A Disturbing New Trend Among Us: No Meals Provided

Since I personally referee very few USTA junior or adult tournaments, I sometimes don't find out about things until they have been happening for quite a while--and that seems to be the case in regards to this post.

The Metroplex Tennis Officials Association voted to raise the officials rates effective January, 2009. The new rates were the first rate increase we had in several years and were a much needed change. The new rates are $18/hour for the referee with an 8 hour minimum and the umpires' rates are $15/hour with a 6 hour minimum. These rates are slightly higher than the rates charged in Houston and Austin but both of those cities are currently at the previous rates charged by the MTOA. ($15/hour for the referee and $12.50/hour for the umpires).

Now that this has been said, the new problem exists in that various local associations are refusing to provide lunches for our officials and their SPECIFIC REASON is that we have raised our rates and they no longer feel obligated to provide meals. I have been an active official in the Metroplex since 1996, and at no time have I worked a tournament in which meals were not provided--until now! We as a group of officials should not be penalized because we raised our rates and this action by the various associations virtually negates any pay raise we might have received.

Thus far, the Ft. Worth Tennis Association, the Arlington Tennis Association, the Dallas Tennis Association, and some of the other smaller associations are refusing to pay meals. What a sad commentary about their support for officials. They will invariably say that the officials fees take away all their profits but I simply do not believe that line of reasoning. Many of them are making hefty, if not obscene, profits on some of their tournaments so their excuses fall on deaf ears.

I do fault the local referees for much of this situation though. When a referee negotiates with these associations they should make it very clear that our policy is and has always been that lunch and supper should be provided. This is standard policy in Austin and in most tournaments in Houston. In order for a tournament to be sanctioned they must have certified officials. We need to take a firm stand on this issue and hold our ground.

Personally, when I negotiate to work a tournament as referee here are my stipulations:

1. That the referee and umpires be paid the accepted rate.

2. That lunch will be provided for all officials and supper will be provided if they are required to work past 6:00 p.m.

3. The tournament also has the option of providing an additional $10 per meal per official if they choose not to provide meals.

This is just my standard when I referee tournaments. To date, I have never yet had a tournament director refuse to meet the above conditions and 100% of them have provided the $10 per meal fee instead of providing lunch.

Not only do I feel the associations are doing us a disservice, I think our referees should take a firmer stand in their negotiations.

I would welcome any and all comments on this vital issue...

How Safe Are We As Officials?

We all live in a day and age where SECURITY is foremost on everyone's minds--and it has become increasingly important for us as tennis officials. Since the average roving tennis official in Texas is responsible for 11 courts and usually at a remote site, this should be an issue that concerns us all.

There is not a day that goes by without reading about an irate parent or fan who shoots, assaults, or even kills a coach or official in some sport. Because of this increasing danger, we all need to be on constant guard as officials. We have all been in that situation where we have encountered a irate parent, player, or coach so we need to be aware of how to deal with this dangerous and volatile situation. Let me deal with this issue in two separate areas:

ROVING AT USTA TOURNAMENTS

This is probably the arena in which we are most vulnerable due to the lack of communication, supervision, and security. Many times we are in a remote location with only cell phone contact with the tournament desk and even less ability to access security in the case of an emergency. Here are some tips:

* Always be aware of your setting. Know the entrances and exits well--you never know when you will need them.

* If you are in an unsecure location which has elements of danger, be sure to stay in constant contact with your tournament desk or referee.

* Be very aware of the behavior of parents, fans, coaches, and players. Learn to read their body language as well as their verbal communications.

* Check to see if there is security at your location. If so, be sure to contact them when you first come to the site so they are aware of your presence. If not, have your cell phone programmed to 911 so you can access it in an emergency.

* Do not be afraid to call for security when there is any sign of physical danger. It is much better to err on the side of caution.

* Do not be confrontational with offending parties but do not tolerate physical threats or contact. Immediately call for help and have them removed from the site.

* Be sure to report any dangerous or suspicious behavior to your tournament director and/or referee. Hopefully these reports will be forwarded to the USTA and Texas Section offices.

ITA AND PROFESSIONAL EVENTS

These two areas present a much safer and monitored environment for officials. Professional events are usually very well protected and guarded.

ITA events are also monitored in most settings. All Division I schools should have a security force available and most of them will have a staff representative on duty for your match. If not, be sure to follow many of the suggestions given above.

Here are a few for ITA events:

* Always determine the availability and capability of university security before the match begins. Be sure they are on duty or have a school representative in attendance.

* Discuss the issue of security with the home head coach before the match begins.

* Notify the home head coach of any hint of trouble in the area of security for the officials. Do not take anything lightly.

* Always be aware of the crowd around you. The home school is responsible for monitoring crowd behavior but a wise official is always aware of their surroundings.

* If you are officiating a match without security, check with the home head coach about procedures before the match. Do not "leave it up to someone else" and just hope someone is protecting you.

* Communicate freely with other officials. We all need to be watching over each other so be free with your channels of communication.

These are just a few helpful hints. We would welcome any other suggestions.

Great New Blog For Your Reading Enjoyment

Not often do I find tennis blogs that are worth reading but there is a brand new one out there that is really good--and something that I think you will enjoy.

It is written by Granger Huntress who is the computer expert at the Texas Section office so he has great insight into the game of tennis.

Be sure to check it out at: www.texascollegetennis.com

What A Beautiful Day To Be Alive And To Be A Tennis Official

What a beautiful day to be alive and able to officiate tennis matches! I woke up this morning and there had been a little rain but the sun was shining through... Made me think of all the good things we have here in Texas. Here are a few:

* We have the most officials of any section in the USA.
* We have the best and most qualified officials to be found anywhere.
* We have the highest quality ITA tennis anywhere in the land.
* We have the best ITA coaches in America.
* We have some fantastic coordinators in our big cities and some great people serving in the smaller areas.
* We can stay at home in Texas and have everything we want.

