Special Report: TPI

TPI was introduced to NorCal players at the end of last year, and the reaction to it has ranged from very positive ("At last there is a solution to the problem of self-ratings!") to very negative ("TPI is a big brother program that will destroy league play.")  To the supporters, we say, "We will see.  It is a pilot program and we don't know for sure how it will work, but we appreciate your being willing to try it, despite the demands for complete match result input." To the doubters, we say, "Maybe this program is not for you.  If you choose not to participate, that is your decision. However, we wish you would consider trying it for one league season.  There are problems with self-rating that affect all players and this might work.  You have nothing to lose. TPI will not affect your NTRP rating for any other league and TPI will not affect your NTRP rating for the future."

Here are some of  the common objections we have heard and our responses to them:

"TPI is not the answer to self-rating abuses.  It will not stop players from cheating."

  There is no system that is foolproof.  If a player wants to beat TPI, he can do it.   This pilot program will determine if TPI reduces the amount of abuse, while providing lots of rating information to each player, information that is not available to players in other USTA leagues.

"NorCal should not force all league playing members of an organization to be included in TPI."

 Tests of TPI have shown that unless all members of an organization are listed in the TPI database, players who want to participate are limited in entering their matches (since all players in a match must be in TPI in order for the match to be recorded.)  This in turn explains why players must come into TPI through an organization-not because we want our captains to have to jump through another hoop, but because this is the best guarantee that all matches can be entered by TPI participants.

"Non league matches are none of NorCal's business.  I play social matches with my friends and I don't care if I win or lose. I try different strokes and play with stronger (or weaker) opponents, and I don't want these results to affect my rating."

  The success of TPI depends on having a great deal of data, and this includes non-league matches.  The impact of social/fun matches on your rating is minimal, yet the inclusion of this data is necessary for TPI to generate correct ratings.  We urge you to try it and we suspect that your concerns will be relieved when you see the minimal impact it has on your ratings.  In fact, you  may be quite intrigued to see how your social match scores are reflected in TPI's calculations.

"My friends and I don't want the hassle of entering all our match scores."

 Once your club administrator has you set up in TPI, entering matches is no hassle. With four of you playing a doubles match, only one of you needs to go home, sit at your personal computer, and log in the scores.  In singles, one of you will enter the match. 

"I think self rated players should have to use TPI, but why do I have to?  I have a computer rating already generated from my League play."

 This is a pilot program.  All participants are treated the same, all ratings are calculated with the same algorithm.  It is neither possible nor feasible to limit the program only to players who need to self-rate.  Computer rated players like yourself will enter TPI with their current NTRP computer rating, and TPI will work from there.  Players without computer ratings will enter TPI with an assigned rating, usually determined in concert with their club administrator.  TPI is self-correcting, so any start rate entered that is incorrect will, over time, rise or fall to the correct level.

Those who have raised objections worry that the requirements in TPI will discourage teams from participating in the Combo League.  They have pointed out many ways that TPI could be more easily implemented. They would like NorCal to streamline TPI-simplifying the involvement of member organizations and making match data entry voluntary rather than mandatory.

We appreciate both their concerns and their input.  However, in tests of TPI it has been shown that the modifications that they have suggested cause TPI as a pilot program to fail. After much debate, TPI will be implemented in its original form.  We appreciate all the captains who choose to try it this season, and we thank them for their cooperation. At the end of the season we will evaluate TPI, to determine if our goals have been achieved.

MEMO

March 22, 2004

TO:
Paul Kepler, President, USTA Northern California
Bruce Hunt, Executive Director, USTA Northern California

FR:
Annice Seelig, Chairperson, USA League Tennis

RE: Waiver request – NorCal use of TPI

The USA League Tennis Committee voted unanimously to deny the above waiver request for the use of TPI for all USA League Tennis programs for the 2005 championship year.

RATIONALE:
The USA League Tennis Program has moved to promote the growth of tennis by eliminating barriers for entry into the program. Creating a new barrier (TPI) is contrary to the self-rating concept, developed over the past four years. We are only in the first year of the self-rating concept and to change the direction of the program seems premature. To require a TPI rating for entry into the USA League Tennis Program violates the ease of entry concept and will also place a financial burden on a number of potential participants. We support the USTA NorCal Section in electing to run a section program in all divisions that would provide them with significant data to support their prediction of dramatic growth in Tennis Participation; however this support is for their program to conclude at the section championships.