How Would You Rule?

I had a great question raised by a blogger over the weekend and said I would put it out there for all your collective wisdom... Here you go:

SCENARIO: In a women's ITA dual match, Team A had their head coach and one assistant. Before the match they also wanted to add the men's head coach as their third coach.

Would you allow this?

(Hint) Someone called the ITA offices and were told that they could not add the men's head coach as their third coach.

How Would You Rule?

During last night's SMU vs TCU ITA men's match, the officials had a discussion about the ITA rules. We would be interested in your ruling...

SCENARIO: In a men's ITA dual match, can only the receiver stop the server from serving or can either the receiver or his partner stop the server?

Send us your thoughts and comments real soon as we have a difference of opinion among the learned...

Resolution of A&M Protest

Well, the powers that be handed down their decision on the A&M protest of their recent loss to the SMU women.

The ruling: The match is declared a "non-match" but the players get to keep their results.

Members of the resolution committee are:

Bobby Kleinecke (Texas A&M coach)

Jeff Hammond (TCU coach)

Sujay Lama (UNT coach)

At one time the UTSA women's coach was on this committee but not sure about her membership today.

Due to my vow of impartiality, I will not comment but sure would welcome yours.

Coach's Code of Conduct

In the Friend at Court there is a Code of Conduct that all officials should abide by--and with much of our current focus on coaches, perhaps we should also have a COACH'S CODE OF CONDUCT.

If this were possible, here are my suggestions:

* Always be truthful.

* Always treat others (players, other coaches, fans, and officials) as you would like to be treated.

* Treat all officials with respect. Remember we are all also adults and can actually read, think, and articulate on our own.

* Do not ever publicly demean an official. Screaming and yelling might be a crowd pleaser but is not acceptable in personal dealings on a tennis court.

* Remember that officials are trained and are there to do the best job possible.

* Always contact the referee when there is a change in your schedule. We are not mind readers.

* Remember to thank the officials after a match is over. This goes a long way with officials.

These are just a few suggestions. We would welcome your thoughts and comments.

New Fate of the SMU-A&M Dispute

Because the comments were getting too personal and because I do not want to get into a dispute with either coach, I am deleting the post on this issue.

If you would like to read more about it check out the texascollegetennis blog listed to the right.

SMU vs Texas A&M Dispute

Well, just when it seems that all was quiet in the ITA world, things begin to liven up again.

Seems that A&M has filed a complaint against SMU because one of the SMU women withdrew in their match on Tuesday night.

Be sure to check out more on the story at the "texas college tennis" blog listed at the right.

To be honest, I have been on the road officiating for the past week so I haven't gotten the facts all sorted out (if that is possible) but Granger Huntress does a fine job in his blog. Be sure to read it and I'll try to comment more real soon.

College tennis is in full swing so hope you are all having fun and enjoying it to the fullest.

Blogging is fun! Check out the new sites.

Blogging is a lot of fun--and blogging about tennis is even more fun! Be sure to check out the sites listed to the right. If you know of any more good tennis blogs, send them and I'll post them to our site.

Enjoy...

Appearance of Our New Sportsmanship Ambassadors

Thought I would include this email I received from a local official who encountered one of our new Sportsmanship Ambassadors over the weekend. I am glad he finally introduced himself to the official and I certainly think it would have been good had he introduced himself to the referee.

Here is the email from our local official:

I was working the Dallas Champ tournament at Garland on Saturday. About mid-way through the morning, a gentleman comes over to introduce himself. He had been around all morning long, but had not said anything to the referee (working the desk), or myself. He told me he was on the Junior Tennis Committee started to tell me about their new program. I said "oh yeah, the sportsmanship ambassadors." He seemed to be a bit surprised that I was aware of the program. He told me he was there to help if he could and to let me know if there were any players he wanted me to keep an eye on while I was roving. That day, I had 11 courts and the configuration did not allow all the courts to be monitored at once. Neal (from Austin) came across as friendly and sincere and seemed to understand that officials could not actually observe everything and that the kids knew when to hold off on the shenanigans when the officials were close. I made it a point to check with Neal a couple of times later on during the day to see if he saw anything report-worthy. The only thing he saw was the same kid that I had cautioned earlier in the day. Neal also made it a point to mention that SAs could hand out suspension points (I already knew this...) Overall, I felt like I had someone else there to help observe behaviors and because of the introduction and friendliness, I didn't feel like I was being spied on.

Metroplex Tennis Officials Association Officers

The board of directors of the MTOA met last night and elected the following officers:

President Cathy Kennan

Vice-President Seande Pulley

Secretary Roz Tuerk

Treasurer Randall Edwards

Congratulations to these officials and best of luck for the new year...

Ethics & Infallibility in ITA Tennis

Ethics: those moral principles which guide our lives and our decision making.

Jesus Christ

The only infallible judge.

During the past week I have come to a new conviction about two words when doing tennis officiating: ETHICS AND INFALLIBILITY.

First, infallability is only true of one person and that is Jesus Christ. The word means "exempt from liability to error, as persons, their judgment, or pronouncements." Basically that is saying that He never erred in areas that we are called upon to make judgments regularly.

Since Jesus is not an option for us to use as an official, then coaches, players, and other officials must accept the fact that we make mistakes in matters of judgment (line calls, etc.) and pronouncements--on a regular basis. Our goal is to see things as clearly as possible and then make a correct pronouncement. If we make a mistake, then we make a mistake. Sinless perfection does not exist for a human being--or a tennis official.

Second, ETHICS is a huge issue for me when it relates to tennis. Players without officials must adhere to their system of ethics as they make calls and play their matches. The same is true for coaches and officials alike.

ETHICAL DILEMMA FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

Scenario: In an ITA match the coach of player A clearly witnessed a bad call by his player on a crucial point. The chair umpire upheld the out call. What should the coach do?

