january 2021
Hall of Fame Winners 2021 Schedules Missouri Valley Award Winners College Tennis
in this issue
the
high performance player of the year, emma staker, headed to university of oklahoma
baseliner
female player of the year
| ISSUE no 17 USTA OKLAHOMA TENNIS MAGAZINE
As I look toward the end of 2020, and think about how our Oklahoma tennis community came together to make this happen, I want to offer a huge amount of gratitude to the USTA Oklahoma staff, who scheduled, rescheduled, and tried to anticipate and navigate player safety in a global pandemic.!
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Published by USTA OKLAHOMA
USTA Oklahoma
LETTER
USTA OKLAHOMA BOARD
Advertise with us!
President Mary Jo Tasker Vice President - Adults Peter Pappas Vice President - Juniors Eric Wedemeyer Secretary Emily Pomeroy Treasurer Dwayne Campbell NE Quadrant Peter McCorkle NW Quadrant Carmen Bond SE Quadrant Dawna Johnston SW Quadrant Rodney O'Dell
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Special Thanks to Article and Photo Contributors: ADDvantage magazine USPTA USTA.com soonersports.com okstate.com tulsahurricane.com Cover Photo Credit tennismoorephotography.com
ear USTA Oklahoma Tennis Player: WE MADE IT!!! Through the combined efforts of our wonderful USTA Oklahoma staff, our fabulous Oklahoma Facilities and providers, and YOU- we have been able to safely resume almost all our 2020 tennis programming! This fact is amazing! Junior Team Tennis, Junior Tournaments, Adult Tournaments, and almost every Adult League offered in 2019, were all resumed and were successful. Things might have looked a little different as far as time of year, or length of play, and all had added safety restrictions, but we got to play! As I look toward the end of 2020, and think about how our Oklahoma tennis community came together to make this happen, I want to offer a huge amount of gratitude to the USTA Oklahoma staff, who scheduled, rescheduled, and tried to anticipate and navigate player safety in a global pandemic. To the facilities and providers who worked so hard to maintain safe play and stay open. And finally, to the wonderful Oklahoma tennis players, whether adult or junior, Thank You for your support, and confidence in USTA Oklahoma. Here is to 2021, and a lot more tennis! See you on the courts, Mary Jo Tasker
find yourself in the game
OK Executive Director
FROM OUR PRESIDENT
FEATURES
Captain Janice Roberts-LaFortune
#tag us!
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2020 AWARD WINNERS 2021 JUNIOR SCHEDULES 2021 COLLEGE SCHEDULES HALL OF FAMERS ADULT LEAGUE INFO
CONTENTS
COMMUNITY COVER JUNIORS COLLEGE ADULTS
Headed Nationals in Surprise AZ in January 2021!
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the sportsmanship winners L5-L7 sept-dec
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click a head
JANUARY ISSUE
28
Gaspar Easton Rabi Sarah Miller Juli Abbot Dylan Calderwood Mikayla Stewart Andrew Aylor CHEYENNE SMITH JORDAN PATTERSON Cayden Cheek Samantha Nguyen
2020
Show us what you're doing on the court. Use #ustaoklahoma on your social media photos for a chance to be featured in the next issue of the magazine!
65 & over 7.0 Women Missouri Valley Champions
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Skip Griese David Krunch Whitfield Kloberdanz.
2020 Hall of Fame Inductees
AWARD WINNERS
Catch-All Junior Info Site
Take a pic with your phone to go to the website!
There is a ton of information about USTA junior tennis. To help parents, players and coaches find what they are looking for, USTA Oklahoma has created a catch-all google site that houses all relevant information that pertains to USTA Oklahoma and Missouri Valley junior tennis. You will see such things as rules & regulation documents, “How To” information, Net Generation, the new Junior Pathway and much more. Click here or click on the below link to view the site. https://thebaseliner.net/juniors For additional information, please reach out to David Minihan at minihan@ustaoklahoma.usta or Casey McKenzie at McKenzie@ustaoklahoma.com.
2020 Sportsmanship Winners
USTA OKLAHOMA
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CONTINUED: THE THEORY OF NON-EMBARRASSMENT
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James R. Shaughnessy MSS, CSCS, is a USPTA Master Professional specializing in the application of sports biomechanics to elite tennis players training at Tucker Tennis Academy, a USTA Regional Training, Racquet and Health Center located in Tulsa, Okla. He is an award-winning professional with 30 years of experience as a speaker, researcher, analyst and consultant in tennis biomechanics, 3D motion analysis and computerized exercise prescriptions. He is the founder of SCiO 3D Sports. Special thanks to Hank and Molly Pelegrini, who make this work possible.
The Theory of Non-Embarrassment
james shaughnessy
COURTESY OF: USPTA & ADDvantage Magazine
Girls 10: Hope Gempel Girls 12: Laila Wong Girls 14: Quinn Leos GIrls 16: Carrington Hessen Girls 18: Aubrey Bailey Boys 10: Parrish Swanson Boys 12: London Koehn Boys 14: Ray Smith Jr. Boys 16: Trenton Kanchanakomtorn Boys 18: Cole Knutsen
If you had friends watching you play tennis for the first time, would you rather miss a shot into the bottom of the net or miss the same shot 60 miles per hour over the fence? People almost always answer the latter even though the net is a lot closer to being in play. Why? Because being weak is embarrassing. Hitting a ball 60 miles per hour over the fence may lose the point, but shows strength. Humans strive to be viewed as strong rather than weak. When asking students for their style preference as “a soft hitter who gets a lot of balls in play” or “a hard hitter,” I have never once had a player choose to be coached in a soft-hitting, pusher style. It’s perceived as weak – embarrassing. The Theory of Non-Embarrassment states that a player swinging with insufficient upward racquet trajectory and insufficient upward racquet velocity will instinctively open the racquet face. This is because in the last few hundredths of a second before impact, the player’s brain subconsciously realizes the ball is going to go into the net and they instinctively adjust, opening the racquet face to avoid embarrassment, even though this emergency adjustment can send the ball screaming toward the fence. Thus, the higher the skill level, the less the player hits through the ball.
