Taking Weekend Tennis Seriously

I’ve decided to start playing tennis tournaments this year. A coach said playing more meaningful matches would help make me a better player and I pretty much do what coaches tell me to do if it means I get better.

Well that and I finally feel comfortable enough with my tennis game where I’m pretty sure I won’t be blown out by most opponents in the first round and it’ll actually be worth it to pay the exorbitant entry fees (for me that would be any dollar amount over $5) that sometimes only guarantees me one match in an event.

For those not in the know, a tennis tournament typically offers multiple events players can enter into (singles, doubles, mixed doubles, etc.), and each event requires its own entry fee.

In the first tournament I played in to kick start this tournament journey, it proudly said on the website “You spoke, we listened” (the bold is all them) and that it was changing its consolation rules. No more consolation for any doubles events because a survey was sent out and “62% were in favor of eliminating consolation brackets in doubles in order to allow a player to register for two doubles events.”

I feel like those 62% don’t understand basic math…but the people running the tournament sure do!

I’m playing in the 11th Annual Bent Tree Late Nite Indoor Doubles Classic this weekend. It’s a pretty cool event. There’s something of a party feel to this unsanctioned adult tennis tournament because nearly 200 people are playing on four indoor courts in this central space over five days.

Part of the party feel has to do with the actual party the tournament throws for anyone and everyone Friday night, in which you’re just hanging out with tennis friends on a balcony while watching all the action by your other tennis friends.

There’s free food, soft drinks, beer, and a raffle. Well, okay, the food isn’t free unless you didn’t enter into the tournament. You can only play one doubles event, and the entry fee is $65, which is high even by tournament standards, but it covers the indoor tennis, an “Official” embroidered tournament long-sleeve t-shirt (ooh la la…the italics is all mine 😀 ), the party, and the prizes (sweatshirts!).

Last year, I just happened to find out the day of the party about the free food and crashed the festivities. I ate and ate and ate and watched tennis friends play till 2 in the morning that night.

Funnily enough, none of those fine folks in that fateful 2 am match are playing this year’s tournament. Huh. 🙂

So I knew the risks involved in entering into this annual shindig. I might have to play at an obscene hour…GULP.

They even make sure to warn you on the tournament page:

How thrilling!!

When the draws were posted, I was trembling with fear and excitement and glee as I clicked on that tab. Just how late at “nite” would I be starting my match? Would I be dragging into work the next day because I didn’t leave the court till 1:30 in the morning and consequently didn’t fall asleep till even later? How many people would I have to apologize to for my tired appearance because I’m in this crazy tennis tournament whose whole schtick is to play at indecent times?

Those people whom I would have to apologize to would be left shaking their heads. They’d walk off thinking, “Whoa. That’s hardcore. I had no idea how hardcore weekend warrior tennis folks were.”

And as I’m walking off in the opposite direction, I would respond to those people’s thoughts and think to them, “I know.” My head would be shaking side-to-side slowly in disbelief and awe at myself. “I know. I can’t believe I voluntarily signed up for this tournament knowing the risks, but you know, brah, when you just love the game…”

Welp…these are my match times:

• 4:30 pm on Saturday
• Either 5 pm or 6:30 pm on Sunday, depending on the outcome of Saturday’s match
• And if my partner and I are still in it: 7 pm or 8:30 pm on Monday

So disappointed. How utterly boring!

Not only are the start times at a reasonable hour, but they’re even on the weekend.

It’s ridiculous. I feel like I was sold a bill of goods. I was promised, nay, THREATENED with terribly late night tennis matches, and I believed the threats from a tournament with the word “Nite” in its name.

Uh, excuse me, I paid a lot of money for those threats to be followed through on!!

I think the people in my draw would like to issue a disclaimer that the view and opinion expressed in this post are solely those of the original author and do not necessarily represent those of the other people playing with and against her.

Well I stand by my statement of being disappointed. If this blog post gets back to the tournament director:

“Hello, Craig! My name is Christy Vutam. These are my thoughts on your lovely tournament that I haven’t played, yet. I look forward to meeting you this weekend, shaking your hand, and thanking you for organizing this grand event in which you have to oversee 190 players and 120 matches. That is quite the turnout, sir!”

I’m sure he will take my well-thought-out reflections into careful consideration and act accordingly when working on future editions of this tournament.

So…who wants to be my partner for next year? 😉