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NJSA Open draw March 2016

I need to STRESS that the approach to be taken going forward will be a lot stricter with respect to applying special requests.  This tournament format does not allow for requests and I had to exclude half a dozen players from this weekend.  This was the reason for the delayed release for Friday.

The formats vary based on age group so please study your sections.  The various formats are

  1. Round Robin (RR): The std format we have used this year
  2. Swiss Pairing (SP): Seeded section, winners keep the higher seeded position to the next round and the loser the lower seeded position.
  3. Combo (SP & RR): Rounds 1 & 2 are SP and then the section is divided into Pools and RR follows
  4. Prelim: Some sections has Prelims to ascertain the final seeding and then the section follows either 1, 2, or 3 above

So we are trying to make it fun and a little different and hopefully keep up the player excitement.

This tournament is sandwiched between two major schools tournaments – the recently held Bloem Open (which attracts 500 players!) and the SA Schools Champs (Top 4 per age group per province attend).  Therefor this weekend provides a great opportunity for the mid to lower seeded players to really show their mettle and challenge for a placing and some prize money; so as parents, please encourage; don’t discourage.  Every child is giving their all, lets support this.

Fundamentals:

  • Two venues (PCC and Pretoria High School Old Boys) are being used so please pay attention to which venue you have been allocated
  • Please report to the court supervisors table before your 1st match of the day so they are aware you are present
  • Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled match
  • Losers mark and Winners ref the match immediately following theirs
  • Players playing the 2nd scheduled match of each day must please arrive early and Mark the 1st match of the day
  • Court Supervisors will be on duty and are the ONLY authorised personnel to assist with marking
  • The Tournament Referee’s decision will be considered final

As I have mentioned before, the tournament is about the players, not the parents so please respect the players and court supervisors.

Do not interfere with the marking, rather call a court supervisor.

Have fun…let your child enjoy the weekend, it is tough on the court so make it easier for them off the court by showing your gratitude.

NJSA Open 2016 Friday Draw

Brett Cousins