Don't Get Your Nose Out of Joint

An age old problem that exists in all areas of life is people who get their nose out of joint too easily. Seems that it has become very prevalent in the tennis officiating world these days...

Here are some great examples:

** A female official who got her nose out of joint because she didn't get assigned to a certain "team" at a tournament. She later got even more disjointed because she didn't get to do the #1 singles match.

** A male official got his nose out of joint because his Subway sandwich has mayonaise instead of mustard.

** A female official was offended because she didn't like her roommate. A male official complained at the same time because his roommate snored. I seriously thought about putting them together or just letting them swap roommates!

** An unnamed official got her nose out of joint because someone posted a comment on the blog about a pro official's hair and how it never moves. Her nose was so far out of joint that she had to go all the way to the USTA headquarters in NYC to try to get it fixed.

** An official got his/her nose out of joint because someone posted a comment that we had named our national tennis center after an old lesbian. Noses shouldn't get out of joint when truth is being told.

Biblically speaking there is a concept called "taking up another's offense" and that basically means that you get mad because someone else got mad or offended. Seems to be kind of prevalent in today's officiating world... Here are some good ones:

** An official felt he had to go around the state bad-mouthing another official because he didn't hire his buddy. Of course he never considered the fact that his unhired buddy was inept.

** A female official spent most of a day pouting because her friend got sent to another site.

** A female official got mad, called NYC, and threatened to file one of our famous grievances against someone she didn't know because they intimated that she and one of her friends were lesbians. Who can ever figure that one out! All you would have to do is go out to eat with both of them and then you'd know...

REMEMBER: Referees tend not to hire those who have noses that are easily disjointed. Just a word to the wise...

Here are some guidelines:

** Don't get your panties in a wad over insignificant things.
** Take your assignments and rejoice you even got some and don't gripe and complain.
** Don't file a grievance everytime the sun comes up.
** Quit hyperventilating everytime someone thinks you may or may not be a lesbian. Time will tell...
** Remember that the solution to every problem is not calling NYC.

Oh for the day of nice healthy noses...

And I Thought I Had Seen It All...

As I look over my many years of life I thought I had basically seen and heard it all--that is until I read the Dallas Morning News today. It just goes to show you how far we have sunk as a nation and what pitiful shape we are in... (Someone needs to find a way to vote out the District Attorney in Dallas!)

Here's the article:

"DEAD GIRL'S PARENTS GIVEN PROBATION"

The parents of a 3 month old girl who was beaten to death in February 2004, were given probation in a plea agreement over the past week according to court records.

Tameika Hampton, 25, was sentenced to two years probation and Tremaine Mabry, 26, was sentenced to five years' probation. Both had originally been charged with capital murder. Ms. Hampton's charge was reduced to injury to a child by neglect. Mr. Mabry pleaded guilty to injury to a child by causing serious bodily injury.

Records show Tyreina had a large number of old and new injuries at the time of her death. The child had 40 rib fractures, a bruised chin, brain and eye bleeding, a bruised liver, a fracture back and up to 15 chest contusions and three leg fractures, according to investigators.

Try to figure this one out!!!

Tennis Officiating Animals

Have you ever noticed the interesting parallels between animals and tennis officials? Here are some great examples...

Here's what you look like after officiating all day in the rain...

This is when you have totally had it with the 12 year boy whose mother thinks he is perfect...

All officials need a break for some peanut butter...

Here is a young candidate for Chair School...

This is how it goes at the end of a long day...

Resting is even better when you are in a pool...

Then of course we always have the prima donas sitting (or laying) around...

This is how you feel when some of your fellow officials have stabbed you in the back (or somewhere else)...

Snake Hunting Lessons

Many of life's greatest lessons are learned in some of life's simplest adventures--and I learned some great "life lessons" on a recent snake hunting trip with a tennis coach friend of mine...

As we were walking through the woods, my buddy told me there are basically two kinds of snakes. First, is the kind of snake that meets you headon and then bites you. Second, is the kind of snake that sneaks up on you from behind or from some type of cover and then strikes.

My wise old hunting buddy said he preferred the first type since they are open and upfront with their hostility and at least bite you in public. He said he detests the second type because they just sneak around, life in the dark areas, feed on trash, and then sneak up to do their dirty work.

What a wise old friend I have! Perhaps we should all remember his lessons on snake hunting.

We've Been Caught With Our Pants Down...

What an embarrassing moment! But it seems that it’s a moment that we are currently experiencing in our Texas Section…

As of today (Sunday, October 26, 2008),

** It has been over a month since a baseless grievance was filed against me and I have yet to actually see a copy of the grievance or seen any credible action being taken to resolve it.

