2016 USTA $7500 MIDWEST INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS @ ELYSIUM - COGP

December 30 - Finals and Third Place and Consolation Finals. Warm up courts available 8 to 9 AM. Please leave early due to potential snow event that is being forecast.


Emergencies call me at 614-296-7695. Thanks. Arnie

***** BE PREPARED TO PLAY MULTIPLE MATCHES PER DAY *****

From experience, we prefer EMAIL as our chosen mode of communication. Email can be sent or answered at any time, day or night, without worry over interruptions. Email also leaves a written electronic audit trail, so there is never any question about who said what, when, or the circumstances involved. Please always include your name, USTA number and cell number.

This is a prize money tournament. For prize money money break down and more entry info click on the link at the end of this section. In lieu of trophies, cash is awarded to the Champions, Finalists, Third Place and Consolation Winners in each division that has A MINIMUM OF 6 ENTRANTS. If there are less than 6 entries in a division, prize money will be paid to the Champions and Finalists only. All checks will be awarded at the conclusion of the finals in each division. CLICK HERE FOR "MORE INFO" AND PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN....... more info

We seemed to have gotten a lot of requests for info regarding eligibility, and who can play in this tournament. It is an OPEN tournament, so if you are in a vertical position and are drawing breath here on planet Earth, and are a current USTA member of good standing, you can play in this tournament. We have had players as young as 14 register to play, though we don't recommend it, and our oldest has been 84. If you are playing in an age group, you must meet requirements, i.e. - if you want to play in the Mens 45 and Over division, you must be male and at least be in the year of your 45th birthday. And 45 is 45 years old - not a 4.5 NTRP ranked player - for some reason we have had half a dozen emails on that. Thanks.

We will have an experienced racket stringer on site to help with racket needs. Alan Leinwohl has been stringing for over 30 years at every level of tennis competition. If you have questions for Alanm, or want to coordinate schedule for stringing, his cell number is: 614-902-0927.

For this tournament, USTA rules will be in effect. It is not an ITA event so no coaching is allowed, and spectators must be courteous - no screaming in the middle of points like in the S.E.C. and Southwest conferences. The three step disqualification procedure will be in effect. USTA Officials will oversee all actions upon the courts. The officials judgement is final, there are no appeals. Profanity or derogatory language will not be tolerated - you will be disqualified.

There is a possibility that college players, or amateurs, will win prize money in this tournament. There were some NCAA / ITA rule changes in 2015 regarding a college players ability to accept prize money up to a certain amount. College players - Make sure that you have your coaches and administrations approval to receive prize money, should you have some coming your way. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FOLLOW ALL THE RULES PERTAINING TO YOU. High School players - you MAY NOT receive prize money, sometimes there a few participants that play well enough that they might be in a position to receive some. Amateurs - make sure you follow the rules governing you - do not jeopardize your amateur status. Each individual is responsible for heir own eligibility situation, not the tournament. ITA FORMS ..... more info

All divisions will be FMLC (First match losers consolation), so everyone will have at least 2 matches for their money. In order to keep the tournament moving and finish in a timely manner, we will use a THIRD SET MATCH TIE BREAK in lieu of a full third set, if contestants split the first two sets. Match tie break uses the same rules as a set tie break, except for the match winner is the first side to reach 10 points by a 2 point margin.

Elysium will open at 8 AM on Tuesday morning, the 27th. Elysium will be closed December 24 through December 26. There will be courts available every morning, usually, The tournament warm up court rate is $10 per half hour block of time. Please call the Elysium front desk at 614-873-8749 to reserve your block of time with a credit card. There will be times available at the same rate before we begin on 28th and 29th in the morning; we open at 8 AM on those days. Many thanks.

We will have pizza from Papa John's on the first three evenings, for all tournament participants. Yes, there is usually a bit extra for the kids and significant others - just please don't bring the entire neighborhood. LOL. All paid tournament participants will receive ONE tee shirt for playing in the event.

Please register early, since this is a director selection tournament your credit cards will not be charged until December 21, after registration closes. This helps us plan out the tournament match flow when we have a better idea of what divisions will be large, and how we can fit them all together. We usually have over 150 entries, or more, so doing the draws is very time consuming, takes a lot of time to fit all the matches in.

In order to facilitate the seeding process, please email all pertinent past performance information to the tournament directors email address listed above. USTA, ATP, WTA, ITA, ITF, NCAA or any other rankings, or what ever other information you may deem helpful to assist in seeding will be appreciated.

Players may withdraw at any before registration closes by using their USTA number and confirmation number, which they received when first signing up. Follow the instructions on the home page under "Withdraw" under "Edit Registration". There will not have been charges, since selection cannot occur until after registration closes. Once the draws are completed and online, there are no refunds.

Following is a list of all the local hotels within a five minute or so drive from Elysium. We are right next to Jack Nicklaus Muirfiled Village, where the $5 million Memorial is held each spring. There are a few thousand motel rooms within 10 minutes driving. They range from inexpensive to high end, depending on what fills your needs. more info