Tournament Director Checklist

COMMITTEE:

Running a tournament well takes a lot of time and effort and will require the assistance of several others besides yourself. These are your Tournament Committee. Don't be shy about asking people to help; many are happy to do so if asked. You will need a draw committee, people to help with checking players in and collecting money, and people to help get things set up on Saturday morning. One of the THTC officers should be present for the draw which usually occurs the night before the first day of the tournament.

If you are playing yourself, you need someone to take over the job of recording scores, determining next-round start times, and answering questions while you are on the court. Other things that you might want help with is answering phone inquiries and ordering and picking up awards and supplies.  

TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT CHECKLIST
 
 Draw Sheet Preparation _______________________________
 
 Assembling Supplies    _______________________________
 
 Checking in handling
 on-site payments       _______________________________
 
 Recording Scores and
 answering questions    _______________________________

USTA sanctioned tournaments have additional considerations: a designated referee is supposed to be provided and official draw sheets (provided by USTA) must be typed and returned within one week. A special manual is available which explains in detail how to run a sanctioned tournament. THTC officers and board members are always available for help and advice.  

USTA SANCTIONED TOURNAMENT CHECKLIST
 
 _____ USTA Form received
 
 _____ USTA referee identified _____________________________

ENTRY FORMS:

All THTC members receive entry forms by mail, but you will want to get extra copies to post at Rea park and at other locations and to mail to other players, especially for sanctioned tournaments. Get copies from the current club president and keep track of postage. 

ENTRY FORM CHECKLIST
 
      ______ Entry Forms mailed 
             to members
 
      ______ Entry Forms mailed 
             to past entrants
 
      ______ Entry Forms mailed
             to other clubs, etc.
 
      ______ Entry Forms posted
             at Rea Park
 
      ______ Entry Forms posted
             at .................  _____________
 
                                   _____________
PUBLICITY:

One or two weeks before the tournament date, prepare a media release and mail it along with an entry form to the newspaper, the three TV stations, and possibly some of the radio stations. The media release should include a summary of the following (even though it appears on the entry form):

  1. Name of Tournament
  2. Date of Tournament
  3. Rain contingency plans
  4. Entry fees
  5. Deadline for entries
  6. Events and age categories
  7. Tournament Director names and telephone numbers 
MEDIA NOTIFICATION CHECKLIST
 
       _________________ Terre Haute Tribune
 
       _________________ WTHI-TV
 
       _________________ WTWO-TV
 
       _________________ WBAK-TV
 
       _________________ WTHI-Radio
 

AWARDS:

Ten days before the tournament arrange to have all trophies, plaques, or other awards ordered. Awards are presented at the conclusion of the tournament for all winners and runners-up. If consolation brackets are planned, you may want to award a small plaque to winners. Various trophy supply businesses in Terre Haute have supplied plaques and trophies over the years, including Char-La and White Rabbit. Have the bill sent to the current club president.  

AWARDS CHECKLIST 

                                 1st        2nd
 Group Designation              Place      Place
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
 _______________________        _____      _____
 
SUPPLIES

If you are furnishing lunch, be sure to order what you will need several days ahead of time. At this time you should also contact the Park Department to have the trash barrels emptied and the area cleaned up. 

LUNCH SUPPLIES CHECKLIST
 
    ____  fruit (apples, bananas, etc.)
 
    ____  soft drinks
 
    ____  water "barrels"  (we now use bottled water)
 
    ____  ice
 
    ____  cups
 
    ____  napkins
 
    ____  sack lunch (optional)
 
    ____  condiments (optional)
 
    ____  plasticware (optional)
 
    ____  Park Department contacted for trash cleanup

THE DRAW:

The draw committee should meet following the entry deadline to make the draw. Be sure to check with anyone who may have been given entry forms in addition to the designated director.

  1. Make lists of participants by category (if more than one) as they come in by phone or mail. You may use this list to record payments on tournament day. Note that for local tournaments there are often two different fees, one for members and one for nonmembers.
  2. Determine the seedings using the committee's best judgement.
  3. Determine the pairings and the number of rounds you intend to play each day.
  4. Prepare a drawsheet of the pairings, the start time and court assignment of the first round and the approximate start time of subsequent matches. Be prepared to be flexible to handle long matches that affect the schedule and court assignments. There will always be some on-the-spot scheduling and court assignment decisions. 
DRAW SHEET CHECKLIST
 
    ____  All participants are represented
    ____  First round matches pairings
 
    ____  First round match court assignment
 
    ____  First round start time
 
    ____  All participants notified of first round
          information (when/where)
 
    ____  Draw sheet suitable for posting on noticeboard
          at Rea Park
 
    ____  Cash for change if payment method involves
          onsite remittance

EARLY TOURNAMENT DAY:

Plan to be onsite early the morning of the tournament and give yourself enough time to roll the courts if necessary. 

TOURNAMENT DAY CHECKLIST
 
    ____  Attend to courts (rain, debris, etc.)
 
    ____  Announce rain plans (if necessary)
 
    ____  Set up check-in counter
    ____  Post draw sheets, information sheets,
          sanction sheet
    ____  Set up water barrels
 
    ____  Set up snack table
 
    ____  Set up awards table
 
POST TOURNAMENT CHECKLIST
 
    ____  Notify news media of tournament results
 
    ____  Within a week of tournament, provide the following
          to THTC Secretary/Treasurer:
 
             Money (from fees)
 
             Financial balance sheet
 
             draw sheets (to be mailed to CITA if sanctioned)
 
             participants list
 
             comments on tournament