Evaluation: Obviously there is a breach of responsibility here since the national USTA has already sent down word that they have “handled” the grievance.

Suggestion: The members of the grievance committee need to assert the authority and responsibility that was given to them by the Texas Section Officials Committee.

** It has been over a month since one of our Texas coordinators was credibly accused of a serious legal offense and our section has done nothing.

Evaluation: This is obviously a very serious issue and involves financial irregularities.

Suggestion: The Sectional Chairman needs to immediately deal with this issue forthrightly and openly since the offense was public.

** Our section officials had a committee meeting in which the moderator completely ignored and violated Roberts Rules of Order and permitted a personal discussion of a committee member, his blog, and his private profession.

Evaluation: There is a serious lack of understanding about how a committee meeting is to be run.

Suggestion: See that the Sectional Chairman is given a copy of Roberts Rules of Order about how to conduct a meeting.

** The Texas Section website still is blank on the officials home page and the last newsletter published was over two years ago.

Evaluation: Something needs to be done and done quickly so officials around the state can be informed about things that affect their livelihood.

Suggestion: The Sectional Chairman should appoint someone that would actually do these tasks and do them quickly.

Folks, we are BEING CAUGHT WITH OUR PANTS DOWN. Its time for someone to step up and take some legitimate leadership in our section.

And to think that all we have to get worked up about is someone’s blog…

Code of Conduct & New Blog Policies

The Code of Conduct forbids us ("An official shall not publicly criticize other officials) from publicly criticizing other officials but it is done all the time and most visibly from the top levels downward. This portion of the Code is used a leverage to stifle criticism and is used very selectively to punish officials that aren't liked or don't do what they are told. I could make a list of officials who have had their careers ruined because they did not follow the company line. And things should not be that way...

There are two real issues with this portion of the Code. First, the definition of criticism is at issue--and rightly should be. There is such a thing as "constructive criticism" and then there is "slanderous criticism" and this is not clearly delineated in the rule. Constructive criticism is good and develops better officials--slanderous criticism destroys lives and reputations. If you have ever worked the US Open you know they employ a thing called "CONSTRUCTIVE SLANDEROUS CRITICISM." It is right and good to criticize an official in order to make him/her better, but it is never right to malign or destroy another human.

Second, the definition of "public" is debateable. Some think it means in a blog and some think it means in a personal conversation. I tend to think that it means that you are trying to slander someone in a personal conversation, committee meeting, in print, or in a large group meeting. And its wrong whenever and wherever you slander someone.

Perhaps it is time for the rules committee to further define this rule...

After much legal consultation (with the US bar, Supreme Court analysists, and some good local attorneys) I have been told that any person who is appointed, elected, or hired within the world of the USTA is open to public evaluation and discussion.

THEREFORE, in the future, I will post comments that are pertaining to officials who are appointed, elected, or hired. Please try to keep your comments above board and without vulgar or slanderous comments. If they contain those, they will not be published.

Have You Ever Wondered What Happened After The Picture?

A good friend of mine asked me an interesting question today--what happens after a great picture is taken? Noone ever tells us so I thought I would post a few pictures to pique your curiosity...

Wonder what happened to him when the Head Referee of Wimbledon got him into his tent??

They do make a cute pair--just wonder what his Mother said when she found him nestled under the covers the next morning...

Just what did Bruce Avery say to Cheryl Jones after she criticized his outfit for the day??

Gary Tolbert and Randall Edwards sure look like happy Bulldogs in this picture. Wonder how they felt after the Alabama game??

Just imagine what their Mothers said when they discovered this new way of watering the plants...


He was doing great until he realized that his Mother was sitting right across the table...

I'll leave this one up to your own imagination--but I did love the picture!

The Lost Art of "Sucking Up"

SUCK UP: Definition: to deliberately try to make a good impression or influence someone in authority by either positive or questionable methods.

Whether we like it or not we are live in a society where sucking up is an age old process--and the sad thing is that we have lost the ART OF SUCKING UP. We are either the "sucker" or the "suckee" and it happens all the time--but we need to improve on the art...

Here are some guidelines on "sucking up" properly:

1. Always be genuine. Anyone who has a shred of common sense can spot a phony.

2. Be generous in your praise. Everyone likes to be appreciated.

3. Learn to write thank you notes/emails. I can guarantee you that anyone who works for me and expresses their gratitude will be invited back again.

