2021

2021 “Little Mo” Tournaments 

 

 

Schedule Update (5-15-2021)

 

 

 

Greetings from all of us at the “Little Mo” and Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB)!

We hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying the wonderful spring weather. This past year, we have missed seeing our players and families and so we are really looking forward to our “Little Mo” events starting in July. Thank you so much for your continued loyal support and a special thank you to our proud sponsors: Tennis Competitors of Dallas (TCD)RBC Wealth ManagementWilson Sporting Goods, and Lucky in Love Kids. The “Little Mo” is truly a “one of a kind” tournament for young tennis players and we hope you will plan on joining us for all of the fun and festivities!

 

We are excited to announce that registration is NOW OPEN for our four “Little Mo” Regionals (North, South, East, West) and the 15th Annual “Little Mo” Internationals in Florida (December 3-8, 2021)! To register, please scroll down and click on the event buttons below:

 

 

“Little Mo” West Regionals

 

Berkeley Tennis Club

Berkeley, California

July 17-19, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

“Little Mo” East Regionals

 

BallenIsles Country Club

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

July 31 – August 2, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

“Little Mo” South Regionals

 

Arlington Tennis Center

Arlington, Texas

August 21-23, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

“Little Mo” North Regionals

 

Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning

Bronx, New York

September 5-7, 2021

 

 

 

 

The “Little Mo” tournaments began in 1976 for Dallas players and later expanded to include players from other cities in Texas. In 1998, the “Little Mo” expanded to a national level with the creation of the “Road to the Little Mo Nationals” for boys and girls ages 8-12. These events are unique in that younger players have an opportunity to compete against others who are the same age. The “Road to the Little Mo Nationals” is now in its 24th year as a yearlong circuit of sectional, regional, and national tournaments for players who reside in the USA and its territories. It is the only circuit of its kind for talented, high-performance boys and girls in the United States.

 

The Road begins in the spring with a sectional tournament in 20 different cities across the country. The top eight players (quarterfinalists) in each age division from the Sectionals advance to one of the four “Little Mo” Regionals (North, South, East, West) held in the summer. The top four players (semifinalists) in each age division from the Regionals advance to the prestigious “Little Mo” Nationals held in the fall at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas. The top 160 players who reach the “Little Mo” Nationals are the youngest and brightest future stars in American tennis.

 

?Many well-known collegiate players and famous tennis professionals have participated in the “Little Mo” tournaments over the years including Andy Roddick, Dominic Thiem, Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda, Borna Coric, Sofia Kenin, Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend, Mackie McDonald, Ryan Harrison, Vasek Pospisil, Donald Young, Steve Johnson, Denis Kudla, CiCi Bellis, and Ana Konjuh among many others. Roddick won the “Little Mo” in 1992 at 10 years of age and said, “the ‘Little Mo’ was my first big win!” Gauff won the “Little Mo” in 2012 (age 8) and said, “the ‘Little Mo’ was where the belief began.” This is all wonderful news for junior tennis and we are so proud that the “Little Mo” continues to be one of the most popular events for young players around the world. In 2019, approximately 3,000 young players worldwide competed in the “Little Mo” tournaments and we hope to see even more youngsters play this wonderful “sport of a lifetime” this year! Due to COVID-19, we unfortunately had to cancel our “Little Mo” Sectionals this year, but we are planning on hosting our “Little Mo” Regionals and Nationals.

 

 

REGISTRATION FOR THE “LITTLE MO” REGIONALS IS OPEN TO ALL USA PLAYERS (BOYS AND GIRLS AGES 8-12):

 

Due to the cancellation of the “Little Mo” Sectionals this year, the Road will begin with our regional tournaments. The four “Little Mo” Regionals will now be open to any player (ages 8-12) living in the USA or USA territories. All USA players will automatically qualify for the Regionals – no special qualification or ranking is needed to enter. Players will be able to choose the regional tournament in which they would like to participate (regardless of where they currently live). Players will also be able to play in as many regional events as they would like.

 

GREEN DOT WILL BE ADDED TO THE “LITTLE MO” REGIONALS:

 

Yellow (regular) ball divisions will be offered for boys and girls (ages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) at the four “Little Mo” Regionals in addition to a green dot division option for ages 8, 9, and 10. In the past, we have offered the green dot divisions at our sectional events, but our regional events have been for the yellow ball divisions only. Since we were unable to host the Sectionals this year, we have added the green dot divisions to the Regionals. While the green dot players will not be able to advance to the Nationals, we might consider them as replacement players if there is an opening in the yellow ball divisions at the Nationals.

