How do you determine if a new official will be a good official?

 After being a coordinator and a collegiate, pro, and UIL official for over 30 years, this is the one question that always comes to mind when I meet or interview a prospective new official...

The first step is to ALWAYS TAKE THEM OUT TO EAT!   You can learn more about a person from sharing a meal together than any other way.   They are more relaxed and more "unprogrammed" to say the correct answers to everything and its the best place to evaluate their personal skills.   Let them share about their lives, families, jobs, and goals in life and pay less attention to whether they can answer some question about a vague tennis rule.   Watch how they interact with the people at the table--and most of all, watch how they treat and inteact with their waitperson.   It speaks volumes about their personal skills and character...

Nothing is more important to a good official than having GOOD PERSONAL SKILLS.  Ask whatever questions you want/need to but most of all, just watch and see.  An official needs to know how to handle stress, deal with irate parents, players, and coaches, and how to make wise decisions when called upon.  If they have an inflated ego, they probably won't be a good official.  If they are too quiet, they probably won't make it.  Just watch and see--that will tell you most of what you need to know...

2026 ITA Officials Assignor List

 If you are interested in working ITA events and matches or would just like a contact person in your area, here are the coordinators in the Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana area.   Contact information can be found in Zebraweb.

ITA COORDINATORS

Name                                                            Universities

Anh-Thu Armstrong                                        Tulane, La. Tech, La-Lafayette women

Randy Bailey                                                   Rice, Houston, Prairie View

Mike Baird                                                       A&M Corpus, SFA, McNeese, A&M Kingsville

Trevor Edgemon                                              Texas Tech

Kevin Gannon                                                  ORU, Tulsa

Terry Gatzki                                                     Midwestern

Myron Krueger                                                TCU

Sara Lammerts                                                Texas A&M Women

Randy McDonald                                            SMU, UTA, UNT, LCU, UTTyler, LeTourneau, Tarleton

                                                                         ETBU, TJC, Univ. of Dallas, UTD

Ty McDonald                                                   Baylor

Rick Moench                                                   Texas State, St. Mary’s

Allen Prachyl                                                   ACU, Hardin-Simmons Univ., McMurry

Bert Rainwater                                                UTPB, Sul Ross

Dean Richardville                                            Big 12, OU, OSU

John Rodrigue                                                 Sam Houston women, Lamar

Reliford Sanders                                              ACC

Don Vanramhorst                                            UTRGV

Jennifer Williamson                                        Texas A&M Men

Vicki Wright                                                    University of Texas

(For contact information the coordinators and their information is listed in ZebraWeb.)

Do you feel like you are struggling up a mountain when it comes to understanding the certification process in the USTA?

 If you are currently certified as a USTA official then you have either gone through or will go through the certification process in the coming year.   I can tell you without reservation that this has been the most frustrating and infuriating process I have ever endured in my entire life...  

You never know for sure if you are actually certified or which videos you have or haven't watched and if you have done everything that is required of a supernatural human.  

So, what do we do?   I thought this would be a good place to share your thoughts on the subject.  Feel free to comment and we will go from there...

2026 John Boyd ITA Chair Academy Information

 The plans for the 2026 John Boyd Chair Academy have been announced.  If you are interested in attending, contact your local ITA coordinator or Randy McDonald at officiatingcrew@gmail.com

   2026 JOHN BOYD Intercollegiate Chair Academy

                                                                      

 Date:  May 10-12, 2026                                              Location:  Plano, Texas.                      

Tournament:  Men’s National Junior College Tournament at Collin College in Plano, Texas.                    

Tournament Referee:  Randy McDonald

Academy requirement:  In order to participate in the Academy, a participant must be USTA and ITA certified. 

CHAIR ACADEMY SCHEDULE:

            Sunday, May  10th      6:00 p.m.  Academy meeting at Collin College courts.             

            Monday, May 11th     7:00 a.m.  Report time at tournament site.

                                               7:30 p.m.  OFFICIALS SUPPER (Dutch Treat)

            Tuesday, May 12th     7:30 a.m.  Report time at tournament site.

FORMAT:  All participants will have a group teaching time on May 10th and then do “on court” training in tournament matches with an instructor on court on Monday and Tuesday.  Personalized instruction and evaluations will be provided after each match.

COVERED EXPENSES: 

• Noon meal each day.  Monday night supper is Dutch-treat.
• Housing is your responsibility.  A special hotel will host Chair Academy participants and you will be given the tournament rate.

Tennis Attire Requirements:  All officials must wear KHAKI shorts/pants and a navy blue ITA shirt.   You may wear your ITA cap if you have one but other than that, all caps must be worn without a logo.   ITA gear can be worn at any time during the tournament.  If you do not have a navy blue ITA shirt then any navy blue shirt will suffice.

CONTACT PERSON:      Randy McDonald   214 796 7402   officiatingcrew@gmail.com

                                       

If you are a prospective tennis official and don't know what to do--here it is!

 If you are on this site and are a prospective tennis official, the steps are very simple.   Simply go to the right hand side of this page and click on the sites that deal with becoming an official.   There is information about how to become a USTA official and also an ITA official.  

One of the biggest areas of officiating these days is UIL (high school) tennis officiating.   Its very similiar to ITA but way more fun...   Plus, it pays extremely well.   If you are interested in this, you must become a USTA official but that is the only requirement.  

If all this doesn't make sense, just give me a call at 214 796 7402 and I'll walk you through it.   We would love to have you on our officiating team and in our officiating family...

"To Be or Not To Be". That is the question...

 I have an overriding tendency to recruit tennis officials wherever I go--and it causes my son and daughter great embarrassment but it also gets us some much-needed new officials...

In case everyone hasn't noticed we are experiencing a severe shortage of new officials and we all need to pitch in and do our best to find some new ones.   

Here are some guidelines that might help:

*   If they are tennis players, they are prime prospects so don't be afraid to go after them.

*   If they are over 20 and under 90, they are prospects.   We can get a razor for the young ones and glasses for the old ones.

*   Don't be shy.  They need to hear about these great officiating opportunities. 

*   Give them the link to the blog and they can navigate their way to becoming an official fairly quickly.

*   If all else fails, give me their cell number and give them mine, and I'll do the recruiting for you!

We have the Chair Academy coming in May but we can't wait until then to get some new officials and get them trained.  I have some great training opportunities beginning in January so let's get to work finding our new friends...

New officials needed!

 There has probably never been a time where we needed new officials like we do these days.    With the advent of the Big 12, ACC, and SEC coming through the Metroplex we are recruiting new officials everywhere we go...

In order to help in the enlistment process, just tell them to come here and then go over on the right side of the page and click on sites that tell you how to enlist.   It will save you time and they explain it quite well.

Currently there is no active training program in the state of Texas but help is coming.   We will be hosting the 2026 John Boyd Chair Academy in May in conjunction with the Men's National Junior College Tournament and hopefully we will have a great group of trainees.

Hope this helps.   Let me know if there is anything else we can do to get more new officials...