Open Play is a "social" doubles-only tennis activity in which participants play a set and then may mix-and-match
partners and/or opponents for the next set. Arrive
alone, in pairs, or bring a whole group of
friends and sign up in groups of four on the
queue listing board to wait for the first
open court. Open Play is generally held on Saturday afternoons from 1:00 to 6:00 at Glenlake
Tennis Center in Decatur although sometimes
it may begin earlier than 1:00 if courts are
available. You may arrive at the courts
at any time during Open Play and get worked into the
queue and
play just a little or all afternoon. The cost for the afternoon is $5.00 for members, and $10.00 for non-members
(first-timers are free)regardless
of how many sets you end up playing. Open Play is an excellent way to meet other ATTA members and, because you may play with members
of varying skill levels, a great way to improve your game. Click "Calendar of Events" link at toolbar to the left or
view "Latest News" section of ATTA's home page for the next Open Play date
and time. It's always a good idea to call Glenlake
Tennis Center at 404-377-7231 to verify that Open Play is being held due to possible weather delays, holidays, or court scheduling
conflicts.
Friday Night Mixers are held intermittently throughout the year at either Dekalb Tennis Center, Glenlake
Tennis Center or the Sharon E. Lester Tennis
Center in Piedmont Park. Men and Women players mix together in an evening of social and competitive
tennis. You begin on a court with
players of similar playing ability and play
for 20 minutes, keeping score. After 20
minutes, the team that is winning moves "up"
to a higher court and the team that is
losing moves "down" to a lower court and
partners split and play with new partners
giving the opportunity to meet and play with
new people. These 20 minute cycles
continue over the course of the evening
until the mixer is over. Refreshments
are occasionally served before, during or
after the mixer. Fees apply. Click on
"Calendar of Events" from toolbar at the
left for the date/location of the next
Friday Night Mixer.
Singles/Doubles Ladders are conducted from
early spring through
the middle of fall allowing men and women of
similar playing ability to compete against each other for the coveted end-of-season trophies. Ladder participation is
for ATTA members only. Those becoming ATTA members mid-year may be added to the ladder at the discretion of the ladder
coordinator. Additional information about the ladders can be obtained by clicking on the "Singles/Doubles Ladders" link
at the toolbar on the left. There is no
additional cost except that you provide your own tennis
balls and pay your own court fees.
Team Tennis is also a big part of what ATTA is all about and likely the source of our association's name.
ATTA forms teams of primarily gay and lesbian players who compete in the team-tennis leagues offered by the United States
Tennis Association (USTA) and the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA)* Click on the "Join a Team" link at the toolbar
to the left to learn more about team tennis in Atlanta and to learn how to join an ATTA team.
A team must have at least 10 current members
of ATTA to be considered an ATTA team.
Clinics are an opportunity to hone your tennis skills and improve your conditioning. Some clinics,
charging a nominal fee,
are in the form of group drills with a tennis pro where you may attend a weekend morning or weeknight evening as little
or often as you wish. Occasionally, "boot camps" are held with several sessions of drills spread over several
days to work on conditioning, movement, specific strokes, and court strategy. Once in a while, ATTA members may choose
to attend an out-of-town tennis camp for group tennis lessons.
Current drills and clinics open to ATTA
members and non-ATTA members alike are
listed in the "Calendar of Events" section
of the website.
Social Events other than playing tennis are also popular with ATTA members. Pool parties, theme
parties and Grand Slam Tournament viewing parties are just some of the events that have been held in the past.
Tournaments are organized by ATTA
in the Spring and Fall each year.
Click on the "Tournaments" link on the
toolbar at the left to learn more about each
of our tournaments.
Opportunities to Give Back to the community also exist through ATTA. Our annual Peach International
Tennis Championship tournament gives proceeds from the tournament to a local charity, in 2005
through 2007 benefiting the AIDS
Survival Project. We also participate in the "Adopt-A-Highway" campaign by helping to keep clean the section of Scott
Boulevard between Clairmont Road and Dekalb Industrial Way in Decatur.