Question of the Day: Should Women Get Equal Prize Money At The Grand Slam Tournaments?

Today is a beautiful spring day and a great day to start a great discussion...

The US women's soccer team made a huge announcement today saying they are suing to get equal pay with the men's soccer team.  This discussion is nothing new to tennis but with the recent issues at Indian Wells and comments by some of the top male stars, it might be a good day to hear the differing opinions on this issue.

Should women get equal prize money at the Grand Slam tournaments?

BE SURE  to vote in the survey located at the top right side of this page.

How Would You Rule? Same Court Or A New Choice

This one is hot off the press--and happened tonight in a major men's collegiate match here in Texas...

SCENARIO

In a men's singles match, deuce, deciding point, receiver's choice the receiver chooses to receive in the ad court.  The point begins but in the middle of the point, a let is called (and rightfully so.)

After the let is called, the receiver wants to move over to the deuce court to receive the serve.

How would you rule????

What Shoe Is The Right Shoe and What Sock Is The Right Sock?

Now that the players are wearing every color imaginable, there is much discussion about the color and style of shoes that officials should wear and whether or not they should wear socks and what kind.  Seems that "all white" is totally out of style and the "no sock look" are options so here are some items for your consideration:

The "younger generation" seems to prefer the no-socks look.

The "old man" look.

Traditional with a hint of blue.

As close to "all white" as you are going to get.

Slightly preppie with black overtones.

A bunch of women officials decided to go totally without shoes.  Check out the great tans--and then try to guess who they belong to.  Their husbands only got one right...

In Memory of Joe Mounger

Willie Joe Mounger

January 4,1945-March 24, 2016

Our tennis officials family in the Metroplex mourn the loss of a good friend and fellow official--Joe Mounger.  We all have many fond memories of our years working alongside Joe and his memory will be ever-lasting through the years.

Here is Joe's obituary:

Coach Willie Joe Mounger of Richardson, Texas passed away on March 24, 2016 at the age of 71.  He was born on January 4, 1945 to William Carver and Aureba Dimple (Hays) Mounger in McKinney, Texas.  Joe graduated from McKinney High School in McKinney, Texas.  He was a graduate of North Texas State University.  Joe taught with the Richardson ISD for forty years and was a tennis and golf coach for thirty of those years.  He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Richardson.

Joe is survived by his cousins, Bob Willard and his wife Sara of Gunter, Texas, Kay Willard of Celina, Texas, Evelyn Ella Stark of Plano, Texas, Doris Jean McMath of Dallas, Texas, Lera Nell England of New Bern, North Carolina, Charles Hays of Daingerfield, Texas, Albert and Gaither Phipps of Nocona, Texas, Donnie and Mary Phipps of Garland, Texas, and Mary Charles and Don Campbell of Granbury, Texas; second cousin, Amy Monsivais; former wife and lifelong friend, Beverly Mounger Biering of McKinney, Texas; dearest friend, Marilee McMichael of Frisco, Texas; very close friends, Sammi and Rob Hogan, Pete and Susan Smith, and Lyndal and Kristi Weaver, all of Richardson, Texas, and Ron and Martha Holly of Dallas, Texas; his loyal companion and dog, Walter; and numerous former and present students and their families.

A graveside service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Monday, March 28, 2016 at Restland Memorial Park, 13005 Restland Memorial Park Cemetery Dr., Dallas, Texas 75243. A celebration of life will follow from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Canyon Creek Country Club, 625 W. Lookout Dr., Richardson, Texas 75080. Friends are welcome to share stories and antidotes of Coach’s life. Family and friends are invited to Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, Texas at their convenience on Sunday, March 27, 2016 to pay their respects and to sign the register book.

It Takes A Special Person To Be A Collegiate Chair Official

Here's what we sometimes think--but we know we can't say it.

And then the harsh realization that some people just aren't cut out to be officials.

Here are two common responses we hear when enlisting people to become a collegiate chair official:

1.  There's no way in hell that I'm going through what you guys go through.
2.  I'd love to do it.  It looks pretty easy to do and lots of fun.

