Understanding the Early Start League (our Fall season)
Why can my rating change in the middle of the season?
Traditionally USTA leagues were played in the Spring time when the weather throughout the U.S. was ideal for outdoor playing. Since Florida is unique with good weather year round and people eager to play league tennis year round, the idea of Early Start Leagues (ESL) became popular. An early start league will begin in September before the calendar year begins. For example in September of 2010 we in South Florida will begin Early Start Leagues for the year 2011. If you play in a league from Sept.-Dec. 2010 it is REALLY a 2011 league that you are playing in. Hence the name Early Start League.
Some things you need to understand. The USTA will give out ratings in Aug. of 2010 not to ALL PLAYERS, but to players that the computer system "predicts" will be lower or higher than their current rating come the end of the year (Dec. 2010). This rating is a "prediction" of what the computer believes your rating will be Dec. 2010 (end of the year ratings).
As a player you can now play in an Early Start League with your new Early Start Rating, but what you need to understand is at year end (Dec. 31, 2010) your early start rating might now CHANGE back to the higher rating. For example you are a 4.0 player and have enjoyed playing in the 4.0 league, but come Aug.(2010) you get an ESR of 3.5 You now can play in a 3.5 league from Sept.-Dec. of 2010, but remember this is considered a league for 2011. Now when the computer system runs the ratings for ALL the players at year end (Dec. 31), your new rating for the 2011 year might be 4.0 again.
What this means is IF you happened to play on the winning team in the 3.5 league and that team qualified to be in the playoffs, you will NOT be allowed to play in the playoffs (these playoffs are held at the end of the spring season) because you now have a higher rating than the original level you played.
This is the chance you take when you compete and play in an Early Start League.
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