Note: After the match the coach told the referee that he clearly witnessed the bad call by his player so he was well aware of the fact.

I would enjoy hearing your ethical responses to the above dilemma...

Clearing Up Any Confusion

There seems to be some confusion and rumors about our new ITA shirts and I would like to clear that up as quickly as possible.

When Myron, Chuck Scott, and myself first initiated the idea of an ITA shirt for our officials we did the following:

1. Contacted the ITA and received their WRITTEN permission to use the logo. They had their artists give us the logo we could use. They also had us sign a written agreement that we would not make a profit in the sale of the shirts (and we have honored that agreement completely.)

2. We then got the approval of our Sectional Chairman, Bruce Sampley, as the duly appointed representative of the USTA.

3. After those two steps, we had the shirts manufactured and are now using them in our matches.

After getting the proper authorization, we invited EVERY ITA coordinator in Texas and Oklahoma to join us in using the new ITA logo. The vast majority gladly joined in the process.

We have heard rumors and inuendos about the new shirts ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous--and none of them are true. The BASIC UNALTERABLE FACTS are stated above and you can quote me anywhere you would like. We have also heard that some in the leadership of the USTA don't like the shirts but that the attorneys for the USTA love the idea so go figure that one out in your spare time.

Let me also point out that the ITA shirts have been in use in California for numerous years and they continue to do so even today.

Truth always overcomes rumors so there you have it folks. The shirts are required in DFW, Austin, Houston, and Waco so if you intend to work at these locations be aware of the requirement. All of the officials who work in those locations are well aware of the requirement and we have had no complaints. In fact, we have had nothing but compliments on the new shirts from officials, coaches, and players. Remember that as ITA officials we are considered "independent contractors" and as such, we can require the new ITA shirts if you wish to work at our matches.

Hopefully this will help put to rest some unfounded rumors...

How Would You Rule?

Scenario: In a men's ITA dual match (singles), player A calls a baseline shot out that was obviously in--and witnessed by the head referee and player B's coach. The chair upholds the out call.

The coach of Player B is irate and wants the referee to overrule the non-overrule by the chair official since he witnessed the call.

What would you do if you were the referee?

1. Overrule the non-call by the chair and issue an overrule to player A.

2. Do nothing.

3. Assure the coach you would talk to the chair official at the next changeover.

4. Hope it never happens again.

5. Thank the chair official for bringing such grief into your life.

Officials Training Houston Style

From time to time we like to post blogs about effective training methods--and I think Houston and Dallas have the best there is to offer.

Here is a description of the Houston training from their President, Ginny James:

We try to get our new officials to a roving training clinic as soon as possible. This is where we go through roving process and then send them out to the courts to shadow experienced officials for a while, then bring them back in to discuss different situations that occurred. Then we require them to shadow at least two junior tournaments and two adult tournaments of at least four hours each. They have to complete these requirements before they are a paid official. During our school we gave them a schedule of upcoming tournaments (one was the HTA ZAT) in which a training clinic would be held. Then we specified certain tournaments they could shadow. We don't want them shadowing just any official! We really no longer have a "mentor" assigned to each new official. That never seemed to work out. Mostly these new officials contact Nancy Vivero, Gloria Dial, John Mullins, or me, depending on the area they live. John is in South Houston, and he recruits high school players to work. He is a retired tennis coach. They also have what they call a "Shadowing Data Card" where the new official tracks their training progress then at the end turns it in so they can start getting paid for officiating.

The Houston officials organization is to be commended on their fine work.

Another Word About "Sportsmanship Ambassadors"

The issue of "sportsmanship ambassadors" has certainly generated a lot of open and frank discussion--and rightfully so. This is an issue that affects players, parents, spectators, and officials so its always good to have open dialogue.

One of our wisest and most experienced officials in Texas recently sent the following response to our leadership in Austin:

We have reviewed the letter dated February 11, 2010 from USTA-Texas addressed to "Dear USTA Texas Volunteer" that establishes "Sportsmanship Ambassador Guidelines". In our opinion this undermines the effectiveness of certified (and trained) USTA umpires, Referees, and Tournament Directors and their committees. USTA Texas could better spend their time emphasizing the "Know the Rules" initiative that encourages players, parents, relatives, spectators and coaches and tennis enthusiasts to "Know the Rules". This initiative should be pushed through all leagues and age levels, the UIL, coaching and teaching academies, all USTA activities. Why not make all committee chairs, responsible officers, coaches, parents and players take a written test of their rules and conduct/knowledge ? These "ambassadors" should be required to identify themselves to the Tournament Director and Referee of EVERY event they attend -- perhaps a "purple shirt" should be worn for identity. Some of the USTA "certified officials" have grown over 20 years with the officiating improvements and the reckless behavior of players, parents and spectators. Many of us have survived really bad incidents (gun pulling, verbal abuse and threats), yet are dedicated to "fairness of play". The USTA-Texas Section should terminate their "Sportsmanship Ambassador" program and concentrate on educating players at all levels in "fairness of play". (Or, for a trade-off, umpires should be able to select one of the committees and chair the proceedings a couple of times. A list should be distributed from Austin for umpires to select the committee they wish to chair.)

I will simply let his words speak for themselves.

This official sent his concerns to Austin and here is an excerpt of their response on the issue of anonymity for the Sportsmanship Ambassadors:

Anonymity was considered the most important part of being an ambassador so that players could not identify them like they do officials. There will also be an emphasis on education of players, parents, and spectators at the same time.

Again I will let their words speak for themselves...

Personally, I am more than willing to go along with the directives from the Texas Section office but I do have serious reservations. We will all be supportive and hope that time proves the wisdom of the decision.