USTA SUMMER LEAGUE AT BASS RIVER TENNIS CLUB
The Club will again be very active in USTA summer league program. Here is some information about USTA, our club and how we approach league participation.
How To Belong
Membership at Bass River is not required to participate. Many of our teams are comprised of members, but this is often more out of expedience. Non-members are welcome to participate. You must be a member of the USTA. Sign-up for a USTA membership at https://tennislink.usta.com/Dashboard/Main/.You also must have a rating with the USTA to get on a roster. Information on ratings can be found on “Tennis Link” at the same site as the membership info.
The Season
The 2023 USTA league season starts mid-May and ends mid-July (an extra week is added at the end if a makeup is needed). Teams that win the league then go on to the District Tournament in August. Bass River is one of the host sites for districts. From there, winning teams go to Sectionals and then the best of the best moves on to a National tournament. Nationals are usually in October. Senior Nationals are the following spring.
Getting On A Team
Teams are put together and run by a team captain(s). In some cases, teams are comprised of players who may have participated together in the past and have little or no room for additional players. Other teams may be in the market for new players or subs. Bass River does not run a tryout for USTA teams. We only try to help existing teams fill rosters and, if a need arises, facilitate a new team entering the league. This is a very different approach from our North Shore League teams and Bass River members should know that we are more a provider of court time. The teams are not ours, we simply let USTA run the league play through our facility.
Once on a team, the captain will give you a team number. You must then go on the same “Tennis Link” site and register for that team. Remember that you can’t do so without a rating. The cost to register for a team is $25.00. Add this to the cost of joining USTA ($44.00 per year) and then a $22.00 per match cost and you can see team is a commitment. For those interested in subbing once or twice a season, it is unlikely you will find this to be a very good tennis bargain. An in-house match program may be more to your liking. More on that at the bottom of this page.
USTA Team Formats
USTA teams were divided by the following age categories; Adult 18+, Adult 40+, 55+ and 65+. The Adult 18+ level played a 5-point format of 2 singles players and 3 doubles teams. The Adult 40+ level plays a 4-point format of 1 singles and 3 doubles teams. The Senior divisions are constituted by 3 doubles positions. The intent is to give some players in the larger demographics a chance to play more tennis if they desire. For example, a competitive 4.0 man who is age 45 can play in both the 18+ and 40+ divisions. Conversely, a club player, age 45 who does not wish to enter a league with players in their early 20’s has an opportunity to play with his peers in the 40+ bracket.
If you wish to get additional information on teams or would be interested in starting your own team, please contact Mike LaPierre or Jennifer Licciardi.
Instead of USTA
If you think you may be in interested in a summer league, but don’t want to make the commitment to a travel, inter-club team (USTA), we will be running an in-house doubles league for ladies. The level will be in the 3.0 to 3.5 level and matches will be set up on a weekly basis. Please contact Rares for more information or check out the 65” screens in the lobby. This program does not require membership in the USTA or an official rating. Your Bass River membership gives you priority on spots for this program. You may participate with or without a partner. Play will run on Monday or Tuesday evenings (TBD) from mid-May to late July.
