Alright so here’s how I finally got myself signed up for the Austin Tennis Ladder thing. Figured I’d write it down because honestly, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Buckle up.
Heard About the Ladder and Figured, Why Not?
First off, people kept talking about this ladder at Austin Tennis Center. Like, constantly. “Oh, you play? You gotta get on the ladder!” Seemed like a big deal. Okay, fine. One evening, sitting on my couch after losing badly to my neighbor Steve (again), I grabbed my laptop. Googled something like “Austin Tennis Ladder join.”
Site looked… a bit crusty if I’m honest. Old school design. Navigation wasn’t super obvious. Took me a minute to find the “New Players” or “Join Ladder” link tucked away somewhere. Almost clicked “About Us” by accident.
The Sign-Up Saga
Clicked “Join” and BAM. Form time.
- Had to register: Username, email, password. Pretty standard. Except it made me re-type my email like three times? Annoying. Password requirements weren’t nuts, thank goodness. “MustHave@Symbol123” usually does the trick.
- Personal Details: Name (easy), phone number (fine), UTR rating. UTR thing threw me. Mine? Old rating, maybe like 5 something? Couldn’t remember exactly. Just put 5.0 as a rough guess. Pretty sure that wasn’t accurate. Figured they’d figure it out later. Address? Nah, just put Austin, TX. Good enough.
- Payment Time: Okay, it does cost something. Not a ton, maybe $25 for the season? Swiped my card. Typed in the numbers slowly ’cause my fat fingers hate those little boxes.
- Agree to Stuff: Scrolled through the rules and waiver. It was looooong. Skipped most of it, honestly. Scrolled right to the bottom, clicked “I Agree.” You know how it is. Hope I don’t get sued if I twist an ankle!
Hit “Submit.” Held my breath… Page refreshed. “Success!” or something similar popped up. Big sigh of relief. Step one done.
The Waiting Game… and Activation
Didn’t get magically added right that second. Got an email saying something like “Application Received.” Waited a day. Then another. Started wondering if I messed up my email address. Checked spam folder constantly.
Finally, maybe 48 hours later, another email arrives: “Welcome to the Austin Tennis Ladder!” Okay, good! Said my account was active and live. Gave me a login link.
Logging In and Facing the Void
Went back to the site, logged in with the email and that solid password. Landed on this page called “My Dashboard.” Looked kinda empty at first. Took some clicking around.
- Found My Rank: Somewhere in the settings, it showed my initial rank. Remember that guessed UTR? Apparently my starting spot was pretty low down. Like, rock bottom. Oh well. Gotta start somewhere, right? Means I can only climb up, theoretically.
- The List: Clicked the “Player List” or “Standings” tab. Whole bunch of names popped up! Organized by ranking, high to low. Scrolled way down… yep, my name hanging out near the bottom. Felt real motivating. Not.
How to Actually Get a Damn Match
This part felt weird at first. You don’t just click a button for matchmaking.
- See Someone Above You? Yep. Any player ranked above you, you can “Challenge.” Saw a guy like 3 spots above me. Thought, okay, why not. Clicked “Challenge” next to his name.
- Picking a Time: A little calendar popped up. Had to pick a date first. Found a Saturday that looked free. Then had to pick a time block… like “9:00 AM – 11:00 AM.” Chose one.
- Choosing Courts: Then it asked for my favorite courts from a list. Typed in “Austin Tennis Center” ’cause it’s close.
- Shotgun the Message: Hit “Send Challenge” or whatever. It basically sends an email to the guy asking if he’s free at that time and place.
Then you wait. AGAIN. Felt like online dating. Will they reply? Will they ghost? Checked my email like a nervous teenager. He actually wrote back within a day! Said “Yeah, see you there Saturday.” Boom. First match scheduled.
So… Why Bother Sharing This?
Honestly? Because the website kinda sucks. It’s functional, but it feels old and clunky. The whole signup and challenge process is… not intuitive. They say it’s “Step by Step Easy,” but it’s easy to get lost. I almost gave up figuring out how to actually challenge someone after I was registered. That “Dashboard” isn’t exactly user-friendly right off the bat.
Plus, the waiting between signing up and actually playing drove me nuts. Just sitting there wondering if it worked! And starting dead last? A real ego boost. But hey, at least it’s done. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go practice before Saturday… don’t wanna lose to the guy ranked #87.