2014 Tournament Schedule Just Arrived--Now What Do I Do With It?

One of the most frequently asked questions by new officials is, "How do I get to work?"  Seems that is an age old question and not one that is easily answered; however, the new 2014 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE might become a helpful tool for new officials.

Here are some guidelines you might consider when looking for new places to work in 2014:

*   Study the booklet and become well acquainted with the terminology and listings of various tournaments.

*   Determine the tournaments for which you are available and would like to work.

*   Find out the name and email address of the referee for those tournaments.

*   DO NOT call the referee to tell them you are available and would like to work.  That would probably ensure that you would not be invited to officiate that tournament.

*   Send an email to the referee letting them know that you are available to work a specific tournament.  DO NOT copy the tournament information and attach it to your email--the referee knows the tournaments he/she is working and all the information contained therein.

*   If you do not know the referee and are reasonably sure they do not know you, then put a brief description of your work experience in your email.

*   REFERENCES are huge when trying to get into the officials' workforce.  If you are new, the referee may not know you or even heard of you so be sure to list some references in your email.  Try to put references that the referee would probably know.  Don't include your best friend who is also a brand new official and don't put the name of some national official in NYC that you shook their hand in a receiving line one time.

*   Once you have sent your email, leave it alone.  The referee will look it over and make their decision and can do this without your follow-up phone calls and emails.

*   Remember that just because you send your availability email to a referee that doesn't mean you will necessarily be invited to work.  It takes a while to get into the rotation so be patient.  If you aren't invited to work it also doesn't mean that the referee doesn't like you for some imagined reason.  They simply may not know you or already have a full staff.

*   Sign up for as much training as possible.  There are lots of training opportunities in Texas and the more training you receive--the better you become.  Remember that the trainers share the names of good trainees with other referees...

Good luck as you put your new 2014 Tournament Schedule to good use...

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing all of our blogging friends a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We Could Learn From The Hunting Dogs

In the comments section of nearly every blog post we hear about inept officials and then instance after instance supporting that claim--and sadly a great deal of it is true.  We have lots of training and teaching going on--but we are going to have to do better...

Many years ago I was privileged to go raccoon hunting down in Leakey, Texas--and it was a great experience!  I don't relish the thought of killing an unsuspecting raccoon but I really loved watching the dogs hunt.  As with most hunting dogs, this hunter had an Ol' Blue (don't they all?) and he was awesome to watch. I asked the hunter how Ol' Blue got to be such a great hunting dog and he said it was because of Ol' Blue's daddy!  He said the way they train a new hunting dog or pup is to send them out in the field with an older experienced hunting dog.

WOW!  Maybe we should take our clues from the hunting dogs...

We can give an official a Friend at Court (or least in 2013) but just knowing the rules obviously isn't enough to qualify as a good official.  EXPERIENCE is the key to everything in officiating.  A good official not only has to know the rules backwards and forward but he/she also has to know how to apply the rules and deal with people on a regular basis--and that's where we are falling down on the job...

I guess there are some of us who would qualify as the Ol' Blue Group in officiating but we all had to learn how to hunt from someone else.  We didn't learn it in a classroom.  Over the past 23 years I have spent as much time watching officials as anything in my officiating life.  I love watching them--and not just to get blog fodder.  We all learn from watching good techniques as well as bad and we also learn how to work with people from watching people that know how to do it.  You never graduate from being able to learn...

Let's be sure we send our new officials out with seasoned officials and let's be sure our seasoned officials never stop learning.

Then we might be what we've always wanted to be.

Bang For Your Buck Or Pinching Pennies?

Are recent actions due to "pinching pennies" or...

Just trying to get "more bang for your buck."

Over the years we have heard tournament directors and officials alike complain about lack of training, inept officials, lack of large enough entry fees, and so on and so on...  After hearing the litany of complaints we are then subjected to new rules and regulations--and new twists from tournament directors.  Seems like the question ought to be, "Are you looking for more bang for your buck or are you just pinching pennies?"

A few years ago we had (and might still have) a tournament director who would pay officials in 15 minute increments.  That means that someone had to be following everyone around with a timer...  Maybe their efforts would have been put to better use if they had been timing warm-ups and changeovers.

Recently one of our DFW tournament directors came up with a new twist.  Even though officials are required to be at the courts at 7:30 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. start, they would only pay them beginning at 8:00 a.m.  That means they think they should get 30 minutes free from every official.  This is in direct violation of MTOA policies and ethics.  If you are required to be there at 7:30 a.m. then you should be paid from the time you are required to report.  Since this is happening, there are three courses of action:

1.  As an official, don't show up until 8:00 a.m. or just show up for the start of your pay.  This will probably get the quickest action since a tournament can't begin until the site is prepared and the nets are ready for play.

2.  As a referee, if the TD is going to pay until 8:00 a.m. don't ask them to show up or at least have the integrity to tell them they won't be paid for the first 30 minutes.  If you are in cahoots with your TD then at least tell your officials what you are doing to them--don't make them wait until they get their pay check.

