The Howard County Tennis Association, Inc. is very interested in holding a 2011 Fall Outdoor Program next month, but we need your help! We would like to get a feel for whether you would be interested in participating in a program this Fall. To make our program more enjoyable for both the kids and instructors, we are hoping to have enough participation to accommodate at least 6 to 12 kids—of course, the more the merrier. We never turn anyone away for any reason. Depending on the interest, we can then decide the optimum location to hold our lessons. In the past, we have used the Reservoir and River Hill High School courts and that seemed to work just fine. Please know that our goal is to grow the game of tennis and maximize participation to the fullest extent. HCTA really appreciates your understanding in this matter.

In the past, the program at Reservoir High School has been under the direction of Mr. Ernest Lacy for both beginner and intermediate levels. Mr. Lacy has been an instructor for HCTA for 15 years and is highly regarded in his teaching techniques. Kids enjoy the fun that Mr. Lacy brings to tennis.

HCTA would also like to introduce Quick Start Tennis or Ten and Under Tennis, under the direction of Mr. Ben Mariano, at River Hill High School. Kids between 4-10 years old begin with balls, rackets and court dimensions designed to allow success at their current stature and ability level. Without the challenge of playing with balls that bounce over their heads or rackets that are too heavy to hold in two hands, basic goals are more easily obtainable. Endorsed by the USTA as the new method of learning, this program will offer an introduction to tennis with an emphasis upon having fun while enjoying a truly great sport.

We are thinking about a 3 or 4 week session that would begin around the end of October and end the first week in November. As in previous programs, our costs are very reasonable. Thanks as always for your support for Howard County tennis!

The 31 Columbia Junior Open is scheduled for July 16, 2011 at the Wilde Lake Tennis Club. This L3 sanctioned USTA event was selected as the 2009 USTA Mid-Atlantic Junior Tournament of the Year. Stay tuned for more details or go to the USTA website for more information on this prestigious tournament!

HOW TO USE THE TENNISLINK ONLINE REGISTRATION SYSTEM

Finding the tournament to register:

Go to www.usta.com, or any of the section or district websites
Click the Tournaments link on the side navigation bar
Use the USTA Searchable Schedule
- Select a specific section or district by clicking on the drop down and highlighting one, or leave “All sections/districts” selected to search the entire database
- Input the Tournament ID number, if known
- Refine the search by using one or several of the search options, such as Keyword search, location, or date.
- Use the “Currently Registering” Quick search option to find all tournaments whose entry close date is within a 2-week period.

Registering for a tournament:

Click on the Tournament name of the tournament for which you wish to register, to go to the Tournament Home Page.
Tournament Home page-here you will see all of the information about that tournament. Click on the TennisLink Register Now link.
Register player page-enter the USTA number of the person you wish to register for the tournament. The registration system will validate the player’s eligibility and USTA membership status, and will only allow entry into the appropriate events/divisions. If the player is not a member, or the membership is expired, you must apply or renew the membership before you can continue.
Choose event page-verify that the information about the selected player is accurate. If not, follow the instructions to contact the USTA Membership Dept. Then select the events/divisions that you wish to register for, taking note of the message regarding the number of events for which one player can enter. NOTE: if entering a doubles event, you may choose to enter and pay for your doubles partner, or simply select your partner, and not pay, and have your partner come into the system to register and pay for their half of the entry. Continue
Cart Summary page-shows a summary of the entries and the costs. If you wish to edit your entry, or continue searching for another tournament to register, you may click the appropriate button and do so. Otherwise, click Proceed to Checkout.
Credit card page-input the cardholder name, credit card type and number, and expiration date, and the statement mailing address zip code. Then place the order. While waiting for the card to process, please be patient.
Confirmation page-this page requires that the player acknowledge that they must print the confirmation page, or write down the confirmation number. It will be used if the player wants to withdraw or change an entry.

Directions to Wilde Lake Tennis Club. MapQuest.com

10499 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia, MD. 21044

Phone: (410-730-3767)

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Lacy-Graves Tennis Tournament

Middle School Tennis League

Spring Outdoor Program

For any questions or comments, please send a message to

HCTA
P.O. Box 411
Clarksville, MD 21029

Telephone: 410-489-9179
Fax: 410-461-9189
Email: hcta@hotmail.com.

Serving to promote and foster amateur tennis in Howard County of Maryland, the HCTA is a 501(c3) non-profit organization affiliated with the USTA /Maryland District.

2010 SPRING OUTDOOR PROGRAMS

The Howard County Tennis Association, Inc. is pleased to announce its 2010 Spring Outdoor Program scheduled to run from Monday, May 24^th through Thursday, June 17^th for certain ages and skill levels. You also have various times and locations to choose from, so come on out and HAVE FUN!! Go to the link on this page called “Spring 2010 Program Application” to download a copy of the registration form. Feel free to pass it along to your friends and neighbors!

For more information, call HCTA’s voicemail system at 410-489-9179.

Spring 2010 Program Application Click here:

To make our program more enjoyable for both the kids and instructors, we are hoping to have enough participation that each location can accommodate at least 6 kids per court. There may be a possibility that registrations for a particular day and time at one of our locations will not have many kids signed up. With that in mind, please sign up for the location you like, but keep in mind that we may need to ask your indulgence to consider moving to another time slot and/or location. If that indeed occurs and you can accommodate the change, GREAT! Your child will still have a wonderful time. If you cannot change due to your personal schedule, we will gladly refund your registration fee. Please know that our goal is to grow the game of tennis and maximize participation to the fullest extent. HCTA really appreciates your understanding in this matter.