Anyone abusing this system or any of it's users will be permanently barred from this site.

Instructions

I created this site to help solve the problem of finding an opponent on short notice. I've had the problem myself, and have resorted to making a dozen phone calls hoping to find someone available - often without success. I hope this site helps solve the problem for me, as well as for you!

You do not have to enter any data about yourself on this site unless you want to. You're perfectly welcome to simply use the site to search for an opponent when you want to. As long as you and your opponent get to play, the goal of this site will have been achieved.

Of course, if no one entered their availability data, there would be no one online to search for. So I encourage you to participate fully by entering your own information, but the choice is yours.

I've limited this site to helping folks find an opponent for the near term - today and tomorrow. The site keeps track of the dates. You only have to think in terms of today and tomorrow.

All information you put in will be automatically dropped off the system at the end of the next day (tomorrow). On the next day, the information you had entered as 'tomorrow' will be correctly displayed as 'today' data. The information that was entered as 'today' data will be dropped from the system at midnight of the first day.

Information entered on this site may be entered in lower or upper case. Searches are case-insensitive.

Feel free to send me email with any questions or problems you have with this site. Suggestions for improvements are welcome!

Your Data

• Name
  Simply enter your name here. If you want, you can use a nickname instead. This site will store your information keyed under the Name/City/State combination. If you find that someone else has entered their data into the system under your key, then simply enter your information under a different name (such as a nickname or use of a middle initial).

  I have plans to include unique user IDs, but for now those of you with common names in big cities will have to work around it manually by choosing a unique name for youself. It's a case of first come, first served (a little tennis joke!) on the use of names.

  I suggest that if you choose a nickname, that your put your real name in the "Comments" section so that if someone calls you, they will know who they are really looking for.

• City
  This is the city in which you want to play. If the city is large and you need to include location constraints, the "Comments" section is the place to do it.

• State
  This is the State in which the City is found.

• Skill
  Identify the level of your playing skills, as defined by the USTA. Currently, you can assign yourself a skill from 3.5 to 4.5. If you are more or less skilled than this, use the closest skill level. The USTA skill definitions are provided below:
  • 1.0 - This player is just starting to play tennis.
  • 1.5 - This player has limited playing experience and is still working primarily on getting the ball over the net; has some knowledge of scoring but is not familiar with basic positions and procedures for singles and doubles play.
  • 2.0 - This player may have had some lessons but needs on-court experience; has obvious stroke weaknesses but is beginning to feel comfortable with singles and doubles play.
  • 2.5 - This player has more dependable strokes and is learning to judge where the ball is going; has weak court coverage or is often caught out of position, but is starting to keep the ball in play with other players of same ability.
  • 3.0 - This player can place shots with moderate success; can sustain a rally of slow pace but is not comfortable with all strokes; lacks control when trying for power.
  • 3.5 - This player has achieved stroke dependability and direction on shots within reach, including forehand and backhand volleys, but still lacks depth and variety; seldom double faults and occasionally forces errors on the serve.
  • 4.0 - This player has dependable strokes on both forehand and backhand sides; has the ability to use a variety of shots including lobs, overheads, approach shots and volleys; can place the first serve and force some errors; is seldom out of position in a doubles game.
  • 4.5 - This player has begun to master the use of power and spins; has sound footwork; can control depth of shots and is able to move opponent up and back; can hit first serve with power and accuracy and place the second serve; is able to rush the net with some success on serve in singles as well as doubles.
  • 5.0 - This player has good shot anticipation; frequently has an outstanding shot or exceptional consistency around which a game may be structured; can regularly hit winners or force errors off of short balls; can successfully execute lobs, drop shots, half volleys and overhead smashes; has good depth and spin on most second serves.
  • 5.5 - This player can execute all strokes offensively and defensively; can hit dependable shots under pressure; is able to analyze opponents' style and can employ patterns of play to assure the greatest possibility of winning points; can hit winners or force errors with both first and second serves. Return of serve can be an offensive weapon.
  • 6.0 - This player has mastered all of the above skills; has developed power and/or consistency as a major weapon; can vary strategies and styles of play in a competitive situation. This player typically has had inten- sive training for national competition at junior or collegiate levels.
  • 6.5 - This player has mastered all of the above skills and is an experienced tournament competitor who regularly travels for competition and whose income may be partially derived from prize winnings.
  • 7.0 - This is a world class player.

• Phone
  Normally, you would enter your phone number(s) here where you can be contacted. Since this information is not checked by this site, you can entered any data your want - such as a fax number or an email.

• Comments
  If you need to provide additional information, such as more details about where you would like to play tennis (specific parks, parts of town, etc.), you can enter it here. This also would be a good place to indicate whether you want to play singles, doubles, or mixed doubles - or even preferences on specific age groups. Information should be of a type that will help other players determine if you are a good match to their needs for an opponent.

• Availability (today)
  If you want to play today, put your available times here. If you do not want to play today, leaves the field blank. You can put information in both the today and tomorrow fields.

• Availability (tomorrow)
  If you want to play tomorrow, put your available times here. If you do not want to play today, leaves the field blank. You can put information in both the today and tomorrow fields.

• Add or Update Your Information
  This button will add (or udpate if the record already exists) an entry into the online database immediately. You will get an acknowledgment that the update was accomplished.

  This site uses the Name/City/State combination to completely identify a player. This could be a problem if there are two of you who have the same combination. I suggest that before you enter your data, that you perform a search for your own name. If you find that someone else is using the Name/City/State combination, then modify your name any way your choose. It's perfectly acceptable to use a nickname rather than your given name. Just remember that when someone calls for you they will know you only by the "Name" you use online.

  Remember that since no passwords are needed you could unknowingly overwirte another player's entry. So to be safe, I suggest that before you update/delete information, that you perform a search using your name to see if the name is already being used by someone else.

• Delete Your Information
  When you press this button, the entry for the name in the given City/State will be deleted. There is no password associated with any of this data, so anyone can delete the data.

  I hardly expect a crime wave of deletions on the site, but since the is no password, please be sure to correctly fill out your Name/City/State to make sure that you don't accidentally delete someone else's information.

  If a crime wave does break out , a password system will be implemented.

Find an Opponent

• City
  Select the city in which you want to play. Only cities for which an entry has been made will be available in the drop-down list.

• State
  Select the state in which you want to play. Only states for which an entry has been made will be available in the drop-down list.

• Skill
  Select the skill level against which you would like to play. You can select multiple skill levels.

• Today
  If you want to search for an opponent who can play today, click this checkbox. You can click both the today and tomorrow checkboxes.

• Tomorrow
  If you want to search for an opponent who can play tomorrow, click this checkbox. You can click both the today and tomorrow checkboxes.

• Find an Opponent
  Simply press this button to search the database for someone who fits the selected criteria. Results of the search will be displayed on a new page.