Just How Well Can A Collegiate Tennis Coach Actually See?

"Eagle Eye" is what everyone strives to be in tennis.

Here is what a coach would look like if he actually had eagle eyes.

As officials, its always exciting when a collegiate coach informs us that we are "blind as a bat" and have missed the call because he/she has seen it clearly (on the far sideline) and we should take their word for it--the ball was good!

All that sounds well and good, but it just ain't true.  It is physically impossible for a person standing on a sideline to see the far sideline as well as someone sitting 9 feet up in a chair...

Here are some things I've learned over the years about coaches and their eyesight opinions:

*  The beauty is in the eye of the beholder and they all think they have perfect eyesight.
*  Officials are blind and can see nothing.
*  Officials are biased against them and are biased in their calls.
*  They can stand at the net post and clearly see the far sideline and far corner of the baseline without error or question.
*  Officials are making the call because they are afraid of the opposing coach.
*  The officials were paid to make bad calls.
*  The official is dating one of the players and are making calls to benefit them.
*  Lots of coaches have friends and relatives in the stands who are always truthful in how they see the ball and are more than willing to help the official officiate.
*  According to one coach, the official was making bad calls on his player because he didn't like Russians.
*  The coach is arguing the call simply to motivate his own player.  He knew the ball was out all the time but didn't want to admit it.
*  As one coach said, "I can see all 6 courts at one time and I never miss a call."

Here are some things that are TRUE about making line calls:

*  Noone is 100% right all the time.
*  Some officials are not very good at making line calls and that will never change.
*  Just like some coaches suck at their jobs, some officials do too.
*  The person in the chair can see the court better than a person standing or sitting on the sideline.
*  Officials are to overrule only when there is a "clear and obvious" error.
*  Officials are human and can make mistakes.  Coaches and players are the same by the way...
*  Any official who changes their call because the coach rants and raves won't be an official for long.
*  Officials should treat all coaches with the respect and honor they are due.
*  A coach has no right to verbally abuse an official over a line call.
*  A coach should always treat an official with respect as another human being.
*  A coach should never call into question an official's race, intellect, abilities, biases, sexual orientation, or anything that demeans them as a human being.

Overall, I would say that 99.9% of all coaches are fine, upstanding people doing a great job in a very difficult position.  As one coach said, "Can you imagine having your future being held in the hands of a 19 year old?"

Its the .1% that make our life difficult from time to time...

The Truth of the Matter

And oh how true this is!

How Young Is Too Young To Be An Official?

One of the most perplexing questions facing us in the tennis officiating world is the question of "how young is too young to be an official?"

We are constantly seeking new people to become officials and there seems to be a new crop of young officials just chomping at the bit to become officials--and that's good!  We always need new and fresh blood in our occupation--but along with that growth sometimes come some difficult questions.

We are welcoming 16 year olds into our ranks but the question is now coming up--is that too young to be an official.  Of course they are limited to working matches with players younger than they are but is that the solution?  In DFW we offer a "shadowing" program in which they have to work at least one shift with an experienced official before working on their own.  A tournament director recently said that she did not want 16 year olds shadowing in her tournaments because they are simply too young.  I tend to agree...

Officiating is an occupation that deals with parents, players, and spectators--usually at their best and worst.  We are called upon to intervene in conflict and I'm just not sure that a 16 year old has that level of maturity.  The other side of the coin is that very few parents or players will give them the respect that they need to accomplish their task.  No parent wants a crucial decision about their child to be made by a 16 year old--no matter how mature we might think they are. There is no doubt that a 16 year old can learn the rules of tennis but in no way are they mature enough to handle the conflict that regularly occurs in an official's life.

I would tend to think that 18 years of age is the absolute lowest age we should permit into officiating.  Ideally it would be best for them to be out of high school and in college to be able to handle all the duties of an official.  I have personally witnessed numerous 18 year olds make it and do a good job but not so with 16 year olds.  They simply don't have the required maturity.

This is not to say we discard anyone under 18.  We can offer advanced training and shadowing (if the tournaments permit it) and bring them along carefully and wisely.  We need to remember that they are still young and need wisdom and guidance.  I've seen far too many adults walk away from officiating because they can't handle the stress and conflict so just imagine what that does to a 16 year old.

Let them come along to observe and shadow in situations that are non-threatening and nuture them until they are old enough to launch out on their own.  They will appreciate it later...

Has Corruption Invaded Our Sport?

Ominous storm clouds on the horizon for tennis officiating (at least at the pro level.)

If you think not, check out this article.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/feb/09/revealed-tennis-umpires-secretly-banned-gambling-scam

And The Upsets Keep Coming On!

In the past week, Oklahoma (lost to Wake Forest), TCU (lost to Cal), and Baylor (lost to Ol' Miss) all lost dual matches.  The only team to salvage any honor was UT's victory over Stanford men today.

Must be the season for upsets!  Can't comment any further than that--just reporting the facts.

Texas and Oklahoma Still Holding Strong In The Rankings

In this week's rankings, Texas and Oklahoma men's teams are still holding strong.  Here are the rankings:

1.  Virginia.
2.  TCU
3.  Texas A&M
4.  Baylor
5.  Oklahoma
6.  USC
7.  North Carolina
8.  Ohio State
9.  UCLA
10.  Wake Forest

Congratulations to these fine teams!  Keep up the good work.