Update on Seattle area Adult 55 and Mixed 18 Playoffs - So close!

In many of the districts in the Pacific Northwest section, several leagues are played in the Fall as Early Start Leagues.  In Seattle, these are the Adult 55 & Over and Mixed 18 & Over leagues.

In 2020, getting any league in has been a challenge in most areas, but with the relaxing of restrictions over the summer and clubs open for indoor tennis, we were optimistic that these Fall league could be played to completion including local playoffs.

In most years, the league runs from September thru November, with local playoffs typically the first two weekends in December.  This year, our League Coordinator Jill anticipated that COVID-19 would claw its way back in the fall and made the smart move to schedule matches more aggressively and have the regular season and local playoffs done before Thanksgiving.

Well, we almost pulled it off!  55 & Over playoffs were this past weekend and 18 & Over were scheduled to be played this coming weekend, but alas the Governor in Washington announced that due to increasing testing and hospitalization statistics, a number of restrictions would be reintroduced including closing indoor athletic facilities and unfortunately tennis clubs are included in that.  And with temperatures in the 40s with rain, outdoor play isn't really an option.

Jill and our section office are lobbying the Oregon and Washington Governor's offices to allow indoor tennis to be played, or at least first on the list of activities to have the restrictions lifted, but for the next month at least in Washington, we are shut down and indoor tennis can't be played.

As a result, our 18 & Over Mixed playoffs are postponed, tentatively until January.  The current plan is:

• 6.0 level will be played out of Columbia Athletic Club/Silver Lake 1/8-1/10/21
• 8.0 level will be played out Tennis Center Sand Point 1/7-1/10/21
• 7.0 and 9.0 will be late Jan/early Feb - more details to come

All of this assumes restrictions will be lifted enough for play to resume.

For those following along, you are probably wondering about Adult 40 & Over which is due to start in January, and I'm sure that league is also subject to the restrictions being lifted as it is scheduled to start play 1/8.