Tennis House Ladders

The house ladders are an excellent way for players of all levels to meet other players of similar ability, and a great way for new members to get to know other players at the Club.

There are three ladders: Men's Singles, Women's Singles and Open Doubles (the doubles may be split into men/women/mixed if we have enough entries to do so).

Players are placed in houses of 4-5 players or teams, and have 3 weeks to arrange a game with each of the others in the house (on average about 1 ladder game per week). Players then move to higher or lower houses for the next session depending on their results.

You may sign up for more than one ladder (but please consider how many ladder games you are committing to play).

Doubles Ladder Rules

If you have any questions please contact the ladder coordinator (info below).

The Doubles Ladder started in 2007, and operates by the same rules as the singles ladders except for the following:

Initially there will be one open doubles ladder - teams can be any two players, male or female. Last year most teams were mixed. We may start separate men's or women's ladders if we have enough teams to do so.
Enter as a team at the front desk.
If you would like to play only as a spare, email me (see below) and I will include your name in the contact list.
Entry fee is $10 per TEAM for the season ($5 per player). (There is no charge to register as a spare only).
Teams will be added as entries are received.
Teams will have 4 weeks to arrange their games.
A player may arrange a substitute if he/she is away or injured. Substitutes should be similar in ability to the player they replace. Anyone substituting may play only for one team in a house in each session. Both players cannot be substitutes (i.e. one player on each team must be one of the regular players).
Teams may change partners at the start of a new session. A new player joining an existing one would pay a $5 fee.

Singles Ladder Rules

If you have any questions please contact the ladder coordinator (info below).

The Basics:

You have 3 weeks to contact and play a set with each of the others in your house. Then the top players move up and the bottom players move down for the next 3-week session.

Signing up:

1. Players must sign up at the front desk and pay an annual entry fee of $10 per ladder. The contact information you provide will be made available to other ladder players for the purpose of arranging matches.

2. Players entering the ladder will be placed according to their position last year, or by their player rating. (Players are strongly encouraged to consult with the tennis pros re ratings rather than relying on the self-rating guide).

Arranging and playing matches:

Contact the other members of your house as soon as possible and arrange a mutually convenient time to play. Don't wait till the last few days to arrange your matches - you may get rained out! Sessions will not be extended except in truly extraordinary circumstances!
Both players should bring new or nearly new ITF-approved balls. Players must agree on the balls to be used.
Matches are to be played in one 40-minute booking period only. Try to limit your warm-up time to 5 minutes so you will have enough time to complete the set.
Play a regular 6-game set, tie-break at 6-all. If the set is not completed in 40 minutes, the winner will be the player who is leading in completed games. (Exception: if neither player has "broken serve" at any time in the set, it should be considered a tie). If a tie-break is started but not completed, the match should also be considered a tie.
Both players are responsible for recording the score on the sheet on the bulletin board. See the instructions on that sheet. Record only W=win. L=loss or T=tie.
Under no circumstances is a result to be entered unless the match is actually played. In particular there are no "default" wins! Players entering falsified results may be suspended from ladder play.
At the end of each session, players are ranked by giving 3 points for a win, 2 for a tie, and 1 for a loss. The top ranked players in each house will then move up and the bottom players will move down. Because of players entering and leaving the ladder, both the number of players moving and the size of the houses may vary.
You are expected to play all your matches - otherwise you disrupt the ladder play for the others in your house!
Because a player who does not make an effort to play all his/her matches spoils the ladder for the rest, players who are unable to play their matches must inform the coordinator of the reason; otherwise a player who plays no match in a session, or twice plays only once, will be removed from the ladder.
Players removed once may request re-instatement to the ladder, but if removed a second time may not return.
If you know you will be unable to play in a session because of injury, vacation, or any other reason please inform the coordinator before the end of the previous session. Players who voluntarily withdraw in advance may request re-instatement near their previous ladder ranking in a subsequent session.

The best way to contact Don Armstrong, Ladder Coordinator, is via email at otlbc08ladders@sympatico.ca (please note new email for 2008 season).