TOO MANY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENTS?
HOW ABOUT JUST ONE MORE!
By Charles E. Vasoll

Yes, I understand and agree that there are an abundance of all kinds of tournaments. Nevertheless, I will campaign again for just one more, a 125+ National Championship.

I went to the archives of this web site and found that I had previously written about this omission in the APTA schedule in November 2005 - Vol. 3 Issue 3. (Click HERE to see that article.) That was when Region 1 had a mini-tour of 125+ tournaments under the direction of Senior Tournament Director, Rich Lombard. It also had become quite popular in the western regions.

This matter came to my attention again last month when a number of my friends entered the Sound Shore Senior Men’s 125+. They insisted that it was a “National Championship”. It was presided over by Jo Rogers of the Fox Meadow Tennis Club and a former APTA Treasurer. It had all the aspects of a “National Championship” except the title and the APTA medals for the winners and finalists.

Back in 2005, I even went so far as to suggest that maybe the 55+ and 65+ National Championships should be temporarily suspended in favor of the 125+. This was largely because the draws had become small in those events. I am willing to back away from that now because I know the guys like to get together and having the extra tournaments provides additional places - east, west, north and south, to conduct the events so they can gather.

The combined age championship has the strategic advantage of providing a larger pool of eligible players. This means that an age 65 individual can participate with a player of age 64 who would not be eligible for a 65+ tournament. While most of the players tend to be of a similar age, sometimes a one-year difference can force a team to break up (or not to enter), which is unfortunate.

There is only one more caveat that I deem critical – a minimum age. While it is interesting and fun to have a 20 year-old partner an age 75 player in a 95+, that is not what this combined age is intended to promote. For a 125+ therefore, I suggest that the minimum age should be 60. That means one partner could be 60 and the other would have to be at least 65. Age and talent in platform tennis, as well as in other sports, does not always go hand-in-hand but it does provide some equalizer that should be used to evaluate a National Championship team.

If you agree write (APTA 109 Wesport Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15238) or send e-mail (aptahq@platformtennis.org) to the APTA Board of Directors to voice your opinion before their Annual Meeting in May when the schedule for 2008-2009 is discussed.

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