A Day In The Life Of A Coach, Player, or Spectator

In the past few weeks I have gone from Norman, Oklahoma to Austin, Texas and then out to Lubbock, Texas and then back down to College Station, Texas--and I've heard all kinds of fun and interesting tennis stories--and some that cause me a little fear and trembling.

All of the matches that I have witnessed personally have been either collegiate or UIL and they have all been good ones!  I've seen some of the best players in the nation, some of the finest parents in the land, and some of the most fantastic coaches that tennis has to offer.  I always try to listen to coaches, spectators, and players to get an idea of how we are doing with our officiating and sometimes the results are great and sometimes they aren't...

Here are some of the things I've heard from coaches:

*  Why aren't you officials more consistent in what you do?
*  Why do all officials hate Russians?
*  Why can't you see the far sideline as well as I can?
*  Who in the world hired you?
*  Can I get another official?
*  Why are you making my players hug and sing Kumbaya after the match is over?

Then the players lend their hand with these comments:

*  Are you the very worst official in America?
*  I could officiate better than you if I was blind.
*  Why do you hate me?
*  Its right under your nose.  Why can't you get it right?

And then the spectators say this:

*  These new collegiate rules are ruining tennis.
*  Everyone my son plays cheats.
*  An official cheated us out of our last dual match.
*  How much money do you guys get paid?

I love hearing from the masses and then I realize that there are a lot of things we do that make them think we might be crazy at worst and not know our rules at best.  Here are some of the events from the past month:

*  An official in west Texas told the collegiate player that he could only change rackets during the set break.
*  A collegiate official heard one player call the other player a "faggot" and did nothing.  The official said he didn't know if he should code it or not and that he didn't want to offend anyone.
*  An official told a collegiate male player that he could take a bathroom break but it would only be 30 seconds long.  Even a collegiate guy can't go that fast.
*  One official told a collegiate coach that noone could cheer during a point and the other said any spectator could cheer anytime they wanted to.   Guess someone needs to go back and read the conference rules or at least work a match where all of you are on the same page.
*  A chair official on court #1 gave a code violation to a player on court #2 because the official on court #2 didn't see it happen after the match was completed.  Not sure how that code would have been announced.
*  In a UIL mixed doubles finals match, the official told the players that the server could serve to whomever he wanted to serve to.  Astounding...
*  When four of us officials were eating at a restaurant last night, two fans came up and said, "What have you done to our collegiate matches?  Noone seems to know who can cheer, when they can cheer, and where they can stand to do whatever they want to do."
*  A guy came up to us at the same restaurant and asked, "How much money do you guys make?"  I told him $1,500 per match plus expenses.  Then I gave him Bruce Sampley's number to call...

Here are some suggestions to help our situation:

*  Study the rules and know them well.
*  Understand that the ITA rules give very explicit and complete instructions on how to deal with unruly players, coaches, and fans.  Learn to use them wisely.
*  Realize that some conferences have their own specific rules and it is your responsibility to know them and know them well.  A confused official makes for an angry coach and player.
*  Use some common sense out there.

Personality Types of Coaches

We had a great response to our blog post about personalities of officials so we thought it might prove interesting to do a study of coaches personalities and compare them to different breeds of dogs.  Remember this is all in jest--but many a truth is said in jest!

PIT BULL UNDER CONTROL

*  Always an "alpha" personality.

*  Strong leadership qualities.

*  Needs to be in control of every situation.

*  Very protective of their team in all aspects. 

*  Can be the "life of the party" when not on the court.

*  Outgoing personality.

*  Dominant in all aspects of their life.

*  Likeable up to a point.

*  Very expressive and doesn't hide their feelings well at all.

PIT BULL OUT OF CONTROL

*  Devastating to players, friends, officials, and casual acquaintances.

*  Usually under 6 feet tall.

*  Very aggressive in their behavior--especially during a dual match.

*  Not concerned about anyone else's feelings or whether or not they might be wrong.

*  Plunges headlong into every situation with a demanding spirit.

*  Personality is overbearing and usually affects the entire team.

*  Governs by fear and not by respect. 

*  Given to vulgarities and swearing.

*  Probably has been divorced at least once and has difficulty in personal relationships.

*  Given to verbal outbursts and verbal attacks on those who disagree with them.

*  Doesn't care if they are out of control--they only want to get their way.

CHIHUAHUA UNDER CONTROL

*  Smaller in stature but lovable and likable. 

*  Greatly concerned in seeing that things run smoothly and in order.

*  Has many friends.

*  Respected by many.

CHIHUAHUA OUT OF CONTROL

*  Wreaks havoc on everyone and everything around them.

*  Suffers from "Napoleon complex" if a male. 

*  Yips and yaps instead of getting attention with leadership attributes.

*  Usually in need of counseling and attending anger management classes.

*  Bites even those who are close friends.

*  Has no personal loyalties.

*  Would bite even his/her mother.

*  Noone invites them out for a beer.

LABRADOR RETRIEVER

*  Strong personal values and leadership qualities.

*  Nearly always the head coach. 

*  Commands respect without words. 

*  Extremely loyal to friends and players. 

*  Treats officials with respect and dignity. 

*  Concerned about personal image and how others are treated. 

*  Usually has a long tenure as coach. 

*  Keeps assistant coaches for long periods.

*  Good at teaching values to their players. 

*  Greatly admired by all who know them.

DOBERMAN

*  Strong personality type with vast leadership qualities.

*  Nearly always in control of the situation. 

*  Personality can be overbearing if out of control.

*  Nearly always an alpha personality. 

*  Strong loyalties in personal relationships.

*  Usually the life of the party. 

*  Admired by their peers.

*  Gets the most out of their players.

*  Can govern with fear if out of control.

