APTA studies the history and formats used in the Presidents Cup in order to provide guideline for future events – Gary Horvath chairs the committee
The President's Cup has developed a rich tradition and a special niche in the platform tennis arena that is viewed by many to be comparable to the National Championships. Rules and qualification requirements should be better publicized for this event. Participants are often unaware of the original intent of this event. The name should be changed to r,efleet the competition that actually exists (regional team championships) or efforts should be made to recognize a president or group of APTA president's annually.
Guidelines for the event should be established by a commipe of the APTA and these guidelines should be presented to the President's Cup chairman and they should be followed. Sponsorship is recommended for the event, primarily to cover traveti and social events. President's Cup participants should be polled on a regular basis, either formally or informally, for their feedback about the event.
Teams should consist of 4 men's teams and 4 women's teams. Requirements to make the team will be determined by the Regional Presidents. Scoring for both events should be the same. An overall men's and women's champion could also be awarded to further promote the sport and bring the two groups together. Teams should be allowed up to 4 substitute players to allow more players to participate in the event. Guidelines for this procedure should be established by the committee.
The committee should establish guidelines on the exclusion of national ranking rams. The President's Cup was originally established for the weekend player. It has never fulfilledt purpose, but it's purpose has been worthwhile. An alternative program should be established to fill the needs of the weekend player.
Purpose of the study:
At the May 1988 meeting of the APTA Board of Directors Gary Horvath was asked to chair a committee to work with Fran Sennas to study the Presidents’ Cup. This study will be conducted in several phases.
Phase I is the compilation of the history of the APTA Men’s and Women’s President Cup. This event has developed a tradition as rich as that of the National Championships.
The event has had a number of formats, a wide variety of sponsors and at times its share of controversy – primarily in administrative matters. Throughout it all, the events have been characterized by an unparalleled amount of camaraderie, sportsmanship and fun.
Hopefully an accurate record of these happenings can be compiled while the individuals who made this event so great are still interested in the great sport of platform tennis.
The purpose of establishing an accurate record of the Presidents’ Cup is to make it easier to determine what direction the event should have in the future.
Phase II will be the compilation of a variety of viewpoints in hopes of placing as many ideas on the table as possible considerations for the direction of the event.
Phase III will be a set of recommendations and guidelines to the APTA Board of Directors as to the future of the Presidents’ Cup.
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