Debbie Fleming

FL

Jacksonville

Should not be able to penalize a player for improving during the season. Somehow a person needs to be involved to protect and promote the ratings. It is extremely unfair to the teams that strive to improve and play by all the rules to be disqualified by a computer.

susan kubricht

fl

jacksonville

player

Kathy Whitaker

FL

Jacksonville

I am both a player and a Captain and feel that once a player reaches sectionals it is unfair to the player and their team if they can be disqualified at this late time in the season.

Therese DeOre

FL

Jacksonville

Elise Leasure

FL

Jacksonville

Judith Gabler

FL

Jacksonville

Player

Kevin

GA

Atlanta

Lisa Gentile

CT

Easton

captain

Julien REIGNIER

FL

Jacksonville

Kermit W. Highfield

KY

Louisville

Player

LINDA HOWARD

SC

FLORENCE

Captain, I do not think that this is fair for the whole team.we go out there and play real hard to win our matches so we will be able to go to state. then everything we have done is for nothing when you disqualify a player from the team. If you are computer rated I don't think this should happen. It does not only hurt that person it hurts the whole team.

Catharine Love

SC

Florence

Player, was bumped up in the middle of regular season, after 4 years of computer ratings

Linda Cox

SC

Florence

Archie Smith

SC

Florence

DQ'ing players at the Sectional or National level is ridiculous. Once a player gets that far then they should be allowed to play.

Ellen Berry

SC

Darlington

Lisa Jones

SC

Florence

sandra poston

sc

florence

against bumping of computer rated player during the season

donna dimitri

LA

New Orleans

player

kelly duplantis

LA

new orleans

captain

Debbie Teachworth

LA

Metairie

Danielle Dares

LA

Metairie

Nathalie Folse

La

Metairie

Kerri Becker

LA

Metairie

Player/Captain

Terri Massett

LA

Metairie

I believe the disqualification of computer rated players is extremely unfair. Players work hard to win matches and to help their team move towards a State/Sectional Championship.

Janice Kirven

SC

Florence

Captain, player

Elaine L Bevis

SC

Florence

cheri miller

LA

metairie

I play 3.0 women's day in new orleans & our hopes of going to state this season has been ripped from our team because of this dynamic DQ system. Two of our key players have been DQ'd mid season-one of them ALL of her matches were taken away & the other just the last match which ended up giving us a team loss. We were in 1st place with a substantial lead & now because of this we are in 3rd place. We are by far the best team in this bracket & we will not be @ state thanks to this system. PLEASE LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN GET RID OF THIS FLAWED SYSTEM!!!

Sandee Seelig

LA

Metairie

Evelyn Goforth

SC

Florence

disqualified players have a difficult time finding another team to play on in the current season already underway.

Maura A. Rolland

SC

Florence

susan brough

SC

florence

melissa ellerbe

sc

florence

player

Kathy Broussard

LA

New Orleans

player

Tracy Giacone

LA

Metairie

Player

Lisa McGowan

LA

Kenner

Martha Donnelly

SC

Florence

Player

Taylor Green

AZ

Tucson

4.5 Mens Captain, I think the USTA needs to rethink the NTRP rating system because of the abuses os the the self rating system in place. Someone other than the player needs to look at a player. The year they implemented the self rating program everyone should have been able to self rate not just new players etc.

don arkin

az

tucson

player/captain, I would have thought that the arbitrariness and unfairness of this policy speaks for itself. Although the problem it apparently seeks to cure is real, this attempted solution is worse.

Sean Oseran

AZ

Tucson

Captain

Deborah Rhodes

sc

florence

Walt Ridley

AZ

Tucson

Captain, 4.0 Senior and Super Senior

Patty Browning

KY

Louisville

Captain. Way to knock a team down after a year's worth of practice, clinic fees, match fees, usta fees, etc. USTA did this to us before our last match of the season, disqualifying one of our players whose scores were competitive by the standards (i.e. 6-6, 7-6). USTA considered her dynamic rating higher than whatever the heck it was supposed to be. and they have yet to go after our competitors who are winning 6-0, 6-1 match after match. We have now been bumped from first place to 4th, with no hopes of competing in the state tournament...unless they decide to knock the wind out of another competitor's sails.

