Players, do you know what the philosophy of the
Tennis League Network is? If you’ve been diligently reading our player profiles, then you know that the league
is, first and foremost, about playing as much tennis as possible. Consistent with this
philosophy, as the league continues to grow, we try to give back to our members
by adding rewards that encourage even more playing.
(It's true that playing is already its own
reward, but a trophy or two will give you solid bragging rights, and new gears from Tennis Warehouse can only enhance your dashing good looks on
the court!)
This season, we are happy to announce an increase
of some of the league rewards: The first place player in Prize Pool Level 5
(that is, when a division has 17 to 25 playoff participants) now gets a trophy,
a free season, a $150 Tennis Warehouse gift card (a $50 increase), and a
National Tourney entry. In addition to a free season and a gift card, the
second place players in Prize Pool Levels 5 and higher now also receive a
National Tourney entry. (Click here to see the complete list of league prizes.)
Furthermore, the hurdle to entering the playoffs
has been lowered for the SUMMER SEASON ONLY; players in each division now have to win only 3 matches in
the regular season. But, players do need to play a minimum of 4 matches to qualify. Our goal is to make the playoff brackets larger overall and
therefore increase the number of divisions in Prize Pool Levels 5 and
higher.
So, what is this National Tourney we speak of? In
late fall each year, season champions and players who during the year finished at the top of the
season playoffs or played 30 or more league matches are eligible to play in a
weekend national tournament. At this event, they have the opportunity to meet fellow tennis enthusiasts from all around the country—maybe to compare tennis tips and exchange tennis gossips. Prior participants of the National Tourney are always invited to come back, so it only gets more festive each year.
According to Steve Chagnon, our league director, “It was always our goal from the very
beginning to wrap all the cities together with an annual national tournament. A
good friend of mine originally from the Miami league, Brian Beno, did some research
and found that the Crandon Park Tennis Center was about perfect
to run a tournament in early November. Perfect weather, beautiful facility, and
a local tennis league to help fill out the line-up. Most of the Northerners get
to experience why professionals practice in the area in preparation for the
upcoming year. There is nothing better than Miami in November as long as the
hurricanes have already passed by. This year’s Miami tournament will be our 6th annual,
and it will take place from October 31 to November 2. We expect 50 to 60
players to show up for a weekend of fun, exciting tennis.”
For the first time ever, we will also be
organizing a West Coast tournament from December
12 to December 14 this year at the Warner Tennis Center in Woodland Hills, just
outside of Los Angeles. Our West Coast players now don’t have to travel
cross-country to play in the National Tourney. We hope that this is only the
first of many future West Coast tournaments.
If you’ve ever fantasized about the life of a
jet-setting pro, the National Tourney is a unique opportunity to
live it. It’s still mid-summer, so dust off that racquet of yours, and get
yourself to qualify!
No comments:
Post a Comment