4. Don't create problems with griping, complaining, and bad attitudes. All of those things make sucking up useless...

5. Don't suck up to your boss in front of your co-workers. That's just not cool...

6. Don't whine if you don't get your way. That negates all the good effects of sucking up.

7. Always be good and kind to the people around you (ballboys, linespeople, score keepers). Your reputation will always precede you.

Special teachings on sucking up:

1. Never ever try to go over someone's head to get your way.

2. Never ever send an email to someone and copy it to someone in authority over them. That will always come back to bite you...

3. Never ever go to a tournament and rip your previous referee. All officials love to tell on other other officials...

4. Never ever file a baseless grievance because of something stupid. Once you get the reputation of being a "grievance filer" you can kiss your career goodbye.

5. Never ever lie to someone in authority over you. Trust me, they will always find out. Specifically don't lie in order to get out of an assignment to go somewhere else.

6. Don't run around with an inflated opinion of yourself and your abilities. Huge egos make me car sick.

Sucking up is part of life--we just need to learn to do it the right and proper way.

Introspection: OUR BIGGEST WEAKNESS

This is our final post on the area of INTROSPECTION and I think it has proved very successful and helpful. Seems there are a lot of different opinions and viewpoints out there--and its always fun to share our thoughts with each other. Guess that's the nature of a blog...

As I sifted through the emails and comments about our Texas Section it seemed that our weaknesses basically fell into two distinct categories and here they are:

OFFICIALS' ATTITUDES.

This was by far the greatest weakness mentioned--and the sad thing it is something that is easily corrected. We all get tired of the endless criticisms, gossip, inuendo, lies, manipulations, and much much more--so its time to work on our attitudes!

The basic way to fix bad attitudes is to do the following:

1. Treat others like you would like to be treated.
2. Be nice.
3. Tell the truth.

Hopefully we can all start with at least these three little steps and I think we would all see a huge improvement in the attitudes in Texas...

COMMUNICATION AMONG OFFICIALS.

Sadly, this was mentioned much too frequently as our weakness because its very simple to remedy. It was pointed out that new officials need to hear as much as they can possibly hear from older officials (in the right manner of course) and they need to know what is going on around the state of Texas.

Here are some basic recommendations in this area:

1. Update the Texas Section website. As of today, the officials homepage is blank and the officials newsletter was last posted in 2006. That needs to be fixed soon!

2. Thank you local coordinator for their efforts. In reality in Texas the only one in leadership who is communicating is the local coordinator--and they are doing a fine job. Their job is long, hard, and often thankless so let's all take a moment and praise them for their efforts.

3. A blog written by the Sectional Chairman or someone in authority in Austin would be a good step. After all, we do live in the 21st century and people communicate via the internet. A blog won't bite you...

I was happy to receive numerous emails saying that our blog has been their major mode (if not the only mode) of communication in Texas. While I do appreciate the compliments it tells us that we need to do more in Texas to communicate with each other.

Introduction of our Guest Contributor: Rev. Dr. Cooter Ray Clanahan

For all of you who were excited about the adventures and exploits of the Rev. Dr. Cooter Ray Clanahan, you will be thrilled to know that he will be sharing much of his wisdom and many life experiences in the coming weeks. In essence, he will be our GUEST CONTRIBUTOR...

In order to fully appreciate Rev. Dr. Clanahan's input, we decided to share his background with you before he starts contributing to our site. Here you go:

EDUCATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:

Graduate of Possum Kingdom Remedial High School, Possum Kingdom, Texas.
Graduate of the Holy Ghost Pentecostal Prophetic College with a BA in Church Management.
Graduate of the First Anointed Ebenezer Seminary. (Rev. Dr. Clanahan did his advanced studies in Church Management with a minor in Diversity Inclusion.)

Currently serving as Head Pastor and Coordinator of the First Liberated Holiness Temple in Backwoods, Texas. His church is a pioneer among churches and on the cutting edge as they feature members who are heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, transgendered, asexual, metrosexual, and non-committed. They are also comprised of members who are white, black, brown, yellow, and magenta. The REV. DR. CLANAHAN will be a welcome voice in the wilderness of tennis officiating.

Numerous years of experience in management, diversity training, sexual counseling and inclusion, as well as years of dealing with the brethren and sistern in his local congregation.

Former President and Head Prophet for his national denomination. The denomination is: Willful Ecstatic Anointed Saints Evangelizing Libertarians Systematically. (Better known as WEASELS.)

We all want to extend a cordial welcome to the Rev. Dr. Clanahan as he joins our blog as a guest writer and contributor.

