Rally Stars Junior Team Tennis coming to Deptford Township for kids 10 and under

BASICS OF PROGRAM
(GPTKids modified version of Rally Stars Junior Team Tennis)

• Open to players in the South Jersey area ages 5-10
• 6 weeks of guided practice and play (Saturdays)
• 30-minute practice and 60-minutes match play once a week
• Goal: each player compete in minimum of two 7-point matches per week (singles or doubles)
• teams rotate to compete against other teams

• Short, easy-score game/match format (playing to 7 points)
• Low compression, slower bouncing balls and modified (smaller) court space
• Age bracket will determine modification of play
• Play may make use of Red Felt or Foam balls and/or playground balls (age 5-6)

• Play tennis as a team sport just like other youth sports
• Everyone plays and everyone has fun
• Team T-shirts included in registration (each team has their color)
• Players gain a point for their color-coded team every time they win a match
• Team with the most games after 6 weeks are the overall WINNERS
• There are no LOSERS since everyone grows as a player from the experience

• Registration in Rally Stars Team Tennis strongly recommends participation in another tennis program such as GPTKids QuickStart Tennis or comparable program
• Registration is online ONLY through USTA Tennis Link

• USTA Membership is NOT required to participate
• Membership to USTA is FREE for first-time members ages 10 and under
• USTA Membership ID must be set-up during registration

• Parent Team Managers trained at SESSION 1 (45 minutes early) and then utilized to assist students with match play (scoring, ball pick-up, etc.)
• Adults must assist on-court in some capacity
• Awards for winning team at end of program (award to be determined)

F.A.Q. 

(current plans reflected in list; adjustments may be made
as deemed necessary by coordinators at any time)

• What is Rally Stars Junior Team Tennis?
• A competitive format of tennis play combining the aspects of team camaraderie, individual successes, learning the basics of competition, and just plain fun!

• Who can participate?
• Any child ages 5-10 within local travel distance to Fasola Park, Deptford, NJ

• How long is the program?
• 6 weeks; 1-½ hours per week (includes practice & instruction time along with competition)

• What is the cost?
• Currently, combined cost of program is $81.05 (which includes the USTA Tennis Link fee).

• Is there any prerequisite for playing Rally Stars JTT?
• No, but we strongly recommend previous play in either one of our Gotta Play Tennis Kids QuickStart Tennis programs or something similar. Players will enjoy themselves more with a minimum of rallying skills present.
• What level of play are we to expect?
• This is intended to be a beginners level competition. This is NOT for seasoned club players who regularly participate in USTA competition

• What do we need to supply?
• Nothing beyond some refreshment (water bottle or sports drink). We supply all other equipment. You may use your own racquet provided it is appropriately sized for your ages and height.

• Do players receive team jerseys?
• Yes, team colors will be assigned and T-shirts of their team color provided to each player

• What is the playing format?
• We are using 36’ QuickStart courts (18’ wide x 36’ long). Six smaller courts are created from three full-size courts with nets/tapes.
• Matches last 7 points (or 10 minutes max.)
• Singles
• One point is gained for at team after each match win; ½ point gained by non-winner for participation
• Doubles
• One point is gained by each player of a doubles team after each match win; 1 point gained by non-winning team for participation

• How many matches will be played?
• Goal is play as many as possible, but time constraints will limit us to a maximum of 60 minutes (10 minutes each match max. = 6 matches each 10 minutes)
• Total matches played are likely to be about 25-30 matches in 60 minutes
• Each player should play at least 2-3 matches each week.

• What role to parents/guardians play?
• Adults play a vital role and allow us to run such a program. This is not a spectator activity for parents/guardians. All will be asked to participate as Managers.

• What is the role of the Manager? (with enough adult participation, no one person need take on all of these duties-Many hands make light work!)
• Assign players to their courts for match play (with Coordinators assistance)
• Keep time (with provided stopwatch)
• Keep players on task & track score (with provided visual scorekeeping clips)
• Toss balls into play as a serve (typically kids ages 5-7)
• Pick up balls on court to keep players from tripping over loose balls
• Record scores on provided sheet on clipboard

• How can Players/Managers know the outcome of the matches?
• Coordinators will be collecting scores from individual Managers
• All players have access to online scores on Tennis Link
• Scoreboard will be set up to track matches each week