In order to fully enjoy all our blessings, I am taking my two children (Brady on the left, and Phoebe on the right) to the lake today so they can chase ducks and swim all they want...

And since we live in Texas where everything is bigger and better--just imagine what it would be like to bbq on something like this!

And To Think I Was Born In 1947!

One of the joys of blogging is that you get a lot of interesting information from all around the world. This little tidbit came from an unimpeachable source to the west of Dallas and to the east of Abilene:

The year is 1947.

Some of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, a little over 60 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and mule ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico . This is a well known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies and organizations.

However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of April 1948, nine months after that historic day, the following people were born:

Albert A. Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham
John F. Kerry
William J. Clinton
Howard Dean
Nancy Pelosi
Dianne Feinstein
Charles E. Schumer
Barbara Boxer

See what happens when aliens breed with sheep and jackasses?

I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot ofthings for you. It did for me.

No wonder they support the bill to help illegal aliens!

Now You Know.

And now I am wishing I wasn't born in 1947...

And Some People Thought He Wasn't Human

And to think some people would say our new President wasn't human... But alas, the object of his attention was only 16! Shades of Bill Clinton.

Perhaps his time would have been better spent in checking out what his own daughter was wearing before she left the house.

Or maybe even checking out the new handbag that Michelle was sporting--and it only cost $6,000.

Suggestions For Texas Officiating

I've always been told that "something doesn't have to be broken to make it better" and I think that holds true in TEXAS OFFICIATING.

I think Texas officials are the very best to be found anywhere on the planet earth--and I think our Texas Section organization is the best there is--but there's always room for improvement. We only get better but continually looking for ways to improve. Here are some of my suggestions (and we would welcome yours):

MORE CERTIFICATION SCHOOLS

In Texas, the certification schools are now only offered in January and February and that isn't feasible for a lot of people around the state. (San Antonio does offer their school in March but they usually only have 15-20 people in attendance). In order for some people to go to school they have to go to another city and spend a ton of money to be certified.

It would be very simple to add additional schools in major metropolitan areas and a small fee could be charged so it would cost the Texas Section nothing. I would recommend additional schools during the summer and early fall in Austin, Dallas, Waco, and Houston.

AN UPDATED AND RELEVANT WEBSITE

A well informed organization is always that functions more efficiently--and we sadly, are not well informed in Texas. As of today (7-9-09), the home news section of the Texas Section website has nothing but an archive you can access. Upon going into the archive, the last article even printed was 12-08. Surely we can find more to write about than last years' news.

AN UPDATED AND RELEVANT NEWSLETTER

The USTA has finally come out with a newsletter but surely we could be doing one in Texas. A good newsletter doesn't take long to produce and would be a great help to our new officials as well as keeping us up to date on what's happening. As of today, the last newsletter posted on the Texas Section website is summer 2008. Surely we can do better...

MORE SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COORDINATORS

Since certification schools are only offered in January and February, there is a big gap of training and teaching during the rest of the year. Because of this need, the local coordinators in our major cities have done a FANTASTIC job of filling the void.

If an official takes the provisional test in March, that means they are wandering around officiating with no training until the following January. Surely we can do a better job...

In DFW, the Metroplex Tennis Officials Association requires additional schooling (4 hours) and shadowing (two 6 hour shifts) for all new officials. Congratulations to Cathy Kennan and her crew for doing such a fine job!

Houston also does a fine job in this area. Let's be sure to support our local coordinators for all the fine work they are doing.

These are just a few recommendations. We would welcome any of your constructive thoughts.

A New Can of Worms: Wimbledon Pay Scale

As you know, one of the joys of blogging is getting to open up a new can of worms from time to time... Here is the big one for today: the pay scale at Wimbledon.

We would love to hear your comments as to the equity or lack of equity in the pay scale. Here are the pay scales:

2009 Wimbledon Pay (In Pounds)

Singles winner: 850,000 Singles Runner Up: 425,000

Doubles winner: 230,000 Doubles Runner Up: 115,000

Mixed Doubles winner: 92,000 Mixed Doubles Runner Up: 46,000

Things to consider:

1. Amount of time on the court.

2. Quality of play and level of competition.

3. Effort given by the players.

Things not to consider:

1. How old Billie Jean King is and how much she sacrificed for women's tennis.

2. How obnoxious Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were during their playing days.

3. How much more a sports bra weighs than unliners for the men.

We will welcome any and all comments...

I'm Proud To Be An American--Wimbledon 2009

Even though he lost in the finals to Roger Federer, Andy Roddick made us all proud to be Americans! Unlike Connors and McEnroe, Roddick behaved like a gentlemen and probably played the match of his life. Congratulations to a fine young man...

Roger Federer

2009 Men's Singles Champion

Its hard to find words to describe the greatest tennis player in history but Roger truly is fantastic! He now has 15 Grand Slam singles titles and I'm sure there are more to come. Thanks to Roger for letting us all share in his life.

Serena Williams

2009 Women's Singles Champion

The Queen of women's tennis--and she's an American! As always Serena displayed power, poise, and class in her 2009 tournament. Congratulations to a great champion and we're looking forward to much more to come.

Serena & Venus Williams

2009 Women's Doubles Champions

Bob & Mike Bryan
2009 Men's Doubles Runners Up

4th of July--And Why We Can Celebrate

As we celebrate the freedoms of July 4th we all need to remember the sacrifices that were (and are being) paid by our young men.

We do indeed live in the greatest nation on earth!