Friday, January 07, 2011

2011 ITA Rules Updates & Changes

2011 Rules Updates & Changes
(New verbiage is indicated in BOLD)

(If you would like a copy of these changes sent to you personally, email me at: rmtennis@yahoo.com and I will be glad to send you a copy.)

ITA Rule I.E.9. (page 245) Player outbursts may be penalized.
An official following an appeal, who hears a verbal outburst or grunting that is loud
enough to disrupt play on a neighboring court, shall caution the player that subsequent
outbursts shall be penalized under the ITA Point Penalty System.
If a loud outburst is in a language that the official does not understand, the
official shall caution the player that further foreign language outbursts that are
not understood by the official will be penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct
under the ITA Point Penalty System.

New Rule: ITA Rule I.B.21 (page 247) Hindrance- loud outburst following a
perceived winning shot. A solo chair or roving umpire (only if standing at the net
post) should immediately call a “hindrance – loss of point” when a player(s)
makes a loud outburst following a perceived winning shot that the opponent(s)
has a play on. (current ITA Rules I.E.10-13 become I.E.11-14.)

ITA Rule I.P.(page 255). Eligibility for Collegiate Competition. Only players who are
considered eligible for intercollegiate competition at the time of entry: by their school;
their conference (if any); AND by their national governing body (e.g. NCAA or
NAIA) shall be eligible to participate in ITA sanctioned events and regional and
national collegiate championships.

ITA Rule II.B. 7. (page 257) Home coach is responsible for spectator conduct.
The home coach shall make sure that the behavior of the spectators remains fair and
non-abusive. Failure of the coach to insure proper behavior
shall result in the application of the ITA Point Penalty System against the home team
and in extreme cases, forfeiture of the match.

ITA Rule II. B.13.a.iii (pg 258) Determining playable outdoor weather conditions.
iii. When no indoor back-up is available, the match must be played outdoors. If play is suspended due to weather conditions, it
is suggested that play resume within two hours of the delay.

ITA Rule II.C.1. (pg. 259) Varsity quality tennis facility. A varsity quality tennis
facility is one used exclusively for tennis. The playing surface shall be of hard court
construction, designed specifically for tennis, and coated with a recognized tennis
surface. The only lines on the playing surface shall be standard tennis court lines,
including USTA approved 36’ and 60’ (QuickStart) lines within the same color
family as the interior court. A multi-purpose recreational facility is not acceptable…

ITA Rule II.D.1. (page 260) Practice Courts.
Practice the day before or the morning before the match. Upon request, the host
school, at its expense, shall make a minimum of 2 practice courts available to the
visiting team. The practice courts shall be the same courts that will be used in
the match or if not possible due to extenuating circumstances, courts of similar
quality and surface shall be secured. Practice courts must be made available:
- for a minimum of two hours the day before the scheduled
match; and
- for a minimum of one hour on the morning of the match.

The visiting coach must request these arrangements in writing at least one week
before his team’s arrival. The only exception is if circumstances governing varsity
court usage renders compliance impossible. This must be confirmed in writing by the
Director of Athletics of the host school. If the visiting school requests to practice 2
days prior to the match date, the expense will be the responsibility of the visiting
team.

ITA Rule II.E.1. (page 260) Home coach is responsible for providing officials. The
home coach shall have available qualified persons to serve as officials. USTA
certified officials are considered qualified. In order for an official to be considered
“qualified,” the official must attend both an ITA and a USTA Sectional recertification
class, pass both the USTA Sectional and ITA tests every year, and do the
required work. To avoid a possible conflict of interest, an employee of the
college/university should not officiate school matches.

ITA Rule II.K.9. (page 264) Appeals concerning unfair line-ups. … A coach has the
right to appeal a protest ruling made by an ITA Ranking Committee to the National
Ranking Committee (for rulings made by Regional Ranking Committees). There are no appeals permitted to rulings made by the National
Rankings Committee.

New Rule: ITA Rule II.L.2 (page 266). Grievance of an official. Any grievance
related to inappropriate conduct by an official involving out of conference
schools at a dual match or ITA sanctioned tournament (excluding the NCAA,
NAIA and NJCAA Championships) should be sent directly to the ITA. Any
grievance of an official in a match between two conference teams, should be sent
to the conference office.

ITA Rule IV.A. (page 267)Withdrawal from ITA National Intercollegiate Event.
A. Withdrawal from ITA National Intercollegiate Event
1. Once a player accepts an invitation, he/she cannot withdraw within 7 days
prior to the start of the event except in extreme academic circumstances
attested to by the Dean’s office (in this case the ITA office shall be notified in
writing by the Dean’s office immediately).
2. Any withdrawal due to physical injury or sickness shall be made with
written documentation from physician and athletic department, which shall be
provided to the ITA office within 24 hours of injury.
3. A player shall not accept entry if injured and not sure if he can play except
with the written approval of the ITA office. In this case, if approval is granted,
the coach must notify the ITA office by phone and fax no later than eight days
before the start of the main draw event, if the player is still injured and not
fully recovered at that point.
4. Failure to follow these rules will result in:
- a letter of reprimand to the Head Coach with a copy sent to the
school’s Athletic Director; and
- a fine to the head coach in the amount of $500.

ITA Rule IV.C. (page 268) ITA National Small College Championships (Men and
Women). When making the draw for each Division, 4 singles players and 4
doubles teams shall be seeded. (See ITA Regulation III.A.4. “The Draw” for
additional draw making criteria.)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know that the coaches think that allowing drinking at the matches will draw the tennis "country" club fans to the matches for schools like SMU and Rice, but what about A&M. Does anyone really think this is a good idea? I can't wait for the first beer can or bottle to be thrown on the court. How many cops will they need in the stands now? Will the schools make that much more money selling drinks?

Anonymous said...

If you were observant, you would have noticed there are lots of tailgate parties at A&M before the matches begin. Their way of getting the crowd into the match.

AR Hacked Off said...

The new hindrance rule is a powder keg that is going to infuriate coaches and put officials in some awkward positions and expect complaints from both sides if it is called or not called appropriately.

Eeyore said...

2011 appears to be the BEST year ever. Lets all sing praise and rejoice for the wicked witch is dead.

RM said...

Alas, Eeyore, I do not think your speculation is accurate.

Eeyore said...

RM, please don't ruin my new year. It was looking so promising.

Eeyore said...

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. My year is ruined yet again. I just checked the background checks and really didn't like what I saw. It must be a mistake or April Fools.

Another Friend of Eeyore said...

Eeyore,

You are going to have to take a number. There are a lot of other officials around the country that find it difficult to work with your favorite person. We just grin and bear it, and then meet afterwards to laugh about all of her stupid antics.

Try this. Have a contest to see who can piss her off first. That way, she will avoid you for the rest of the work assignment and you will never have to put up with her crap. Believe me, it works.

Anonymous said...

Haha "Another Friend of Eeyore" - I have done what you suggest and it works out wonderfully. It works so well that your favorite official will still be pouting and won't eat out with the other officials at the end of the day, which really helps digestion.