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1. What is Seattle Tennis Alliance?

The Seattle Tennis Alliance (STA) is the largest tennis organization serving the Puget Sound region's gay and lesbian community and its friends. STA is a non-profit organization and is a member of Team Seattle and the international Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA).

2. How long has STA been around?

STA was first organized in 1991, when it was originally called Broadway Tennis Club. A few years later, it was renamed Seattle Tennis Alliance in recognition of its membership within the GLTA.

3. Who can join STA?

STA is open to anyone who likes to play tennis and is a friend of the LGBT community.

4. Does STA include women?

Yes, STA has included women from its earliest days. All events are open to women, and occasionally, STA plans events specifically for women.

5. What does it cost to join STA?

Members pay an annual membership fee, which is prorated for the first year of membership. For a current list of membership fees, please visit the Membership page. In addition to the annual fee, there are separate entry fees for most events, ranging from $3 to $100.

6. What is included in STA membership?

With your membership you get access to the singles ladder and all other STA events, many of which are only open to members. You also get access to all the Members Only pages on the web site, including the Member List. Additionally, you get a STA t-shirt.

7. Can I join even if I haven’t played since High School?

Yes, many new STA members are just getting back into the game. STA attracts many people who haven't played in a long time, and it offers events like Social Doubles that make it easy for you to get back to enjoying your game.

8. Where do STA members play? Does STA have it's own tennis facility ?

STA does not have their own facility and uses various public and private tennis facilities, both indoor and outdoor. Most of our tennis events are played on public courts within the system of Seattle Parks & Recreation, including Amy Yee Tennis Center.

9. What kind of tennis events does STA host?

STA plans and hosts a full compliment of tennis events, including tournaments, USTA League teams, a singles ladder, Team Tennis and informal doubles play. We also encourage our members to play in other GLTA tournaments all over North America and Europe. We host our own GLTA tournament called The Seattle Evergreen - our premiere annual event. We also send teams to compete in regional tournaments against other GLTA clubs.

10. What kind of social events does STA host?

STA hosts an annual winter party in mid December and a summer bar-b-que. We also sometimes meet at local bars for happy hours to watch live tennis matches during the Australian Open, US Open, ATP Masters Cup and WTA Tour Championships.

11. Does STA host events in the fall and winter?

Yes, STA hosts events year-round. Starting in November, we move indoors for doubles on weekends, and we also host an indoor singles championship tournament in December. Our USTA League teams compete starting in February.

12. Does STA have beginners?

Yes, STA has players at all skill levels. Typically, about 15% of our members classify themselves as beginners. About 30% classify themselves as low-intermediate.

13. How do I know my skill level?

All STA members choose their own skill level, based on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) rating system, called National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP).

14. Do you provide tennis instruction for members?

STA does occasionally hire professional instructors to teach instruction clinics, usually a series of three sessions aimed at a certain skill level. When instruction is offered, information is sent to our members by newsletter and email. There is an extra fee to cover the costs of the instruction.

15. I’m not competitive, but I like to play for fun.  Is STA for me?

YES!  STA strives to offer events to meet the needs of all players, and therefore we offer both competitive and non-competitive events. Our least competitive event, Social Doubles, is played from May through September. The focus of Social Doubles is to play with a variety of players at all skill levels. During the fall and winter, we shift toward more competitive events since indoor courts are more limited and more expensive. At these events we aim to match players at similar skill levels in order to promote good competition.
 

16. Where do i find the tennis courts available to me or in my neighborhood?

There are plenty of courts in the local area.  Fortunately there are several resources to find them.  Two web sites are listed below for your convenience that will help with locating the ones near you.

Seattle Parks and Recreation - Schedule a Court
Seattle Tennis Courts and Locations
Tennis Maps - Seattle