Priscilla Cribb

SC

Florence

Jeff Deming

NC

Davidson

I went to state as a 3.0 last year only to have my partner DQ'd after state - disallowing his participation in Sectionals. I am playing at the same level this year and am worried about my own DQ. I am a Captain for a men's 3.5 team.

Kathryn Chou

CA

Redwood City

Barby Pickett

CA

San Carlos

Captain

louise tierney

ca

sunnyvale

Players should be NOTIFIED as soon as they get their third strike and should not be allowed to play another match at that level. Previous matches won should not be taken away ad certainly the entire team shouldn't be disqualified. Other then a medical reason players should NOT be allowed to adjust their rating back down once they are given a higher computer rating.

Brooke Howie

CA

Foster City

So unfair to be disqualified when you are playing your rating and are disqualified for improving. With no way to know if you are even in jeopardy to be punished without even a warning is unconscionable. Besides encouranging captains to tell their players to sandbag it undermines the whole point of USTA and fair play.

Dorian West

CA

Redwood City

Player

patty Coulson

CA

San Carlos

Theresa Musser

CA

San Carlos

Player

Janice Coakley

CA

San Mateo

Helen Kishi

CA

Belmont

Erin

CA

San Carlos

Hsiomei Hung Mead

CA

San Francisco

Player & Captain

greta rzepski

CA

mountain view

Anne Neeter

CA

San Jose

Captain of several teams - this disqualification is bad policy.

Julie Parish

CA

San francisco

so glad this is circulating!

Annie Monteleone

CA

San Francisco

Debbie Spillane

CA

San Carlos

Bonnie Lowe

CA

Hayward

player

Melissa Shymko

CA

San Francisco

Captain

sharon adams

CA

san anselmo

player

Judy D. Olson

CA

Groveland

Player, Captain, League coordinator

paula sauve

ca

san rafael

Linda Baarts

CA

Lincoln

Player

Kathy Kahn

CA

Menlo Park

player

Larry Kahn

CA

Menlo Park

player

Linda Leong

CA

San Mateo

Player

Ginny Weed

CA

Foster City

Jennifer Gurevitz

CA

Burlingame

Diane Burgess

CA

Belvedere

Not fair to team the way it stands now. Not only is player out but so is team

Susan Johnson

CA

Menlo Park

Catherine Shum

CA

Palo Alto

Jennifer Pereos

NV

Sparks

Jane Bagley

CA

Menlo Park

Captain

Roger Mead

CA

San Francisco

Player

Weishen Mead

CA

San Francisco

Junior Player

John Abbis

CA

Menlo Park

Heather Abbis

CA

Menlo Park

Gust Zumas

CA

San Mateo

karen mead

CA

burlingame

as a captain it makes planning for any possibility of sectionals/districts nearly impossible..little to no control or input of outcome.

McGaughy, Rita

CA

Fremont

Kerry Cunningham

CA

Burlingame

Cynthia Shannon

CA

Redwood City

You should look at the players before they to Sectionals -- as you have allowed them to play on the team. And during the time teams are playing their league matches, and you receive a complaint -- this is the time to check them out, not after you have allowed them to play league matches and into Sectionals. I believe the fees that you have generated by allowing us to enter more teams in a season would give you additional personnel to look into these complaints before Sectionals.

Robert Ketchum

CA

San Francisco

Player

Christina Bird

CA

Menlo Park

Debbie Gill

CA

San Francisco

Captain and Player

Peggy Hodel

CA

San Rafael

STEPHANIE ALLEY

CA

SAN MATEO

MANY OF THE CAPTAINS WERE NOT AWARE OF THIS "BUMPING UP" PRACTICE AND IF I WAS AWARE OF IT I DO NOT THINK I WOULD CAPTAIN A USTA TEAM. I FEEL IT IS AN ULTIMATE CONTROL ISSUE WITHIN USTA AND THE ANTITHESIS OF FAIR PLAY. WHY DIDN'T CAPTAINS GET A SAY ON THIS ISSUE. IS USTA BECOMING A DICTATORSHIP? IF SO I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ORGANIZATION. WHAT HAPPENED TO JUDY OLSON'S TEAM WAS A TRAGEDY OF JUSTICE.

Robert Jones

FL

Jacksonville

AMEN, Stephanie!

