RULES
2008 - 2009
This Rules document specifies procedures for weekly match play, communication between captains, and organizational and scheduling issues that may change annually. For all general regulations governing membership and team requirements, division structure and match schedule, see the CALTA Charter. Each captain should be familiar with the Charter and these rules, and should ensure that all players on her team are familiar with the rules on match play and conduct. The procedures governing changes to the Rules are outlined in Section XIX of the Charter.
Changes to the Rules for the 2008-2009 season are in bold italics.
I. DIVISION STRUCTURE
For the 2008-2009 season, CALTA will be comprised of five divisions -- I, II, III, IV and V -- with Division I the strongest level of play. Each Division has a Division Coordinator, whose functions are described in Section VIII of the CALTA Charter and in the Coordinators' Responsibilities document.
II. REQUIREMENTS FOR A TEAM
As stated in Section IX of the CALTA Charter:
Each team must have a minimum of eight dues-paying members on its roster. There is no maximum. In addition to the dues-paying members, a team can have a maximum of five "subs". A member or sub can be on only one team roster in CALTA. Substitutes and members must satisfy the membership rules of the team's tennis center.
Each captain must submit a team roster prior to the start of the Fall season, using the on-line input roster form available in the CALTA web site.
Addition of new players: A new member or sub can be added to a team at any time during the season.
Transfer of players: A member or sub already listed on a CALTA team can transfer permanently (i.e., for the rest of the season) to any other CALTA team at any time during the season.
The division coordinator must be notified of an addition or transfer prior to any match play for that member or sub.
III. MEMBERSHIP DUES
Captains must collect $25 from each member and mail one check to the CALTA Treasurer prior to the team's first match. A team's games will be forfeited until its dues are received by the Treasurer. Dues are nonrefundable and are not pro-rated; if a member joins late in the season, she must pay the full $25 annual dues. Dues are not transferable from one player to another. If a "sub" plays in more than 50% of a team's matches in the Fall period, she must be changed to a regular member for the Spring period and pay full CALTA dues. Only those substitute players who have paid dues will receive awards at the year-end luncheon.
IV. HOST TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES
The host team must contact the visiting team captain or contact person no later than the day prior to the scheduled match.
On the day of the match, the host team must contact its opponent by 7:30AM if the weather is questionable. The host team captain will make the decision on whether or not to play the match. Rule XII specifies the conditions and procedures for rescheduling due to weather.
Host team furnishes new "USTA-approved" balls (must be stated on the can) and of the type appropriate for the surface being played on.
Host team furnishes light refreshments.
V. DEFINITION OF TERMS
The Board has determined:
FORFEIT to mean the giving up of a match, usually with advance notice.
DEFAULT to mean the loss of a match because of tardiness, misconduct, or violation of the rules.
RETIREMENT to mean the loss of a match due to injury or emergency while the match is in progress.
PENALTY to mean the loss of a point as imposed by these rules.
VI. MATCH SCHEDULE
For the 2008-2009 season, all divisions will play on Tuesday morning.
The captains or their designated representatives will exchange line-ups no later than 9:30AM -- even if not all players have arrived. First and last names must appear on the score sheets. Clubs that have courts with different surfaces shall let the visiting team know what positions will be playing on what surfaces before line-up exchange, if requested by the visiting team. If a team's line-up includes a player who has not been included in the team roster filed with the division coordinator prior to the date of the match, that court will subsequently be defaulted.
All players should be on the court ready to begin pre-match warm-up promptly at 9:30AM. A default will be in effect if a team is not on its designated court and ready to begin play at 9:45AM, unless an emergency (see next paragraph) has occurred on the way to the match. The final grace period for such emergencies ends at 10:00AM. The default will apply to the court for which the late player is listed. The line-up may not be changed. The home team captain should report any such default to the coordinator.
Definition of "emergency": If someone runs into an unexpected verifiable public situation (major accident, road closed, traffic re-routed) and she communicates with her captain and the captain is able to communicate the situation to the other captain by 9:30AM and the late player is able to stay in communication as she drives and be on the court by 10:00AM -- in that case the 10:00AM extension should apply. 9:45 remains the default time for any other circumstances. When the emergency deadline is applicable, the home team can either hold the visiting team to the 10:00AM deadline or can choose to play whenever they arrive. In either case, when the visiting team informs the home team about the situation, the home team captain must communicate clearly to the visiting team what the case will be.
VII. PRE-MATCH WARM-UP
Warm-up is not to be regarded as a practice. Players are encouraged to arrive early to practice with their own team if they desire. As a courtesy, the home team captain should try to ensure that courts are available by 9AM for the visiting team to practice. Once line-ups have been exchanged and opponents have met on their assigned courts, the pre-match warm-up procedure is as follows:
The home team will "spin" and ask the visiting team to choose "up" or "down" (or equivalent); the winner will choose to serve or receive or will pick a side or will ask the opponents to choose. If the winner chooses a side, the other team will choose to serve or receive. Players will then position themselves on the side of the court on which they will commence play as determined by the spin and will conduct a warm-up for a maximum of 10 minutes, to include:
- ground strokes
- home team moves up for volleys and overheads
- visiting team moves up for volleys and overheads
- service practice
Courtesy dictates that each player should make every effort to hit her shots directly to her opponent and that she not practice her service return when her opponent is practicing her serve.
Every effort should be made to begin play by 9:45AM.
If a player arrives late for the warm-up, a minimum 5-minute warm-up will be allowed.
