Innovation: One-Day Shootout Tournament Format
Rationale: One-day format events provide a fun, non-threatening competitive opportunity for players of any level or age. This non-elimination format guarantees participants multiple matches in a short time frame. It also provides an intermediary competitive step for new players and a competitive option for the population segment with limited free time.
- Limited Time Commitment – Multiple matches in a 3-5 hour span.
- Non-Elimination – Guarantees same number of matches for all participants.
- Low Cost – Short time-frame equals lower entry fees, no hotel, no school-time lost.
- Competitive Introduction – Provides incremental steps for new players.
- Social Impact – Friendly environment cultivates camaraderie and sportsmanship.
- Club Friendly – Short, predictable time-frame maximizes courts during slow periods.
- Grows Tennis – Provides play opportunities for the population segment that cannot commit to an entire weekend or 9-week league.
- Proven Results – Some Sections reporting a 140-300% increase in participation.
Proven where: Initiated as USTA sanctioned and non-sanctioned programming at the Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, AZ. Now being played in 12 USTA sections, many for ranking purposes.
Initiated in USTA Sections:
Southwest Eastern
Texas Florida
Intermountain New England
Hawaii-Pacific Northern
Middle States Southern
Mid-Atlantic Midwest
“Virginia began offering one-day tournaments in 2004. These were included in District standings and rankings. In 2005, one-day tournaments became the tournament committee’s primary growth initiative for increasing the number of winter (indoor) junior tournaments offered in VA and growing adult age-division and NTRP tournament tennis. It worked.
Some indoor facilities which could not host traditional multi-day tournaments, whether for economic or membership constraints, were able to host one-day tournaments thereby increasing winter tournament opportunities for VA juniors. Adult age-division state championships, which had previously not been held or had been cancelled, were re-sanctioned as one-day tournaments. The feedback from players was fantastic – they loved being able to play a tournament to completion in a single day!
Further, NTRP tournament sanctioning and participation had been low. Now one-day events are creating opportunities for league players to play tournament tennis with virtually the same convenience as their weekly league match.
Essentially, one-day tournaments have enabled tournament tennis to happen at times and places which had been previously unavailable.
Robert R. Issem
Tournament & Rankings Administrator | Information Technologies
USTA / Virginia District
Quote from the innovator: “The one-day, non-elimination Shootout allows us to provide a short, time-definable athletic event which now makes tennis competitive with youth soccer, t-ball and basketball. Parents and players love it. The adult version allows busy working adults to play and compete for a defined time – often when courts are otherwise unoccupied. More people are competing, and more competition means greater economic vitality for our sport.”
-Jeff Brack & Jim Reffkin, Randolph Tennis Center, Tucson, Arizona
For more information: Jeff Brack
Phone: (520) 791-4896
Email: jeffbrack@randolphtenniscenter.com
www.randolphtenniscenter.com
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