Maple Leaf Tennis Club

MAPLE LEAF TENNIS CLUB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEMBERSHIP BOOKLET

 

 

 

 

1. Philosophy of the Club

 

The Maple Leaf Tennis Club believes that tennis provides an excellent opportunity for residents of Maple Leaf to engage in a healthy and enjoyable sports activity. Players of all ages and skills are encouraged to participate, learn and, if they choose, compete in a friendly environment. The Tennis Club offers residents opportunities to make new friends through court play and a wonderful social program.

 

Suitable programs are offered for all skill levels, whether you are a beginner, or have achieved a skill level whereby you can play for Maple Leaf in the competitive ladies’ and men’s leagues.

 

Volunteer leadership and active participation are the backbone of the Club. We are ably and enthusiastically supported by the Board and Staff of Maple Leaf Golf & Country Club.

 

2.  Executive

 

Each year at the Annual Meeting in March, an Executive is elected to lead the club for the ensuing year. The positions are:

 

President              - chairs meetings of the club and Executive

                                    - provides liaison with the Board of the Park

                                    - provides overall leadership and direction

 

Vice-President            - has general responsibility for the facilities, equipment and the club’s operations

 

Past President              - serves as an adviser to the Executive and chairs the Nominating Committee

                                                - organizes the mentoring program for new members

 

Treasurer                          - handles the finances and membership lists

 

Secretary                         - records minutes of all Executive and general club meetings, maintains the bylaws

                                                   and handles general correspondence

 

Tournament Director - organizes all the Club’s in-house tournaments with the help of assistants

 

Social Director                - coordinates all the social functions, facility and entertainment bookings, arranges

                                                     for various teams and groups to organize events

Communications Director          - responsible for all announcements on in-house TV, bulletin boards, ACCENTS,                                                           the tennis club website. 

 

Membership Director  - coordinates yearly membership and fee collection, maintenance of the

                                                       membership roster and assists with new member mentoring program

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League Liaisons:

 Men & Ladies                    - coordinate the participation of Maple Leaf in competitive area team leagues

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 Strawberry Festival Chair

                                                  - chairs the annual Strawberry Festival including a separate committee dedicated

                                                      to the success of the Festival

 

3. Tournaments & Competitions

 

Between November and April the Club organizes a series of tournaments. These could include Mixed Doubles, Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Men’s & Ladies Triples, Ladies Doubles, Novice Tournament, Men’s Fixed Team Doubles Championship and the Maple Leaf Cup (See the insert for the schedule of this season’s tournaments). The club also runs Ladder competitions for men, ladies and mixed play, where players are placed at their suitable skill levels for one-hour matches.

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To register for tournaments organized for the members, check for sign-up sheets posted at the Charlotte Courts two weeks ahead of the events. Some tournaments have a maximum registration, so don’t delay in signing up. Watch for announcements in ACCENTS, on the Maple Leaf Channel and the tennis club web site and on the bulletin boards at the courts.

           

4. In-park Group Play

 

A variety of groups get together at regular times for tennis. These include: Wednesday Ladies Whistle Blowers (round robin play), Ladies Mondays Racketeers (round robin play), Women’s Friday Super Seventies,  Mixed Open Can-Am morning play, Monday-Wednesday-Friday Men’s Open Doubles, Thursday morning Women’s Advanced-Intermediate Play

 

5. Lessons

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a) Taste of Tennis: This program is offered to any park resident who is new to tennis or returning to playing tennis after many years. It is offered once in the fall and once in the Winter. Beginner lessons follow for those who are interested. Watch the Accents, Channel 195 and the tennis club web site for dates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

b) Intermediate Group Lessons. This program is offered to intermediate level, active club members and is taught by the Pro. Cost for this program is additional to club membership.

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c) Ball Machine Practice. These sessions are offered by a volunteer member of the tennis club and they are open to any active member of the tennis club. See the schedules posted at the Charlotte tennis courts for times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Strawberry Festival:

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Each year the Maple Leaf Tennis Club organizes and hosts the Annual Strawberry Festival. The festival is a significant event at Maple Leaf. Usually held mid March the festival is the largest event in the park and is a very important fund raiser for the club. One hundred and fifty committee members and other volunteers all contribute to the success of this event. Volunteers are always needed and welcome! Please see the executive roster for this year’s Festival Chair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Court Rules

 

a) Suitable attire and footwear. Players should wear suitable tennis attire and non-marking court shoes at all times on the courts. Please - no flip-flops!

b) Use of the ball machine. Maple Leaf has a practice ball machine for use by active members of the tennis club. Members must have instruction in the proper use of this equipment.