VIII. MATCH RULES
A match consists of two out of three sets. If a match is "split" after two sets, the two teams may agree to decide the match by playing a 10-point "match tie-break". The team that first wins 10 points by a margin of at least 2 points will win the match. Either player on the serving team may start service in a match tie-break. The decision to play a match tie-break instead of a third set must be willingly unanimous. If any of the four players objects, a third set must be played. The home team captain should report any instance of choosing to play a match tie-break instead of a third set to the division coordinator.
Cellular phones and pagers are not allowed on the court. Under special circumstances, a cell phone or pager may be used on the court if approved in advance by all four players. If not agreed to in advance by all four players, a penalty of one point will be imposed for each interruption.
Server will announce the score audibly before each serve.
All line calls are to be made only by the participating players. If a player is not sure of a line call, she should ask her partner first. Should she ask one of her opponents, she must accept the opponent's reply.
Timing: 20 seconds allowed between points; 90 seconds allowed during change of side; 10 minutes allowed between second and third sets; no time allowed before or during a set tie-break. (The set tie-break is continuous play at the end of all sets ending 6-6.)
Set Tie-break: Sets reaching 6-6 will be decided in a 7-point tie-break. Team that first wins 7 points by a margin of two or more points shall win the set. The player whose turn it is to serve shall be the server for the first point, which is delivered from the deuce court. Thereafter, each player shall serve in rotation for 2 points (first from the ad court, then from the deuce court) in the same serving order until the winners have been decided. Players change sides after every 6 points played and at the end of the tie-break. The team that served first in the set that ended in a tie-break shall receive service in the first game of the following set.
Coaching: Pros may not coach at any time during the match. Players may receive coaching from teammates between the second and third sets.
If, during play, a question arises that is not covered in the CALTA rules, the matter should be settled according to USTA Rules governing play; if necessary, the matter should subsequently be referred to the CALTA Board and/or the Rules Committee.
IX. REPORTING OF MATCH RESULTS AND SPECIAL SITUATIONS
The host team captain or her designated representative will fax the completed score sheet to the division coordinator no later than two days after a match is played. Each team captain should keep records of matches played by her team. If either a default or a choice to play a match tie-break instead of a third set has occurred, this should also be reported in writing to the coordinator.
X. FORFEITS
When a match is forfeited, it must be in the fourth position. The team that forfeits must communicate the forfeit by telephone to the opposing team by 8AM the morning of the match unless there is a last-minute emergency. It is considered common courtesy to forfeit the night before, if known, but it is not necessary to forfeit before the morning of the match. If a team captain decides to communicate a forfeit early, it may not be retracted. In the case of a "mutual forfeit" (i.e., both teams needing to forfeit one or more courts), it is permissible for the captains to reschedule the match(es). If a match has not begun and is rescheduled due to weather conditions per Rule XII, any forfeits that have been communicated are rendered null and void, and the line-up can be redone with no forfeits.
XI. RETIREMENT
After play has begun, if a player cannot continue a match because of an injury or personal emergency, a loss by "retirement" will result.
XII. RESCHEDULING OF MATCHES
Matches are to be rescheduled only in the event of bad weather (rain, cold, or wind).
If a match is rescheduled, the next CALTA scheduled make-up date available to both teams should be the first option. A team cannot refuse to play on a scheduled make-up day on its calendar. If both captains agree, the make-up can be scheduled for an earlier alternate date.
If the weather is questionable, the host team captain may suggest to the visiting team that they postpone travel until she makes the decision (no later than 8:45AM) whether or not to play, and, if the decision is to play, to start the match at a later time that morning. If this is inconvenient for the visiting team, the visiting team may request a rescheduling.
If the temperature forecast for the morning in the area of the home team is below 32 degrees, the host team captain may decide between 7AM and 8AM to reschedule the match. If the host captain decides to play, the visiting team has to come or a forfeit will apply. The visiting team captain has the option, upon arrival (between 9:00 and 9:30), to require a reschedule if they can demonstrate with a thermometer that the temperature on the court is 32 degrees or below.
When the weather conditions are such that the courts may not be playable by 8:45AM, the home captain will call the visiting captain (no later than 7:30 as specified in Rule IV) so that no one starts travel prematurely. The home team has until 8:45AM to determine playability and communicate with the visiting captain. If the home courts are not dry/thawed AT 8:45AM (to be confirmed in person by either staff on site or a member of the host team), the match is to be rescheduled unless both captains agree to wait longer.
If line-ups have been exchanged but play has not begun on any of the four courts because of weather, the entire line-up is rendered null and void and at the make-up new line-ups will be exchanged. If play on a court has begun and is interrupted due to weather conditions, that match will be continued with the same players where the match left off (with a short warm-up if requested). A match is deemed to have begun with the first serve. If play on a court has not begun, substitutions can be made for any reason in the line-up for that court prior to the start of the rescheduled match.
If both teams decide not to play or reschedule a match, no points will be awarded to either team.
Once a match has been rescheduled and agreed upon by both teams, it will be regarded as a regularly scheduled match and no further rescheduling may be done except for bad weather. The four courts of a rescheduled match may be played at separate times if both captains are agreeable. If played separately, they can be scheduled either by the captains or, if agreeable to both captains, the names of the players can be communicated and the players themselves can reschedule.
XIII. FILING OF GRIEVANCES
Any player may file a grievance. She should complete the Grievance Form and submit it to the Rules Committee Chairman within one week of the incident.
XIV. CONDUCT AND ETIQUETTE
Poor conduct will not be tolerated. The Rules Committee may penalize an individual or a team for poor conduct. The "Code", as a handbook of etiquette and fair play, should be understood and followed by every CALTA player.
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