3.  As a tournament director, quit pinching pennies and pay for what you are getting in work product.

Since the state-wide average is one official per 11 courts (and most times worse than that), its time to quit pinching pennies and learn to affirm your officials for doing a good job.

NOTE:  Before you start telling me how inept and untrained our officials are--just don't.  The vast majority of our officials are well trained and do a great job.  Try standing on court for hours at a time in freezing weather or unbearable heat and then see what you think.

The Fiduciary Responsibilities Of The MTOA Board of Directors

This week the Board of Directors of the Metroplex Tennis Officials Associated unanimously voted to increase the pay scale for officials effective on January 1, 2015.  There will be those who applaud this decision and those who deride it.  There will be those who are grateful for the decision and those who think we have destroyed their future.  Its time to put hysterics aside and look at the thought processes that went into this decision.

First of all, the Board is directly responsible for setting the policies and pay scales for all officials who do USTA events in the Metroplex.  Here is the definition of fiduciary:

"A person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another."

Basically the Board of Directors are entrusted with the responsibility of making decisions that benefit our MTOA officials--and noone else and no other entity.  We are not responsible for the profit margins of tournaments and/or tournament directors since we have no accountability to them nor them to us.  We have no responsibility for the Texas Section since again we have no accountability to them nor them to us.  Our decisions are, and should be, based on the welfare and benefit of our fellow officials.

Here are some of the considerations that went into this decision:

*   How long has it been since we last raised rates?  It has been five years since our last rate increase.

*   How long do you wait before making the rate increase effective?  In the past, the MTOA has always given 6 months notice but the Board felt that a year's notice would be best.  This would enable tournaments and tournament directors to factor in the new rates.

*   What is the state of the local economy?  Obviously good enough to support a rate increase.

*   What about the price of gasoline?  You need to look no further than how much gas prices have risen since the last rate increase.

*   What about toll charges?  This has become a very relevant issue in the Metroplex and one only has to look at the local highways to see those charges will be rapidly multiplying.  For instance, to travel from north Dallas to Arlington costs $10 in tolls.

*   When do we raise rates again?  This was an integral factor in the decision to raise the rates to the level of $20/hour for the referees and $18/hour for the umpires.  The Board felt that with this increase we could go longer before the next increase.

*   What about officials that officiate for their sole source of income?  This should have no bearing on the decision.  Officials who depend on officiating as their sole source do not, and should not, be paid more or less.

*   What about those tournament directors who refuse to provide meals for officials?  This can, and should, factor into the decision to raise rates.  When the rates were raised five years ago there were a few tournament directors (along with the approval of three key referees) who retaliated against the officials by refusing to provide meals even though it had been standard policy since the inception of the MTOA. Basically this translates into about a 13% pay cut for an umpire based on the rates of five years ago.  (An umpire currently makes $15/hour and $90 for a six hour shift.  Meals and transportation to get them cost at least $12, so that translates into a pay cut when meals are not furnished.)

BTW, kudos to those tournaments and tournament directors who provide meals.  You are much appreciated.

There is always an ongoing discussion anytime there are pay increases--that's the history and nature of mankind.  Your Board of Directors did what we felt was our fiduciary responsibility for our members.

MTOA Holds Annual Meeting & Board Meeting

Board Members Randall Edwards, Nancy Ebersole & Susan Wertenberger enjoying the annual meeting.

The Metroplex Tennis Officials Association held their annual meeting tonight at the home of fellow officials, Terry and Mark Gatzki.  The general membership had a great time of food and fellowship before the meeting and in the meeting itself they elected and re-elected the following board members:

Nancy King (re-elected)
Randy McDonald (re-elected)
Joe Mounger (new member)
Gary Tolbert (re-elected)

Following the general membership meeting there was a board meeting in which the board members discussed increasing participation in local tournaments and setting guidelines for officials for the new year.

In special action the Board of Directors voted unanimously to raise the rates for officials pay to the following:

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2015:

Referee:  $20/hour with an 8 hour minimum.
Umpires:  $18/hour with a 6 hour minimum

Wonder Where The Yellow Went When You Brush Your Teeth With Pepsodent? Did You Ever Wonder Where Your Entry Fee Went When The Tournament Is Cancelled?

Do you wonder where the yellow went?

One of the age old and most famous advertising slogans was Pepsodent's "Do you wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent?"  After the past few weeks and disastrous weather we have had, a lot of parents and players who are now wondering where their entry fees went after their tournament was cancelled...

For an example we will use a ZAT tournament since it is the lowest entry fee charged for a tournament in Texas.  Here is the breakdown of your entry fee:

$27     Entry fee charged for the tournament.
$3       Tennis Link charge to enter the tournament.

TOTAL ENTRY FEE: $30

Here are the expenses for the tournament:

$250 fee to the Texas Section for a sanctioning fee.
$1/singles entry to the Texas Section.
$1.50/doubles entry to the Texas Section
$2.95 cost for the medallion given to winners
Cost of tennis balls.
Cost of court rentals.
Cost of officials and tournament staff.