Disclaimer: Any relation that Rev. Dr. Cooter Ray might have to you or any of your relatives is purely conincidential and probably not his fault.

Temple Turmoil: Rev. Dr. Cooter Ray Clanahan

There are times when I just have to revert to my pastoral leanings and this is one of those times. I get numerous calls and emails each week from pastors around the state in which they share their trials and tribulations as pastors. Here is the story of PASTOR COOTER RAY CLANAHAN in Backwoods, Texas...

Pastor Cooter Ray called to share that he had just created a new committee to deal with unrepentant and recalcitrant church members. They were planning on dealing with church members who had been naughty and would not willingly repent of their many wrongdoings. Just when he thought the new committee was going to spring into action--lo and behold, the national convention of his church rolled into town on a Saturday night and completely de-churched the unrepentant members without even consulting the pastor or the newly formed committee. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Backwoods, Texas...

In order to soothe Pastor Cooter Ray's feelings, the national committee leadership invited 14 of the church members to serve as Godly evaluators at the next national convention--lo and behold, they made these appointments without even consulting the pastor!!! He learned about their appointments when he read the "Backwoods Blather" on Monday morning...

The final straw came for Pastor Cooter Ray when the Church Spiritual Monitoring Committee decided to remove one of the Sunday School teachers--and told the pastor that it was his duty to inform the poor teacher of her fate. Alas, Pastor Cooter Ray had been too busy having coffee with Aunt Lucy's second cousin twice removed that he "didn't have the time" to tell the teacher she was being removed--and she had to hear it from her own Mother!!! Again there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Backwoods, Texas for the poor teacher who wasn't even informed of her impending doom.

The only redemption to this sad tale is that Pastor Cooter Ray was invited to come and say the opening prayer at the National Convention in 2020... What an honor and it sure helped to heal his sad and bruised spirit...

(Any parallels between Pastor Clanahan's perdicament and any state in the United States is purely conincidental and without merit.)

Sick and Tired of This Runaround

There are times in our lives when we encounter things that make us sick--and that's what's happening to me now... I am sick and tired of hearing about the grievance that someone filed against me because I wouldn't send him an availability and because that person thinks that a post on the blog was written about him. I am REALLY SICK AND TIRED of the runaround I have been receiving at the hands of those in leadership in Texas and the USTA.

In order to avoid a grievance, I am only naming people by their positions or by the use of the word "someone." I am also going to lay out the facts and then draw a few conclusions...

FACTS:

** On September 20, 2008, the Texas Section Officials Committee met in Austin and during that time our Sectional Chairman led and permitted a public discussion of me, my blog, and my profession as a pastor when I was not in attendance at the meeting. This discussion was done in direct violation of Roberts Rules of Order for a committee meeting.

** On September 25, 2008, our Sectional Chairman met with me in Grapevine, Texas, and at that time shared that a person had filed a grievance against me for the following reasons:
*** That I had not sent him an availibility for ITA matches.
*** That one of the posts on my blog was written about him personally.
At that time I made a verbal request for a copy of the grievance.

** On October 7, 2008, our Sectional Chairman refused to send me a copy of the grievance (after three written and one verbal request). His statement was, "I do not see any benefit in sharing that information."

** On October 11, 2008, I began to receive emails from officials around the state and nation as well as correspondence from leadership in Austin that the grievance has basically been settled in NYC at the USTA headquarters! Their conclusion was that the person who had filed the grievance had no basis for his grievance against me for the ITA availability and that he should take up his complaint with the universities that hire me. They also said that the complaint against the blog was without merit since his name was never mentioned.

** As of October 18, 2008, our Sectional Chairman has never shared this information with the Texas Section Grievance Committee (which was re-created at the Officials Committee meeting in September, 2008).

CONCLUSIONS & OBSERVATIONS:

** It is strange that the Texas Section Grievance Committee has been totally bypassed in something that is specifically their responsibility. They were given the responsibility of settling this grievance and have been totally ignored in the proceedings. In the past 7 years that I served on the Grievance Committee (before it was re-invented) we never had the USTA settle a grievance. It was always done in the section (according to the advice we received from the USTA.)

** It is strange that the Sectional Chairman even let this grievance become reality when even in a casual evaluation it was ludicrous. To think that someone could file a grievance about not receiving an availability when they hadn't even been sent out is a ridiculous joke!

** It is strange that in today's world someone would be denied access to a grievance that had been filed against them.

** It is strange that I have not received a written explanation (which I requested in writing to our Sectional Chairman and Executive Director of the Texas Section) about the resolution of this grievance. Since word is all over the country about the grievance and its settlement in NYC, then perhaps it is time to send the written evaluation.