Why “hit through the ball” isn’t always good advice: Research shows that none of the top ten pro players hits “through the ball” (Tennis Industry, Sept/Oct 2018: 48-49). And yet, we consistently hear coaches instructing players to “hit up and through the ball.” This advice ignores the essential requirement for an upward ball trajectory to clear the net. The coach understandably wants topspin and a solid racquet-to-ball impact. To create topspin, a player must cause friction on the ball by swinging upward from lower than impact, on an oblique (indirect) path to the ball’s center of gravity. The definition of “hitting through the ball” is the action of meeting the ball with the stringbed of the racquet perpendicular to the path of the ball AND moving directly along the path of the ball’s center of gravity. A player cannot swing directly and indirectly at the same time. The coach is asking the player to do the impossible. The solidness of a groundstroke is the result of the ball impacting with the sweet spot of the stringbed on an indirect trajectory to the ball’s path. Typically, the racquet swing path of a successfully aggressive groundstroke has an upward trajectory of 25 to 39 degrees when measured horizontally or from the ground. Data show that the closer the trajectory is to 25 degrees, the lower the skill level of the player. The closer the trajectory is to 39 degrees, the higher the level of the player. Coaches often object to upward trajectory with statements like “there’s nothing on the ball,” or “it’s all spin,” or “the ball doesn’t get through the court.” But the problem of getting the ball through the court with something on it has to do with the forward velocity of the player’s racquet, while the problem of getting the ball over the net and down in-bounds has to do with upward velocity. Coaches think that by taking the upward trajectory off the racquet, the ball will go faster. It will because it has less spin, but this ignores the additional problem that the ball must rise above the net and drop down inside the baseline. Therefore, merely telling a player to hit through the ball is dangerously flawed advice, unwittingly forcing the player into the embarrassment zone. Coaches must understand that racquet speed is a combination of forward, upward and sideward components. The forward racquet velocity component causes the ball to have greater speed, but the net and gravity preclude a level swing path. A coach’s advice to have a level swing will cause a player to instinctively open the racquet face and miss long. To address this, here are some simple coaching take-aways: 1. Be mindful that the lower the racquet is below the impact, the greater the available distance to build upward racquet velocity and to create the friction necessary for topspin and ball elevation over the net. 2. Data show the best pro players begin their stroke an average of 16 inches below impact, which is about one and a half racquet head widths. A coach can focus on this point just before contact to ascertain that the racquet comes from 16 inches below the ball. Feedback is important, as the student often times will not feel this without practice and guidance. 3. High-level players must hit sufficiently hard to succeed, but coaches must avoid trying to add forward ball speed by advising players to level their swing and hit through the ball. This advice causes otherwise great players to fall subject to the inevitable net-baseline problem and the Theory of Non-Embarrassment. Unaddressed, this natural human instinct to avoid embarrassment can result in major problems when coaching a player’s forehand. However, understanding it can solve important forehand issues.
By: James Shaughnessy, USPTA Master Professional
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USTA Oklahoma awards those individuals and organizations annually who have contributed above and beyond normal expectations. We are pleased to announce the 2020 Award recipients for their dedication and commitment to growing the sport of tennis in their local communities!
WINNERS
AWARD
The
Stand Out Players & Facilities throughout the Great State of Oklahoma
Skip Griese' was born in Stuttgart, Germany, into a military family that provided him the opportunity to travel throughout his youth, living in Colorado, Ohio, New York, Kansas, and Virginia. He arrived in Norman, Oklahoma, his senior year of high school. He attended East Central University in Ada where he played tennis for four years and earned a degree in education. After graduating from ECU, he accepted a job at Healdton High School where he coached football, basketball, baseball, and track. In 1980 he returned to East Central to be the Men’s Head Tennis Coach. During the four years at ECU, his teams won three Conference Championships. In 1984 he became Ada’s Boys and Girls Head Tennis Coach. He remained at Ada for 35 years as a coach and classroom teacher. During that time, his girls’ teams won five State Championships and seven Runner-Up titles. His boys’ teams won nine State Championships and ten Runner-Up titles. During his career at Ada, Skip coached 73 Individual State Champions and 53 All-Staters. In 2013 he received the National Boys’ Coach of the Year Award. He has also received the Oklahoma Tennis Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award ten times, two Oklahoma Coach’s Association Coach of the Year Awards, two Oklahoma District and two Missouri Valley Coach of the Year Awards. In 2016 he was an inaugural inductee into the Oklahoma Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame. Skip and his wife Debbie have two children and five grandchildren.
