Feldman, win all their matches in Sectionals this past weekend, with all of them being strong wins except for the final against Houston which was won in a tie-break. It appears Dallas will have a strong shot to win Sectionals and have a team go to Nationals.

Bender has been recruiting and has added to his roster outside players including Kaiser, Monk, and Toney from Arcaria's Tri-Level team. Add these players to Berco Neiman, Paul To, Steven Nguyen, and Rene Cuavas and it looks like he has a solid team in the making.

Sisk also has a strong roster and looks like he will pose a challenge with Andy Meyer, Donnie Davis, Michael Minter, and Chris MacFarland. Also, what would a Garland roster be without several self rates and a couple of single ringers in the bag. This team will also be a solid contender.

Brookhaven Alzuro is another team forming that has the potential to be a threat.

4.0s
Unfortunately for Dallas, this is starting to appear to be the toughest level to go beyond City. The bump ups definitely affected this level accross the board losing great players to 4.5 and muddying the waters with too many 3.5s getting bumped up pre-maturely. With solid players like Somabut, Palacioz, and Varner who performed strongly in the Dallas Tri-Level, end up this weekend only winning one line. While Leaugue play is 5 lines as opposed to just one, from the onset it appears the road to win Sectionals at this level will be very difficult.

Sisk's roster is forming solid along with Morrison's. I would imagine team Somabut will also be a threat although his roster is far from complete as of this moment to tell. Brookhaven should also field a competitive team at this level.

While there are great teams forming, it seems that several of the top players at this level are being spread out amongst various teams. It appears as if the competition will be tough within our own City, but will the survivor have enough of what it takes to get the job done against a Houston in Sectionals?

4.5s
From this past weekend, Slezak, Kiron, and Benjamin had no problems and made solid wins until the finals against Houston, of which they gave a tough fight. It appears as if the 4.5s from Dallas has what it takes to make a winning team for Sectionals. Rosters are far from being complete to comment on any teams, and personally, I lack the insight to make any further comments at this level and rely on Nancy to fill in the gaps.

Discuss......

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Noel/Sisk Prize Money Tourney III

Here is the info, per request from the anon. Of course the prize money is paid in bubble gum not dollars for the obligatory person that will tell me to change it.

Sisk/Noel Prize Money Tournament III

When: March 12-14, 2010

Where: Sites: Garland Tennis Center. Another nearby location will be chosen if necessary.

EVENTS: Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles

FORMAT: This is an old-school format. There are no divisions by level. Everybody signs up for singles and/or doubles. Seeding will be determined by Corey Noel, John Sisk, and an objective third party and will be based primarily on NTRP ratings, USTA results, and previous Noel/Sisk tournament results. Maximum draw size will be 32 players/teams for all draws. If there are more than 32 players/teams, the players will be divided into multiple draws (max size=16). Example: 45 players sign up= a draw of 22 and a draw of 23. Seeds will be placed using the wave method if multiple draws occur. There will be a consolation draw for each event.

NOTE: Many of you are already thinking, how can there be no levels? What makes our tournaments special and different is the handicapping system. We have used a handicap scoring system in our last tournaments, making virtually every match competitive, when it may or may not have been under normal scoring rules. The way it works is, players receive one handicap game at the start of each set (one point in third-set tiebreaker) per 0.5 difference in level, based on the players’ NTRP ratings, including the option to start serving or receiving. For example, if a 4.0 plays a 4.5, the 4.0 would begin each set with the option to serve or receive, and a 1-0 lead. Same applies in doubles. If two 4.0s play two 4.5s, the 4.0 team would begin each set with the option to serve or receive, and a 2-0 lead (8.0 v. 9.0). We had a lot of positive feedback for this format and we look forward to using it again. We will only accept players in the 3.0-5.0 range, and a maximum of 4 games will be given in any set. If players do not have a USTA rating, the tournament committee will assign one based on available information. We will use end-of-year USTA ratings.

SCORING: Regular Season—Two out of three sets, regular scoring, with a 3rd-set super-tiebreaker in lieu of a third set. Finals can be played under full two out of three set format if time allows or both players agree.

ENTRY FEE: $29 per event or $50 for two events. Maximum two events. Preferred method of payment is by mail or PayPal. All players will be invoiced by PayPal on Monday, March 1 and payment is due by Saturday, March 6. Players paying via PayPal will be assessed a $3 processing fee.

PRIZE MONEY : This is a prize money event. No trophies, no t-shirts; we’re playing for cash, and for fun of course.

PAYOUT: 1st place: 25% of all entry fees for that draw (12.5% per doubles team member).
2nd place: 15% of all entry fees for that draw (7.5% per doubles team member).
Consolation winner: 10% of all entry fees for that draw (5% per doubles team member).
Example: if 20 people sign up for singles only for a total prize pool of $500, winner would receive $125, 2nd place would receive $75, consolation winner would receive $50. Split those prizes in half to determine doubles prize money. More than $1,000 has been paid out in previous tournaments.

SCHEDULE of Play: Singles will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, 12 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. Sunday. Doubles will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and noon Sunday. Mixed will begin Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. All times are dependent upon draw sizes.

SIGN-UP: Sign up by e-mailing noelcarter91199@yahoo.com. List the events you would like to sign up for and you will be invoiced accordingly through PayPal.

DEADLINE: Players must be signed up and paid by Saturday March 7.