ABOUT
LOCOS is an ever-growing community of tennis players (COS is for Colorado Springs)* united by a love of the game. Together we are connecting players, building local interest in the sport, raising everyone’s competitive level, and creating new opportunities to play.
* The League has the whole city covered: on the north end of the city, we’re playing at The Tennis Club at Flying Horse; on the east side, Colorado Springs Racquet Club; on the south side, Country Club of Colorado; and to the west, Garden of the Gods Club. We also play outdoors on the 80+ public courts that our city has to offer. That’s over 100 courts, and one day (why not every day?) we’ll fill them all!
The League began in the fall of 2019 in the Hudson Valley, NY. By the end of the first season, we had 48 players, which seemed like a lot. Two years later, we had more than 300 players. Then, in 2023, the League moved to Colorado – the Catskill Mountains just weren’t big enough for a tennis league like this one! Already, almost 200 players have joined up in the Springs and we’re just getting started.
True statement: Tennis is more fun when you regularly get to play against new, different players at your level. Joining together makes our tennis community better, stronger, (faster?).
Community comes first. LOCOS is a non-profit, volunteer-led, player-driven tennis league. We’re changing the usual way tennis leagues, ladders, and tournaments get organized by giving power to the players. Unlike member-only groups or revenue-driven organizations like the USTA or UTR, we can flex to play when, where, and how we want. By partnering with our incredibly supportive local clubs, making use of public courts, keeping fees/costs to a minimum, and trying out new and varied formats, our League seeks to be more inclusive, more accessible, more competitive, and, when it all comes together, more fun. Also, we have a cool website.
The more our League grows, the more we grow the game. We’ve been able to coordinate with multiple clubs and collaborate with a number of different pros in the area. We’re trying for a win-win kind of thing. The more our players compete against each other, the more they want to improve. That means more court bookings, more members, more players joining up for clinics and lessons. What’s good for our players is good for our clubs, and vice versa. We’re all in this together.
LOCOS – the League of Colorado Springs – is a free network that connects ALL local tennis players in the city. Regardless of age, level, income, neighborhood, or club membership, our League is a hub for ensuring everyone can play competitive tennis matches if and when they want to. And, if you don’t want to play, you can still sign up to get the emails.
How it Works
LOCOS Winter League
Players are drafted to different teams based on level and performance (how often they play, how often they win, singles/doubles versatility, etc.). Teams earn 2 points for every win, 1 point for every match tie-breaker loss. After 5 months (Nov. 14 – Apr. 14) and a few hundred matches, the top 6 teams move on to the playoffs, competing for the coveted LOCOS Cup. The League has it all: cool logos, power rankings, player awards, rivalry and grudge matches, team salary-caps, trades, Cage Matches and Mayhem Matchups, individual player stats and rankings. What more could you want? (Seriously, what more? Let’s add that, too!)
Match Scheduling
League matches are played whenever, wherever. Each week, players click to select whatever days/times they might be available to play that week. For Winter League, players can either (1) play a match during specially scheduled League nights hosted by local clubs (no membership required, court fees may apply); (2) book their own “Home” court at a local club and get assigned a “Visiting” opponent; or (3) schedule an outdoor match at a local public court, weather permitting.
Players are matched up based on level (each player is slotted 1-10 on their team’s roster), availability (ideally, 1s play 1s, 2s play 2s, etc.), and intrigue (e.g., Grudge Matches!).
Scheduling is always flexible. Matches can be scheduled any day, any time, any place, so long as a suitable opponent is available to play. “Rotation” players who join a team roster should expect to play a League match at least 4x each season (about once every month). “Franchise” players should be available to play weekly matches, or around 12-16 matches per season. That said, there are never any commitments or guarantees: whatever matches we can get on the schedule, great; if someone can’t play, or the matchups just don’t work out, bummer.
Winter season runs from mid-November to mid-April. Depending on how scheduling goes, teams play a total of around 30 regular season matches. At that point, the top 6 teams in the League standings advance to play in the LOCOS Cup Championships: teams 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5 play in the first round; the highest seeded team to advance plays team 1 in the semifinals, the highest seeded team plays team 2.
League Standings / Players Ratings / Awards
Each match is typically 2 hours, regular scoring, with a 10-point match tiebreaker (MTB) in lieu of a third set.
1.5 hour matches can also be played: 5 minute warm-up, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at 5-5, MTB in lieu of third set.
Win a match (singles, doubles, or mixed) and your team tallies 2 points in the League standings. Lose a match in the third set (i.e., lose the match tiebreaker), your team gets 1 point in the League standings. Lose in straight sets, you get nothing but love (i.e., 0 points).
Match wins, losses, and tiebreak wins/losses also impact your LOCOS Player Rating. Your “Salary” (e.g., $22,000,000) works similarly to an ELO rating in chess (i.e., a salary of $22 million = 2200 rating). When you play another similarly rated player and win, your rating goes up quite a lot ($1.5 million or 150 rating points, in this example). Beat lower rated opponents and your rating only goes up a little bit. Beat higher rated opponents and your rating goes up rapidly (up to $3 million or 300 rating points per win). Lose and your rating drops.
At the end of each season, League players and GMs can nominate and vote on various awards: MVP (Ace-level and Challenger-level), MIP (Most Improved Player), Sportsmanship Award (i.e., the Congeniality Award), Singles Player OTS (best singles player of the season), Doubles Player OTS, Mixed Player OTS, Biggest Banger (hardest hitter), Pusher Man (most frustrating player to play against), etc.