Elaine Sanches

CA

Fremont

judith w sheldon

CA

san francisco

Marilyn Giaras

CA

Lincoln

Nancy Sallaberry

CA

Menlo Park

Christine

CA

Fremont

Player

Susan Shears

CA

Fremont

John Henne

FL

Tampa

Computer rated players should only be disqualified at season end, not by three flags.

Stephen Joyce

CA

Newport Beach

Owner, Newport Beach Tennis Club

Bryce Frampton

CA

Newport Beach

Captain

Margaret Morley

CA

Newport Beach

Player

John Power

CA

Newport Beach

Player

Ross Townsend

CA

Newport Beach

Player. All our dedication and hard work was all for nothing when 1 player was DQd for a 6-4, 6-4 win. I will no longer play USTA while this kind of thing can happen.

Scott McClave

CA

Newport Beach

Player: our team was disqualified (incorrectly) for this exact problem

Jose Luna

CA

Newport Beach

I will not support USTA Leagues anymore. Doesn't make sense to me and my team, work hard, invest time and money (break strings, buy balls, buy foods, waste tennis cloth, etc...) and then got disqualify by a computer by mistake.

Adam

CA

Newport Beach

Player, I was a DQed player which forced our team to settle for second place. I'm famous, and I'm not supporting the USTA any more!

Carol Soto

CA

Tustin

Erik Block

CA

Newport Beach

Teams in our local area who won their flights competitively were stripped of their champion titles due to post season DQs. Any match played in good faith where the scores were 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, or 7-6 should not count as "clearly out of level" resulting in a strike. Until USTA corrects this practice it will be difficult to solicit my players to participate again. USTA is disenfranchising players who would otherwise be strong ambassadors to league play. The appeal process should include human judgement to overturn unintended outcomes from the computer system. Not simply checking to see if the scores input were correct.

J. Cohen

CA

Newport Beach

Dale Leslie

CA

Irvine

Player. 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 and 7-6 scores should be encouraged. These are not "clearly out of league" scores and make for exciting matches. The system needs to be changed.

Tony Joyce

CA

Newport Beach

Steve Carter

CA

Orange County

We were the victim of a sickening injustice where a player of ours was deemed too high because he beat a player twice that was injured to the point where he was serving underhand. I will never play in any USTA event as long as this system is in place.

Julie Leslie

CA

Irvine

chris burkhardt

ca

fountain valley

affected player- we had earned the flight championship only to lose it by a DQ.

ken illson

ca

aliso viejo

player

Rose Caven

FL

Jacksonville

Captain

Lew Becker

CA

Irvine

Player

Earle Zucht

CA

Corona del Mar

Player, This has been my fifth year and could be my last if something is not done in improving these rules. Please take action.

Linda Winston

CA

Newport Beach

player

Ivan Moad

CA

Newport Beach

Player

Tony Prodan

CA

Newport Beach

Player

Donna Poag

CA

Newport Beach

player

Marty Balber

CA

Newport Beach

Player

Judibelle Roman

FL

Orange Park

Player

Stacey L. Young Townsend

CA

Newport Beach

I am Team Captain for Newport Beach TC for USTA 4.0 Ladies and Mixed Team. We are not machines and should not be rated by a computer. We should have enough USTA Officials to attend Playoff Matches and Bump Up any players that are exceeding their rating using the computer as a guide not to Disqualify Players. Also, we need to get some of the 4.5 players (guys)up in the 5.0s and open up the 5.5, 6.0, & 6.5 Divs. I think that's the problem for the 4.0 Div. The 4.5 and 5.0 Div have College Rated Players that should be in 6.0+above. A male player rated 4.0, but computer showing him moving up 4.3+, but if he plays in 4.5 USTA he gets KILLED by the College Level Players rated USTA 4.5. Sincerely, Stacey Young Townsend

Tim Jones

LA

Bogalusa

Rating by a COMPUTER PROGRAMMER ONLY IS DUMB! He/she has not watched anyone that is DQ'd play. This practice of computer generated DQ's of computer rated players is hurting the sport. Do something different, even if it's wrong, too. Keep trying till you can find an equitable solution. Please, don't sit in ivory towers saying everyone has to play by the rules. Change the rules when they are bad. Do something. Don't just sit there.

Jeffrey Amante

CA

San Bruno

Captain, Player

Randy Alderson

MI

Clarkston

This "dynamic DQ system" is absolute terrible in practice. Even worse, the USTA, the organization that we support with our dollars, won't even tell us what exactly the system is.