Both are right in some aspects but the common ground is probably somewhere in the middle.  Consider this when contemplating becoming an official (and these all come from real life examples):

*  Coaches will insult you to your face and scream obscenities.
*  Coaches will insult your birthright and right to exist on this planet.
*  Coaches will even lie to  you.
*  19 year old players will do the same as their coaches and expect you to endure it all.
*  Fans in the stands will lie to you and call you bad names.
*  Some people will think you are blind as a bat--and tell you so!
*  Your personal security will be threatened.
*  Your own Mother may even doubt your abilities.
*  When you come home, your dog may turn and run from you after you called 5 overrules.
*  The other five officials go out to eat after the match and exclude you.

It takes a VERY SPECIAL PERSON with some very specific skills to navigate the waters of collegiate tennis officiating.  Here are some observations:

*  You get to work with some fantastic coaches and players.  99% of them are wonderful!
*  You get to be right on the court with some of the best players in the world.
*  You get to train and work with some great people who ultimately become great friends.
*  You need to have a heart of gold and skin like an alligator to live through it.
*  You can't be easily offended or intimidated.
*  You have to realize you are just human and might even make some mistakes.
*  You have to learn to be fair and unbiased in the face of the forces of hell.
*  You have to be able to put it to rest after the match or tournament is finished.
*  You have to be able to realize that the coaches and players don't totally believe everything they say to you.  They do mean a lot of it though...
*  You have to remember that there is a Mother somewhere that loves that screaming coach and/or player.
*  You have to remember that the Lord God in Heaven is still on His throne and will exact His just reward on those who have spitefully used you and persecuted you.

Put all this in your mind and then decide if you are one of those SPECIAL PEOPLE--and then go for it!  You won't be disappointed in both the positives and the negatives because they will both be there.

How Many Requests For An Overrule Are Too Many?

The collegiate tennis season is in full swing--and so is the level of drama and indignation over line calls.  Players think they have been mortally wounded when their opponent is not overruled and feel abused when they are overruled.  Coaches develop perfect eyesight from two courts away when their player has been overruled but are conveniently silent when their player is rightly overruled right before them.  As officials try to sort through all the drama, one question we frequently encounter is, "How many requests for an overrules are too many?"

In a doubles match a few years ago (back when they played an 8 game pro set), one team was penalized for "excessive requests for an overrule."  The coach came running to the court demanding an explanation and reaffirming that his players had every right to question a call.  The score was 4-4 at the time.  After suffering through a verbal rebuke from the coach, the official asked the coach, "Just how many requests for an overrule do you think are too many?"  The coach replied, "8-9 times in a doubles match."  The official then responded, "That was their 37th request for an overrule."  The coach then turned and walked away...

Every official has done a match when one team consistently argues about every close call on every court, so its an issue that deserves some consideration.

The ITA rules are very clear on this issue when they say, "A solo chair umpire shall caution any player making excessive appeals for the apparent sake of disrupting play.  Thereafter, if the solo chair umpire determines that the player is making appeals for the apparent sake of disrupting play, he may penalize the player under the ITA Point Penalty System."

Here are some things to consider when there are excessive requests:

*  Is the player just whining about calls to be whining or are they legitimate requests?
*  Did the player graduate from the "American Drama School" and is just exercising their lungs?
*  Is the whole team continually asking for overrules?  If so, they may have been coached to do so.
*  Is the player howling and gesturing every time there is a close call?
*  Is the opponent making good, clean calls?
*  Is the coach prompting the player to make the requests?
*  Is the coach being overly dramatic and reacting to every close call?

Personally, I don't mind a player asking about a call if it is close but 10-12 inches out is not a close call.  The vast, vast majority of collegiate players call very clean matches and it is the job of the official to see that a match is run fairly for all players so use your good judgment when it comes to excessive requests for overrules.

How High Can A Collegiate Player Actually Jump?

As we go through life we all have a mental file called "And I thought I had seen it all..."

Yesterday, my file just got a new addition.  I was officiating an SMU men's match with UT Permian Basin.  We were roving the match so I was standing at the net post observing the doubles play.  During one of the points, one of the SMU players leaped in the air to hit an overhead--and as I looked at him, his feet were ABOVE the net level!  Years ago I watched Pete Sampras come in and make leaping overheads but this went far beyond what Pete was doing.

