Spring Seasons Approaching for 40+, 55+, 65+ Leagues

With the spring league season just around the corner, USTA St. Louis is seeking captain and team commitments for its 40+, 55+ and 65+ offerings. While these leagues continue to boast strong participation numbers, Severine Huchet — USTA St. Louis district league coordinator for adults — said there is always room for more players to jump in on the action.

“More captains and more players would be great,” Huchet said. “It runs by itself, but we can always have more teams and captains for sure. The leagues are growing every year. I’d like to introduce a 2.5 women’s division this year if I have enough players for 40+. So that would be new. But they are very healthy leagues, and they’re growing. Everyone is having fun and coming back, so no complaints.”

At the 40 & Over level, team commitments are due by April 5 while matches begin May 22. For 55+, team commitments are needed by March 3 and matches start April 17. For 65+, the deadline for team commitments is March 24 and league play begins April 24.

“I do need more players for 65+ — more players and more captains,” said Huchet, who works as the 65 & Over league coordinator and can be reached at leagues@ustastl.com. “It’s very small with only two or three teams. Because it’s 65+ there are fewer players. If they want to join there is 7.0 women, 8.0 women and then 8.0 men.”

The 65+ 7.0 women play indoors on Monday nights, while the 65+ 8.0 women compete indoors on Tuesday evenings. The 65+ 8.0 men get together on Saturday mornings for outdoor competition.

The 40+ and 55+ leagues will feature a new coordinator in Lisa Lamb. Lamb — a 4.5-level player who has participated in many USTA leagues throughout the years — worked the front desk at Vetta Sunset for several years. She attended USTA St. Louis staff meetings toward the end of 2022 and worked remotely from Florida in January and February. Lamb is returning to St. Louis on March 1. She can be reached at 40plus@ustastl.com.

The 40+ leagues all will be taking place outdoors. The 3.0 women and 3.5 men play Mondays. On Tuesdays, the 3.5 women compete during the daytime while the 4.5 women and 4.0/4.5 men play at night. On Wednesdays, the 4.0 women play during the day and the 3.5 women are at night. And on Thursdays, the 2.5 women, 4.0 women and 3.0 men compete in the evening.

The 55+ leagues likewise all occur outdoors. The 6.0 women and 7.0 men play on Monday nights. On Tuesdays, the 7.0 women play during the day while the 9.0 women and 8.0 men are at nights. On Wednesdays, the 8.0 women compete during the daytime and the 7.0 women and 6.0 men play evenings. And on Thursdays, the 8.0 women and 9.0 men are at nights.

In addition to Lamb being added to the USTA St. Louis staff, Liz Lahm is the district’s new mixed league coordinator. Lahm is set to retire from her current job and will officially begin as mixed league coordinator on March 1. She takes on the role previously held by Connie Weiss. Lahm can be reached via email at mixed@ustastl.com.