Leslie Alderson

MI

Clarkston

Player

NANNETTE RICHARDSON

FL

INDIALANTIC

CAPTAIN

GAYLE SISAK

FL

COCOA

PLAYER

JULIA WATTERS

FL

MELBOURNE

JANE QUADROS

FL

MERRITT ISLAND

PLAYER

Gina Palombi

FL

Melbourne

Elaine Vicari

FL

Melbourne

Player. This policy definately needs to be reviewed and amended.

marilyn webster

FL

melbourne

NANNETTE RICHARDSON

FL

INDIALANTAIC

CAPTAIN/PLAYER. JUST FINISHED SECTIONALS IN DAYTONA BEACH AND MY 4.0 LADIES TEAM WAS A VICTIM OF THIS SYSTEM! I HAD A PLAYER WHO EARNED TWO OF HER STRIKES ON TWO MATCHES AT SECTIONALS ONLY TO BE TAKEN AWAY. WHAT AN INJUSTICE! SHE WON A MATCH 3 AND 2(PLAYED FOR 2 AND 1/2 HOURS) AND A SECOND ONE 4 AND 1. HOW MANY OF US HAVE HAD THOSE SAME SCORES? THE SAD THING IS THAT IN THE SECOND STRIKE MATCH, HER OPPONENT WANTED TO RETIRE DUE TO AN INJURY BUT HER TEAM ENCOURAGED HER TO CONTINUE. COULD HARDLY HIT THE BALL AND HAD TO SERVE UNDERHANDED. YET MY PLAYER IS THE ONE WHO IS PUNISHED. I TRIED TO APPEAL THE THIRD STRIKE BUT IT WAS REJECTED. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CRITERIA FOR REVERSING A DQ APPEAL WAS MISSING INFORMATION OR INCORRECT SCORES. SINCE I HAD NEITHER OF THOSE, THE DECISION STANDS. I FEEL IF A PERSON RECEIVES TWO STRIKES THAT THEY SHOULD BE VISUALLY OBSERVED BEFORE THE THIRD STRIKE BY AN OFFICIAL. THIS WOULD BE A SIMPLE SOLUTION AND THE PLAYER WOULD NEVER KNOW THEY WERE BEING OBSERVED THEREFORE NO S

Jennifer Hibler

FL

Melbourne

Heather Schleicher

FL

Palm Bay

Only the USTA could find a way to punish an athlete for working hard . Since when does it seem fair to DQ someone for winning. This computer strike system is forcing people to not play to their best ability in fear of getting a strike and hurting their team.

Lesley Sheridan

Fl

Melbourne

Player - I am totally in agreement with my teammate Nannette Richardson and concur with her comments. I have written an e-mail to the USTA this evening and am very interested to see if they will reply to me and also what they will say. I have also given them the information on our ooponent who was not DQ'd and who should have been . she had already had 4 wins at the 4.5 level in the Alabama women's Mobile League BEFORE sectionals!!! then we could watch how she deliberately threw the games...this is unjust and does not promote fairplay. Isn't that what the USTA tennis tournaments should be about? Now that person is going to Nationals whereas our player gets "punished" and so does our team for playing well. I hardly call winning on tiebreakers an easy win!! I hope the USTA gets to reconsider what it has done in time for this situation to be remedied.

Laurie McClelland

FL

Daytona

player

Lisa Troner

FL

Indialantic

Once you advance to a tournament your rating should remain and not be subject to disqualification or penalty. All changes to a players status should occur at the next level tournament with adaquate notice prior to the tournament.

margret cornell

fl

rockledge

Please, eliminate dynamic disqualification during sectional tournaments. Let us enjoy the good games with good players.