 

Registration by Birth Year:

Players must register in the proper age division according to their birth year for all “Little Mo” events. This ensures players are competing against others who are born in the same calendar year (8’s play 8’s, 9’s play 9’s, 10’s play 10’s, et cetera).

 

Age Eligibility for Boys and Girls (BG):

·      BG 12’s – born in 2009

·      BG 11’s – born in 2010

·      BG 10’s – born in 2011

·      BG 9’s – born in 2012

·      BG 8’s – born in 2013 or 2014

 

Events:

Boys and Girls 8’s, 9’s, 10’s, 11’s, and 12’s. Singles only event. Yellow (regular) ball divisions will be offered for ages 8-12 in addition to a green dot division option for ages 8, 9, and 10. Players can only register for one Singles event. All age divisions will be played on a full 78’ tennis court with either the yellow or green dot ball.

 

Draw Format / Scoring:

Each age division will feature a Full Feed-in Consolation through the Quarterfinals with a 3rd/4th Playoff. A Round Robin format will be used for all age divisions with five or less players. Players are guaranteed at least 2 singles matches. All age divisions will play best two out of three tiebreak sets (6-game sets) with a 10-point match tiebreak (first to 10, win by 2) in lieu of a third set for all main draw and consolation matches. Regular scoring (with ad) will be used with a 5-minute warm-up for all matches.

 

Universal Tennis Rating (UTR):

All yellow ball results from the “Road to the Little Mo Nationals” (Regionals, Nationals) will count towards your Universal Tennis Rating (UTR). At this time, UTR only accepts yellow ball results so the green dot divisions will not count for UTR. Our seeding is also primarily based on UTR, which includes “Little Mo” and other tournament results.

 

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24th Annual “Little Mo” Nationals 

 

presented by RBC Wealth Management

 

Austin Tennis Academy – Austin, Texas

September 24-27, 2021

 

(REGISTRATION IS BY INVITATION ONLY)

 

 

 

Advancing to the “Little Mo” Nationals:

Players must compete in the “Little Mo” Regionals in order to qualify for the “Little Mo” Nationals. The top four players (semifinalists) in each age division from the Regionals will advance to the Nationals, forming a 16 draw size in each age division. If you advance to the semifinal round (top 4) in your age division at the Regionals and you (and your parent/coach) have followed the Code of Conduct, you will receive your Nationals invitation by email from the MCB office following the event.

 

 

Special Travel Grants to be given to the Top Four Players from each “Little Mo” Regionals:

In addition to having a guaranteed spot in the Nationals draw, the top four players (semifinalists) from each of the four “Little Mo” Regionals will also be awarded with a special travel grant to attend the Nationals. More details to follow.

 

 

Alternate Players and Wildcards for the “Little Mo” Nationals:

If one of the top four players (semifinalists) from the Regionals cannot attend the Nationals, we will contact the Consolation Winner as the first alternate to take their place. If the Consolation Winner cannot attend, we will consider other players in the Regionals as replacements based on their results and UTR. The MCB office will let you know via email if there is an opening as soon as possible. If we are unable to find a replacement player from the Regionals, we may consider providing special wildcards to players who did not play in the Regionals in order to fill the draws. If wildcards are needed, we will be considering players based on their UTR.

 

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15th Annual “Little Mo” Internationals in Florida

 

Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

December 3-8, 2021

 

 

 

 

In 2006, MCB created the “Little Mo” Internationals in order for USA players to experience different styles of play and meet others from various countries and cultures from around the world. The “Little Mo” Internationals is open to any player worldwide and has become one of the premier junior tournaments for internationally talented boys and girls (ages 8-12). We have also added the “Big Mo” division for ages 13-16. These events are held at some of the most prominent and historic tennis clubs in the United States. Our host sites are the Balboa Tennis Club in San Diego, California (June), The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York (August), and the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (December). Due to COVID-19, we unfortunately had to cancel our international events in California and New York this year, but we are planning on hosting our 15th Annual “Little Mo” Internationals in Florida.

 

 

Registration by Birth Year:

Players must register in the proper age division according to their birth year for all “Little Mo” events. This ensures players are competing against others who are born in the same calendar year (8’s play 8’s, 9’s play 9’s, 10’s play 10’s, et cetera).

