Simley Girls Tennis FAQ – from “The Boosters”
Who are the boosters and what do they do?
…The boosters are a group of tennis player’s caregivers that spend their free time
working to support the team – organizing fundraisers, providing food, ordering uniforms,
ordering equipment, assisting with communication.
Current Officers/Chairs:
Rita Thoemke – President
AJ Oster – Secretary, Banquet Planning
Jen Shepard – Treasurer
Julie Ries – Dine Out Planning, Website
How can I get involved with boosters? How can I help?
…let any of the Boosters know! Or send an email to [email protected].
We can always use help with the phone calls and emails needed to secure fundraising –
dine out nights, Cub grocery bagging, or any other fundraising ideas you may have. The
more help we have, the more we can do to support the team!
What is the “Duluth Trip”?
…Every year, after the first week of practice, the coach will pick between 12-16 girls to
travel to Duluth for one night (Friday). The team plays on Friday and Saturday at
multiple locations. There are also team bonding activities like alpine slides at Spirit
Mountain, dinner together and team time in Canal Park. A block of rooms is held at a
hotel in Canal Park, with booking information being shared sometime over the summer.
If you feel your player is likely to make it, book a room, then cancel if they don’t make
the roster for the trip.
When does the team practice?
…The season starts with Captain’s Practice July 31-August 11. Official practices with Coach Bushaw will begin August 14. Once school starts, every day after school (3:45 – ?)
Off-season, indoor/outdoor training
…The booster will begin buying indoor court time in the late winter/early spring. These
court times are open to all JV and Varsity players. One the weather is nice enough, offseason training moves to the school courts.
I’m used to the more “traditional” sports with more precise start times and set
game lengths…how does tennis work??
…Tennis matches come in many forms, but it boils down to how many opponents we
have. For the majority of the regular season schedule, we’ll have just one opponent and
matches will last about two hours. There is always a set start time, but the end time is
dependent on how long the longest match-up lasts (for example, second doubles might
win really quickly, winning all of the points, but second doubles might go back and forth
on every point and last a lot longer). But we do play some other formats with more
opponents, and those can be upwards of four hours. One of those formats is called a
“quad” – if you see one of those on the schedule, it means four teams are competing
and you can expect that to be an all-day event. For any type of competition, players
need to bring water and/or sports drinks and food. IF the boosters will be providing food,
you’ll know ahead of time.
Uniforms – where do they come from and where do they go back to?
…A booster board member (currently Rita Thoemke) keeps the uniforms during the off
season. JV and Varsity each get a couple different uniforms – each uniform being
comprised of a top (tank) and bottom (shorts or skirt). Some may be the same between
JV and Varsity, while some may be different. Keep the plastic bags and return the
washed uniforms in those bags at season end. The pieces may not “feel like a uniform”
when they are cute tops and skirts, but these ARE uniforms and do get returned to the
team when the season ends.
How does my player know what uniform to wear?
…At the varsity level, captains decide which uniforms are worn for each match and they
communicate that choice to the team. At the JV level, the coach generally chooses the
uniform.
Is there Player and/or Fan Apparel?
…the captains will work out some apparel choices for the players to choose from and
have a list available at the player/parent meeting at the beginning of the season. All
items are optional to purchase – no required non-uniform apparel. Parents/caregivers
are also welcome to order those items. The Boosters will also provide each player with
a long sleeve t-shirt so that players have a “uniform” top available for match play in
colder weather.
Booster fee? How much is it and what does it pay for?
…The boosters ask each player to provide a $75 “booster fee”. This money covers the
cost of extra coach(es) (the school only pays for one coach), replacing court parts
(hitting wall, nets, etc. that the money the school allots doesn’t cover), equipment like
tennis balls and ball machine, banquet costs for non-paying attendees (seniors,
coaches and coach guests), uniforms, food at matches, tournaments and events.
What/who is varsity? What/who is JV?
…Varsity is made up of 12 players – a varsity match is made up of 4 singles matches
and 3 doubles matches…there will usually be a 4th doubles match that is “exhibition “
meaning it does not count towards the team overall score. Coaches will move players
back and forth between these positions based on player’s performance. JV will have
variable makeups depending on numbers for our team and the opponent team, but the
ideal makeup is the same as Varsity.
How does a team score work?
…Each game, with the exceptions of exhibition, counts for one point for the team, for a
total of 7 possible points. We need 4 points to win a match, so we need 4 of those
“positions” to win.
Where do I buy tennis clothing and equipment?
…Discount at Tennis Warehouse or Tennis Express – If you place an order over the
phone and reference “Simley Tennis” you may be able to get 20 – 30% off. You must
place these orders over the phone and must call the TEAM DEPARTMENT PHONE
NUMBER, not the customer service number. Tennis Warehouse Team Department 1-
888-466-1188. Tennis Express Team Department 713-435-4800 EXT 467.
What grades are eligible to play high school sports?
…students in grades 7-12 are eligible to play high school sports.
Where do I find the schedule?
…The JV and Varsity schedules can be found on our website www.simleytennis.com or
at the Metro East Conference website www.metroeastconference.org.
Is there a bus to take players to their matches?
…In most cases, we will have a bus for transportation. But we have experienced bus
shortages during the last few seasons, so Coach Bushaw will be asking parents to sign
a Transportation Waiver for those times when we need to rely on parent and/or player
transportation.
Where can I go to stay informed?
If you are not on the email list, send an email to [email protected] and
ask to be added to this season’s email list.
And be sure to save that email address and send us your questions, comments and
concerns. The account is monitored by multiple members of the boosters, so hopefully
we get back to you in a timely manner.
We also have a website and two social media accounts where you can find information
any updates.
https://simleytennis.com/
https://www.facebook.com/simleygirlstennis
https://www.instagram.com/simleytennis