GAYLE SISAK

FL

COCOA

I PERSONALLY QUIT PLAYING USTA A FEW YEARS BACK FOR EXACTLY THE REASON STATED. I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR THE COMPUTER HAS STEPPED IN TO "ASSIST" WITH THE RATINGS. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A LOT OF CONTROVERSY REGARDING THE OFFICIALS WALKING AROUND WITH THEIR ALMIGHTY PAPER AND PENCILS JUDGING EACH PLAYER. I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT WAS ELIMINATED. THE POSSIBLITIES OF PREJUDICE WAS INEVITABLE. NOW, I TRULY BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE COMPUTER WITH ASSIST FROM AN OFFICIAL WHO IS WILLING TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND MAKE "GOOD" JUDGEMENT DECISIONS ONCE THE COMPUTER HAS DQ'D SOMEONE. THIS OFFICIAL SHOULD NOT BE A PERSON SITTING BEHIND THE DESK AT THE TOURNAMENT. THEIR DIRECT DEALINGS WITH THE CAPTAIN AND PLAYERS COULD BE PREJUDICED AT THAT TIME, BECAUSE OF ANOTHER CONFRONTATION. PERHAPS THIS PERSON COULD WATCH THE PLAYER IN QUESTION ONCE, AT LEAST A WHOLE SET, TO MAKE A JUDGEMENT CALL. THERE IS TOO MUCH ROOM FOR POLITICS FOR THIS TO BE FAIR.

Pat Sargeant

Fl

Melbourne

The DQ of a player without full knowledge of the playing conditions (i.e. opponent is injured but chooses to continue to play) and encouraging players to intentionally "drop" games to prevent a potential DQ seems to go against the spirit of competition and the intent of "fair play" established by USTA.

karin lilley

fl

indian harbour beach

We are here to play tennis. I can understand that a self rated player can play at their own risk. A player who has been in the computer forever should NOT be disqualified at any point of the season. It is all so subjective.

Bridget Sentz

Fl

Satellite Beach

Sherri Lynn France

FL

MELBOURNE

Cesar Gonzalez Jr.

NY

Yonkers

We had a player given third strike this past weekend at sectionals costing us a trip to Nationals. The system needs to be corrected and the only ay it can be done is by suing the USTA and exposing the flaws in the system.

ernie biele

ny

putnam valley

player

Richard J. Block

NY

Yorktown Heights

Captain

GAIL MARTIN

NY

ROSLYN

Ginger Canfield

NY

Cortlandt Manor

captain & player

Dan Siegel

NY

Yonkers

Michele Miller

NY

westchester

Captain

Luis Cevallos

NY

NY

Greg Leeds

NY

Scarsdale

The current ranking system seems very flawed but certainly one way to help fix it would be to stop the unfair dqing of computer ranked players at the sectional level.

Franklin L. Johnson

NY

New York

Jenni Bourque

NY

New York

Captain and player

Jeffrey G. Abrandt

NY

New York

Player and avid support of USTA Tennis, tennis related charities etc.

Jones Perry

NY

Irvington

Reversing all wins of a disqualified computer-rated player at sectionals unfairly penalizes the player and his team. At least until the disqualification, the player has achieved his success in good faith and those wins should stand.

kasarsky jason

ny

ny

player

Matt Cohen

NY

Carmel

I was bumped from 4.0 to 4.5 after 2 matches of our district tournament. It cost my team a chance to move on.

Christopher Baldassarri

NY

Yonkers

Player

stephen rollins

ny

pomona

Player

Jan Strack

NY

New Rochelle

Player

Charles Manak

NJ

Madison

Player

mary coopman

ny

montrose

player. strikes could be noted as they occur. that way a team will be informed. if team decides to risk a third strike, they keep playing a 2 striked player. more information - better decisions - more equitable competition.

Susan Kozak

NY

Scarsdale

Player and Captain - computer rated players should not get Dq'd at sectionals. It is wrong. It is not fair to the teammates or player to DQ someone who has worked hard to be the best at thier level

lisa barrett-johnson

ny

yonkers

captian that went to nationals; 4.5 player

joel silbert

ny

yonkers

usta spectator

rachael johnson

ny

yonkers

junior player

brad t. phillips

ny

yonkers

recreational player; merril lynch employee

Sarah L. White

NY

Brooklyn

Player

Paul Willard

CA

San Francisco

I am ok with cutting a player off if they have improved beyond level, but reversing decisions is not fair to other players. Especially given that the four game moving average used in the computer rating system means that a player who plays in more matches has an increased likelihood of moving up farther and getting dq'd. So the dq'd player in some sense is penalized for playing more matches in post season over a more extended time frame in which to improve than players that do not make it to post season.

