So, I got curious about how Minnesota tennis rankings stack up against other states, yeah? Started digging yesterday after my neighbor’s kid got all upset about his tournament seeding. Figured I’d compare properly instead of just guessing.
The Setup Phase
First thing, I cracked open my laptop around 7 AM. Grabbed coffee and pulled up three browser tabs: Minnesota USTA rankings, Wisconsin’s junior tennis site, and California’s godawful clunky database. Man, that Cali site felt like dial-up internet.
Step one was raw data dump:
- Copied MN’s top 20 boys/girls U16 singles into Google Sheets
- Did same for Wisconsin and Illinois rankings
- California took forever cause their points system’s nuts
Spilled coffee halfway through. Had to redo Wisconsin’s data after mopping up. Classic Monday morning.
The “Oh Crap” Discovery
Started noticing wild stuff when lining them up side-by-side:
- MN’s #5 kid would be #15 in Cali – brutal difference
- Wisconsin gives bonus points for outdoor tournaments (MN doesn’t)
- Illinois straight-up hides coaching metrics
Got my kid’s crayons to sketch comparison charts. Looked ridiculous but helped visualize. Minnesota’s point gaps between players? Tiny. California? Huge drops after top 5. Like they only care about superstars.
The Meltdown Moment
Tried adding Texas rankings around noon. Their site demanded registration just to VIEW rankings. Nope. Emailed their association – auto-reply said “48 hour response time.” Screenshotted the error message and rage-quit for lunch.
Pulled cold pizza from fridge thinking: why’s every state doing their own secret recipe? Some use win ratios, others prioritize tournament sizes… feels like comparing apples to angry oranges.
The Frank Conclusion
After wasting six hours? MN’s system’s kinder to mid-tier players but punishes top talent. Got a kid ranked #3 here? They’d get smoked in Florida or Cali. Our rankings feel like participation trophies next to coastal states.
Shared sheets with my neighbor tonight. His kid stared at Wisconsin’s scoring and mumbled “I’d be top 10 there.” Whole room went awkwardly quiet. Rankings ain’t rankings – just depends whose backyard you’re playing in.