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About Us
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Earned ratings for recreational tennis players? The inspiration for Tencap came
from tennis pro, Kirkland Gates, who saw the enormous contribution of the golf handicap
to the sport of golf. Millions of golfers were able to articulate their level of
golf skill by simply mentioning their handicap. Golf handicaps guided golfers to
connections with other golfers of similar abilities and allowed golf competitions
to be organized more competitively. Gates’ commitment to develop a rating system
for tennis was also motivated by problems he could see every day in the tennis industry.
While the golf ratings or handicaps were earned, in tennis ratings were subjective.
The subjectivity created many problems for both players and pros. It interfered
with social dynamics at clubs and got in the way of play. Many players had inaccurate
ideas about their level of play. Pros who tried to match them with appropriate partners
or place them in their level clinics and tournaments were often rebuked. When pros
would give in and let the players choose their own level, the groups they joined
would fall apart as other participants did not enjoy the competition. The answer
seemed simple, earned ratings for tennis players.
Tencap has been developing for over twenty years. It was tested at local club and
league levels for ten years until 1993 when Ten Cap Inc, a privately held Minnesota
corporation, was organized to introduce the Tencap Rating system to clubs across
America. In 1994 TENCAP was endorsed by the United States Professional Tennis Association
at its National Convention. Over 300 clubs enthusiastically used Tencap at their
facilities. There are many testimonials about the value Tencap added to the tennis
programs at these clubs. The validity of the Tencap algorithm was validated in tests
with juniors in California, adults in Minnesota and pros on the ATP tour. The only
problem was technology. The Tencap Rating system was software based. There were
interface problems with the many different operating systems that existed. Updates
of ratings were done through phone modems. Additionally the general public was not
computer savvy. Tencap was 10 years ahead of needed technology.
Enter the Internet and a new millennium. Tencap is now Internet based and the features
it offers to both players and tennis organizers at clubs and leagues have been expanded
enormously. Under new ownership, Tencap Tennis LLC, now offers not only dynamic
ratings for tennis players anywhere in the world but also 24/7 connections among
these players and tennis organizers. Tencap Tennis is an extraordinary management
tool for tennis organizers at clubs or leagues, providing data and systems for increased
efficiency and effectiveness.
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