Challenge Ladder Rules

• Both members of a partnership must be members of Chamisal prior to making a challenge.
• No substitution for your partner is allowed for challenges.
• All partnerships must schedule and complete all challenge matches by designated date.
• Any new member(s) joining Chamisal after the challenge period closes will be welcome to join the sublist for that season.
• All partnerships, new and rostered are allowed a total of two (2) challenges. A rostered partnership must challenge up.
• If either challenge is successful, the challenged partnership drops down one spot and the new partnership takes its place.
• If an un-rostered partnership is not successful in their first challenge in the division for which they have registered, or a rostered partnership loses their position due to a challenge, the partnership may choose to use one of their challenges in a lower division so long as the match is scheduled and completed during the challenge timeframe.
• Once the teams are established, challenge matches can take place within each team.
• All communication between opponents in regard to challenges will be done via email and copied to luis@chamisal.com and michael@chamisal.com.
• The challenger is responsible for providing tennis balls for the match.
• The standard method of scoring according to the rules of the USTA apply to ladder matches: best 2 out of 3 sets.
• The winner of the match is responsible for recording the results via email to luis@chamisal.com and michael@chamisal.com
• The ladder will be updated as necessary and posted at https://airtable.com/app92ImWk7nGPoOWT/shrIRx4uDq962HxGp.
• A 15 minute default rule will apply to all matches.
• Only one challenge per partnership may be entered at a time.
• All challenge matches must be completed within ten days of the challenge.
• Challenge matches take priority over social matches.
• All challenge matches must be completed by the dates as listed in Challenge Ladder Rules.

Challenger

• Enter the challenge at https://chamisal.com/ladiesinterclub. If it is not entered with the date, it is not pending.
• Email the representative of the partnership you are challenging. Copy luis@chamisal.com and michael@chamisal.com in all email communications.
• When placing a challenge, be prepared to accept one of the 3 dates offered by the challenged partnership.
• If you need to request a weekday evening or weekend day as one of the challenges, state it when the challenge is made.
• You must enter the date of the scheduled challenge match within three days. For example, if a challenge is made on Monday, the three day period starts Tuesday and ends at 12:00 midnight on Thursday. The challenge must be played within 10 days of notification (day one starts the day after the initial contact has been made, and the three day period falls within those ten days). If a match is not played within ten days it will be a default to the partnership who cannot play.
• Once a date has been officially entered in the logbook, it must be agreeable to all parties before it can be changed. The change must take place within the initial ten day period.
• A challenge cannot be initiated with a partnership currently engaged in a challenge or made in advance.
• A challenging partnership who has played two challenges against the same team and lost both cannot challenge that partnership again that season.
• If two partnerships have played a total of three times against each other during the challenge period, the winner of 2 out 3 of the challenges will take the higher position.

Challenged

• Challenged partnerships have 3 days to respond to the challenger and must offer at least three reasonable choices of dates to play the match and if requested by the challenger, one of those dates must be either a weekend (day) or a week night. Failure to give the challenging partnership three play dates within the ten days will result in a default for the challenged partnership.
• If no date can be mutually agreed upon within the 10 day period, the challenge is null and void and must be crossed out in the logbook.
• In case of rain, contact should be made before or at the time of the match to reschedule. The challenged partnership must give the opponent two more dates to play. The match must be played within seven days of the rain out.
• A partnership may only be challenged once per month during the Interclub season (Sept. 1 – April 30) and once every two weeks during the challenge period. The two week period shall begin on the date the challenge is entered into the challenge book. Challenges within each team begin the day after the close of the Challenge Ladder for each division.

Injury

• An injury is muscular-skeletal, orthopedic or hospitalization. Illnesses are not considered injuries.
• The injury date begins when it occurs and must be recorded immediately by email to luis@chamisal.com and michael@chamisal.com.
• If partnerships above the injured partnership are challenged and lose, the injured team will move down a spot each time.
• If an injury lasts longer than 2 weeks, the injured player must notify the Rules Committee for further consideration by contacting Luis (luis@chamisal.com) or if challenged, that team will lose their position and follow the Challenge Ladder Rules to get back on the team.
• If an injury occurs after a challenge has been made, rendering the challenge unplayable, the injured team will default the match.
• Once you are injury free, please remove your name from the injured list.

Vacations (vacation = 4 or more consecutive days)

• A partnership who has a member or members on vacation is exempt from challenges while they are away. If a partnership above them is challenged and lose, the vacationing partnership will move down a spot each time.
• All players committed to a team must post their planned vacations if they occur during the challenge period. If challenged with no posted vacation, the challenged partnership will be defaulted and moved down 1 spot. You cannot challenge a partnership when either partner is on vacation.
• Existing teams must be available for 4 weeks (28 days) during the challenge period listed. If not available for the 28 days, that team will be moved off the ladder and have the option to make a free challenge by the end of the challenge period.

Rules Committee

• The Rules Committee is comprised of one representative from each existing team, for all divisions (A, B& C) as well as the General Manager of the club. In case of a tie, the General Manager shall make the deciding vote.
• The Rules Committee shall meet each January to review Chamisal Interclub Rules and as necessary after that.

**All interpretations of the written rules and any situation not covered by these rules will be resolved by the Rules Committee**