When a tournament is cancelled, the tournament does not have to pay court fees, fees for balls, or the cost of officials and tournament staff--yet, they get to keep the entry fee as if the tournament had been played.

Here are some thoughts and questions about this issue:

*  Refund the sanctioning fee and player development fees to the tournament director.

*  Since Tennis Link does not provide refunds, why not require them adapt their program to do so.  In today's world, you know it can be done.  The amount of refund should be consistent throughout the state.

*  Since players have paid their entry fees in good faith, why not at least give them credit for the next tournament.  It might take a little bookkeeping but with the profit margin it shouldn't be impossible.

*  Why not allow a "cancelled tournament fee" which should be a reasonable amount (maybe $3 or $4) and then refund the rest to the player.

Some ZAT tournaments in Texas have well over 500 entries so you do the math when a tournament is cancelled.  Perhaps its time for the leadership in Texas to rise up and do that which is right and fair.

A lot of parents and players throughout Texas would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this issue.

December 11: MTOA Annual Meeting

The Metroplex Tennis Officials Association will hold their annual meeting on Wednesday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the home of Mark and Terry Gatzki (4505 Turnberry Court, Plano 75024).

New board members will be voted on in the general membership part of the meeting and everyone is asked to bring their favorite covered dish.

Is It Time For A Cold Weather Rule?

With the prospects of cold weather in the teens this weekend in Dallas, the question comes up yet again--is it time for the USTA to establish a cold weather rule?  I think that without much debate, any sensible person (player, parent, or spectator) would agree that the rule is long overdue. We regularly see kids being required to play in temperatures below freezing and maybe its time to call a halt to this practice.

Even though kids don't seem to mind the cold, the parents and spectator surely do--and the doctors do also on Monday when you take your kid to see him because you froze them over the weekend.  Add the cost of a doctor's visit to your entry fee and hotel bill and it makes the tournament rather expensive.  Collegiate tennis has had a cold weather rule for years and its time for the USTA and the Texas Section to get on board.

Once the need is established, the question then becomes, "where do you set the rule?"  If college players and coaches think 50 degrees is too cold, then I would think the bare minimum should be 40 or 45 degrees. Since we don't play in snow or wet weather, the temperature gauge could be our sole guideline.  I realize that a lot of older players and parents are going to be quick to say, "I remember playing in 10 degrees when I was a kid."  Thank goodness you aren't one any longer...  I can actually remember sitting in a chair officiating a match at Baylor a few short years ago when the temperature was 32 degrees.  I wasn't so worried about the players as I was about losing my fingers and toes.

We would welcome your thoughts and discussion on this important issue.

What Every Rookie Official Must Know

Here is an excellent article sent to us by a blog fan.  It is directed primarily at football and basketball officials but holds a lot of truth for tennis officials.

"So you've decided on a life in stripes.  What have you gotten yourself into?  Rookie officials face a host of challenges as they get ready for their first season.  The life of an official is not for everyone, evidenced by the high percentage of newcomers who don't return for their sophomore season.  Your local association will provide you with training and guidance as you prepare for your first night on the field or on the court.  The NFHS will provide the rulebooks and manuals, and your state association will most likely provide additional information and direction on state guidelines.

But what are the intangibles, the real secrets behind becoming a successful official?  What are some of the tips that will help you shake off your "rookie" moniker as quickly as possible?

Here are four tips for first-year officials that will help make your initial season a productive one.

*  LEARN THE RULEBOOK.  That seems to be a constant refrain among the heads of officials associations, who say that a rookie official who knows the rules has a greater chance of success than one who just thinks he does.  Read the rulebook, casebook and officials manuals every chance you get.  Over lunch.  Before bedtime.  On the train or bus.  By the end of your first season, the books should be so threadbare you'll need to get another set.

*  BE A LISTENER, NOT A TALKER.  Crews love to chat, but rookies need to admit that they have less to add to the conversation than an official who's served for two decades.  Every official a rookie runs into can teach him or her something.  Obviously you can learn much from a 15-year line judge who's mastered his mechanics.  But listening to your fellow rookies also can be educational.;  Why make the mistakes yourself, when you can learn from another rookie's gaffe?

*  FORGET MONEY.  That's an obvious one, but its one that overlooked.  Most associations are very up front with recruits that the money shouldn't be a motivator, but it bears repeating.  The Atlanta Area Football Officials Association, like many others, pays its officials at the end of the season in one lump sum, and many of its members look at it as a modest Christmas Club account.

*  GAIN EXPERIENCE ANYWHERE YOU CAN.  Is your association calling preseason intrasquad scrimmages or games?  Work as many as you can.  Have an extra Saturday available?  Officiate a B-team game.  Tell your assignor you're available should a last-minute vacancy occur.  Take every opportunity to gain onfield experience.  Remeber, a rookie who calls two games a week is twice as experience as the rookie who calls just one."

Lots of good advice and definitely has truths for a rookie tennis official...