Interested in Lake Norman Tennis? Fall Compass Draw is underway

Lake Norman Compass Draw Overview

Introduction
The Lake Norman Tennis Association (LNTA) is sponsoring Lake Norman Compass Draw Tournament. It is a men's and women's singles tournament that features a compass draw format to seed players, followed by a traditional, double-elimination draw. It is designed to give players competitive singles matches while maintaining the flexibility to work within everyone's schedule. There are three men's divisions based on USTA ratings: 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0. There are also four women's divisions: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0. No USTA rating is necessary...you can self rate...but no sandbaggers! 

Overview
The compass draw portion of the tournament consists of 4 rounds. Players contact each other and complete their match within a two-week period for each round. At the end of 4 rounds, seeds are determined based on overall match performance. This seeding information is then used to seed a traditional draw where the highest seeded player matches up against the lowest seeded player. Losers in the first round of the elimination portion of the tournament will go into a consolation round. Prizes are awarded to the winners and runners-up of the main elimination draw and the consolation draw. 

What exactly is a "compass draw"?
A compass draw is a draw format that allows all players to play 4 rounds. It is called a compass draw because it resembles the 8 points of a compass (North, South, North-East, etc.). All players start in the middle. Winners of the first round move East, losers West. Losers in the East in round 2 move North. Losers in the West in round 2 move South. The effects of this type of draw is that players of similar skill levels tend to gravitate to the same portions of the compass. This helps to keep matches competitive. 

What is the play format?
Each player brings a NEW can of tennis balls (no junky K-Mart specials, please!). One can is opened and used during the match. Players play a traditional best of 3 set match - no championship tiebreaker instead of a third set! The winning player gets to keep the new, unopened can of balls. Think of it as a mini-trophy for winning the match. 

How do I find out who I play?
There will be a link to the website draw on the Lake Norman Tennis Association website ( http://www.lakenormantennis.org) once we get things up and running. You find out who you are supposed to play and then contact your opponent. The website contains a link to the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of all players. Opponents are responsible for setting up and playing their match within a two-week period. BOTH PLAYERS are responsible for contacting his or her opponent. Matches not played on time will result is a double-forefeit in the first 4 rounds and a forfeit of the higher-seeded player in the final rounds. Exceptions are only made when the coordinator (Tom Polk) is informed before the deadline. 

Where do we play our matches?
The "home" player is the one who determines where the match will be played. 

How do you determine who the "home" player is?
The home player is always listed in bold on the website. During the seeding portion of the tournament (i.e., the first four rounds), The home player is determined automatically based on the randomly assigned ID of each player. However, during the elimination rounds (i.e., round 5 and beyond), the LOWER SEEDED player is the home player (i.e., the one with a lower seed number). This should make the seeding portion of the tournament a little more important. 

How are scores reported?
Either player can enter the scores on the website using an easy score entry form.  When you are viewing your draw, you will see a button labelled "Enter Scores" in the upper right of the page.  Just click the button and follow the easy instructions.  When you have entered the scores, you will see the results updated right away on the website. 

How much does this cost and what are the prizes?
The cost is $20 per person. 

Here are the prizes for a 16 player division:

Main Draw:
1st Place - $50 Gift Certificate
2nd Place - $30 Gift Certificate

Consolation Draw:
1st Place - $20 Gift Certificate
2nd Place - $10Gift Certificate

Here are the prizes for a 32 player division:

Main Draw:
1st Place - $100 Gift Certificate
2nd Place - $60 Gift Certificate

Consolation Draw:
1st Place - $40 Gift Certificate
2nd Place - $20 Gift Certificate

When do we start?
The tournament will typically start when all slots in all divisions are filled. However, there may be times when some divisions start before others. Once this happens, I will e-mail players with further instructions. 

Anything else I should know?
Yes. For this type of tournament to run smoothly, everyone must be conscientious about scheduling their matches and MUST be comfortable using e-mail and the internet. In many ways, this is largely a self-run tournament. If you don't respond promptly to e-mails or you don't know how to use the internet, or your schedule is too busy to complete matches within the two-week timeframe, please don't sign up! 

How can I get more information?
E-mail or call the coordinator (Tom Polk): compassdraw@earthlink.net (704) 293-9049.