Kyle McMorrow loves The Ojai.

He loves the tennis tournament's rich history and tradition. He loves the atmosphere at Libbey Park, and he especially loves playing in front of his grandfather, William Huffman, a former Ojai Valley Tennis Club president who has a trophy named after him.

But when the 107th edition of The Ojai begins on Thursday, McMorrow won't be listed on any of the draws. The Thousand Oaks resident will be in Las Vegas playing in the Mutterspaw Junior Tennis Championships.

After years of attracting many of Southern California's top junior players, The Ojai is losing its relevancy.

Orange juice and tea aren't enough to entice a generation raised on Jamba Juice and Starbucks.

Junior tennis has become all about the points, and The Ojai doesn't offer any.

"I need to start playing more tournaments to get my ranking up before I turn 17, and The Ojai doesn't count toward the national rankings," McMorrow said. "I wish I could play it again, but it just won't work out for me."

The Ojai has witnessed a gradual decline in the quality of junior players participating in the event the last few years. But this year it has reached a tipping point.

Only one of the top seeds is ranked in the top 50 nationally in their division, and the next closest top seed is ranked in the 70s.

The tournament's problem is compounded this year by having to compete with two other junior tournaments scheduled for the same weekend.

Mutterspaw, a United States Tennis Association national tournament, moved up the dates of its tournament, and the 73rd annual Harper Ink Memorial Junior Tournament in San Diego pushed its dates back. Both offer points.

So instead of experiencing small-town charm under oak trees, several junior players will be basking in the glow of neon lights in Vegas or driving south down the coast.

"If it was a different weekend, I would definitely be in Ojai. I really like the environment and it's a great way to get away from the city life," said 15-year-old Los Angeles resident Marie Zalameda, who is playing Harper Ink. "But I am trying to get points, and I have to go to San Diego to get them."

Assigning point value

The USTA implemented the point system in junior tennis in 2003. Influenced by a similar structure used in Florida, it ranks players based on the number of points they accumulate from selected tournaments across the country.

Tournaments are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the highest in point value (660) and 5 the lowest (88).

The Southern California Tennis Association is allowed to designate 12 of its annual tournaments as point-valued events, and The Ojai didn't make the cut.

The tournament's chances were hurt by not offering Boys' 18s events — it runs Boys' CIF singles and doubles instead — and by not having Boys' and Girls' 12 divisions.

"You knew when the system was passed the tournament quality at Ojai was going to be lessened," said SCTA director of player development Darren Potkey. "I was hoping it would remain fairly strong and at least attract the county's top players. But I think it has reached a level where we need to sit down and figure out a way to fix the problem."

The Ojai isn't the only tournament losing its drawing power because of the point system. The Southern California Junior Sectionals, once an automatic destination for the section's top players, began offering incentives beyond trophies to get players to participate last year.

The tournament, a Level 3 event, gave credentials and tickets for the Countrywide Classic men's professional tournament to the top four finishers in the Boys' 18 singles.

The main impetus for USTA moving to a point system was to encourage players to participate in more tournaments, says USTA director of junior competition Lew Brewer.

"Just about everybody in the country agreed that there was a lot of ducking going on by some of the best players," Brewer said. "Instead of having an incentive to try hard to win, there was an incentive to try not to lose. I think the year we decided to do it, the No. 1 player in the Boys' 18-and-under division had played 12 matches the whole year. We felt that was ridiculous."

But critics of the system contend it discourages players from playing local tournaments and enables some economically advantaged players to "buy" their ranking by traveling across the country to various designated events in what amounts to a point grab.

"I have yet to understand the system and, in my opinion, it has totally changed for the worse," USC women's tennis coach Richard Gallien said. "If a tournament like The Ojai has been devalued in the ranking system and our best juniors aren't going to play, something is wrong."

Historical perspective

It wasn't very long ago when the junior draws at The Ojai were loaded with future professionals and budding collegiate prospects. Players like Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, Tracy Austin, Michael Chang and Camarillo's Bob and Mike Bryan are just a few of the recent Southern California products to have graced the city's courts.

"Every SoCal kid wanted to play The Ojai when we were growing up," Bob Bryan said. "We considered winning a title up there very prestigious. It's easy to understand why if you walk through the Wall of Champions at Libbey Park and see the pictures of all the great players on the boards."

But the historical tug of the tournament is fading among today's players, and point value has trumped sentimental value.

"It's really a shame and unfortunately, it's their loss," Stanford men's coach John Whitlinger said. "I think sometimes you should play tournaments for the history of the tournament. Kids today forget where it all started and forget about the guys who set the table for them. I wish they would appreciate that more."

Another factor contributing to the decline of quality juniors at The Ojai is the recent trend of home schooling. Ranked players have skipped high school tennis for years, but the surge of players taking online courses has depleted the Boys' CIF events even more.

"The point system has made tennis more of an elite sport and driven more kids into academies and devalued school," USC men's coach Peter Smith said. "Kids are going all over the world to play events, and they are really losing sight of the big picture. There is too much emphasis on tennis and not enough on creating a complete human being."

Less court appeal

Once considered prime recruiting territory for Pacific-10 Conference coaches during breaks from their matches, The Ojai no longer provides a wealth of options.

"I really used to look forward to seeing who the best juniors were going to be up there," Gallien said. "But year by year, it's just weaker and weaker."

One saving grace for the tournament has been the Weil Academy. The Ojai-based institution trains many highly ranked juniors from across the country and requires them to participate in the event.

"I think it's important for my players to experience a tournament like The Ojai," said academy director Mark Weil. "There is nothing else like it, and the players understand that and appreciate that once they play in it. If they get to Libbey on Saturday morning, they are literally shaking. You can't say that about many other tournaments."

Laguna's Warren Hardie felt the butterflies in his stomach last year when he reached the Boys' 14 singles final. Although he knows The Ojai won't help his national ranking, it's a sacrifice he's willing to make.

"It is kind of like a break for me," Hardie said. "It's not as high up nationally, but it's fun. I really like how the whole town gets into it and everybody supports it."

Zalameda wishes she could get another taste of the Ojai atmosphere this week. But like many players, she has become a product of the system.

"The points only matter now," Zalameda said. "Players forget that tennis is a game and it's supposed to be about having fun. Now it's just about getting to be No. 1. I don't blame them though, especially if you want to be the best."