c). Reserving courts:  The tennis club now uses an Online System to reserve courts to register for Club events.  Please visit the Court Booking and Scheduling page on our Tennis Club Website for details.  

d) Open time use:   Courts which are neither scheduled for organized club programs and competitions nor reserved are open in Court Reserve to all residents and their guests.

e) Use of courts by children. The Club encourages teaching tennis to youngsters, however they should be suitably attired, wear proper court shoes and be fully supervised.

f) Night play. Night play can be very enjoyable with cooler temperatures, less wind and availability of courts. Please ensure that you turn off the court lighting when you are finished. If the lights have been turned off, DO NOT turn them on again for 10-15 minutes so as not to damage the bulbs. Do not use the lights on the Lawn Bowling green for night tennis activity.

 

8.  Etiquette

 

a) On the courts.

1. Please demonstrate courtesy in use of the courts if other players are waiting and there are no available courts. Courteous players will often switch to No Add Scoring when people are waiting to play, or they arrange a rotation in and out

2. Players should know and use the rules of tennis, but always apply them with friendly courtesy

3. Show up at the courts in plenty of time for a scheduled game or practice

4. If you have a scheduled game or have signed up for ladder play or a tournament, please be there. No-shows cause a lot of problems for organizers and are unfair to fellow players

5. Good sportsmanship should prevail for the benefit of all

6. If you are scheduled to play at a certain time and an inter-park league match goes on longer than expected or was delayed in starting, please respect the need to complete the match. Visiting players may have traveled a considerable distance to play and the delay is likely not their fault. Maple Leafers are known as great hosts and we want to maintain this reputation!

b) Spectators

1. Spectators should never call shots in or out, even if asked by a player. If the player cannot call the ball out, it is considered in

2. Please keep discussion and noise to a minimum. These can be very distracting to the nearest players

3. Good spectators will cheer a good shot, no matter who makes the play

 

9.  Inter-park Leagues

 

a)         50+ Women’s Tennis League

Peace River Senior Men’s League

 

These leagues involve teams from all over the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area. Ladies matches are played Friday mornings and men’s matches are Thursday mornings, from late October to early April.  In any year, Maple Leaf might be fielding ladies’ teams at the 4.0 through the 2.5 levels.  Men’s teams may be entered in A1 to A3 and B1 to B5 levels or the 75+ level.  Most teams have a weekly lesson with a pro and one or two practices. League fees and the costs of the professional lessons are in addition to Club membership fees.

 

b) How players participate. A player interested in joining league play should identify herself or himself to the appropriate Maple Leaf League Liaison person (see insert). It is the objective of Maple Leaf to field competitive teams, ensuring that players are at a level where some degree of success is achieved while being challenged to improve. The social aspect of league tennis and development of team friends is important. However, the Club’s objective to be competitive takes precedence. Players should be willing to cooperate with their peers by playing at a level where their current skills and agility will be best utilized to achieve some success for the team while being enjoyable.

                                   

10. Social Activities

 

The social activities of the Tennis Club are legendary. Traditional events include: Wine and Cheese to draw partners for the Opening Mixed Doubles Tournament, Maple Leaf Cup, Christmas Morning Social and Mixed tennis, Fun Day, Pot Luck Supper, Annual Dinner Dance, the Strawberry Festival and the Annual Meeting. Every tournament is a social event as well. Everyone takes a turn in helping out at the social functions.  (See the insert for the schedule of this season’s social events)

 

11. Sources of Information on Club activities

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ACCENTS - see Tennis Club reports in most issues

The Leaf (TV Slideshow) - announcements are posted well in advance

Bulletin Boards - the main Tennis Bulletin Board is at the Charlotte courts, on the wall of the Charlotte Center - Registrations for Social Events and Tournament are done on the Court Reserve system.

Homeowners’ Meetings - announcements are made to inform residents of tennis club activities

Club website - www.mapleleaftennis.org

 

12. Bylaws

 

The club bylaws are available for any member on the club web site, www.mapleleaftennis.org

 

13. Membership and Fees

 

Anyone wishing to participate in the Club’s organized tennis programs or teams must have a current full membership. An annual membership fee is payable to the Treasurer at the start of each tennis season or on arrival in the Park. The fee covers the costs of running tournaments, part of some social events and court upkeep and maintenance of court equipment.

Associate Membership - non-playing memberships are available for a lesser amount.

 

14. New Member Mentor Program

 

All new tennis club members will be matched with a mentor from the club. The mentor will assist the new member in learning the procedures of the club, the schedule of social activities and in meeting club members and program coordinators.