Thank
you for your interest in the Space Coast Tennis
League's scheduling policy.
Recently a
request was made to the SCTL Board to allow teams to reschedule matches
that fall on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, 2 important Jewish Holidays.
The Board decided not to allow rescheduling of regularly scheduled
matches for any religious observance and to continue to
schedule the league in conjunction with the Brevard County Public
School Calendar. Following the announcement of our decision,
we received a small number of inquiries from our members asking us
to reconsider and change our decision. Below is an
explanation of our policy and reasons.
For
those not familiar with our tennis league, SCTL leagues play
strictly doubles tennis, in
team format, and teams
play 4 lines of
doubles each match. Teams are required to have a
minimum of 10 players per roster with most having 12 to 16 players.
Each team may choose to play any 8 available players
from their roster.
The SCTL Board
does not make decisions lightly. Our league rules state
that matches are to be held on the scheduled match day except
as covered under the inclement weather rule. Our schedule is based
on the Public School Calendar with a break between seasons
that coincides with the school's winter break and a break in our
Spring Season that coincides with the school system's Spring Break.
Although on
the surface, allowing rescheduling seems like something SCTL
should do and a simple matter, it is far from it. For legal
and other reasons, Space Coast Tennis League, Inc.
cannot allow special treatment for one religious group
without doing the same for ALL religious groups. It doesn't matter
that one religion is a smaller minority or a larger majority. Likewise,
SCTL cannot be in a position of designating one religious holiday
more important than others, even within the same religion. We have
a league of 1700+ players of many different religious affiliations.
The SCTL
board has to consider all its members and all the leagues. We have
leagues on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Do you have
any idea how many religious holidays fall on those days during our
season? Often players must choose between playing a tennis
match for their SCTL team and doing something else. We all
prioritize. Sometimes it's a sick child at home to care for.
Sometimes it's a religious service or event and sometimes it might be the
funeral of a loved one. SCTL's rules allow for enough players
per team so that nearly all matches may be completed without forfeiting
when those things happen, and still, forfeits happen occasionally.
It's part of league tennis. There are players who must
work but have arranged their work schedules to be able to participate on their
league day. Those players often suffer when rain makeups
are held because makeups can rarely be completed on their regular
match day.
Having
a scheduled day and time for SCTL matches is not only important for
the smooth operation of SCTL but also for the tennis facilities that provide
us court space and time each week.
Therefore,
the SCTL Board stands by its decision.