KRUNCH KLOBERDANZ
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Hall of Fame Cont. pg 15
skip griese'
In a chance family tennis outing at the Oklahoma City Tennis Center, when Krunch Kloberdanz picked up a tennis racquet at only 3 years old, his parents immediately noticed that he had an unusual knack for the game, and signed him up for weekly tennis lessons with esteemed coach Bill Rompf. Bill was reluctant to take on the youngster, but by age 4, he was rallying from the baseline, and he was off to the races in his legendary tennis career that followed in the footsteps of the other top elite players Bill coached throughout his different tennis academies, including Mary Norwood, Brian Devening, and Meredith Geiger. Through an intense hard work ethic, will, persistence, and determination, Bill taught Krunch how to use his small size to his advantage, and turned him into a tough fierce competitor starting at a very early age. By age 5, Bill had convinced Krunch’s dad to enter him into a 10 and under state tournament, and from there he was hooked and the success started quickly. His dad painted a tennis net on their garage inside wall, which Krunch would practice many hours a night hitting the ball against the wall, which would be plastered with holes all over. At 6 years old, he won his first 10 and under state tournament, and immediately headed to NY to play in his first 10 and Under national tournament. From that point on, he never looked back, and cemented himself as the top player in Oklahoma from ages 6-18. At age 8, Krunch first qualified for the Missouri Valley Tennis Association for the 12s and became the youngest player to ever reach 12s Nationals by competing in the 12s Indoors at Indianapolis. At age 9, he won the Oklahoma Endorser to the MVTA, which he ended up winning each year in his age group from 1983-1992, and ended with a #2 ranking in the 12s in the Missouri Valley. Starting that year at age 9 and going through the 18s, Krunch held the #1 ranking in singles and doubles in the Missouri Valley in every age group, and never held a ranking lower than #2. He represented the Missouri Valley section in the Sport Goofy World Invitational in 1984 and 1985, and then all four years eligible from 1988-1991 for the Intersectionals Championships. In 1985, at age 10, he won the top 10s US National tournament at that time—the Nick Bolletieri Easter Bowl Invitational. After winning this tournament, Bolletieri offered him a scholarship to train at his academy alongside some of the world’s greatest players - Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, etc...but Krunch declined the invitation since he competed in many other sports back home, and they would only allow him to focus on tennis at the academy. Even at such a young age, Krunch prioritized the need for balance in his life beyond just tennis, and kept his love for competition of all sports by continuing to compete on football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball teams throughout his junior years. For many years during the school year, the only time he could fit in time on the tennis courts would be to wake up at 5am and practice before school. In 1986, during Krunch’s first official year in the 12s age group, World Tennis Magazine did a feature on the Boys 12s Nationals circuit, and titled the article Krunch and the Gang. The article featured Krunch and his family and included several top tennis families in the 12s division. When they asked Krunch if he was upset about losing in the quarterfinals that year, he said he wasn’t worried because he would be in the finals the next year. And that next year, 1987, ended up becoming the pinnacle of his legendary career. Krunch did end up winning the Boys 12s Nationals in San Diego that next year, in which World Tennis Magazine covered in its Krunch and the Gang II update. He also was a finalist at the Indoors in singles and doubles in Indianapolis, and a singles finalist at the Hard Courts in Corpus Christie. He also was the recipient of two US National Sportsmanship awards that year. In addition, in 1987 he was also awarded the ODTA and the MVTA Player of the Year awards, as well as ending the year being ranked #2 in the USTA and ITF World Junior Rankings. Unfortunately right after moving into the 14s age group and 10 successful years working with his coach Bill Rompf, Bill moved to Florida to run the Bollietieri Tennis Academy, but Krunch still continued his prominence on the national circuit by working with other local coaches the rest of his junior career with the likes of Lee Wright, Randy Witzel, and David Bryant. He consistently maintained Top 10 national rankings in Singles and Doubles and finished his national junior career with 2 Gold Balls, 5 Silver Balls, 5 National Sportsmanship Awards, and inclusion on multiple US National teams. Even in his first year of different age groups, he hardly ever finished outside the Round of 16s, and had many quarterfinals or Top 6 finishes at different national tournaments. Krunch also represented the US in 1989 in Sao Paolo, Brazil in a USA vs Brazil Cup match which included the top 2 boys and girls players in the US in the 14s, 16s and 18s. This was one of his career highlights as it also included two other Oklahoma Tennis Hall of Fame inductees and legends - a reunion with his coach Bill Rompf as the coach for the US Team, and fellow teammate Meredith Geiger.
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
CONTINUED: OKLAHOMA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
T.J. SHANAHAN Junior Emerging Player of the Year
SECTION
HOPE GEMPEL
EMMA STAKER Female Junior High Performance Player of the Year
MISSOURI VALLEY AWARD WINNERS FROM OKLAHOMA fNON-EMBARRASSMENT
TRENTON KANCHANAKOMTORN
junior sportsmanship
TONY MULLICAN Outstanding Diversity Acheivement
ELOISE NASR Female Junior Emerging Player of the Year
Since joining First Serve OKC in May of 2019, Tony Mullican has improved the quality of programs and number of students served by over 50%. Tony has been instrumental in securing over $75,000 in new funding, 25 new volunteers, and over 600 of hours of volunteer time. Tony's most significant impact is in his ability to engage students as they gain independence while teaching them the value of a diverse and inclusive community.
Hall of Fame Cont.
AUBREY BAILEY
OMAR OUDEH Male Junior High Performance Player of the Year
THE CLARK FAMILY Tennis Family of the Year
Omar Oudeh is Omar is ranked #1 in the Missouri Valley in the Boys 16's and in addition, is ranked #46 in the nation in the Boys 16's. Recently advanced to USTA National Indoor Championships with doubles partner Nicholas Heng.
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Over the past four decades, the Clark family have become a household name in Oklahoma tennis circles – with accolades extending on-and-off the court, in the classroom and throughout the Tulsa community. All tennis enthusiasts starting with the Toby & Julie Clark, Tim (22), Zeke (21), Grace (20), & Lily (12) .
2020 has been a breakout year for TJ Shanahan as he has elevated his game and competed with the top players in Oklahoma and around the Missouri Valley in three age groups – Boy’s 12, 14 and 16’s. Shanahan has won a total of 7 tournament during the first months in 2020.
Emma Staker has the highest national ranking of any Missouri Valley player in any age divisionat #6 in the country in the Girls 18's. Staker received a full scholarship to play at the University of Oklahoma next year.
Tennis was always a Kloberdanz family affair, as Krunch’s older brother of one year Paul, also played on the MVTA and National circuits as well throughout his junior career, and later played tennis for SMU. This created quite the logistical challenges for Krunch’s dad, mom, and coaches when Paul and Krunch were in different age groups participating in different national tournaments across the country. But when they were in the same age brackets, they played doubles together every year and were consistently the #1 ranked doubles team in Oklahoma and Missouri Valley and had multiple national Top 10 doubles rankings. As the top ranked 1st year of 18s player in the country, he ended up choosing to continue his tennis career at the collegiate level to play for Vanderbilt University. After winning his first collegiate tournament at Notre Dame his freshman year, over the next 3 years as a Sophomore, Junior and Senior from 1995-1997, each year he played #1 Singles and Doubles, served as Captain, was named All-SEC, and was an Academic All-American. In college, he had many top ranked singles and doubles wins including multiple wins over #1 ranked players and NCAA champions. Over the years, he has held multiple Vanderbilt Mens Tennis records, and to this day still holds the best doubles winning percentage for a season (1995-1996), and best career doubles winning percentage. During Krunch’s senior year, while holding a Top 20 NCAA ranking, he suffered a dramatic back injury during the middle of a match, that caused him to barely miss his goal of making All-American, and ultimately became the death nail in his tennis career. Determined to get past his lingering back problems, he persisted long and hard trying to battle back, and after the NCAA Championships his senior year, he began his pursuit of his lifelong dream to play the ATP Pro Tennis tour. But unfortunately his lingering back injuries and problems became too much to overcome, and Krunch’s pro career ended after only one year. In his one year on tour, he held world rankings in the mid hundreds in singles and doubles, and had very strong finishes across the Satellite Circuit in singles and doubles, including a Runner-Up finish. After concluding his tennis career, Krunch chose to go back to Vanderbilt University to attain his MBA in Finance, where he met his wife, Courtney. He decided to pursue the Wall Street path, with multiple stints in NYC before settling in Atlanta, by going to work for Lehman Brothers, subsequently Credit Suisse and currently at UBS in their Private Wealth Management Division. When he was told he couldn't go by Krunch in the "real world", he proved his naysayers wrong once again by officially making Krunch his legal name. In his financial career, he is the senior partner for Odyssey Wealth Management, holds the distinguished Certified Financial Analyst designation, and has received several distinct honors including being named to Barron’s illustrious Top Financial Advisors in the US list, and was nomiated for Wall Street’s Top 40 Under 40. He resides in Atlanta with his wife and children, Palmer, Bailey, and Whitfield. He loves coaching all three of his kids across various sports, is an avid golfer, and enjoys playing music in two bands - one with his friends and one with his kids.
