What’s Involved in Setting Up a Tournament?
By Don Rolland
Have you ever wondered what goes into setting up a tournament? Is it just a matter of establishing a date, collecting entry forms and money, and then taking a few minutes to figure out a fair draw? I would imagine many people don’t give this much thought. Until I became involved with INSRA, it hadn’t occurred to me either! Now that I’ve been through a number of tournament setups, I thought others would be interested in an overview of the process.
Building a Team
The first requirement is a strong, interested team to put the event together. This group looks for an appropriate time to sequence the event, typically for the next year. There are decsions on format, hospitality,awards, souvenirs, fund-raisers, hotels, projected participation, budget impact, etc. Everyone brings their past experience, as well as comments from other club members as to what would make the best tournament.
Preparation
Once the target date is set, the work starts. Some of the items involve printing forms (with any significant disclaimers, differences, etc.), design and purchase of tournament shirts, decisions on awards, procurement of sponsors, food for the hospitality suite. Many of the decisions, such as the number of shirts, the size of shirts, awards and engraving are made at the last minute; depending upon the number of entry forms and the number of divisions decided upon.
The tournament director needs as much time as possible to get these last minute items. This is why it is so critical that entry forms are received as early as possible in the process.
Tournament Week
When the entry forms for a tournament are received, they are entered into a computer. From this, we can tell whether the entrant is a current INSRA member, and how to contact them. Tournament directors almost always need to contact some participants over conflicts, questions, or opportunities for the tournament that could affect the draw. The information is then presented in a couple of different styles to the people actually making the draw.
When making the draw, we first look at how many people will be in the tournament, then how many should make up a division. Is there enough to have a reasonable draw? . . . how about a round robin? . . . if not, can we combine events so people interested in the tournament will still have an enjoyable, competitive time? How much court time will be used? Will this be a one day, two day, or longer event?
This information impacts the use of the Club that will be used! There are timing restrictions noted on the entry form, seeding, whether people are to compete with others from the same club, or whether they get to go against “new” people. Some typical problems are only half of a doubles team sends in an entry form, or naming a doubles partner that didn’t enter. Any late entries, phone calls, fax’s, e-mails, etc., are worked in as possible, even though last minute events such as these typically make the draw a very full evening of work.
Details, Details, Details...
After setting the draw, the hard part begins. Players need to be assigned to specific courts, at specific times, and to the correct opponent in the draw. At this point, having the time to review the draws, court hours, and their sequence is critical. Late entries can be difficult, as the Tournament Director runs out of time.
When the list of start times by player is ready, it is sent to the host club and posted on the INSRA web site. A player list is created with details of money owed for the tournament. This becomes a part of the check in sheet for the tournament.
Obviously, there is more to the process than what I’ve outlined above. Issues relative to referees, revising the schedule as events unfold, rule interpretation, etc. have to be included with the package. Additionally, we have to finish up paperwork with the sponsor club, INSRA (within 2 weeks), and any other unexpected issues which arise.
Is it worth it? I think so!! Tournaments are a great way to expand your horizons, meet others, learn new tricks of the game, and have a lot of fun.
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