N. Edwards

NY

Port Chester

Player

Lilian Kim

CA

San Francisco

player, captain

Brian Moran

NY

Hawthorne

Robin Davis

FL

Indialantic

Ronald E. Richardson

FL

Melbourne

If you are a computer rated player and make it to the tournament you should not have a chance at DQ and ruin the tourney for your team mates! Non computer rated players should be DQ if they are a level up.

Collin Chu

CA

San Francisco

Dynamic ratings are absolute in and do not fairly assess real tennis abilities. By not having visual raters present at matches of "questionable" players, too many players have been unfairly d-qed by the computer and yet they would have no chance of winning a set at districts or sectionals. The dynamic ratings have unfairly disqualified many players that aren't half as good as "computer rated players" at districts and sectionals. A 6-0 one day could be an 0-6 loss the next day. The computer doesn't take in consideration if one 6-0 win was a result of 30 deuces during the set, nor does it indicate that the winner won 24 straight points while the loser score none. To place scores as absolute, they need to record points as well. It also doesn't take into consideration that a good player may be playing with injuries, nor a match where the opponant just couldn't adjust to different pace or styles of play. I've had days where I've played up to a strong 3.5 level and yet I couldn't beat a 2.0 senior the next da

Susan Bacey

NY

Eastchester

Susan Friedlaender

NY

New Rochelle

Player and Captain

janet dooley

ny

Pelham Manor

National Tennis Champions winners 2005 Eastern

Karen Greenwood

NY

Briarcliff

Player, Captain. Playing your best shouldn't involve looking over your shoulder, waiting for a 100th of a point to end your team's quest for a championship. This is supposed to be fun...

Gary Mohr

NY

Cortlandt Manor

Computer rated players should not be able to get D'qued once the regular season is over, you are actually encourging players to intentionally lose a match to get a flag on thier opponent as a method to win, it would be much better to lose 6-0 6-0 than 6-4 6-3, If you are going to lose the match, might as well try drawing a flag

susan wilson

ny

scarsdale

LON RIGG

NY

MOUNT VERNON

A player that has been playing at the 3.5 level for for over five years playing approximately 20 to 30 matches per year, captained a team and went sectionals and the team beat all team that stood in the way. Then upon juvilant celebration was told that he had three strikes and that all courts that he played on would be taken away therefore, another would go to Nationals. This is not only unfair to this player but also to his teammates. USTA rated this player as 3.5 player. He lost three out four matches playing 4.0 this year. Therefore clearly not a 4.0 player, but USTA system has now rated him a 4.0. This wrong and not right

michael montalbano

ny

westchester

my captain damon disalvatore was dq'd and he didnt break any rules and our whole team was punished for something we had no control over

Kimberly Chon

NY

White Plains

Damon Disalvatore

Eileen Melniker

NY

New York City

Captain

carrie rabuse

ny

hartsdale

i think it is terrible that a player works so hard to prove himself and then gets penelized for all the time.....energy and money to be a team player and try his hardest. This encouraged all players to "cheat" he is computer rated and should be rewarded for all his hard work. this is terrible and I would not want anyone to join the usta.....waste of time and teaches everyone to cheat......

Joan Hiam

NY

New Rochelle

Player

deborah salomon

ct

stamford

i am a captain of the best of the west team for 4.5 woman of southern connecticut. the usta rules have gotten out of hand and i hope that you can better rate your system to be more fair in the future

carol Powers

ny

white plains

Lisa Hart

ny

chappaqua

Deborah Blatt

NY

New Rochelle

I was a captain for 3 years and a player since 2001.

Thalia Zizzo

NY

Pelham

Bea Culen

NY

Pelham

Player and former captain

John Bollinger

NJ

Atlantic Highlands

Halina Pavels

NY

New York

Player - I cannot think of any other sport at professional or amateur level, that would penalize its players during the same season for playing well. In the sport of volleyball, where I competed for many years as an amateur and then as a professional, both nationally and internationally, teams and players advance to the next higher division or classification effective only the following league season or in the case of tournaments, the next event. If the USTA has assigned a computer rating, not based on a self-rate, it should officially sanction that player's participation at that level for that entire season. Certainly this process needs to be refined to serve the purpose for which it was originally intended. For starters, one adjustment might be to eliminate the option players now have to appeal their rating down when new ratings come out at the start of the year.

