In our tennis officiating world we have a tendency to focus on the responsibilities of NEW OFFICIALS and what all they need to do if they ever want the privilege of working even a ZAT tournament but after spending countless hours of training new chair officials I have come to the conclusion we need to also emphasize our responsibilities as SEASONED OFFICIALS. (Please note that I did not say OLD officials because that only makes us all more insecure...)
After working quite a few grass roots tournaments lately and hearing horror stories from some of the NEWBIES, I believe we need to make some basic changes--and do them quickly. The #1 complaint I hear from new officials is that they never get to work once they are certified and that local referees only use their chosen few.
I realize I am running the risk of offending some, here are my thoughts for SEASONED OFFICIALS:
1. Always be PATIENT with new officials. They don't automatically know everything they need to do--and just think back to when you did your first tournament and all the things you screwed up.
2. Have a SENSE OF HUMOR with working with newbies. After all, this is a tennis match and the universe does not revolve around what you do at a ZAT tournament in West Texas. Yesterday I had a trainee doing a chair match for the men's doubles in the Plano ITA tournament and right off the bat she called a let on the first serve. All four players looked at me and started laughing so I joined them--and finally the red-faced chair official joined in the laughter. Perhaps we should all learn to chill out a bit when mistakes are made...
3. Be HONEST with the new ones. When they ask how they are doing, tell them openly and honestly. You don't have to shatter their already fragile egos but you do need to help them in areas that need improvement.
4. Don't be CONDESCENDING with our new family members. Remember they are all adults and have "real jobs" so don't treat them like ignorant children. Someday when you are old and ready to go to the nursing home they may remember what you did to them when they were first beginning.
5. Be TRUTHFUL IN YOUR SCHEDULING. The #1 thing I have heard lately is that we have referees sending out availabilities, umpires returning the availabilities, and then the referee doesn't notify them of their assignment until a day before it begins. I realize referees have to work with many sites but you should at least have some working knowledge of how many officials you are going to use. This ridiculous practice needs to stop--and stop now...
6. Remember that PRACTICE is what is going to make a new official better--but pay them when you enlist them. It seems that now we want them to shadow for free, work the first assignment for free, and then kiss our feet for the rest of their natural lives. This officiating world isn't servitude--its service and we're all in it together.
7. Branch out and use new officials. You'd be surprised what you find out there.
8. Be open to training new chair officials. Right now that responsibility ends up at the doorstep of only a very few referees. Good chair officials don't happen by complaining that we don't have any--it happens when we patiently train the new ones.
9. Keep your eyes and ears open for new people. They are everywhere!
12 comments:
The latest issue of the USTA magazine didn't have nice things to say about some of the referees in Florida. Very interesting.
The referees in Dallas-Ft. Worth are the worst about abusing new officials. Is the MTOA Board listening to any of this?
What kind of abuse would you be referring to? Making officials work in 110 degree temperatures and not giving them a 10-minute break every hour on the hour. Please explain.
Anonymous #2....to respond to your question, the MTOA Board probably doesn't listen to much of this kind of unsupported accusation, nor would we expect them to. How about you contact them directly with specific information about new officials being abused? That way, maybe they can look into it. Or is that what they're there for? Would anyone on the board care to step forward and let Anonymous #2 know where to take his/her accusations? God forbid the little darlin' address the concerns directly with the referree(s) being painted (tainted) with such a large brush!
Well, I am on the board and they did let me know in answer to your question. It seems that some of our referees are sending out availabilities well in advance of a tournament and then when the officials return the form with their availabilities, they are not advised of their assignments or lack thereof, until a day or two before the tournament begins. A couple told me that the referees did not even bother to respond to their availabilities when they returned them.
If you aren't going to use someone, then you owe them the dignity of NOT sending them an availability.
You can be sure this issue will be discussed at the next board meeting and hopefully something equitable can be done.
I also encouraged them to write their complaints to our MTOA President, Cathy Kennan. Hopefully they will.
Randy -
I'm going to open another Pandora's Box, but we have the same problem with some ITA coordinators. If you send someone an availability sheet, they need to be assigned something. And they also need to know when the ARE NOT working so they can take those matches off their calendar. If the coordinators don't do this, then I guarantee you that ITA officials will double and triple bid matches on the same date and then hope to get one . . . . and if they get multiple offers, then they lie about it. I know you don't like/approve this, but it happens because folks want to work and if they are not given the courtesy of feedback, then they double bid some dates.
Why is it that a lot of officials continually bitch about their situation but never do anything about it? I can think of one "professional" official that keeps telling everybody how sick she is of working pro events and wants to quit, but somehow never does. This must be the new generation at work wanting handouts and freebies.
I am so glad you addressed this issue. I work all over the state and the Metroplex is NOT the only place I have seen new officials abused. When I was new, I thought this was the “right of passage”. You either quit or figured out not to let the Ref take advantage of you. Once you work for an organized, efficient Ref you learn what needs to be done, what a schedule should be, so when you get that disorganized, clueless Ref, you take care of as much as you can, but don’t kill yourself covering for them. As long as you let the Ref know, “I’ve been out here for one and a half hours in 110 degree heat and I’m taking a break.” If the Ref gives you any grief, you still take your break, but you know not to work for them again. Same holds true for officials and Refs. If someone’s not doing their job, don’t work for them, don’t hire them.
A white badge told me, once that he had just come from an ITF to do an ITA and called the service let in a men's match. We all make mistakes, he just knew how to fix it. Official Interference, Replay the Point.
Got an email from an official today who said a referee in DFW told him that she doesn't send out availabilities. Now I just wonder how she knows who can work and when???
I'm a Florida official who enjoys reading your blogs - you folks actually talk about problems in your section. Refreshing!
As to the article in Tennis Life, I believe the emphasis of the article was the lack of sufficient numbers of officials at junior events in Florida, not the quality of officiating. We have more and more tournament directors who only employ a solo official for junior tournaments. The lone official is generally saddled with 8 to 12 courts. Sadly, at many USTA Florida sanctioned junior tourneys below the Super Series level, there are no officials hired to officiate.
Kudos to the last Anonymous comments (11:39 AM). He or she hit the nail on the head - don't work for incompetent Refs or at events that are not properly staffed. When mistakes are made, correct them and get on with life.
well you talk about FL having issues, AR is fixing to host the Super National 12's boys with only 3 officials for 20 courts. Having worked plenty of 12's they tend to be the worst offenders and then you add in their parents.
Post a Comment