Is A Code Always A Code?

All of us are well aware some code violations are always a code violation--but then there are some that might deserve some re-thinking.  There are definitely black and white areas when it comes to code violations but there are also some gray areas that might require a little extra thinking...

For instance, we have all universally coded the word "suck" for years and years.  Now that its becoming common place in most of the civilized world, maybe its time we rethink our bias against this innocent little word.  Maybe it would be better to issue a "loving caution" and ask the player to refrain from using the word--and then code them if they do it again.  This time for "unsportsmanlike behavior" and not conforming to the wishes of their ever-present official...

Another one that is kind of thought provoking is the practice of a lot of junior players of putting their racket straight up over their heads when their opponent hits a great or lucky shot.  Some officials immediately code this because they say the player is making fun of their opponent and that it means that the opponent is "up a tree."  I asked four junior players what that meant and I got four different opinions ranging from "you're up a tree" to "I suck."  If they can't agree on a meaning, I'm not sure it should universally be a code violation.  Again I would recommend telling them that you don't want to see that again--and then code them if they do it--not because of the actual meaning but because you gave them a specific instruction not to do it.

What about bouncing a racket on the ground after losing a point?  Sometimes we have to consider how far it bounced, the intent of their black hearts, the sound it made, and how hard it hit the ground...

What about hitting a ball against the fence?  Intent is huge but so is velocity and destination.

What about throwing a racket and hitting an official in the chest?  I had this happen and the player said, "I didn't mean to do it."  I replied, "My job is not to judge the intentions of your heart but the deeds of your flesh."  Code violation!

With all of these things to consider--how would you deal with codes on your court????

How Would You Rule On An Unplanned Outburst By An Official?

"Oops!  I should never have said that."

SCENARIO

In a women's Division I doubles match, a player stumbles and falls to the ground as she is hitting a shot. When the she fell to the ground, the official who was standing at the netpost said, "Whoa!"  Since she had hit the ball over the net, the player quickly regrouped and continued to play the point.  After her team won the point, the opposing team demanded a let because of "official interference" in the middle of the point.

How would you rule?

(Be sure to check out all the minute details in this scenario.)

How Would You Rule On An Unsolicited Overrule?

SCENARIO

In a Division I singles match a player makes an outcall on the near sideline.  The chair official immediately makes an overrule--without being asked by the opposing player.  

What would you do if you were the referee and called to the court?

1.  Let the overrule stand since the ball was clearly in. 

2.  Call "Official Interference" and replay the point.

3.  Declare that the outcall stands since the opposing player did not request an overrule.

Congratulations To The 4A Area Champions

Our special congratulations go out to the 4A Champions and Runners-Up of the area tournament this week.

Runner-Up

FRISCO CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL

Coach:  Carolyn Quarles

Champion

HIGHLAND PARK HIGH SCHOOL

Coach:  Dan Holden

On to regional for both of these fine teams.

Millard Countryman Passed Away Today--Another Warrior Gone Home

MILLARD COUNTRYMAN

"A Friend To Many"

Our hearts were saddened today with the news of the passing of Millard Countryman in Tyler, Texas.  Millard had suffered a stroke about four months ago and never recovered.

Millard was a man who had a true heart for tennis officiating.  He was the "King of Grass Roots Tennis" in my heart and mind as he has done hundreds of junior tournaments over the years in the Tyler area.  Millard was also active in collegiate officiating with Tyler Junior College and UT Tyler.  Not only did Millard work hours and hours as an official but he also gave his heart to training new officials.  Many officials in Texas today are there because of the training and encouragement of Millard Countryman.

I will forever be grateful to Millard for many things.  First, his friendship over the past 14 years has been one of my most treasured.  He always treated me as a son and that's something special when you are as old as I am.  He was forever a friend that I knew I could trust and depend on.  I always had a warm feeling when he would put his arm around me and say, "Son, just remember that I am the one who gave you your start in junior college tennis."

Second, he taught me about a work ethic as an official.  I have never known an official who worked harder and longer than Millard--and without complaining.  Two years ago at Junior College Nationals, Millard was there every morning at 7:15 a.m. and was there with me when we closed down every day.  He worked a full day every day in the hot sun and was a constant encourager to all the other officials on court.

I'm not totally sure about everything we are going to be doing in Heaven but I know this-- if there is a tennis court in Heaven, Millard will be at the net post.  He was truly a man I loved, appreciated, admired, and always hoped to emulate.

Millard--we will miss you!

Complaints, Complaints, and More Complaints

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that it takes a lot of work from a whole lot of people to make a tournament come off successfully--but along with all that work comes a WHOLE BUNCH OF COMPLAINTS...

While some complaints are valid and need immediate attention (such as our previous post), the vast majority of them are easily handled and many are not worth the paper (or email) they are written on.  It is not often that we single out one person for a job well done but in this case its valid and appropriate...

Nick Arnold in the man in charge of complaints at the Texas Section Office and I guarantee you that I would never want his job--and especially on a Monday after a multitude of tournaments over the weekend.  Our thanks go out to Nick for all of his fine work--and especially for his handling of all the complaints from players, parents, fans, tournament directors, officials, and the dog off of the street.  We are indeed lucky to have a young man of his caliber.