Cheryl-Anne Bliss

NJ

Aberdeen

Player: The current system discourages players from improving and is unfair to teams. If a computer rated player exceeds their rating, at worst case, subsequent play should be suspended, not have matches played in good faith disqualified. If at an officiated play-off it would be best if an official visually verified the rating before cutting the player off. This should be different for a self-rated player, since there is no basis for good faith if they exceed their rating.

Sylvia Gross

NY

Scarsdale

Barry Portnowitz

FL

Palm Bay

Michaela Hewett

NY

New York

Captain and player. What a shame this rule even has to exist in a sport where fair play and honesty are by words. Since it does, however, if a player plays through the entire league season and is not DQ'd for playing at a higher level than rated, they should not be DQ'd at Sectionals. Locally, we play mostly har-tru courts; at sectionals, the matches are on hard courts. The players who play on hard courts regularly have an advantage over soft court players. There are too many variables at sectionals to DQ a player. And why penalize someone who works hard to improve their game through out the season and does well in playoffs? The point of the sport is to play fairly and honestly and to reward people for their improvements, not to penalize them. The computer ratings at the beginning of the season should stand.

Beth Principe

NJ

Neptune

Player

Linda Popper

NY

Westchester

Captain

Christopher G. Bacey

NJ

Somerset

USTA 3.0 Captain

Yuko Inagaki

NY

Brooklyn

Player/Captain: I think the current system is causing unintended consequences and needs to be updated. I understand the need to disqualify self-rated players in certain cases, but not computer-rated players in the middle of the season, especially at the sectionals. We all want to get better whether it’s in the middle of or after the season without having to ruin team’s chances to advance further after dedicating so much time and effort for USTA league play. In the worst scenario case, I might agree to have the player stop playing at the current level after his/her computer rating changes during the season, but not to disqualify the previous matches played in good faith at the rating certified by the computer at that time.

Michele Spano

NY

Harrison

If you're going to DQ a player, you should do it after the first match-don't wait until he or she has played all three and their scores are crucial...if the team knows at the outset, they won't play him or her again.

LUIS MARCHANY

NY

TARRYTOWN

Heide-Marie Bliss

NY

Yonkers

Player, Captain: I believe that players that have substantial playing histories in the system should not be DQ'd throughout the year let alone sectionals. By not DQ'ing these players I believe that we would encourage folks to play their best and not play the system. There needs to be a system that balances the need to disqualify newer players, with little playing history in the system, that have under-rated themselves versus the player that is trying hard to improve their play. Perhaps once a player has 15-20 matches they can't get DQ'd. I do think, though, that dynamic computers ratings are a vast improvement over visual ratings - how many times did we see new players start to tank their matches whenever a rating official was in the vacinity?

Lynne Prior

NY

Mamaroneck

Player and former Captain

Karime Buraye

NY

Franklin Square

Steve Schleicher

FL

Palm Bay

player

Jennifer Lapey

NY

Pelham

Dear USTA: I think it is outrageous that you penalize someone for a successful season during that actual season. One appropriate remedy may be to "bump up" an undefeated player AFTER the season. I've played tennis my entire life and went to the NCAA Division III Nationals in 1988. I've never heard of such an unfair, counterproductive system. Jennifer Monachino Lapey.

Darren Senzon

NY

Ossining

Player and Captain and DQ's like this after someone plays 4 matches in a state tournament are completely unfair. He is a good player but he has been computer rated for 5 years. At least give a warning before the states or allow us to see our exact ratings before each match.

David Mac Donald

FL

Melbourne

player/former captain

Jason Frankel

NY

Mamaroneck

Player

Kathy McMahon

NY

Tarrytown

I began usta play just last season and was shocked to find out that this is possible. Seems unfair when a player has absolutely no control of their computer rating to then be penalized for something they have no control over.

Philip J. Maresco

NY

Bronx

Player/Captain I think the 3 strike rule should apply to a first year self rated player and or to the first 10 matches played after self-rating, whichever comes last. The rule should NOT be applied to people who have a legitimate computer rating and start the season in good faith, expecting to be rewarded with playoffs and sectional and national tournament play if they have improved, NOT disqualification. Any increase in computer rating of those players should occur at the end of the National tournaments.

