Tennis Advisory Committee

Minutes
August 27, 2001 • 10 a.m.
FHSAA Office
Gainesville, Florida


The meeting was called to order by Gary Pigott, FHSAA Tennis Administrator, at 2:00 p.m. The following committee members were in attendance: Bill Beard (Pace H.S.), Daina Cooke-Weaver (Mosley H.S.), Scott Reagan (Lake Mary H.S.), Debbra Love (Dunnellon H.S.), John Danise (Sebastian River H.S.), Mike Hoctor (Astronaut H.S.), Kelly Mulligan (Gulliver Prep School) and Richard Hartman (FACA Chair & George Jenkins H.S.). Committee member William Drew (Miami Springs H.S.) was not in attendance due to school obligations. FHSAA staff members Ron Allen and Cecelia Jackson were also present.

AGENDA ITEMS

Mr. Pigott reviewed the procedure for completing the expense vouchers.

Mr. Pigott welcomed the committee to the FHSAA office, reviewed the agenda and gave the committee an overview of their purpose and objective as an advisory committee. Each person present introduced himself or herself.

The committee selected Mike Hoctor, Astronaut High School, as chairperson.

Discussion – Review of 1999 Tennis Advisory Committee Minutes: Due to a lack of quorum there were no minutes from the 2000 Tennis Advisory Committee. Mr. Pigott reviewed the five recommendations and results from the 1999 Tennis Advisory Committee meeting.

Discussion - FACA Recommendations: Mr. Hartman brought two items forward from the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA). Item #1 was discussion about the hat rule (Regulation 6.052) and item #2 was the implementation of an annual FHSAA rules meeting for head tennis coaches.

Recommendation #1: It was moved by Mr. Danise, seconded by Mr. Hartman and carried, Vote: Unanimous (8-0), to allow hats, caps or visors to be worn with the bill facing forward or backwards at the discretion of the coach (Regulation 6.052).
Rationale:
   • Serve toss or sun location may dictate bill facing forward or backward.
   • Hat bill facing backward keeps sun off of neck.
   • Serves as a hair control device; in place of bandanna or headband.
   • Legal in all other levels of tennis; USTA rules allow hat backward.
   • No registered officials at matches, rely on coaches for enforcement.
   • Individual sport; many amateur and pro tennis players wear their hat backwards.

Recommendation #2: It was moved by Mr. Hartman, seconded by Mr. Beard and carried, Vote: Unanimous (8-0), that an annual FHSAA sponsored rules meeting be required for all head tennis coaches.
Rationale:
   • All other FHSAA sponsored sports have an annual rules meeting.
   • Education of coaches is critical for the smooth administration of the sport.
   • Annual meeting should reduce the amount of confusion relative to proper procedures and rules.

Discussion - State Tournament Sites/Hosts: The following arrangements have been made for the State Tennis Finals. Mr. Pigott encouraged all committee members to notify anyone interested in hosting to contact him in the FHSAA office.
Class 4A: Site-Sanlando Park & Lake Brantley High School; Dates: April 23-26, 2002
   • Host: University High School, Orlando
Class 3A: Site-Sanlando Park & Lake Brantley High School; Dates: April 21-24, 2002
   • Host: University High School, Orlando
Class 2A: No Site or Host confirmed.
Class A: Site-Hillsborough Community College, Tampa; Dates: April 22-25, 2002
   • Host: None
Ms. Mulligan suggested Red Bug Park in Seminole County as a potential site for the 2A tournaments. Mr. Pigott mentioned the possibility of using the University of Florida as a possible site also.

Discussion: The existing FHSAA Tennis Manual was reviewed. Several editorial clarifications were noted.

Recommendation #3: It was moved by Mr. Danise, seconded by Mr. Beard and carried, Vote: Unanimous (8-0), to provide a copy of the “Friend At Court” USTA rules book to all tennis schools.
Mr. Danise offered to contact the Florida Tennis Association (FTA) about the possibility of donating 500 “Friend At Court” rules books as part of their educational program.
Rationale: Most coaches don’t have a copy of the “Friend At Court” tennis rules book at matches.
   • If coaches are expected to follow the rules, a rules book should be provided as a reference.
   • Any issues not addressed by the FHSAA Tennis Manual, defer to USTA rules.

Discussion: A letter from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School coach Alex Schiraldi was reviewed. Mr. Schiraldi’s letter regarded the problem of fielding a full team and the application of regulation 19.011. The committee made the following recommendation to address the concern.

Recommendation #4: It was moved by Mr. Hartman, seconded by Ms. Mulligan and carried, Vote: Unanimous (8-0), to change the regulations to not require all players with less than a full team to play in the Division 1 singles at the district tournament. Any school with less than a full team will not be eligible for the team title and will follow regulation 6.025 with regard to singles and doubles positions. As per regulation 6.025, forfeits will not apply during the district tournament.
Rationale:
   • The current regulation results in many non-competitive matches and unbalanced draws.
   • Unfair to schools/students with lower skill levels and lack of participation.
   • Doesn’t punish individuals and will not permit a 3 player team to win the district tournament.

Open Agenda:

Discussion – District Assignments: Mr. Pigott distributed the classifications and district assignments for 2002 tennis season. He explained the procedures used for classification and districting of tennis schools. The district assignments were also released on the FHSAA web site today.

Discussion – Attire Rules: Mr. Hartman brought up the attire rules from section 6.050 in the FHSAA Tennis Manual. Clarifications were discussed. The penalties for not conforming to the attire rules were reviewed.

Discussion – “Neutral” 3rd Party: Mr. Hoctor raised the issue of applying the Code of Conduct (Reg. 6.040) during match situations without a USTA official present. Many situations arise during match that are overlooked or misapplied due to lack of a “neutral” party. Mr. Allen encouraged all coaches to report to the FHSAA office (using the Unsportsmanlike Conduct Form F34) any incidents that occur during matches that are not addressed by the host school management.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m.