2015 connecticut open family classic tournament local event information
2015 CONNECTICUT OPEN FAMILY CLASSIC TOURNAMENT LOCAL EVENT INFORMATION Dear Prospective Family Classic Host, In 2001, a Connecticut Open tradition was started: Parent/Child Family Classic tournament. Each year more than 2,000 participants in the New England and New York area battle it out for their chance to play the finals alongside the WTA pros during the Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies! The Connecticut Open Family Classic provides an exciting occasion for you to provide your club members or community the opportunity to engage in friendly competition and receive exclusive ticket offers to the Connecticut Open while gaining exposure for your organization. Your club or tennis organization too can be part of the Connecticut Open Family Classic excitement by hosting a local event! Highlights from the 2014 Family Classic include: Over 2,000 participants at over 80 locations from New England and New York competed in local Family Classic tournaments. Clubs and recreation departments ran tournaments that best suited their individual event, determining the format and scoring. The winners (over 150 teams) competed in the regional championships in New Haven in late July. Fun and Prizes! Last year, not only did all participants receive a Family Classic t-shirt, ALL participants received an exclusive Family Classic ticket discount to the 2014 Connecticut Open tournament! The Family Classic Finals were played during the Connecticut Open. Family Classic winners and finalists were honored in true championship style on Stadium Court as they took photos and received their trophies with three-time Connecticut Open champion James Blake who was here for a special Men’s Legends Event, in front of a crowd of over 3,500 fans. Congratulations to our 2014 Division Winners: o Mother/Child 12 & Under: Yvonne & Ally D’Aquinos – Weston, CT – Intensity Club o Mother/Child 14 & Under: Heide & Alexander Merjian – New Canaan, CT – New Canaan Field Club o Mother/Child 18 & Under: Stephanie & Gregory Portner – Weston, CT – Weston Racquet Club o Father/Child 12 & Under: Thomas & Nicholas Steiglehner – Groton, CT – Groton Long Point Yacht Club o Father/Child 14 & Under: Greg & Christian Hartch – Greenwich, CT – Grand Slam at Banksville o Father/Child 18 & Under: Ron & Devon Chofay – Narragansett, RI – South County CTA RI o Husband/Wife: Greg & Courtney Sansonetti – Stratford, CT – Stratford Tennis Association o Parent/Child 10 & Under: Magic & Olivia Lincer – Windsor, CT – Magic Lincer Tennis Academy o Parent/Child Open: Mark & Matt Colonnese – Madison, CT – Guilford Racquet Club Enclosed you will find all the information you need to know about running your own Family Classic event so don’t wait any longer and sign your organization up today! Best, Christie Cole Ticket Sales & Partnership Marketing Manager Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies 203-776-7331 x 5811, [email protected]
HERE IS HOW IT WORKS: Sequence of Family Classic Events Park and January 2015 – Recreation July 2015 Local Events
Indoor Club Local Events
Outdoor Club Local Events
Community Local Events
WINNING TEAMS ADVANCE July 25-26, 2015 Yale University (New Haven, CT)
Regional Tournament
FINALISTS ADVANCE TBD day at the Connecticut Open (New Haven, CT)
Finals and Stadium Court Trophy Presentation
1. CHOOSE A DATE before July 20, 2015 to host your local event. Your club, phone number, and the date of your event will be posted on the Family Classic page of the Connecticut Open website. To increase participation and exposure for your club, you might want to open your event to the public. We will also send out press releases to local newspapers, announcing your event (if it is open to the public). 2. COMPLIMENTARY MARKETING MATERIALS will be sent to you to help promote your event as soon as the commitment form is completed. We will provide a full support kit consisting of sign-up sheets, posters, and banners to advertise your participation and tournament date. T-shirts will also be included for participants. 3. RUN YOUR EVENT USING A FORMAT OF YOUR CHOICE. The format you use is entirely up to you (standard draw, round robin, pro-sets, regular-sets, etc.) depending on the participants, number of courts, and time allotted for the event. To generate revenue, some clubs charge an entry fee while other clubs often do not charge an entry fee. Remember to take some photos so we can share on our social media channels and promote your club! 4. PASS OUT THE REGIONAL INFORMATION PACKET to the winners of each division. This is their entry form into the Regional Tournament held July 25-26, 2015! Please make sure to have your winners return this form by the indicated date confirming their participation in the Regional Tournament. 5. REPORT YOUR RESULTS TO CHRISTIE COLE via fax to 203-772-4647 or call 203-776-7331 ext. 5811. Just fill out the local winner form provided to you and send it in by July 20th. Your club’s tournament results will be posted on the website and a press release will be sent to your local papers. Upon completion of your local event, let us know the total number of teams who participated and we will send each team an exclusive ticket offer just for Connecticut Open Family Classic participants. Any photos taken from your local event can be sent to Christie as well to be posted on our Facebook.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: 1. Divisions- we have a total of nine divisions for your members to participate in. You may run as few as one of these divisions or as many as all nine of these divisions depending on the number of participants and format that works best for your organization. a. Parent/Child Open (10 & Under) b. Father/Child (12 & Under) c. Father/Child (14 & Under) d. Father/Child (18 & Under) e. Mother/Child (12 & Under) f. Mother/Child (14 & Under) g. Mother/Child (18 & Under) h. Husband/Wife i. Parent/Child Open (19 & Over) 2. ELIGIBILITY/RULES a.
