|
Dear Subscriber First Name, Thanks to all who participated in our first survey which focused on the use of a ten-point tiebreaker in lieu of a full third set. We had a tremendous response to the survey with over 1100 of you responding. This represented an 18% response rate which is excellent. Before I summarize the findings, please indulge me for a moment as I would like to acknowledge the feedback received from some of you about the wording of a few of the questions being ambiguous and/or unclear. Forty years ago, my Ph.D. dissertation included a survey that took several months to develop. As those of you might know, when testing for the validity of a questionnaire there is much pain-staking work involved. Unfortunately, this survey did not go through the same rigors as the one I used in my prior life, and so I take full responsibility for the wording and perhaps the ambiguity of some of the questions. Having said the above, I feel confident that the survey did elicit some interesting points from which tournament directors and the USTA might benefit. When respondents were asked whether a tiebreak should be used up to the quarterfinals (Question 1), the results were split pretty much down the middle with a slight edge in favor of a full third set after the quarter finals. Likewise, when asked if the tiebreaker should be implemented for all age groups, again, results were split close to 50-50. The last 4 questions did highlight that the majority of players will still play tournaments regardless of whether a tiebreaker is implemented or not, including National Category I, Super Category II and Category II events. When faced with either playing a tournament or not, players overwhelmingly would play a tournament even if a tiebreaker was in place. We all recognize that change is sometimes difficult to accept. Given the trend of tiebreakers being implemented in tournaments, it is gratifying to see that the majority of players will continue to play tournaments. To view the results of the 10 Point Tiebreaker Survey CLICK HERE. Thanks again for your participation in the survey. Should you have any additional feedback, please do not hesitate to contact me at etrost@gmail.com, or any other member of the Board of Directors! Cheers!
Ed Trost
NSMTA Board Member
|
