CGHS Ladder & Challenge Competition Guidelines

Initial Setup

1. Initial Rankings: We will start by assigning initial rankings. These will be based on ladder matches, difficulty of schedule/difficulty of ladder matches played, wins/loss record, games won/loss, previous performance/performance in a doubles or singles specific position, as well as health/injury status.   
2. Ladder Board: A ladder board will be created to display all players’ rankings. 
3. Only the top 16 players will be ranked.  Everyone else will carry a #17 ranking.  Those players are eligible to challenge positions 14, 15 or 16.  

Rules and Guidelines

1. Challenge Rules:
• Ladder challenges will open Mondays at 8am.  Challenges can be issued, via this link.
• You can challenge players ranked up to three positions above you.
• When you challenge via the web form, both you and the challenged player will be notified by email.  However as email isn’t 100% reliable, you must still notify the player you are challenging. 
• A player can play a maximum of 2 challenge matches in a given week – one from a challenger, one from a challenge they issue
• If a player is challenged by 2+ people on the first day that challenges can be made (Mondays) – the highest ranked player will take priority for that challenge, and the lower ranked player may choose another player to challenge.
• Any challenges issued Tuesday or Wednesday will be honored on a first come, first serve basis (regardless of rank)
• The form to submit challenges will close at 5pm on Wednesday each week – no challenges can be made after that point. 
• If you miss practice once in a given week, OR are late to practice/leave practice early – twice in a given week, you will forfeit your right to challenge anyone the following week (although you are still eligible to be challenged by others).  
• The challenged player must accept the challenge and play the match by Saturday, noon, of the same week.

• Challenge matches are scheduled for Fridays after school — this is the designated and guaranteed time. If either player cannot play on Friday, they may request to reschedule after a regular practice (not during team practice time) or before noon on Saturdays. These rescheduled times are not guaranteed and depend on both players’ availability. Best efforts should be made to accommodate, but if no alternate time can be agreed upon, the following applies:

  • If the challenged player cannot play on Friday or any other alternate time before noon on Saturday, it is considered a forfeit, and the challenger is awarded the win.

  • If the challenger cannot play on Friday or any other alternate time before noon on Saturday, the match is voided, since the challenger was not able/available to play on the required day.

  Rescheduled matches are not allowed during Monday through Thursday, regular practice times. Rescheduled challenge matches held after practice or on Saturday mornings before noon, will not have a coach present. Players are expected to meet, play according to the rules, and report the score to a coach by phone/email/text, afterward.

2. Match Format:
• Matches will be one regular set (first to 6 games), no ad scoring, 7 point tie-breaker played if the score reaches 6-6.   Best of 7 games will be used only if time/court restrictions require it.
• Reporting Results:   Report the match results to the coach immediately after the match.

Conducting Matches

1. Warm-Up: A standard 10-minute warm-up period before each match.
2. Playing the Match: Follow the established match format and standard tennis rules. Display good sportsmanship.
3. Conflict Resolution: Any disputes or issues will be addressed promptly.

Updating the Ladder

Result Reporting: The winner reports the result to the coach.

Ranking Adjustments:

• If the challenger wins, they take the opponent’s ladder position. The defeated player moves down one spot.

• Because multiple challenges happen in the same week, results are entered top-down (highest matches first). You will move above the player you beat, but your final number may change once all results are processed.

• A player’s movement is measured against their Monday starting rank. No one can finish more than 3 spots higher than where they began the week. However, final positions may still end up lower than the spot challenged, if higher results shift the ladder down.

• If the challenged player wins, rankings remain unchanged.

• Higher-Ranked Win Priority: If two players earn wins in the same week that conflict (for example, Player A beats Player B, but Player B also beats someone originally ranked higher than both), the win over the higher-ranked opponent will take priority in determining placement.

• Coach’s Discretion: While every effort is made to keep the process objective, rare cases such as circular wins or ties may still create ranking conflicts. In those cases, coaches will make the final ranking decision for the week, weighing head-to-head results, rank of opponents beaten, match scores, and performance trends.

Examples:

• Jane (#6) beats Susie (#4) → Jane moves to #4, Susie drops to #5. If Mary (#8) beats Jane the same week, Mary takes Jane’s original #6 spot, not the updated #4.

• Mary (#10) beats Melissa (#8), and Julie (#9) beats Samantha (#7) in the same week.  Julie goes to #7, Samantha drops to #8, then Mary takes spot #9, and Melissa moves to #10 (everyone shifts down). When Mary’s result is entered, she still moves ahead of Melissa, who she beat, but her final ranking is #9 instead of #8, because Samantha was dropped to the #8 position after her loss to Julie.

Finalizing Rankings

1. End of Competition: Rankings will be updated weekly and will affect the playing positions for that week’s matches.
2. Rank Confirmation: Final rankings will decide positions for the league tournament at the end of the season.

Additional Considerations

1. Participation Encouragement: Participate actively! Recognition and awards may be given for the most improved player or top-ranked players.
2. Fair Play: Always practice fair play and sportsmanship.
3. Feedback: Coaches will provide feedback to help you improve and prepare for future matches.
4. Coaches reserve the right to adjust the rankings in cases where attendance, performance, sportsman ship and/or attitude play a factor.