Rules — Season 1, the pilot (September 14, 2026 – January 22, 2027)

Free, volunteer-run men's 3.5 singles ladder for the Upper Valley. This first season is a pilot: the rules are deliberately light and get a little stricter only if the ladder grows.

Who and what

• Men's 3.5 singles (3.0s who want a challenge and 4.0s who want a hit are welcome — self-rate honestly). 18+.
• No fee, ever. Join any time by emailing the ladder address with your name, cell, email, and NTRP rating. You start at the bottom.
• Play anywhere. Boss, Storrs Pond, Hartford High, CCBA, a town court — whatever the two of you agree on. Free courts are the default; if you book a paid court, split it. The ladder has no home venue and needs nobody's permission.

Challenges

• While the ladder has 10 or fewer players, challenge anyone. From 11 players, challenge within 3 rungs above or below you; from 21, within 5. Your first challenge of the season can always be to any rung.
• The challenger makes contact and brings a new can of balls (winner keeps it).
• Respond to a challenge within 48 hours and offer at least three day/times, including one evening or weekend. Play within 14 days of accepting. If you won't respond or won't offer times, you default the match.
• Don't play the same opponent twice within 7 days (14 once there are 11+ players).

Results and movement

• If the lower-ranked player wins, he takes the loser's rung and everyone in between drops one. If the higher-ranked player wins, nothing moves.
• Report every match within 24 hours: the winner emails the ladder address, cc'ing the loser, with one line like Result: Federer d. Nadal 6-3 4-6 [10-7]. The standings update overnight.

Activity — the one rule that matters

• Play at least 2 matches per period, against different opponents. Periods: Sep 14 – Oct 31, November, Dec 1 – Jan 22.
• Miss it and you drop 2 rungs at the start of the next period (3 once there are 11+ players, 5 at 21+).
• Once the ladder has 11+ players, one of your two matches must be against someone below you (the bottom two are exempt).
• Joined in the second half of a period? Exempt for that period. On leave for 14+ days of a period? Exempt.

Format

• Best of three sets, tiebreak at 6–6, with a 10-point match tiebreak in place of a third set if you both agree. An 8-game pro set (first to 8, win by 2) is fine if you both agree — decide before you start. Report whatever you played.
• Forfeit: more than 15 minutes late, or a no-show at the agreed time (you may mutually reschedule instead). The forfeiter gets no credit; the other player gets the win and the rung.
• Outdoors, rain, snow, or below 32 °F are the only reasons to cancel. An interrupted match resumes from where it stopped within 10 days.

Leave

• Traveling or hurt? Email "freeze me" — your rung is held for up to 3 weeks and you can't be challenged (shown as <>). Longer than that and you come off the ladder, re-entering 2 rungs below your old spot when you're back.

End of season

• The top four with at least 5 matches play off after January 22 (1 v 4, 2 v 3, final; short sets to 4 with a 10-point tiebreak at one set all) — if there's appetite. Either way: a season-end get-together, recognition for the winner and for whoever played the most matches.

Disputes

• USTA rules govern play. The commissioner (Jeff Stott) settles anything else. The goal is more tennis, not more rules.