** It is strange that someone would file a grievance saying that a post about a ruined hunting dog was written about him when noone's name was mentioned in the blog. If that had been me, I never would have stood up and said I was the hunting dog he was talking about. (That blog post was an allegory and written about ABSOLUTELY NOONE in particular.) This fact was also confirmed by our able leadership at USTA headquarters in NYC.

** It is strange that we are still dealing with this issue when the hunting dog blog is gone into internet eternity and my availabilities have been sent out, returned, and assigned. The issue is a moot point.

** It is strange that people can hyperventilate over a little bitty blog down in the state of Texas.

Introspection: OUR BIGGEST STRENGTH

There are many many strengths in the Texas Section officials world but I'll try to separate them for you...

LOCAL COORDINATORS was by far the greatest strength mentioned. Basically, what we are saying is that we could never get the job done without our local coordinators. They work above and beyond the call of duty and implement great training and provide countless opportunities for all officials.

ORGANIZATION was another strength that was mentioned often. Officials in Texas are well organized and it shows in the product we deliver.

TRAINING was mentioned frequently but usually with an addendum for improvement. We need to pay close attention at this point.

SENSE OF FAMILY among Texas officials is one of the greatest strengths that we see. We may fuss, feud, fight, and argue--but we're still family and care deeply about each other. Its obvious when we see someone rise up against us and then "real family" kicks in...

The quality of any organization is shown in the number and quality of their strengths--and the Texas Section officials do well...

Introspection: SECTION LEADERSHIP & SECTIONAL CHAIRMAN

We received the greatest number of comments about the TEXAS SECTION LEADERSHIP & SECTIONAL CHAIRMAN. In order to be fair, I will try to comment with pros and cons concerning the section leadership.

The section leadership is very well organized, well directed, and well implemented. Ken McAllister provides more than able leadership and inspires trust among our state officials. There does seem to be a strained relationship between the Officials Committee and the Junior Council but hopefully that will be resolved quickly. There is seemingly a conflict when a staff member represents two different committees but Ken McAllister gives an even hand to the proceedings. The section has a very large budget and allocates ample monies to the officials in our state. Overall, I would certainly give them an A- if I were grading...

In regards to the SECTIONAL CHAIRMAN, I will not comment lest I be accused of publicly criticizing another official. There were no positive comments received.

Suffice it to say that we have a great organization--now we just look to our leadership for dependability, consistency, honesty, and integrity.

Sounds like the makings of a great team!

What Happens To Old Officials???

Even though we would like to think we all get BETTER as we get OLDER, there are some differing viewpoints as manifested in these pictures:

This is what happens when you're late for a match and need to hurry...

And she used to be one of the best chair officials that we had...

Too many years spent chairing Division III ladies matches...

Data Card Deadline Passed--What Do I Do Now??

For those of you who missed the deadling for sending your data cards to your local coordinators, you now need to send them to the following address:

Bruce Sampley
1329 S. Lake Street
Ft. Worth, Texas 76104

Hope you find this public service announcement helpful...

The Lighter Moments of Tennis

Since some of our ranks think that I shouldn't have a blog because I am a pastor, I wanted to show you that at least I am a pastor with a sense of humor.

I ran across these pictures of what we missed at Wimbledon! That is one brave boy...

Introspection: OFFICIALS SCHOOLS

Overall, the comments about the officials schools were excellent--but there are probably some areas for improvement as always...

The instructors in Texas are by far the best in the nation. The Texas scores have always been the best in the country so that's always a good indicator! I have worked personally with all of them for the past 10 years so I can attest to their character, quality, and effectiveness.

Personal note: let me say that without the SCHOOL COORDINATORS in each area, the schools never could have been so successful. These fine people have worked long and hard and way beyond the call of duty. Be sure to congratulate them when you get a chance. (Most of them are listed in the previous post.)

Here are some of the valid suggestions/comments we received:

1. Put more material online. Having the tests online before the schools is a good first step.
2. Do not require annual attendance for the more experienced officials. There is some debate as the level of experience to require before exemption.
3. Having most of the schools in one day is a great improvement.
4. The national schools are way too long and can tend to be boring and verbose.
5. Having schools in every geographical area is great.

Overall, I would say that the instructors' schools are one of our greatest assets in Texas.

Introspection: TRAINING

During the next few days we will be posting on the feedback we received (comments and emails) about INTROSPECTION. I thought we got some great comments and feedback and if you have more to contribute, please feel free to post at any time. We usually get between 1,500 and 2,000 hits a week on the blog so lots of people are reading it and hopefully it will make a difference.

