2013 Sam Kromer Flight Tournaments

Sam Kromer, former Athletic Director and coach at St. Clair County Community College, came up with this format in 1973. He wanted to see that every player had a chance to win. Every tennis-playing community needs a flight tennis tournament to compliment the traditional tournaments. Because of the established practice of seeding in the traditional tournament most novice players draw a more skilled player, making their tournament exposure brief. Therefore, approximately half of the players in most tennis tournaments play one match, then it’s over.

We have been playing both singles and doubles Flight Tennis in Port Huron since 1974, and it is appealing to a wider spectrum of participants continually. Of course, flight tournaments attract experienced players, but just as important flight tennis appeals to the players who may avoid tournaments in which they could anticipate early termination. The idea is to assign players to flights with players of like ability. Six players (or teams) constitute the ideal flight. A local committee does our flighting and with few exceptions this arrangement works well.

All six players/teams participate in round robin competition. During the round robin phase an 8-game pro set is played. Each flight is assigned two courts twice during the week to play their matches. Time and motion are important. Brief warm-up time, fill the courts quickly, and generally keep things moving. Each flight should play three matches the first night and two matches the second night. The top four players/teams qualify for the semi-finals played on Saturday. The first place player/team plays the fourth place, and the second place player/team plays the third place. The winners play for the flight championship on Sunday. The semis and finals are the best two out of three sets.

Please select from the Kromer Flight tournaments below for more details including entry forms and flight schedules.