Parent-Child Teams i. CHILDREN must play with their PARENT, GRANDPARENT, or LEGAL GUARDIAN. ii. CHILD’S AGE is based on their AGE ON THE DATE OF THE LOCAL EVENT PLAYED. iii. Anyone with a TOP-10 USTA JUNIOR STANDING or a team that has won two or more years in the same division MUST play up one age division or in the Parent/Child Open Division. iv. Teams may compete in only one Connecticut Open Family Classic event. If a team wins more than one local event in any division, the RUNNER-UP TEAM WILL ADVANCE to the Regional Tournament. v. The Parent-Child 10 & under division will be played with a green-dot ball at the Regional Tournament. vi. The AGE-ELIGIBILITY of the child is based upon their age on JULY 1st (Note: This is different than past years) Ex. if your child was 14 on the day you won your local Connecticut Open Family Classic event, but turns 15 before July 1st, they must compete in the 18/Under division) b. Husband-Wife Teams i. Participants must currently be married to each other on the date of the local event played. c. Parent Child Open Teams i. We are looking for parent child teams over the age of 18 to participate in this field or outstanding juniors who are not eligible in their age division due to their current USTA ranking. *You may combine Parent-Child divisions if you have a limited number of participants. For example, run a draw with Mother/Child 12 & Under, and Father/Child 12 & Under. Even if a Father/Child 12 & Under team wins the draw, the Mother/Child 12 & Under team who advanced the furthest in the draw would also be eligible to advance to the Regional Tournament and play in the Mother/Child 12 & Under draw.
HERE IS HOW IT WORKS: Sequence of Family Classic Events Park and January 2015 – Recreation July 2015 Local Events
Indoor Club Local Events
Outdoor Club Local Events
Community Local Events
WINNING TEAMS ADVANCE July 25-26, 2015 Yale University (New Haven, CT)
Regional Tournament
FINALISTS ADVANCE TBD day at the Connecticut Open (New Haven, CT)
Finals and Stadium Court Trophy Presentation
1. CHOOSE A DATE before July 20, 2015 to host your local event. Your club, phone number, and the date of your event will be posted on the Family Classic page of the Connecticut Open website. To increase participation and exposure for your club, you might want to open your event to the public. We will also send out press releases to local newspapers, announcing your event (if it is open to the public). 2. COMPLIMENTARY MARKETING MATERIALS will be sent to you to help promote your event as soon as the commitment form is completed. We will provide a full support kit consisting of sign-up sheets, posters, and banners to advertise your participation and tournament date. T-shirts will also be included for participants. 3. RUN YOUR EVENT USING A FORMAT OF YOUR CHOICE. The format you use is entirely up to you (standard draw, round robin, pro-sets, regular-sets, etc.) depending on the participants, number of courts, and time allotted for the event. To generate revenue, some clubs charge an entry fee while other clubs often do not charge an entry fee. Remember to take some photos so we can share on our social media channels and promote your club! 4. PASS OUT THE REGIONAL INFORMATION PACKET to the winners of each division. This is their entry form into the Regional Tournament held July 25-26, 2015! Please make sure to have your winners return this form by the indicated date confirming their participation in the Regional Tournament. 5. REPORT YOUR RESULTS TO CHRISTIE COLE via fax to 203-772-4647 or call 203-776-7331 ext. 5811. Just fill out the local winner form provided to you and send it in by July 20th. Your club’s tournament results will be posted on the website and a press release will be sent to your local papers. Upon completion of your local event, let us know the total number of teams who participated and we will send each team an exclusive ticket offer just for Connecticut Open Family Classic participants. Any photos taken from your local event can be sent to Christie as well to be posted on our Facebook.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: 1. Divisions- we have a total of nine divisions for your members to participate in. You may run as few as one of these divisions or as many as all nine of these divisions depending on the number of participants and format that works best for your organization. a. Parent/Child Open (10 & Under) b. Father/Child (12 & Under) c. Father/Child (14 & Under) d. Father/Child (18 & Under) e. Mother/Child (12 & Under) f. Mother/Child (14 & Under) g. Mother/Child (18 & Under) h. Husband/Wife i. Parent/Child Open (19 & Over) 2. ELIGIBILITY/RULES a.
Parent-Child Teams i. CHILDREN must play with their PARENT, GRANDPARENT, or LEGAL GUARDIAN. ii. CHILD’S AGE is based on their AGE ON THE DATE OF THE LOCAL EVENT PLAYED. iii. Anyone with a TOP-10 USTA JUNIOR STANDING or a team that has won two or more years in the same division MUST play up one age division or in the Parent/Child Open Division. iv. Teams may compete in only one Connecticut Open Family Classic event. If a team wins more than one local event in any division, the RUNNER-UP TEAM WILL ADVANCE to the Regional Tournament. v. The Parent-Child 10 & under division will be played with a green-dot ball at the Regional Tournament. vi. The AGE-ELIGIBILITY of the child is based upon their age on JULY 1st (Note: This is different than past years) Ex. if your child was 14 on the day you won your local Connecticut Open Family Classic event, but turns 15 before July 1st, they must compete in the 18/Under division) b. Husband-Wife Teams i. Participants must currently be married to each other on the date of the local event played. c. Parent Child Open Teams i. We are looking for parent child teams over the age of 18 to participate in this field or outstanding juniors who are not eligible in their age division due to their current USTA ranking. *You may combine Parent-Child divisions if you have a limited number of participants. For example, run a draw with Mother/Child 12 & Under, and Father/Child 12 & Under. Even if a Father/Child 12 & Under team wins the draw, the Mother/Child 12 & Under team who advanced the furthest in the draw would also be eligible to advance to the Regional Tournament and play in the Mother/Child 12 & Under draw.