ABOUT
LOCOS is an ever-growing community of tennis players (COS is for Colorado Springs)* united by a love of the game. Together we are connecting players, building local interest in the sport, raising everyone’s competitive level, and creating new opportunities to play.
* The League has the whole city covered: on the north end of the city, we’re playing at The Tennis Club at Flying Horse; on the east side, Colorado Springs Racquet Club; on the south side, Country Club of Colorado; and to the west, Garden of the Gods Club. We also play outdoors on the 80+ public courts that our city has to offer. That’s over 100 courts, and one day (why not every day?) we’ll fill them all!
The League began in the fall of 2019 in the Hudson Valley, NY. By the end of the first season, we had 48 players, which seemed like a lot. Two years later, we had more than 300 players. Then, in 2023, the League moved to Colorado – the Catskill Mountains just weren’t big enough for a tennis league like this one! Already, almost 200 players have joined up in the Springs and we’re just getting started.
True statement: Tennis is more fun when you regularly get to play against new, different players at your level. Joining together makes our tennis community better, stronger, (faster?).
Community comes first. LOCOS is a non-profit, volunteer-led, player-driven tennis league. We’re changing the usual way tennis leagues, ladders, and tournaments get organized by giving power to the players. Unlike member-only groups or revenue-driven organizations like the USTA or UTR, we can flex to play when, where, and how we want. By partnering with our incredibly supportive local clubs, making use of public courts, keeping fees/costs to a minimum, and trying out new and varied formats, our League seeks to be more inclusive, more accessible, more competitive, and, when it all comes together, more fun. Also, we have a cool website.
The more our League grows, the more we grow the game. We’ve been able to coordinate with multiple clubs and collaborate with a number of different pros in the area. We’re trying for a win-win kind of thing. The more our players compete against each other, the more they want to improve. That means more court bookings, more members, more players joining up for clinics and lessons. What’s good for our players is good for our clubs, and vice versa. We’re all in this together.
LOCOS – the League of Colorado Springs – is a free network that connects ALL local tennis players in the city. Regardless of age, level, income, neighborhood, or club membership, our League is a hub for ensuring everyone can play competitive tennis matches if and when they want to. And, if you don’t want to play, you can still sign up to get the emails.
How it Works
Flex scheduling
Click to play
Get matched
Hit the courts
LOCOS Winter League
Players are drafted to different teams based on level and performance (how often they play, how often they win, singles/doubles versatility, etc.). Teams earn 2 points for every win, 1 point for every match tie-breaker loss. After 5 months (Nov. 14 – Apr. 14) and a few hundred matches, the top 6 teams move on to the playoffs, competing for the coveted LOCOS Cup. The League has it all: cool logos, power rankings, player awards, rivalry and grudge matches, team salary-caps, trades, Cage Matches and Mayhem Matchups, individual player stats and rankings. What more could you want? (Seriously, what more? Let’s add that, too!)
Match Scheduling
League matches are played whenever, wherever. Each week, players click to select whatever days/times they might be available to play that week. For Winter League, players can either (1) play a match during specially scheduled League nights hosted by local clubs (no membership required, court fees may apply); (2) book their own “Home” court at a local club and get assigned a “Visiting” opponent; or (3) schedule an outdoor match at a local public court, weather permitting.
Players are matched up based on level (each player is slotted 1-10 on their team’s roster), availability (ideally, 1s play 1s, 2s play 2s, etc.), and intrigue (e.g., Grudge Matches!).
Scheduling is always flexible. Matches can be scheduled any day, any time, any place, so long as a suitable opponent is available to play. “Rotation” players who join a team roster should expect to play a League match at least 4x each season (about once every month). “Franchise” players should be available to play weekly matches, or around 12-16 matches per season. That said, there are never any commitments or guarantees: whatever matches we can get on the schedule, great; if someone can’t play, or the matchups just don’t work out, bummer.
Winter season runs from mid-November to mid-April. Depending on how scheduling goes, teams play a total of around 30 regular season matches. At that point, the top 6 teams in the League standings advance to play in the LOCOS Cup Championships: teams 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5 play in the first round; the highest seeded team to advance plays team 1 in the semifinals, the highest seeded team plays team 2.
League Standings / Players Ratings / Awards
Each match is typically 2 hours, regular scoring, with a 10-point match tiebreaker (MTB) in lieu of a third set.
1.5 hour matches can also be played: 5 minute warm-up, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at 5-5, MTB in lieu of third set.
Win a match (singles, doubles, or mixed) and your team tallies 2 points in the League standings. Lose a match in the third set (i.e., lose the match tiebreaker), your team gets 1 point in the League standings. Lose in straight sets, you get nothing but love (i.e., 0 points).
Match wins, losses, and tiebreak wins/losses also impact your LOCOS Player Rating. Your “Salary” (e.g., $22,000,000) works similarly to an ELO rating in chess (i.e., a salary of $22 million = 2200 rating). When you play another similarly rated player and win, your rating goes up quite a lot ($1.5 million or 150 rating points, in this example). Beat lower rated opponents and your rating only goes up a little bit. Beat higher rated opponents and your rating goes up rapidly (up to $3 million or 300 rating points per win). Lose and your rating drops.
At the end of each season, League players and GMs can nominate and vote on various awards: MVP (Ace-level and Challenger-level), MIP (Most Improved Player), Sportsmanship Award (i.e., the Congeniality Award), Singles Player OTS (best singles player of the season), Doubles Player OTS, Mixed Player OTS, Biggest Banger (hardest hitter), Pusher Man (most frustrating player to play against), etc.