Eloise Nasr began the year ranked #106 in the Missouri Valley and nine months later was the No. 1 ranked Oklahoman in the Valley Standings List and ranked #20 in the Valley, up 86 places. Nasr won 4 titles while winning 12 consecutive matches.
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USTA NATIONAL ADDS NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS TO THE SCHEDULE
2021 TOURNAMENT
January 7, 2021 – Due to the ongoing situation surrounding COVID-19 that has impacted the ability to host events in certain parts of the country, the USTA is adjusting the 2021 National Junior Tournament Schedule in an effort to increase competitive opportunities across the country. As part of this, the USTA Junior tournament scheduled for February 6-8 has been expanded from 4 to up to 8 locations per age division, each with a 32-player singles draw. The event is still assigned Level 2 ranking points and will now be classified as a USTA Additional Tournament. Please note that because this is not a USTA National Level 2 segment and is now an “Additional Tournament”, players may only apply for ONE division in ONE location. Some important details regarding the tournament are listed below. Please reach out to the individual tournament directors if you have questions specific to their event. Draw Format Singles: 32 FIC-16 with 3/4 PlayoffDoubles will NOT be offered at these events, even if it shows the ability to register online Score Format Main Draw: Best of 3 Tie Break SetsConsolation: Best of 3 Tie Break sets with a 10-point match TB in lieu of the 3rd set; all regular scoring Player Registration and Selection ProcessPlayers are permitted to register for only one location in one division prior to the entry deadline of January 14th @ 11:59 AM Eastern. Should a player be listed in more than one tournament location at the time of the entry deadline, that player will be subject to 4 USTA Suspension points for entering into concurrent events. We suggest that players do NOT wait until the last minute to register to make sure you do not miss the deadline. Please consider choosing a location that will minimize the travel necessary for attending the tournament. Tournament participants are responsible for adhering to the COVID-19 mandates and regulations of the tournament’s local municipality. If you need to make any changes to your registration, please do so by withdrawing prior to the entry deadline. To learn more on how to withdraw from a tournament, please follow this link. 28 players will be selected using the most recently published National Standing List. The remaining 4 positions are reserved for wild cards – players do NOT need to apply for these wild card positions, as they will be chosen from the tournaments’ Alternates List. The criteria for selecting WCs will be determined at a later date and recipients will be notified/contacted by January 25. Tournament Calendar Please click here to view this tournament segment. By United States Tennis Association
junior participants
JUNIORS
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over
junior Tournaments
Adult League Teams
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Players and Parents: VERY IMPORTANT! With the new format, the location of the date, time and site on the draws have changed. Please take a moment to review this document. If you have any questions, please reach out to David Minihan at minihan@ustaoklahoma.com.
NEW LOCATION FOR DATE, TIME & LOCATION ON THE 2021 DRAWS
ADULT PARTICIPANTS
inside oklahoma numbers
474
4,500
How to register your child for a USTA tournament in 2021
MORE QUESTIONS? Go to customercare.usta.com
usta oklahoma
STEP 4:
STEP 5:
JUNIOR COMPETITIVE TOUR HOW TO CONT:
STEP 6:
Select the players associated with your USTA account that will be entering the events. If they are eligible for the event, they will show a box next to their name to tick. If they are greyed out, then an explanation is available why not. Click on the ? in the box for the next steps. If the player doesn't have a USTA membership this message will display:
@ustaoklahoma
Once you are ready to pay, click CONTINUE TO PAYMENT. You will then be asked to confirm all entries and also be informed of the maximum potential charge. Please note: your card will not be charged until your child is selected and confirmed by the Tournament Director into the event.
Once you have found the tournament you would like to register your child for, you can complete the registration process by following the steps below. You will only be able to register for a tournament if the registration is open. This information is indicated under the event listing. Please check for available 2021 tournaments periodically as more will continue to be added. NOTE: When registering a child under the age of 13 for a tournament, you will need to sign in using your (parent/guardian) USTA account. Once signed in, you can either select the child's account if they're already linked to your account or add the child to your account. If the child is 13-18 years of age, you can choose between registering them through their account or your own.
After you input your payment details click Save card. You will be presented with a confirmation page and your entry for your child(ren) is complete. NOTE: The payment is not taken until the Tournament Director has completed the selection process, this will happen after the tournament registration period is closed and prior to the tournament itself. If selected you will receive an email confirming this and the final amount charged to your account. If you have any questions regarding the tournament, please contact the Tournament Director.
STEP 7:
STEP 3:
KEEP UP TO DATE @ usta.com/thebaseliner.com/social media
Find the tournament you would like to register your child for and confirm the registration is open. To search for a tournament, visit https://playtennis.usta.com/tournaments. Once you've found the tournament and confirmed the registration is open, click on the tournament listing. You can click anywhere in the box to open the tournament and review the details.
Visit https://playtennis.usta.com/tournaments
Once you have confirmed the events, choose your method of payment, and then select Confirm Entries & Pay. From here you will be presented with a screen to input your payment details.