Its nearly unbelievable that a player could jump that high in the air much less to hit an overhead.  In talking with the player he told me that his vertical leap is 36 or 37 inches--and that would certainly account for his ability to leap higher than the net.

Just goes to show--life holds more exciting lessons and examples for us every day that we live...

How Many Overrules Are Too Many?

An overrule causes different reactions in different players.

Some players yell and scream and think they have truly been violated.

And some just frown and keep playing--but much is said in that frown.

In an ITA dual match there is probably no subject that garners more attention than overrules--how many were or were not given and the reaction to those overrules...  One of our premier leaders in the ITA world recently said, "If you have more than 5 overrules in a season, you are probably overruling too often."  Might be some food for thought for some officials...

Consider these scenarios:

*  I was referee at the Men's National Indoor Tournament in Dallas a few years ago and I was called to court #1.  When I got there, I asked the official in the chair what was going on.  He said, "I have one code violation, three overrules on one player, and two overrules on the other."  After trying to catch my breath and not hyperventilate, I asked him what the score was and he said, "3-2 in the first set."  Go figure...

*  A new official came off the court after chairing his first singles match and was beaming with pride.  When asked why he was so happy, he said, "I only had 4 overrules in my first match.  I must be doing great!"

*  A TCU #1 player was defaulted in a dual match with Baylor a few years ago for 5 overrules.

*  A player recently bragged that he gets at least two overrules in all of his singles matches.  Wouldn't you love to be his chair official...

*  A new chair official was asked by her referee was the score was and she beamed and said, "4-4 in the first set.  The referee then asked, "How many overrules do you have?"  The chair smiled and said, "Only 4!"

Here are some things to remember when asking how many overrules are too many:

*  Sometimes a player just simply cheats and its not the official's fault at all if there are a lot of overrules.

*  Some coaches teach their players to cheat on the far sideline early in the match to see "what the chair official will do."  Again, not the fault of the chair.

*  If you are overruling 2-3 times in every match, you should probably stop and think a bit before your next match.

*  5-8 overrules in a season is a lot.

*  A bunch of overrules is not a good sign and is certainly not a badge of honor.

*  ALWAYS remember that you have to be 100% sure to overrule and you are to overrule when there is a clear error.

How To Sell Your Call

One of the most difficult things to do as an official is to learn how to "sell" your call or your overrules.  Since players, fans, and coaches will read your body language as well as your spoken words, its imperative that a good official learn the art of selling  their calls.

Over the years we have heard officials make calls with the following comments that quickly caused a reaction and a rebellion from everyone watching the match:

*  The ball might have been out so I'm staying with the call.
*  Most of the ball missed the line.
*  The teammates in the stands said the ball was good so I'm overruling the out call.
*  I think the ball was probably good.
*  I hope I made the right call.
*  I don't like your player so I'm overruling  his/her call.
*  Coach, you've been yelling at me the entire match so now I'm overruling your player.
*  Its cold and I'm freezing so don't ask me to overrule on the far sideline.
*  Its hot and I'm tired.
*  I remember your player and he cheated in his doubles match so I'm overruling his sideline call.
*  I don't like Russians so the ball is good.
*  I never overrule a blond female player.

Since we are being paid  to be professional and do a good job, we should always be looking for ways to improve our officiating skills.  Here are some hints about "selling" your calls:

*  Always speak firmly and clearly.
*  Do not yell at the player or coach.
*  Look at the player or coach when they are talking to you.
*  Do not turn away and ignore a coach or player.  They at least deserve to be heard.
*  Make your overrule quickly.
*  Do not put your head into your scorecard so quickly that you miss everything happening on the court.
*  Make eye contact with the player when you are overruling but don't stare.  If you stare them down you are going to have a mess in a hurry.
*  Don't get into a protracted discussion about why you made the overrule.
*  Don't brag about how many overrules you had in the match.  Everyone probably already knows it and they are trying to find a way to tell people that they don't know you.
*  Never, ever tell the player that you didn't see it.  You are paid to see it.

Players and coaches read your body language and listen carefully to your tone--do your best to make yourself the very best...