Wild Card Tournaments

This tournament is unique in that participants are only required to be Rossmoor residents; they are not required to be members of RTC. Also, Wild Card is played on the first Saturday of every month except November thru January, and then June.

Format

This fun format has up to 12 men and 12 women who play 4 rounds of mixed doubles and 3 rounds of same gender doubles.  Each round is 4 games with players, so everyone gets to serve.  Partners and opponents rotate in every round so there is a constantly changing mix of players.

Sign Up Participants [at least 2 weeks in advance]

• Normally, participation is limited to 12 men and 12 women. 
  • A new approach supports 24, 20 or 16 people providing more flexibility with sign ups.
• This is a first come first served tournament so those that sign up first play.
• There is also space for people to sign up as alternates.  1 or 2 alternates almost always get to play as others withdraw for various reasons, sometimes more.

• Prepare EXCEL for Scoresheets, Court Assignments and Individual Rotation handouts
  
  • Note: this has a better rotation, scorecard and makes it much easier for players to see where they will be playing etc.
  • An Excel spreadsheet randomly assigns players, partners, courts and rotations. 
    • RTC Wild Card Excel
  • EITHER
    • Send the list of women and men players, in the order of the blind draw to the RTC Tournaments Director
    • In return get the various sheets, ready to print
  • OR
  • • Fill in the names on the first sheet in the Excel workbook, and also the tournament date
    • Print the Scorecard, Rotation and Assignment sheets
  • Print 3 copies of Scoresheet
    
  • Cut up the Rotation handouts to get an individual handout for each player
    
  • Print 3 copies of the Court Assignment form to post around the Buckeye locations
    
  • Make SIX [6] copies of the competed Court Assignment form
    
  • • 3 will be posted in various positions around the courts so that players know where to go
    • 3 will be used for recording scores

Morning Of, Before Starting [Plan on arriving at 8 a.m.]

• Post the Court Assignment Sheets that you get from the board member where players can see them.
  • the entrance to court #1, court Provided in the Captains kit.
• Scoresheets (3 copies) -- tape down to scorer's table
• Check in Players: Hand out a Court Assignment Rotation Sheet to each player as they arrive. Check off their names against the scoresheets 

Starting Up the Tournament [at 9:00 a.m.]

During The Tournament

• Wild Card Play Rules
• Have a 10 minute break after the fourth round

Match Play

• There are 7 rounds to be played, 4 games each. The first 2 and last 2 rounds are mixed doubles. The third through fifth are same gender.
• All matches are four [4] games, where each player serves once
• By default, a team serves two games then swap ends. By mutual agreement, teams can serve one game, change ends, then swap again after the third game,
• The Rossmoor Sun Rule (sun is to the server's back) is used. Each game won counts as a point.
• No-ad scoring is used for each game. First to 4 points, win by two.
• If the game score reaches 3-3, the receiving team decides who will receive the deciding point. This is Ladies choice:
  • i.e. men serve to men, women serve to women,
  • but the receiving team may choose to have a women receive serve from a man.

Report match results to the tournament scorer after each round.

At the End: Announcing the Winners

• After seven rounds have been played, tally each player's points. Those who finish first, second and third in both men's and women's are considered winners.
• Take a photograph of the winners

After the Tournament

Remember: the Tournaments Director needs the Scores to prepare for the Wildcard Championships in November.