Please note that if there are discounts they will be shown at this point, however, note the price is the maximum you will pay. The final price is determined depending on the number of events you have selected. Some Sections offer the option to apply for events outside of the age divisions, which means you may apply for more events. You will see this message before you commit to making the payment.
STEP 8:
STEP 1:
Select the events you wish to register your child by clicking on a price box. You can click on an individual event for more information such as draw type, surface, etc. You may also review the registration rules at the top right of the tournament page. Depending on the rules of the tournament you can choose 1 or more events, they will be placed in the checkout basket.
customercare.usta.com
STEP 2:
Once you've completed making your selection, scroll to the top of the page and click GO TO CHECKOUT.
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In a post about a month ago, Javier went over some of the math behind playing tennis. Between tennis club memberships, tennis camps, and tennis lessons, the costs add up quickly. We get it. Tennis can be an expensive sport. But to me, there’s something special about tennis that makes it perfectly suited for kids. Let me take you through the advantages. 1. Tennis teaches hand-eye coordination Lots of sports teach you hand eye coordination but tennis is one of the only ones to do that without any contact. Sure, you might get hit by a tennis ball, but compare that to getting hit by a football player! Tennis keeps your children safe while allowing them to learn and grow in the sport. 2. Tennis is a lifelong sport. I feel like so many people underestimate this aspect of tennis. How many sports can you truly play throughout your entire life? Football is definitely out. You might play basketball and soccer into your 20’s but definitely not much longer than that. Golf is the only other sport that you can truly play throughout your life. But do you golf for exercise? I certainly don’t! Teaching kids to play tennis lets them play a sport that they can stick with for the next 30-40 years. Are you convinced yet that you need to get a tennis racquet for your child? I wrote a guide detailing how to find the best tennis racquets for children here! 3. Tennis makes children stronger and tougher Tennis can get intense at times. There are times where you’ll be running from sideline to sideline desperately trying to hit a shot back. Maybe you win the point maybe you don’t but the good news is that this running is great for you regardless. It’s been shown time and time again, tennis is a great way to get or keep in shape. On this point though, I also want to talk about the mental side of tennis. Tennis is primarily an individual sport in that it’s usually 1 vs 1 (singles) or 2 vs 2 (doubles). As I was growing up (with a tennis racquet in my hands of course), it was intense sometimes! It would be match point and everything came down to my serve. This is why I love teaching tennis to children. Learning how to deal with adversity and knowing that it ultimately comes down to you is great experience for a child to have as they grow up playing. Whether they end up playing competitively or not, I embrace the fact that tennis primarily comes down to you, the player. 4. Tennis makes children smarter I know this has been a long post so I wanted to throw in this little bonus fact. The USTA reported in a survey, that nearly 50% of tennis players have an “A” average in high school and 81% plan to attend college. In fact, even accounting for different economic circumstances of the players, the educational benefits still occurred. When you think tennis, think smart children. That’s what the science has shown. Now, if you want to grab a tennis racquet (they’ll be smarter, stronger, faster, and mentally tough, if you do) check out some of the best tennis racquets today. Article was originally published on www.tennisconsult.com/
MAY 31 - JULY 1 MATCH PLAY IN TULSA MON/WED 10u & 18u TUES/THURS 12u & 14u MATCH PLAY IN OKC TUES/THURS
*top teams
JUNIOR TEAM TENNIS
Fall LEAGUE
SUMMER ADVANCING LEAGUE
2021 schedule
DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS: July 7 &8 Edmond Center Court, OKC SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS: July 20-22 LaFortune Tulsa, OK NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: National Campus Orlando, FL 14U: October 14-17, 2021 18U: October 21-24, 2021
SPRING LEAGUE
Advancing League
SEPTEMBER 5, 12, & 19 SUNDAYS @ 2 PM PLAY DOUBLE HEADER
The USTA reported in a survey, that nearly 50% of tennis players have an "A" average in high school and 81% plan to attend college
Why Your Child Should Pick Up a Tennis Racquet Today
Want to play? Contact your local tennis facility Tulsa: Casey McKenzie mckenzie@ustaoklahoma.com OKC: Randy Painton randypainton@sbcglobal.net
"Tennis makes children stronger and tougher"
FEBRUARY 28 - APRIL 11 MATCH PLAY DAYS SUNDAY AT 2PM
JUNIOR PATHWAY
l5-l7 schedule
Junior Catch-All Site https://bit.ly/3a3KRGn Questions? minihan@ustaoklahoma.com mckenzie@ustaoklahoma.com
usta ok
January 23 Enid Oakwood TC February 13 BA Indian Springs March 6 Tulsa Indian Springs March 13 Tulsa Lafortune April 17 Norman Westwood April 24 Tulsa Indian Springs May 15 Tulsa RH91 May 22 OKC Earlywine June 5 Edmond Edmond Center Court June 26 Tulsa Indian Springs July 10 Tulsa RH91 July 17 Edmond Oak Tree August 7 OKC Earlywine August 21 Tulsa Indian Springs September 4 Tulsa Lafortune September 25 Edmond Edmond Center Court October 2 Tulsa Indian Springs October 23 Norman Westwood November 14 Edmond Edmond Center Court December 5 Edmond Oak Tree
junior circuit schedule
2021
Jan 8-10 OKCTC L6 (BG16/18) Jan 8-10 Edmond Center Court L6 (BG12/14) Jan 22-24 Edmond Center Court L6 (BG12/14) Feb 5-7 Ind.Springs L6 (BG16/18) Mar 5-7 Edmond Center Court L6 Mar 6 Earlywine L7 Mar 13-14 Ind.Springs L6 Mar 13 Ind.Springs L7 Mar 27-28 Westwood L6 Mar 27 First Serve L7 Apr 17-18 RH91 L6 Apr 17 Ind.Springs L7 Apr 23-25 Earlywine L6 Apr 24 Oakwood L7 May 22-23 Union L6 May 22 Ind.Springs L7 May 28-30 OKCTC L6 May 29 Earlywine L7 June 5-6 Duncan TPA L6 June 5 Union L7 June 11-13 Edmond Center Court L5 June 12 Oak Tree L7 June 19-20 Lafortune L6 June 19 Ind.Springs L7 June 25-27 Edmond Center Court L6 June 26 Oakwood L7 July 2-3 Ind.Springs L6 July 3 Lafortune L7 July 10-11 OKCTC L6 July 10 Ada TC L7 July 17-18 Lafortune L6 July 17 Ind.Springs L7 July 24-25 Ind.Springs L6 July 24 Union L7 Ju/Aug 30-1 Lafortune L5 Ju/Aug 31-1 Edmond Center Court L6 July 31 Edmond Center Court L7 Aug 7-8 Duncan TPA L6 Aug 7 Oakwood L7 Aug 14-15 RH91 L6 Aug 14 Lafortune L7 Aug 21-22 Edmond Center Court L6 Aug 21 Edmond Center Court L7 Aug 28-29 Union L6 Aug 28 Ind.Springs L7 Sept 4-5 Oakwood L6 Sept 4 Edmond Center Court L7 Sept 11-12 Duncan TPA L6 Sept 11 Union L7 Sept 18-20 Ind Springs L6 Sept 18 Edmond Center Court L7 Sept 25-26 OKCTC L6 Sept 25 Union L7 Oct 2-3 Oakwood L6 Oct 2 Earlywine L7 Oct 9-10 RH91 L6 Oct 9 Ind.Springs L7 Oct 16-17 Edmond Center Court L6 Oct 16 Edmond Center Court L7 Oct 23-24 Lafortune L6 Oct 23 Union L7 Nov 19-21 OKCTC L6(BG16/18) Nov 19-21 Ind.Springs L6(BG12/14)