I'll try to basically lay out the facts for you concerning TRAINING in the Texas Section as well as provide contact people in case you want to get involved.

INTENSIVE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:

** Chair Academy (Plano, Texas) Sponsored by the Texas Section and Collin College in Plano, Texas. Training conducted by national as well as Texas instructors. Probably the premier chair academy in the nation. Contact person: Randy McDonald

** Grand Slam Tournament Training (College Station, Texas). Sponsored by the Texas Section and Texas A&M University. A great venue for the less experienced officials under the direction of national and state instructors. Contact person: Sara Lammerts.

** Live Fire Training (Waco, Texas). Sponsored by Baylor University. Actual on court chairing matches under the scrutiny and instruction of experienced officials in Texas. Contact person: Chuck Scott.

** UT Training Session (Austin, Texas). Sponsored by the University of Texas and involves on the court training during an ITA match. Contact person: Susan Trautmann.

ONGOING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:

** ABILENE. Primarily under the direction of Joe Ed & Nan Burnam until their retirement. One of the finest ongoing programs in Texas. Current contact person: Duke Williams.

** AMARILLO. Local coordinator Ona Lee Johnson works diligently to provide training for new officials and opportunities for the more experienced.

** AUSTIN. One of the more highly developed training programs in Texas supervised by Austin President, Vickie Wright. Training involves all levels of tennis officiating.

** COLLEGE STATION. Great opportunities to get training at the ITA level under Sara & Bob Lammerts as well as numerous USTA tournaments to polish your skills.

** CORPUS CHRISTI. A bit windy but fantastic opportunities for ITA and USTA tournaments. Contact person is Dr. Ralph Martin.

** DALLAS/FT. WORTH. More than enough opportunities for all officials. Currently developing a mentoring program under the direction of Cathy Kennan and Susan Wertenberger. Additional ITA training available from Myron Krueger and Randy McDonald.

** HOUSTON. Probably the premier mentoring program in all of America. New officials can plug in with training at all levels under the direction of their President, Nancy Vivero.

** LUBBOCK. This West Texas town has probably trained more officials than anywhere in the nation under the direction of Cliff and Eva Hopping. You'd better be ready to work but you'll come out a well trained official.

** MIDLAND. A great training opportunity under the experienced hand of Brookie Green. You'll have to kind of work it in with all of her grandmotherly duties though.

** RIO GRANDE VALLEY. A growing and expanding area but well manned by Marta Hotz. ITA opportunities are beginning to open up in the Valley.

** SAN ANTONIO. A huge area for USTA and ITA tennis with a few pro events mingled in during the year. Contact person here is Tippy Garza.

** TYLER. If you want to learn under the "dean of officials" then come on over to Tyler! Millard Countryman will walk you through all the training and teach you the finer points of communication.

** WACO. The claim to fame in this fair city are the Baylor Bears and their ITA matches but there are also tons of USTA tournament opportunities. Under the direction of probably the busiest coordinator in Texas--Jane Hammond.

** WICHITA FALLS. This is kind of a home grown training area as local pro and coordinator Bobby Hagerman gives of his time and efforts to be sure their officials are well trained.

That just about sums up all the organized training efforts in our state. I THINK THEY ARE FANTASTIC!

If you live in one of these areas and would like to get involved in officiating or develop your skills to a greater level and would like to contact the local leader--give me a shout and I'll send you their contact information.

My email is: rmtennis@yahoo.com

My Response To The Frivilous Grievance

Normally I do not respond to frivilous things in my life but in this instance I am going to make an exception because I am tired of hearing about it from sources that never should have even known about it. (Tells me there is a leak somewhere...)

I am also responding somewhat in the dark since I am responding only to that which Bruce Sampley told me was in the grievance and not what was actually printed since I have been denied access to the grievance.

Please note that I am being very careful about not "criticizing" another official but I am presenting facts without any commentary.

I was told the following by Bruce Sampley: That Kevin Labor had filed a grievance against me for not sending him an availability and for posting the story about the hunting dog which he said was written about him. Here are my responses to this grievance (and also that which has been sent to the Grievance Committee):

ALLEGATION THAT I DID NOT SEND HIM AN AVAILABILITY

At time of the filing of the grievance, I had not sent out my grievances so that basically makes the question a moot point; however, these were my actions. Since I had had some issues with Kevin in the past, I told him that if he would personally write me and agree to the following, I would GLADLY send him an availability:

1. That he would improve his attitude with superiors, coaches, and other officials.
2. That he would agree to doing roving matches as well as chairing matches.
3. That he would not cancel an assignment to work another assignment somewhere else.

