Westlake Girls’ Tennis 2015/2016
Welcome to Westlake “Thunder” tennis! We are so happy to have you with us this year. We
expect to have a fantastic season. You will have a lot of fun, form great friendships, and develop
your tennis skills as you participate in the tennis program. Here are the policies of which you
need to be aware.
Required Registration and Documentation
All tennis players will be required to register through the “Register My Athlete” on-line
program. This can be done at http://registermyathlete.com. Once you get to the home page, click
on the “School Login” button at the top right of the page. Next, select “Utah” as the state and
then “Westlake High School”. This will take you to the login screen where you can create an
account and sign into the program.
All required documents are on the Register My Athlete website and can also be located at the
bottom of the Westlake High School Athletics website page. You will need to have the Physical
and Parent Consent Form, Tryout Checklist, and External Publications & Website Release Form
completed before the first day of tryouts. Anyone not having these documents completed and
turned into the Athletics Office by the first day of tryouts will not be able to play until these
documents are turned in.
Tryouts
Tryouts will start on Monday, August 3, 2015. Tryouts will consist of a combination of match
play and drilling. Players will be seeded according to their records in match play and observed
performance. The top 7 players will play varsity (three singles players and two doubles teams).
The next 7 will play Junior Varsity. Remaining players will be alternates. They will play in
matches if team members are missing and when the other teams have alternates or players who
are willing to play a second match. I may shuffle the order around during the season based on
performance.
No-Cut Program
We run a no-cut program at Westlake. Everyone who comes out for the team makes the team.
The tryout portion of the season is used to seed players on our “Challenge Ladder”. We use the
challenge ladder to encourage match play and competition throughout the season.
Practice
Practice will be held every school day from 2:30 – 5:00 pm (Freshmen attending the middle
schools are expected to get to practice as soon as possible after they are dismissed from school).
Practice is mandatory. If you miss practice you will not be able to play in matches. If you have
an extenuating circumstance and you have to miss practice, contact Coach Johnson ahead of
time. You are expected to be on time to all practices.
Challenging
We use a “Challenge Ladder” for all challenge matches. You will have regular (almost daily)
challenge matches to ensure players have a fair opportunity to play in the position they
earn/deserve. Just because you start off as a lower seed on the ladder doesn’t mean you’ll end up
there for the whole season. It is my experience that many players improve a lot as the season
goes on.
Matches
Out match play schedule will begin on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. A copy of our schedule is
attached to this document. We play each team in the region twice during the regular season, and
all matches will begin at 3:00 unless our travel schedule dictates otherwise. We may also have a
few non-region matches prior to the start of our regular region schedule. Immediately following
the regular season we will have the regional tournament followed the next week by the state
tournament. Please be aware that you must travel to all away matches with the team--if you are
not on the bus, you cannot play in a match. Also, we are a team and just like in football,
basketball, etc. you are required to stay at all matches until their completion—you never see a
basketball player get up and leave if they are no longer playing!
Sportsmanship
The tennis team at Westlake is known for their good sportsmanship and it’s my goal to continue
this tradition. We don’t have line judges in high school tennis, so you are responsible for calling
your own lines. Be honest when you are calling lines. If you do not see clearly whether the ball is
in or out, play it as if it is in. Be respectful of your opponents, coaches and teammates. Those
who fail to be good sports will not play in matches.
Academics
You are a student first and an athlete second. You will not play if you fail to meet minimum
academic eligibility requirements. The UHSAA requires that you maintain a 2.0 GPA with no
more than one failing grade (F, I, NC). You also cannot play if you do not adhere to the school’s
attendance policy. Your grades will be checked regularly.
Cost
We’re continually working on keep costs low and making being on the tennis team as affordable
as possible. The required fees are $200; $100 for the team uniform (which you keep) and $100
for the school’s participation fee (this fee covers buses, balls for matches, etc.). Anything beyond
that is completely optional.
Once again, we look forward to a fabulous tennis season at Westlake and having YOU on the
team!
Contact Information
Head Coach: Carl Johnson
Email: carl@saratogaspringstennis.com
HP: (801)766-5084
Cell: (801)368-3927
Westlake Thunder Girls’ Tennis
2015/2016 Match Schedule
Tuesday, August 11 – Pleasant Grove
Thursday, August 13 – @ Lehi
Tuesday, August 18 - Herriman
Thursday, August 20 - Bye
Tuesday, August 25 – @ American Fork
Thursday, August 27 – Lone Peak
Tuesday, September 1 - Lehi
Thursday, September 3 - @ Pleaseant Grove
Tuesday, September 8 - Bye
Thursday, September 10 - @ Riverton
Tuesday, September 15 - @ Herriman
Thursday, September 17 – American Fork
Tuesday, September 22 - Riverton
Thursday, September 24 - @ Lone Peak
All matches begin at 3:00 pm.
Home matches are in bold.
Other Important Dates
- Regional Seeding Meeting, Friday, September 25, American Fork High School @ 5:00 pm
- JV Region IV Tournament, Saturday, September 26, Lone Peak High School @ 9:00 am
- Varsity Regional IV Tournament, Tuesday & Wednesday, September 29 & 30, American Fork
High School @ 10:00 am
- Girls 5A State Tennis Tournament – Wednesday & Saturday, October 7 & 10, Liberty Park,
Salt Lake City
Go Thunder Tennis!