 

Age Eligibility for Boys and Girls (BG):

·      BG 16’s – born in 2005

·      BG 15’s – born in 2006

·      BG 14’s – born in 2007

·      BG 13’s – born in 2008

·      BG 12’s – born in 2009

·      BG 11’s – born in 2010

·      BG 10’s – born in 2011

·      BG 9’s – born in 2012

·      BG 8’s – born in 2013 or 2014

 

Events:

Boys and Girls 8’s, 9’s, 10’s, 11’s, 12’s, 13’s, 14’s, 15’s, and 16’s. Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles for all age divisions. Yellow (regular) ball divisions will be offered for ages 8-16 in addition to a green dot division option for ages 8, 9, and 10. Players can only register for one Singles, one Doubles, and one Mixed Doubles event. All age divisions will be played on a full 78’ tennis court with either the yellow or green dot ball.

 

Draw Format / Scoring:

In Singles, each age division will feature a First Match Losers Consolation with a 3rd/4th Place Playoff. A Round Robin format will be used for all age divisions with five or less players. Players are guaranteed at least 2 singles matches. All age divisions will play best two out of three tiebreak sets (6-game sets) with a 10-point match tiebreak (first to 10, win by 2) in lieu of a third set for all main draw and consolation matches. Regular scoring (with ad) will be used with a 5-minute warm-up for all Singles matches.

 

In Doubles and Mixed Doubles, each age division will feature a Single Elimination format. All age divisions will play an 8-game pro set with a 7-point tiebreaker at 8 all (first to 7, win by 2). Regular scoring (with ad) will be used with a 5-minute warm-up for all Doubles and Mixed Doubles matches.

 

Universal Tennis Rating (UTR):

All Singles and Doubles yellow ball results from the 15th Annual “Little Mo” Internationals in Florida will count towards your Universal Tennis Rating (UTR). At this time, UTR only accepts yellow ball results so the green dot divisions will not count for UTR. Our seeding is also primarily based on UTR, which includes “Little Mo” and other tournament results.

 

 

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Would you like to be a Sponsor of the “Little Mo” Tournaments?

 

We are actively looking for sponsors for the “Little Mo” tournaments. If you are interested or you know someone who works for a company that would be interested in being a sponsor of our “Road to the Little Mo Nationals” circuit of sectionals, regionals, and nationals and/or the “Little Mo” Internationals (California, New York, Florida), please send an email to: cartennis@aol.com. We will be happy to send a customized PowerPoint sponsorship proposal, which would include branding opportunities such as placing banners at various sites across the country, advertising in the player program and booklet, and having your logo on the t-shirts. We are also always trying to improve the “Little Mo”, so please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions.

 

 

 

*Please note there is still a possibility that the 2021 “Little Mo” events could be cancelled due to COVID-19. The health, safety, and concerns of our players, families, clubs, academies, and tournament directors across the country will continue to be the most important considerations in whether we are able to host the “Little Mo” events.

 

In addition to posting tournament updates here, we will also be sending out updates in our monthly MCB newsletter. If you are not already receiving the newsletter, please click on the envelope icon above to join the mailing list. We wish you and your family all the very best and we look forward to seeing you on the courts again soon!

 

 

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Announcing the “Little Mo” Club!

 

 

 

Greetings! We hope you had a great holiday and 2021 brings health, happiness, and big achievements on and off the court to you and your family!

 

Today is a very special day – we are officially launching the first ever “Little Mo” Club! It is an online platform which will give you an exciting and new way to connect with each other and receive wonderful member benefits. For the past few months, we have worked together with Gael and Gerry Moran (“Little Mo” parents) on creating the “Little Mo” Club.

 

Our members will be able to enjoy the following:

 

·      Stay connected and communicate with other players.

·      Have access to high-quality content including news, interviews, and webinars with college and pro players as well as coaches and tennis celebrities.

·      Participate in fun activities such as virtual tournaments, auctions, and raffles. Some of the items will include tickets for major tournaments, “complimentary” training camps at tennis academies, racquets, apparel, and much more! 

·      Have access to special discounts and promotions from our partners and sponsors.

 

We have many big surprises lined up for the next few weeks, including the first “Little Mo” virtual tournament! More details to follow in our next newsletter.

 

Click here for to watch a video of Cindy Brinker Simmons (MCB President and daughter of Maureen Connolly Brinker) talking about the new “Little Mo” Club!

 

Click here for a special message for all “Little Mo” players from former “Little Mo” champion Coco Gauff!

 

By joining the “Little Mo” Club, members will not only receive great benefits but also help further the mission of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.

 

We hope you will enjoy being a part of the new “Little Mo” Club and all of the fun! To join, please visit: www.littlemoclub.com