Kevin declined to make this commitment so I will not be sending him an availability. These requirements are the same as I expect from all officials who work for me and are enumerated earlier in my offer of a "universal availability."

Texas is a "right to work" state and we are independent contractors so I resent the nature of this frivilous grievance since it has absolutely no bearing on reality. I stand by my decision in this matter.

THE HUNTING DOG ANALOGY WAS ABOUT KEVIN HIMSELF

This is even more ludicrous than the first part. It was an analogy plain and simple and Kevin perhaps is overestimating himself in thinking it was about him. It was analogy about officials (at least 10) with whom these things have happened in the past. Not much else I can say on this issue.

This is all I plan to say about this grievance. I am not happy at all with the way this has been handled and the fact that it even became an actual grievance. It should have been nipped in the bud when it was presented. It basically sounds like something from an 8th grade playground...

Its time to move on to some things that have some valid reality and importance...

The Ridiculous Secret Grievance

When I met with Bruce Sample (Sectional Chairman) on September 25, 2008, he informed me that Kevin Labor had filed a grievance against me for the following reasons:

1. That I would not send him an availability to do ITA matches.
2. That the hunting dog story on the blog was written about him.

These were the facts as conveyed to me by Bruce and at that time I told him I would like to see a copy of the grievance. He replied that he would have to "see if he would let me see it."

Since that time I have written two other requests asking to see the grievance so I would know the reality of the accusations. Both times I have been turned down and in his reply of October 5, 2008, Bruce said, "I also acknowledge your request for a copy of the grievance. At this point, I do not see any benefit in sharing that information."

I just have one word to describe his response and that is RIDICULOUS! Its hard to believe in our day and age that a man in authority is not willing to share a grievance in the workplace. I also served on the Officials Committee Grievance Committe (the one that was re-created in the recent committee meeting) for the past 7 years and at no time did we ever decline to reveal the contents of a grievance.

I will answer Kevin Labor's grievance in a later post, but I am still in absolute amazement that I would be denied access to this document. And I thought the blatant violations of Roberts Rules of Order in the last committee meeting were bad--this takes the cake!

All kinds of words keep coming to my mind but the most appropriate one still seems to be RIDICULOUS... It might make us all think of how they would handle your case if someone filed a frivilous grievance against you.

A Blast From The Past: A Pledge from our Sectional Chairman

Since all my previous blog posts are deleted and gone into history forever, I did want to resurrect just one post for posterity and for something that we need to remember...

In September, 2008, I met personally with our Sectional Chairman, Bruce Sampley, and he gave me his word that noone in the Texas Section office nor any committee is actively pursuing or comtemplating pursuing putting a cap on our officials' fees.

As I said before, I am taking Bruce at his word but want this post to be very visible and present in case we find things to be otherwise.

(This is the only post that will resurrect. I sure can't use the Hunting Dog post any longer since so many people thought it was written about them personally...)

Self Introspection For Texas Officials

Now that we are nearing the beginning of 2009, its time to bring in a new administration in the Texas Section--and its also a good time for us to evaluate our status as TEXAS OFFICIALS.

Please send us your comments and evaluations in these areas:

1. Your overall evaluation of the TRAINING PROGRAMS.

2. Your overall evaluation of the OFFICIALS SCHOOLS.

3. Your overall evaluation of the SECTIONAL CHAIRMAN AND TEXAS SECTION LEADERSHIP.

4. Our biggest strength in Texas.

5. Our biggest weakness in Texas.

Only when we are willing to honestly evaluate can we move into greater realms of excellence.

Send us your comments (with your name or anonymously) and they will be published.

Theoretical & Practical INTEGRITY

In an election year we hear a great deal about INTEGRITY yet we all know that most of what we are hearing is just a candidate tooting his own horn. The sad part is that there is a whole universe out there pleading for men and women of INTEGRITY to stand and be counted.

I think that desire is just as strong in the world of tennis officiating! Even though there will always be problems in any profession, we can continually be on the road to improvement if we will just adhere to one basic principle: Do our best to be men and women of INTEGRITY.

Definition: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

There is a huge difference between "integrity in theory" and "integrity in practice." We are clearly in need of officials who do "integrity in practice." When we do, the following traits will surface:

1. Honesty is all our dealings, negotiations, and commitments. There will be no more manipulations and deception in our scheduling and fulfilling commitments.