I served for years on the Discipline and Grievance Committee for officials so I can attest to the validity and lack thereof for many complaints.  Here are a few brief observations:

*  Some officials are inept.  Many times its because they are brand new (especially in ZAT tournaments) and are in training so remember that they have to be trained somewhere.  Some people are just blessed to be the authors of their training.  It takes a while to weed out the inept ones but the best solution for them is to not hire them in the first place.

*  Some parents are inept.  Most parents (99%) are just fine and very supportive of leadership and officials but the remaining 1% will cause you to pull out whatever is left of your hair.  I've seen parents berate their 12 year old children for not winning and scream and yell at officials over a call they think was missed.  The worst parent of all is the one who is reliving their childhood through their child.  They didn't win then and probably won't win now or they played at Wimbledon and expect their child to do the same.

*  Most parents are lots of fun.  The vast majority of parents actually know a lot about playing tennis and the rules of tennis and are very supportive and sympathetic to officials.  I really enjoy watching them as they moan, groan, exhort, encourage, and cheer on their offspring.  We should all try to enjoy the experience!

*  Not all complaints are valid.  Just because an official called a footfault is no cause for you to file a complaint.  That's our job--and we don't give warnings (unless its a ZAT and then very seldom).  Parents and fans need to remember that you can't see a far sideline/baseline call from the opposite end sitting in a lawn chair so you need to get over yourself.

*  Remember that officials aren't superman or superwoman.  The average ratio of officials to courts is 1 to 11 courts in Texas.  And you seriously want us to see and overrule every bad call?

*  Keep in mind that its a parents' job to raise their children and not the official.  I've had parents thank me for making their child behave--that's all well and good but the parents are ultimately responsible for their child's behavior--not me.

*  Remember that kids are kids--and let them have fun.  An official shouldn't pounce on every infraction they see but should remember that a "loving caution" goes a long way in correcting behavior and helping everyone (including parents and fans) enjoy the match and the tournament experience.

*  Remember that humans are humans and some will cheat and lie no matter what we do.  I can't imagine trying to sift through all the complaints that come in to Austin.  Imagine having two different people claiming to be honest and truthful and then have two diametrically opposed accounts of the same event.  The bottom line is that someone is not telling the truth--or perhaps is as blind as the official they are reporting.

There is no set solution to fix all of this because we are all humans and will be that way until the end of time.  I'm just glad we have Nick Arnold taking care of this for us...

Its Time For The Texas Section To Do Something

After waiting patiently for the Texas Section Discipline and Grievance Committee to do something about the incident mentioned below and seeing nothing done--its time to call for action from the Section and from this committee.  Normally a grievance takes a little bit of time to be dealt with but the delay on this issue is far too long.  We support the Discipline and Grievance Committee but its time to take some specific action on this grievance.

Seems that everyone wants to do nothing about it and shift the responsibility to someone or anyone else. The incident happened in a USTA event so its time to get with it and do something.  This player should not be playing tennis anywhere in Texas.   At least the Dallas Tennis Association (see previous blog posts) took immediate action and suspended the player for a year.

This is an issue that has ramifications for tennis officials everywhere.  The Section cannot and should not permit players to continue playing when they abuse officials.  Just imagine what they do to the opponents they are playing during a match.

We'll all be watching and waiting in the coming weeks to see some definitive action.  Sure hope it comes sooner than later...

Here is the previous post about the incident:

"In a team playoffs tournament last weekend in Dallas we saw a "player out of control" at its greatest example.  Seems that the player and his team showed up an hour late for their match and were defaulted.  The captain demanded to speak to the referee so the site official called her and handed the phone to the player/captain.  After he didn't get his way with the referee who upheld the default and finally got off the phone after their lengthy conversation, when the official asked for his phone back the player/captain said, "You can go get your f___king phone" and threw it over the building--completely destroying the phone.

The police were called to the site and said the official could press criminal mischief charges against the player while at the same time the player was offering the official $450 for his phone if he wouldn't press charges. Ultimately, the official did neither and chose to filed a complaint against the player. 

When confronted by the police the player actually accused the official of attacking him and said that the phone "squirted out of his hand."  The officer's reply was, "You are seriously going with that story?" Obviously they knew the truth about what happened.

This player needs to be suspended for a lengthy time and the DTA and the Texas Section Grievance Committee both need to take immediate and quick action.  This guy is out of control and there is predicting what he will do in the future.  He sure doesn't need to be playing any more USTA events in the foreseeable future." 

Tennis Officials Blog Is Alive, Well, And Healthy

A few years ago when we began this blog it was born out of a desire to keep officials up to date on what was happening in the tennis officiating world.  Hopefully, the blog has done a good job in that area.

Of course we have always had our detractors and that is to be expected when you shine the light on those who don't like the light.  To be honest, its kind of fun to stir things up from time to time just to see how they will filter out,  but the majority of the time we try to keep things upbeat and informative.  There's hardly a day that goes by that we don't get an email or a phone call with someone wanting us to put something on the blog.  That's what makes it fun and exciting!

Seems that its working pretty well.  Here are the figures for the past year:

*  Average of 7,000 hits per month.
*  300,000 hits since the beginning of the blog

Thanks to all our friends, loved ones, and those who don't like us so much--you've made the blog a good success!