LEAGUE NEWS
JUNIOR CHALLENGE LADDER 2020 Ladder Closes Dec. 1
What a Year for the JCL
JUNIOR CHALLENGE LADDER
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he 2020 season of the ALTA Junior Challenge Ladder is underway, despite the challenges encountered in a world of Covid-19. The ladder usually begins with a season opening round robin to jump-start the season and help players get ready for active play in the ladder. We moved to a Zoom format for the kickoff which was well attended by players and their families. The ALTA Junior Challenge Ladder has 146 players as of press time. The players were chomping at the bit to get started, as many have been out of competition since schools closed, high school seasons have been cut short, and most tournaments were postponed or permanently cancelled. We are thankful to provide this outlet for junior tennis players! With 146 players, there will be 1,000 matches or more played during the season that began on August 25th and ends on December 1st. In addition to regular match play, our players will get together for round robins by group. We are thankful to the following sponsors of these events by providing courts for our players. The schedule of this year’s events are as follows: Blackburn Tennis Center—Upper Ladder Girls Saturday, November 14 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sandy Springs Tennis Center Upper Ladder/Lower Ladder Boys
Saturday, November 14 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
NETNEWS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
We are excited to announce With 146 players, that we will have a showcase there will be 1,000 event for our top players at the matches or more Riverside Club in Sandy Springs. played during the This event, featuring our Top 10 season that began on boys and girls, is scheduled for August 25th and ends Friday, November 6 from 6:30 to on December 1st. 9:00 p.m. With limited doubles competition due to COVID-19, we plan to have an all-doubles event. It should be an exciting night of tennis! Thank you to Cindy Pietkiewicz for coordinating our events. The ladder is managed using Tennis Rungs software, and the players get support from their ladder managers. Thank you to Anthony Swatski who is helping with the software and ensuring all matches are counted. The ladder managers facilitate matches getting played, coordinate with players, hear about good sportsmanship, mediate conflict, and often work as a help desk and mentor, especially for the new and younger players. We could not do without them. Thank you to Stacy Simmons (Upper Girls), Trish Winfrey (Lower Girls), Dee Jones (Upper Boys) and Michelle McKinnon (Lower Boys) for the work and dedication to the players in the ladder. To date, there are more than 250 matches played and more than 80 matches scheduled for play in the next week. The standings as of October 5 are reflected on the next page. We are excited to hear who makes the Top 10 at the end of the seasons, how many sportsmanship awards will be given, and how many players will earn three in a row awards!
Photos by Laura Barnard
BY BRENDA MADDALENI, JUNIOR CHALLENGE LADDER VICE PRESIDENT
