Tennis Advisory Committee

Minutes
August 30, 2004 • 10 a.m.
FHSAA Headquarters
Gainesville, Florida


The meeting was called to order by Gary Pigott, FHSAA Tennis Administrator, at 10 a.m. The following committee members were in attendance: Thad Boggs (Mandarin H.S.), Todd Palmer (Spruce Creek H.S.), Karen Turman (Land O’Lakes H.S.), Paul Walker (George Jenkins H.S.), Tony DeFillippo (Hialeah-Miami Lakes H.S.) and John Danise (Sebastian River H.S. & FACA Chairperson). FHSAA staff member Paul McLaughlin was also present.

AGENDA ITEMS

Mr. Pigott reviewed the procedure for completing the expense vouchers and e-mail addresses were confirmed. Each person present introduced himself or herself.

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.

The committee selected John Danise, Sebastian River High School, as chairperson.

Discussion - Review of 2003 Tennis Advisory Committee Minutes: Mr. Danise reviewed the two (2) recommendations from the 2003 Tennis Advisory Committee meeting.

Recommendation #1: It was moved by Mr. Boggs, seconded by Ms. Turman and carried, Vote: Unanimous (6-0), to remove the sentence regarding caps, hats or visors [Regulation 105.05(2)]. Hats are NOT a required piece of tennis attire.
Rationale: No advantage is gained by wearing a hat backwards.
USTA rules permit the hat to be worn backward.
Causes unnecessary friction between players, coaches and officials.
Adapting to current trends in the sport of tennis.
Legal in all other levels of tennis and USTA juniors.
Serve toss or sun location may dictate bill facing forward or backward.
Headwear is not part of the tennis uniform (unlike baseball).

ATHLETIC DIRECTORS: Do Not Endorse (6-2)
2nd Reading TNAC: Approve amended recommendation (6-0)
2nd Reading ADAC:

Recommendation #2: It was moved by Mr. Palmer, seconded by Ms. Turman and carried, Vote: Unanimous (5-0), to submit the proposal to revise the current FHSAA tennis playoff format. Please see the following pages for the proposal and rationale recommended.

ATHLETIC DIRECTORS: Do Not Endorse (8-0)
2nd Reading TNAC: Approve (6-0)
2nd Reading ADAC:

Discussion - FACA Recommendations: Other than the agenda item regarding the revised playoff format, Mr. Danise (FACA Tennis Chairperson) had no additional agenda items for the committee to review.

Discussion - State Tournament Sites/Hosts: The following arrangements have been made for the FHSAA 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: TBA
Host: University High School, Orlando
Class 3A: Site-Sanlando Park & Lake Brantley High School; Dates: TBA
Host: University High School, Orlando
Class 2A: Site-Hillsborough Community College, Tampa; Dates: TBA
Host: Currently none has been determined
Class A: Site - FSU Tennis Complex & Tom Brown Park; Dates: TBA
Host: Maclay School, Tallahassee

Discussion - Carry-over of Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalties: The committee discussed this item and believe the current regulation is adequate and no action is necessary.

Discussion – Medallions for State Individual Bracket Runner-Ups: The committee discussed this situation and believe the current policy is adequate and no action is required.

Discussion – Match Line-ups for Regular Season and District Matches: Mr. DeFillippo submitted an item regarding concerns with “stacking” in both regular season matches and district tournaments. The committee discussed and reviewed the topic, but believe this issue is best addressed at the local level with district and conference schools. No action was taken.

Discussion: The existing FHSAA Tennis Manual was reviewed. No changes were recommended.

Discussion – FHSAA Soccer Summit: A memo regarding the upcoming FHSAA Soccer Summit meetings was distributed to the committee members. The emphasis on sportsmanship and respect was shared with the committee members. Mr. Boggs stated that Duval County has implemented a “Sportsmanship Contract” that student-athletes and their parents are required to sign before participation. Mr. Pigott requested that Mr. Boggs forward a copy of the contract to share with FHSAA staff members.

Open Agenda:
Discussion – Revision of Form TN1 (Match Line-up Sheet): Mr. Boggs suggested that Form TN1 be revised to permit the Home & Visiting line-ups to be listed as opposed to the current format of Boys and Girls teams. This would make the form more practical and useful for the tennis coaches.

Discussion – FACA Conference: Mr. Danise stated that the annual FACA tennis meeting is scheduled for Jan. 6-8, 2005 in Daytona Beach. He requested that anyone with suggestions for speakers (specifically female presenters) should forward to him a name and contact information for the individual.

Discussion – Region Match Playing Surface: Mr. Walker raised this item for discussion. There is a concern about the type of playing surface (clay vs. hard court) that the host school provides for a region match. The committee believes that the host school should notify the opponent of the region match playing surface as soon as possible prior to the match. District coordinators should identify the playing surface that each school uses for regular season matches and include that information in their District Planning Meeting minutes.

Discussion – Chaired Match for State Finals: Mr. Walker stated that was in favor of using USTA officials in the umpire chair for the championship matches at FHSAA Tennis Finals. The consensus of the committee was to take no action on this topic.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:25 p.m.