Stacie Reed

LA

Destrahan

Player

Christie Rebok

VA

Ashburn

Player

DAVID V. SWANSON

CA

San Francisco

PLAYER

Richard Morton

NY

Scarsdale

Elaine Anton

NY

Putnam Valley

If a player looks to playing above level during the league season by reported match scores, I suggest it would be better handled if investigated during the league season and dealt with at that time. Waiting until the next level of competition punishes the team as a whole. DQing a particular player during regular season play seems like a more fair approach to players trying to beat the system and play under their true ability.

Thank you.

whitney hess

wv

hurricane

player

Kevin O'Malley

NY

NYC

I have been to 4 nationals in 2 seasons and I completely agree that this rule, among other factors, is ruining USTA League Tennis.

Andrea Deitch

NY

New Rochelle

player

Anne Ainslie

NY

Pelham

Karin Mann

FL

Satellite Beach

I don't think disqualifying someone because they are playing well should be done during a tournament. If they do really well bumping them up a level AFTER the tournament has ended seems fair to me.

Whitney Lancaster

CT

darien

Captain

paul noto

ny

mamaroneck

Rosa M. Morrow

NY

Port Chester

Please add me to the USTA Petition Database. Team Captain

Stella Stoyanova

NY

New York

Nicole Sirak

ID

Boise

I am a tennis player disqualified at sectionals and my story reads like the worst case scenario on the ustapetition.com website. While I understand how having a subjective appeal process may invite the potential for mischief, either in the form of manipulation by the affected player or, more likely, inconsistent application of the rating system nationwide, the current system presents problems of its own. The current system applies specific criteria to apportion “strikes” against a player and when the third strike is issued, the player immediate moves up to the next rating level, and all his or her scores are reversed retroactively. The system is certainly an attempt to keep the playing field level and not allow players who exceed the rating level tolerances to continue to play within that rating level, which is certainly appropriate. However, it seems incompatible with the notion of fair play to apply this strict measure not only in the middle of a tournament, but also retroactively. It stands to reason t

Janet Buck

ID

Boise

Player

Wendy Nielsen

ID

Meridian

Lindsay Purcell

Ct

Darien

brenda thompson

ct.

darien

We the "add ins" won sectionals. We were (are) the strongest 2.5 team there and won as a team 90 per cent of our matches. Our captain who plays doubles TWO to guarantee a win got bump up from a 2.99 to a 3.01 ten minutes after we were told we were going to nationals. At a 2.5 level you only play a total of 12 games so dq'ing one play automatically eliminates one third of all your wins. Needless to say the entire team was eliminated from the goal we worked sooooo hard to achieve. Even if the dq'd player did not play, would they then bump her up after her first game at Nationals and leave us all hung out to dry? The current rule is grossly unfair and should be eliminated.

lissa steele roth

ct

norwalk

captain

patrik binkowski

ct

Stamford

Coach for 2.5 Ad Ins(winners of sectionals). Unfair and inefficient system where an individual can get disqualified after winning sectionals. And how is it possible that there isn't a appeal process in place? One shouldn't be penalized for working hard and improving during the season.

Tasha Nagler

CT

Darien

Player

Christopher Brough

CA

Manhattan Beach

Concerned Player

Christian Nagler

CT

Darien

USTA Member

marion nagler

ct

norwalk

Alex Walko

CT

Greenwich

ashley ware

CT

Darien

cathy kreppein

ct

cos cob

Brooks Ware

CT

Darien

Player

Jessica Fisher

CT

Stamford

player

Beth Nann

CT

Old Greenwich

Jennifer Forelli

CT

Darien

Present rule creates an atmosphere of mistrust and confusion. Terrible rule.

Betsy Raftery

CT

Wilton

Cybelle Santo Domingo

FL

Miami

Holly Galper

CT

Darien

Alex Roth

NY

Goldens Bridge

Stefanie Kies

CT

Old Greenwich

ex-player/fan

Tally Harris

FL

Sarasota

steve waterman

ca

santa barbara

Amity Wallace

CT

Darien

Alexandra Jung

ct

darien

player

bernadette Hess

CT

wilton

beth pope

ct

darien

player

Laurel Scarlata

CT

Cos Cob

Bill Pope

CT

darien

the rule is not particularly effective in achieving its stated goal - - as it has been easily circumvented by those who have an inside understanding and an unfair intention. And, the rule has an absurd retroactive application - - - it is not legitimate and this defect/problem must be acknowledged and repaired.

Sept. 15th 2007

Petition was mailed again to the USTA National League Director.