General Information

Practice schedule- the more you come, the more balls you hit, the better you’ll be.

Practices for all players will be on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. In addition, the top six at that time will also practice on Wednesday.

There will be no practice the night of Open House.

Missing Practice

If you must miss practice or a match, let a coach know ahead of time, preferably in writing. An email, text, Facebook message, or tweet is acceptable.

Medical Form

You must have a physical on file with the school to be able to play or practice.

Eligibility

You must have passed 4 academic classes this semester and have a 2.0 gpa or higher each semester.

Behavior expectations:

a. Language- no trash, no foul language—you use it, you pay (picking up balls, running, etc.).

b. Honesty- call lines as they are. If your line calling becomes a problem, you will not be allowed to play. The tennis CODE says that if you do not see a ball to know whether it is in or out, you give that point to your opponent.

c. Actions-

1. No throwing racquets. You damage or break it outside of regular play, and you pay for it.

2. Wait until ball play has stopped to retrieve a ball.

3. Don’t aim balls at other players.

4. Make sure when you leave the court that all trash is picked up.

Clothing

You are required to wear socks and tennis shoes, comfortable shorts and tee shirts for practice. Jeans, boots, sandals, and revealing clothing are prohibited. You are required to wear our team uniforms for matches. Wearing sunscreen and a hat are also advisable and safe things to do.

Challenge Ladder

The ladder refers to your rank on the team. Rank is determined by challenge matches. It is your responsibility to challenge other players. If you are new to the team, you may challenge any player regardless of his or her rank on the ladder. If you win, you take that person’s place on the ladder. If you lose, you go to the bottom of the ladder. Once a player is on the ladder, if he or she is challenged and loses, the player only moves down one rank. If the player wins, the current rank is maintained. Find Challenge rules under the RULES AND FORMS section of the website.

Fitness

a. It is important that you get in the habit of stretching at every practice and before each match.

b. Drink water throughout the day. Waiting to start drinking water or Gatorade at practice is too late, especially in hot summer weather.

c. If you feel like you are becoming overheated, be sure to let one of the coaches know immediately.

Contact Information

a. Make sure we have a number where you can be reached along with your correct mailing and email address.

b. Mr. Davis’ number is 501.940.6588

Inclement Weather

a. If it rains and we can’t dry the courts in time, practice will be cancelled. Cancellations will be posted on the main webpage, our Facebook page, and our Twitter account.

Always check; don’t assume! If it is not raining, but it is lightening, we will not practice.

b. During school, cancelled matches will be announced over the intercom.

Away Matches

When classes begin and we miss for away matches, it is your responsibility to check with your teachers and make up your assignments. If you begin to do poorly in your classes, many teachers will check with me and let me know, and I will talk with you about it. Your school work must be completed.

For many matches that are away, you will need to bring money for a fast food supper.

Not all players will attend the away matches, and not all players will play at each match. I try to match you to another player of your similar ability, and I will do my best to see that everyone plays as much as possible. However, when we have conference matches, we will be playing for seeding for the conference tournament. Your position on the ladder will determine who gets the first matches and the opponent line up.

Parents: Please let your parents know that they are always welcome at our matches. We love having spectators! Please advise them that they (and anyone else) are not allowed to speak to any player while that player is on the court. Players are not allowed to be coached by anyone, including myself, during a match, except for 10 minutes after split sets. At that time, they may have a bathroom break and talk to their coach.