2. Truth will be told. When we speak, we will always tell the truth. I know this is revolutionary but it sure would be refreshing that we know we can take a person at their word.

3. Criticism will still be present but it will only be CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Men and women of integrity will stop the process that is so common among officials of "eating our own."

These are kind of simple but I think it would sure go a long way to making our officiating world a better place to live...

New Houston Officials Website & Universal Availability

Its always good to hear exciting news from around the state and this morning its coming from HOUSTON, TEXAS. The Houston Tennis Umpires Association has a new website:

www.htua-tennis.com

Be sure to check it out. Danny Tangri did a fantastic job!

UNIVERSAL AVAILABILITY

Since my desire is to be open and inclusive, I am doing something that has never been done--I am offering a UNIVERSAL AVAILABILITY APPLICATION for the collegiate matches that I schedule. I schedule SMU, University of North Texas, and University of Texas at Arlington as well as numerous other UIL events and USTA tournaments so there are a lot of opportunities.

If you meet the following qualifications, email me (rmtennis@yahoo.com) and I'll be glad to send you an availability:

1. You are ITA certified.

2. You have good personal skills and are able to work well with others.

3. You have a strong working knowledge of the rules of tennis.

4. You will honor all assignments you are given.

5. You are willing to rove matches as well as chair matches.

If you meet these qualifications, I will be glad to hear from you. Hopefully this will afford some new people an opportunity to work some exciting matches.

My Favorite Comment Received Today

I knew you'd be back...

Myron Krueger

The Blog Is Now BACK...

What a day it has been! I've received over 100 emails and at least 25 phone calls--and all asking me to continue the blog and keep up the good work. SO WE ARE...

Our blog gets about 1,500 to 2,000 hits a week so we know there is a lot of good information being sent out--and we intend to keep up the work. For those who are disappointed--get over yourselves because we are here to stay. I have done nothing wrong so it would be wrong to run away from a little misguided opposition. I love writing the blog and have a great time doing it--and from the responses today, a lot of you like it too! So, we are keeping up the good work...

Since all my previous posts have been deleted we are BEGINNING ANEW--and its a great feeling! Noone can read my blog now and say that a post was written about them or that I offended someone somewhere. I have a brand new start--and think of all the people we can offend in the days to come...

Since we have a new start, here are some of the NEW GUIDELINES:

1. We will continue to post any material we deem important to tennis officials. This may include material that is critical of leadership and should not be deemed as personal.

2. We will post Texas Section information that is pertinent to our readership--and at no charge to the Texas Section.

3. We will NEVER write a post that specifically calls any official by name since we do not want to violate the Code of Conduct. If I ever post a specific official's name please immediately report me to the USTA authorities.

4. We will be receptive to any and all comments. I would prefer that you use your real name or a valid internet name but its not a requirement. If your comment is critical of a specific official and you use their name, the comment will still be posted but the officials name will be deleted. That way we cannot be accused of wrongdoing by putting comments on our blog.

5. We will continue to use humor, logic, analogies, constructive criticism or whatever suits us since it is our blog and does not belong to anyone else on this planet.

6. We will all hopefully have fun in all that we do. After all, we're talking about a game and the universe sure doesn't revolve around tennis.

7. We want to say up front to those who dislike our blog and/or me--DON'T READ THE BLOG. That's as simple as I know how to put it.

8. I am a pastor of a church in the Dallas area--and proud of it. If that offends you please check out guideline #7. If you think a pastor shouldn't write a blog the same advice holds just for you. The surprise for some of you detractors is that pastors are humans and have a lot of fun so come and join us--or go somewhere else and gripe...

Hopefully these guidelines will help people understand how much fun we are having and hopefully will join us as we poke fun at each other, grow together, and enjoy life!

Get on board--or go to another site and enjoy yourself somewhere that suits you...

The Blog Is Now Gone

Our blog was begun in 2006, and we've had a great time--but all good things must come to an end. I always said that when it ceased to be fun then the end had come...

I have had some great times with many of you but the sad thing is that I have also discovered what a real "friend" really is--and isn't.

To those who have prayed this day would come--enjoy your moment. Truth will always win out though and people in Texas are going to want to know the truth about what is going on. For all those blogs that you hated, I hope you saved them because they are eternally gone.

To those who have been friends--thanks for the good memories! You are loved and appreciated.

If you are my friend, you can reach me at 214 796 7402 or on my email. If you're not my friend, stay away. I intend to enjoy my life here in Dallas, do my ITA and UIL events, and to heck with the rest of the superflous junk...

God bless as we all look to the future...