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Friday, January 13, 2017

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