10 things to know about the new system
JUNIOR COMPETITIVE TOUR STRUCTURE CHANGES
1. ONE Nationwide Structure of Tournaments. The 17 sectional structures and one national structure will be replaced with ONE nationwide structure of junior tournaments. The structure will consist of seven levels of ranking tournaments, with the lowest level of intermediate tournament classified as a Level 7 and USTA National Championships classified as Level 1. For entry-level to intermediate players of all ages, a non-ranking series of events called the Net Generation Circuit will focus on age-appropriate competition, development and fun. 2. ONE Nationwide Points-Per-Round Ranking System. The 17 sectional ranking systems and one national ranking system will be replaced with ONE nationwide ranking system for the Level 1-7 ranking tournaments. One set of nationwide ranking tables will determine the points earned in all ranking tournaments. 3. ONE Standings List. At least monthly, the USTA will continue to publish National Standings Lists (NSLs), using the same Best of 6 singles and Best of 6 doubles results system, with 15% of a player’s doubles results counting toward a player’s standing. Points will count up and count down as they have in the past. These lists will be filtered by section or district when they are used for selection into closed tournaments and team competitions. 4. EVERYTHING Counts. While sections will continue to hold two Closed Level 3s and four Closed 4s, and in some cases Closed Level 5s, all other tournaments sanctioned by the sections will be open to all players and all results will count in the ranking system. This also permits sections to hold Open Level 4s. This means that, for example, if you are vacationing out of section and play a tournament, it will count. It also allows players who live near section borders to play across section lines and have their results count. 5. ONE Quota list criteria for every Section -- no more endorsement requirements for Nationals. Sections will no longer impose minimum requirements to appear on a section’s endorsement list. Sections will continue to get a minimum Quota number of players into USTA National Championships, but these lists will all have the same criteria and will be published on a monthly basis so players better understand their chances of making Nationals. The criteria provides an incentive for players to compete in-section as follows: • In the BG 18, 16 and 14 divisions, no more than three singles and three doubles results can be from tournaments sanctioned by an entity other than the Sectional Association; and • In the BG 12 divisions, no more than two singles and two doubles results can be from tournaments sanctioned by an entity other than the Sectional Association. 6. NEW Ranking Events. For the first time, the ranking system will be able to count results from mixed doubles events, including mixed doubles matches that are played as part of a team tournament. The new structure has also created the opportunity for sections to organize two high-level ranking events — a Level 2 Intersectional Team Tournament between two or more sections and a Closed Intrasectional Level 4 Team Tournament. 7. GETTING Into USTA National Championships. No change has been made to the number of players selected into the USTA National Championships — this includes the total players accepted as well as the number of players selected as part of each step in the selection process (Direct Acceptance, National Level 2 Qualifiers, players from the NSL, Quota, and Wild Cards). What has changed is the order of the players. Beginning in 2021, the NSL players will be selected before the Quota players. Any player accepted based on their NSL who is also on a Quota List within a section’s Quota will result in the next-highest player on the Quota List that enters getting in. 8. UNIFIED Residency Requirements. Sections will all have the same residency requirements, and residency will determine eligibility to play in closed tournaments and represent a section or district in team competition. A player may be a resident of only one section (and if applicable, one district). Residency will be based on where a player resides, except that a player may change their residency one time per calendar year so long as it is based on: • The address of the player’s legal guardian; or • The physical address of a boarding school or tennis academy, so long as the player is enrolled and residing at the school or academy. 9. EVERY Section Is Not The Same. Every section is slightly different — in size, geography, population, climate—and the new regulations allow for sections to make decisions that best meet the needs of their junior players. Examples of what sections will be deciding include: • Draw sizes of their tournaments; • Numbers of tournaments at each level; • When the tournaments take place on the calendar (except that one of the Closed Level 3s must take place in May or June); and • The draw and match formats. 10. IT All Starts in 2021. All of the changes will take effect in January 2021. In the coming months, be on the lookout for webinars and other educational materials that will take a deeper dive into the details of the new structure. You can read more about the 2021 USTA junior competitive structure here. Courtesy of usta.com
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NEW CHANGES NATIONWIDE FOR USTA 2021
“The simplification and standardization of our Junior Competitive structure will simplify the competitive and play pathways for millions of children coming into our sport, giving their families a progression of play and tournament competition that is easy to understand and fully aligned with our American Development Model.” -Martin Blackmon, General Manager USTA Player Development
Missouri Valley & Oklahoma Ahead of the Game and had already adopted the new Junior Tour Level 1-7 system in 2020. In 2021, USTA Oklahoma will switch to an easier registration system called Serve Tennis.
COLLEGE TENNIS IS BACK!
