Unhappy with a USTA League regulation? Submit a change proposal!

Those that are regular readers of my blog know that USTA League Nationals introduced a new format in 2018.  It was well received and for the most part a success from everything I heard, but I had noted there were what I considered some shortcomings with the tie-breakers in the regulations when applied to this new format and they did come into play a few times.

I wrote about my concerns several times before and during the events, and along the way learned there is a process to get regulations changed.  So rather than just be a bystander complaining about something that I thought was wrong, I decided to try to help fix the problem and submit a proposal to change the regulations as it relates to the tie-breakers.  For others that may be interested, I'll outline the process and key dates.

As you can imagine, regulations changes have a well thought out process to ensure proposals are complete and meaningful, there is adequate time for review and input, and then the responsible committee can weigh all the input and make a decision.

It all starts with the proposal itself, and in fact anyone can submit a proposal with one caveat.  Proposals must have the support of a section.  So I went about contacting Adam Hutchinson, the Director of Adult Competition in my section, and floated the idea of a regulations change proposal.  It turns out he'd seen a case or two within the section where he thought the current tie-breakers got things wrong, so he was supportive of the effort and I got the thumbs up to proceed.  I also learned the deadline to submit a proposal was November 1st, and since I was doing this in October as Nationals were being played, I had to get busy.

There is a standard form to fill out that asks for a description of the current regulation, proposed change to the regulation, and rationale for the change.  There are then a number of questions asking how the change would affect participation, positively impact league players, and a request for empirical information supporting the need for the proposed change.

I completed this form, reviewing most of the 2018 Nationals events and discussing how my proposed changes would have affected the standings and been more equitable, and coordinated with Adam on reviewing it and tightening a few things up, and got it submitted in time.

What happens after this is all proposals are collected and then distributed to the Section League Coordinators in each section, the NTRP Oversight Group, and League Committee for their review and comment, their comments going to the Regulations Sub-Committee.  The latter committee goes through all the proposals and comments, potentially making edits to create final proposals which are then voted on at the Annual meeting, typically held in March of each year.  Those proposals that are approved then go into the new regulations for the following year, although there are provisions for changes to go into effect sooner with approval.

So, the proposal I helped submit has been or will soon be distributed for review and ultimately voted on in March of this year.  If approved and adopted, it would go into the 2020 USTA League Regulations document.

If you have a burning desire to submit a regulations change proposal, you can do it too!  I should say though that I was cautioned that frivolous changes are not well received, and having to work with your section to get support is a filter on that.  But if you have a reasonable idea for something to improve league play with a regulations change, there is a process to follow and I encourage you to do it if you feel so inclined.  You should start by contacting your Section League Coordinator and running the idea by them, then getting the appropriate forms to fill out.

My thanks to Adam for the support, and to Darcy Cobb at National for pointing me in the right direction and assisting with getting the proposal submitted.  I hope my proposal is approved, but regardless I'll know I made an effort and it was considered and reviewed.