*  Usually is married or about to be married. 

*  Outgoing and gregarious when they are under control.

JACK RUSSELL

*  Extremely energetic.

*  Moves from task to task without completing any. 

*  The "great entertainer" at parties.

*  Tons of fun to be around.

*  Drinks a lot of coffee and is a regular at Starbucks.

*  Has an attention span of about 2 seconds.

*  Lovable when under control.  Hateful and overbearing when out of control.

*  Usually single because he/she can't slow down for personal relationships.

*  Frustrates his/her players because of their energy and lack of a viable attention span.

*  Nearly always is the head coach.

*  Not good in secondary roles.

Personality Types of Officials

Psychiatrists and psychologists tell us that we can learn a lot about human personality types by studying the different personality types in animals--and that is surely true in the tennis world!  Not only can we learn about personality types in players, we can learn a lot about officials and coaches.

Check out the different personality types of officials by comparing them to different breeds of dogs.

ST. BERNARD PERSONALITY TYPE

*  They think they are called to rescue the whole world with their officiating.

*  They want to hug every player they code.

*  They want to be the "new best friend" to all coaches and parents.

*  They get their slobber all over their score cards.

*  Their sensitive spirits gets them into trouble more often than not.

DOBERMAN PERSONALITY TYPE

*  They code anything and everything.

*  They butt into every match they officiate.

*  They offend most of the universe with their attitudes and demeanor.

*  They bite.

*  They snarl.

*  They are not easily taught or controlled.

COCKER SPANIEL PERSONALITY TYPE

*  They always win the award for "most loveable."

*  All parents love them--until they rule against their kid.

*  Coaches want them on all their matches.

*  They give more warnings than codes on a regular basis.

*  They try to figure out the "reason" for infractions instead of coding them.

*  They rush to pick up the balls for the players.

*  A great asset but tend to be way too emotional.

*  A great peace maker in volatile situations.

JACK RUSSELL PERSONALITY TYPE

*  They run around like the energizer bunny.

*  They measure every net in sight.

*  They love to number the ball cans.

*  They can't understand why everyone can't keep up with them.

*  They drive their referees crazy.

*  They're good with parents because they drive them nuts.

*  Players can't stand them.

*  They know all the rules and want to remind you about each and every one of them.

*  They're cute but will make you really tired just being around them.

*  They grab the best lunches.

CHIHUAHUA PERSONALITY TYPE

*  They make cute but useless officials.

*  They are sweet until they get mad.

*  They yip and yap about everything in sight.

*  No player wants them on their court.

*  When they kiss you, they are just licking off a place to bite.

Is It Time To Enforce The Rules? Abolutely!

In an age and era where we see increasing harassment of officials and players at ITA events, Timothy Russell (CEO of the ITA) issued a stern and much-needed edict this week.  Because of some restrictions I cannot offer my personal views on this subject but let me just simply say, "Timothy Russell--thanks for your edict!"

Here is the letter from Timothy Russell:

April 7, 2016

 

Dear ITA Officials:

 

I hope that this note finds you well.  Yesterday, I sent the letter below to all ITA coaches regarding my personal assessment of the current state of parts of the college tennis competitive landscape and my beliefs regarding the requisite sportsmanship needed in our game. You are a critical link to the reality of a world of college tennis that is embedded in principles of fair play, honor, and integrity.

 

As I told the coaches that I would be, I am now writing to you to remind you toenforce our ITA rules - all of our rules - especially the following: 

 

(1)   "All college match play will follow the principles set out in 'The Code' . . ."

(2)   Principle No. 1 of "The Code" states: "Courtesy is expected. Tennis is a game that requires cooperation and courtesy."

(3)   Section I. K. of the ITA Regulations (the Coaches Code of Conduct) states: "The conduct of coaches before, during, and after any competition must be exemplary. Any deviation from this standard shall [i.e., legally that means

must] result in the following penalties with the understanding that all coaching penalties are cumulative for the entire coaching staff (Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Volunteer Coach or a player acting as a Coach) and apply to the whole match - singles and doubles."

(4)   Section II. B. of the ITA Regulations (General Rules), No. 7

Home coach is responsible for spectator conduct states: "The home coach shall [i.e., again, this means

MUST] make sure that the behavior of spectators remains fair and non-abusive.  Failure of the coach to ensure proper behavior shall [i.e.,

MUST] result in the application of the ITA Point Penalty System against the home team and in extreme cases, forfeiture of the match."

(5)  

Section I. F. 3. Restrictions on Players and Spectators: Harassment of players prohibited states: "Team members and their spectators shall not [i.e., MUST not] harass opposing team players."

(6)  

Section I.B.2 of the ITA Regulations (Calls in Matches) clearly states:Opponent gets benefit of the doubt. Whenever a player is in doubt he shall [i.e., MUST] make the call in favor of his opponent.  Balls should only be called 'out' when there is a space visible between the ball and the line."

 

In reference to #5 above, it is clear in discussing the interpretation of our rules with top ITA officials throughout the fall and spring that players and spectators can cheer for their team and their team's players, but cannotharass the opposing team and the opposing team's players.  Very specifically, for example, opposing fans cannot harass a server while that player is serving, or between points of that server's serving game.

 

In reference to #6, from early in our tennis careers, we have been taught not to take a point that we don't deserve. I see no reason to deviate from that timeless principle.

 

Please re-read the ITA Rule 2016 Rulebook that we sent you, and please enforce our rules to the absolute best of your ability.

 

Thank you for all that you do for our sport.  We are thrilled to have all of you as part of the ITA Family.  Please continue to contact our ITA Officials Department, officials@itatennis.com, for any officials-related questions. Continued best wishes.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Timothy Russell, Ph. D.

Chief Executive Officer