Photo Credit: Alex Crawford
CLICK HERE FOR THE WOMEN'S SCHEDULE
DAVID BRYANT CLARENCE DYER DILLARD EUBANK IKE GROCE KIMM KETELSON MARK MILLIGAN CURTIS RICHMOND STEVE ROEMER JAMES WADLEY WARREN WOMBLE JOANIE KITCHENS GOSS
CLICK HERE FOR THE MEN'S SCHEDULE
sOUTHEASTERN COLLEGE HAS A NUMEROUS AMOUNT OF ALUMNI THAT HAVE BEEN INDUCTED IN THE southeastern athletics TENNIS HALL OF FAME. cHECK OUT ALL THE SOUTHEASTERN HALL OF FAMERS!
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA
wHAT IS A BLUE CHIP RECRUIT? Blue chip players are those who have proven themselves to be among the best at their positions in their respective sports and are more sought after and wanted than other players. They are typically perceived as "can't miss" prospects who are desired by most organizations.
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OU WOMEN
CORLEY
NORMAN – Oklahoma women's tennis head coach Audra Cohen announced the signing of Emma Staker on Wednesday at the beginning of the early signing period. Staker will join the Sooners in August 2021. A Tulsa native, Staker is a Blue Chip (top 25) recruit according to Tennisrecruiting.net. She is the No. 24 player nationally in her signing class as well as the No. 1 player in the state of Oklahoma. "We are very excited to add Emma to our team," said OU head coach Audra Cohen. "As a Blue Chip recruit from Oklahoma, she brings a high level on court along with an immense amount of Sooner pride. Emma has established herself as a top junior in the country, however, what stood out the most to us is that she still has a lot of room to improve. She has the raw ability and upside we look for as well as the hardworking and determined mentality needed to be successful in the Big 12." "I'm honored to be a part of such a great tennis program," said Staker. "I'm proud to wear Crimson and Cream these next four years. Boomer sooner!" Courtesy of soonersports.com
Photo Credit: Austin Carrierre
TOP JUNIOR PLAYER STAY IN STATE
Carmen (sophomore) and Ivana (junior) won 21 straight matches from the time Carmen came to OU as a freshman in January 2020. Their run this fall included the doubles titles at the TCU Invite, OU Invite and ITA Central Region Championships.
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audra cohen, ou head coach: "As a Blue Chip recruit from Oklahoma, she brings a high level on court along with an immense amount of Sooner pride. Emma has established herself as a top junior in the country, however, what stood out the most to us is that she still has a lot of room to improve. She has the raw ability and upside we look for as well as the hardworking and determined mentality needed to be successful in the Big 12."
ITA REGIONAL CHAMPS
IVANA & CARMEN
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Cowgirl Tennis to Host Indoor Championships
Jan 16 Missouri 12pm & 6pm Jan 19 Wyoming 5pm Jan 24 SMU 1pm Jan 30 Texas 1pm Jan 31 Oral Roberts 3pm
Schedule leading up to the Indoor National Championships
Tulsa Women's 2021 Schedule
Jan 16 Hurricane Invite Tulsa, OK 9am Jan 17 Hurricane Invite Tulsa, OK 9am Jan 23 ITA Indoors Stillwater, OK TBA Jan 24 Texas Tech Norman, OK TBA Jan 31 Kansas Tulsa, OK 12pm Feb 7 Memphis Tulsa, OK TBA Feb 13 UMKC Tulsa, OK TBA Feb 14 Lamar Tulsa, OK TBA Feb 21 Cincinnati Tulsa, OK TBA Feb 28 TBA Tulsa, OK TBA March 5 Oklahoma Tulsa, OK TBA March 13 Oklahoma State Tulsa, OK TBA March 20 ORU Tulsa, OK TBA March 26 Wichita State Tulsa, OK 6pm March 31 Kansas State Tulsa, OK 6pm April 3 North Texas Dallas, TX 10am April 4 SMU Dallas, TX 1pm April 7 Temple Tulsa, OK TBA April 16 UCF Orlando, FL TBA April 18 USF Tampa, FL TBA April 21 AAC Championship Lake Nona all day May 7 NCAA Regional TBA TBA May14 NCAA Super Regional TBA TBA May 20 NCAA Finals Lake Nona, FL TBA
Feb 5-7 ITA National Indoors
CLICK HERE FOR THE woMEN'S SCHEDULE
Oklahoma State University will be the host and automatic qualifier for the 2021 Division I Women's Indoor National Championships. The Road to Stillwater… How does it work? Host sites and draft participants were selected from an unpublished run of the Oracle ITA Team Rankings from the end of last season. The top seven teams, according to the unpublished March 17 Oracle/ITA national rankings, were selected as host sites. However, if a host site declines, then it moves to the next school in order. According to the unpublished March 17 Oracle/ITA rankings not selected as a host, the highest-ranked team chooses which of the seven sites they want to go to. When called, they will decide where they want to play; then the next highest team is called and chose, and so on. Teams not in the original 28 selected for the draft may still have the opportunity to play if teams above them elect to pass during their draft turn. A team is allowed to choose wherever it wants to go until a site is filled with four teams. There are links to the draft pages on the Kickoff Weekend page. You can see who is at each site and what order they chose along with their seeds at their site. During the Kickoff Weekend in January, seven pods of four teams will compete to earn a spot in the National Team Indoors in Stillwater. Since Oklahoma State is the host, we get an automatic bye and won't be hosting a Kickoff Weekend tournament. Each of the seven host sites will determine a champion from their four-team pod to qualify for the National Team Indoors. No. 1 seed will face No. 4 seeds, and No. 2 and No. 3 will play each other. The winning teams from the first round match of the KOW will face each other in the championship to determine who advances to Stillwater. Tennis fans will be watching to see who wins at each of the seven host sites to see who will be coming to Stillwater to compete for the National Team Indoor Championship.
55 & over
2020 ADULT LEAGUES district winners
mixed 4o & Over
65 & over
champions
18 & over
mixed
Women 2.5 Tony Daniels and Kay Peters OKC Women 2.5 Angie Koumaris and Whitney Rainbolt OKC Women 3 Julie Prox and Christy Barnes Tulsa Women 3.5 Candy Phillips Tulsa Women 4 Kimerlee Conner and Sandy Roberts OKC Women 4.5 Lizette Corcoran Tulsa Men 3 Jerry Freed and Todd Ray Tulsa Men 3.5 Kevin Cue OKC Men 4 Craig Hayes and Will Allen OKC Men 4.5 Bart Ramsey and Adam Borders OKC Men 5 John Sedlak OKC 3 Ronna Osborn OKC 3.5 Alisa Stewart and Kim Lewis OKC 4 Cindy Cook OKC 2.5 Mike Wyatt Tulsa 3 Kim Love and Juie Phillips Tulsa 3.5 Tracy Earls and Betty Klein Tulsa 4 Mary Jo Tasker Tulsa 4.5 Susie Anderson Tulsa Men 3 David Files and Rhett Paxson Tulsa Men 3.5 Steven Kinney and Richard Davis OKC Men 4 Richard Magann OKC Men 4.5 Scott Denne Tulsa Women 6 Michelle Bryan Tulsa Women 7 Paula Casey and Dawna Johnston OKC Women 8 Pam Rahhal and Betsy Bryce Tulsa Women 9 Kim Lewis and Pam McDougal OKC Men 6 Larry Dotson and Ken Hird Tulsa Men 7 Tom Langwell Tulsa Men 8 Terence Grewe and Ronnie Acebo Tulsa 6 David Schmidt and Kelley Elam Tulsa 7 Paula Casey and Michael Thagard OKC 8 Carrie and Grant Woody OKC 9 Doug Stone Tulsa Women 6 Shirley Brody Tulsa Women 7 Janice Roberts Tulsa Women 8 Jackie Malone Tulsa Men 7 Dave Rankin OKC Men 8 Jeep Pritchard Tulsa 6 Roxy Castner OKC 7 Paula Casey and Jeff Berry OKC 8 Billy Little OKC 6 Brett Williams Tulsa 7 Mike Wyatt Tulsa 9 Michael Pearson Tulsa
40 & over
okstate.com
ADULT LEAGUES
David Minihan MINIHAN@USTAOKLAHOMA.COM
USTA OKLAHOMA LEAGUE
ADULT LEAGUES DATES
QUESTIONS?
district championships
Michelle Oquin OQUIN@USTAOKLAHOMA.COM
Adult 18 & Over: April – July 18 & Over Women's Day: August – November Adult 40 & Over: Women - March – May Adult 40 & Over: Men – September – November, March Adult 55 & Over 6.0, 7.0, 8.0: March – June Adult 55 & Over 9.0 Women only: TBD Adult 55 & Over 9.0 Men only: April - July Adult 65 & Over: March - June 18 & Over Mixed: April - July 40 & Over Mixed: March – June 55 & over Mixed: TBD Tri-Level 18 & Over: June – August
ADULTS
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Looking for tennis enthusiasts to become certified officials for Junior and Adult Tournaments. Great pay, most tournaments are on Fridays & weekends, work as much or little as you want, & easy to become certified! Contact Dean Richardville at drichardville@cox.net for more information!
okc area
Part-time job
Give back to the Game
LET US HELP
Leagues
tulsa area
Casey McKenzie MCKENZIE@USTAOKLAHOMA.COM
Adult 65 & Over 6.0, 7.0, 8.0: June 4-6 Univ of Tulsa (Tentative) Adult 18 & Over 3, 4, 5: July 10-11 LaFortune & Indian Springs Adult 55 & Over 7, 9: June 26-27 LaFortune Adult 18 & Over 2.5W, 3.5, 4.5: July 10-11 LaFortune & Indian Springs adult 55 & Over 6, 8: June 26-27 LaFortune Park adult 40 & Over 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5: July 17-18 OKCTC mixed 7.0, 8.0, 9.0: June 12-13 LaFortune Tri-Level 3.5, 4.0: October 2-3 Westwood
oklahoma
Adult 18 & Over: April – July Adult 18-39 Men’s and Women’s: September - November Adult 18-39 Co-Ed: September - November Adult 40 & Over: September - November, last matches in March Adult Men’s 55 & Over Indoor: February - April Adult Men’s 65 & Over Indoor: February – April Adult Women’s 55 & Over 9.0 Indoor: TBD Adult Women’s 55 & Over 7.0 & 8.0 Outdoor: March – June 18 & Over Mixed: April - July 40 & Over Mixed: September - November, March 55 & over Mixed: December - February, indoor Tri-Level 18 & Over: July – September
Click Here
how to's
2021 usta regulations
**Keep blanks in your bag in case you don't have time to print the specific match scorecard from tennislink. 2.5 and 5.0: 3 lines, 1 singles and 2 doubles click here Mixed and Seniors: 3 doubles - click here 40s: 4 lines, 1 singles and 3 doubles - click here 18s: 5 lines, 2 singles and 3 doubles - click here
Contact: Marc Claude claude@ustaoklahoma.com
New Captain's Guide to Tennislink - find Match Schedules, Match Summary, Player Roster, and Captain's Contact info - click here Opt in for communications - click here Nominate for 2021 Sportsmanship Award - click here
Friend at Court and The Code - general tennis rules and etiquette click here National Adult League Regulations - click here Missouri Valley League Regulations - click here Tulsa Local League Regulations - click here Coman Tie Break Procedure - click here Experienced Player Guidelines - guide to the Self-rate Questionnaire and Ratings - click here
championship schedule
Captains
Contact: Michelle O'quin oquin@ustaoklahoma.com
scorecards
insider
TULSA
OKC
Friend at Court and The Code - general tennis rules and etiquette click here National Adult League Regulations - click here Missouri Valley League Regulations - click here OKC Local League Regulations - click here Coman Tie Break Procedure - click here Experienced Player Guidelines - guide to the Self-rate Questionnaire and Ratings - click here Fee Grid for OKC Adult Leagues - click here
minihan@ustaoklahoma.com
Text USTAOKJUNIORS to 84483 to receive USTA Oklahoma Juniors alerts
GET CONNECTED
usta.com
twitter.com/USTAOKJrComp
405.312.5252
Text USTAOKADULT to 84483 to receive USTA Oklahoma Adult League alerts
instagram.com/ustaoklahoma
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