Tennis Officials Blog

What Do You Think?

2012-01-31T07:47:00.003-06:00

Michigan snub of the playing of the national anthem.

In the Texas Regional men's tournament this past weekend, the University of Michigan team and their coach refused to come out on court for the playing of the national anthem. The Maryland players and officials were all on court and in a line for the anthem but the Michigan players and coaches were on the practice courts and not in attendance for the anthem.

What do you think about what they did?

ITA Apparel Website Up And Running

2012-01-30T15:11:00.004-06:00

The ITA apparel website is now up and fully functional. You can now choose your items and order them online so there is no need to email your order any longer.

You can access this site by going to the top right of the blog and clicking on "ITA Apparel." Please remember that they do not do refunds and/or exchanges so be sure to get your order right the first time.

We hope you all find this helpful in the days to come.

New Policy On USTA Shirts Coming Soon

2012-01-30T08:00:00.003-06:00

As usual, the USTA moves slowly--but at least they move...

Seems that the powers that be in the USTA do not like USTA shirts being worn in non-USTA events (UIL and ITA) so they are considering a policy banning the use of the shirts for those events. Here is a copy of an email that Rich Kaufman (Head of USTA officials) sent out this past week:

"Currently there is an issue under discussion about the USTA shirts and what events that shirt should be worn.

That issue involves the USTA shirt with the USTA logo being worn at ITA events, high school events, and/or any other non-USTA events.

We at the USTA certify officials to work many varied tennis events. However, many events are not under any USTA regulations nor has the USTA been involved in creating these regulations. Identifying oneself by the USTA logo on the shirt does create larger issues in officiating and jurisdiction at non-USTA events. We have discussed this general issue at the meetings in the past so this is not a new issue that should surprise anyone. A new "official" policy might be forthcoming.

Some sections have separate ITA shirts already. In some cases the shirts are paid for by the officials or provided by the teams in the conference. Some conferences have their officials just wear a solid color neutral shirt (pre-determined color) rather than the USTA shirt and thus the officials do not have to go out and buy a separate shirt. Patches on future USTA shirts that are manufactured may be the solution with a variety of removable logos on the sleeve rather than the front so not to slowly destroy the front of the shirt when multiple patches are in use.

We are meeting on Tuesday with the powers to be at the USTA. Please stand by for more information.

Thanks

Rich Kaufman

Aren't you glad that we officials in Texas already had the foresight and wisdom to see this coming... We already have an ITA shirt in use so the policy actually has no effect in Texas. I'm sure we can also come up with a UIL shirt with no problems.

Seems that there is a tad of discontent among officials in other states though because of the cost involved in buying new shirts, new outerwear, and caps but I can clearly see a new policy on the horizon.

Such is life in America and the USTA...

Full Explanation of Three Minute Break Rule

2012-01-27T07:43:00.002-06:00

For those who work USTA junior tournaments, here is the full explanation of the 3 minute break rule. We hope you find it helpful.

Procedures for 3-Minute Rest Period before Match Tiebreak in Junior Matches

When a 3-minute rest period is taken in a junior match before a Match Tiebreak, the procedures below shall be followed.

1. The official starts the clock on the 3-minute rest period after explaining the rest period and giving any explanation required because of a request for a toilet/change of attire break. There are three possible situations.

· No player requests an immediate toilet/change of attire break. The official simply starts the clock at the end of the explanation.

· At least one player requests an immediate toilet/change of attire break. The official starts the clock at the end of the explanation in order to time the rest period and the toilet/change of attire break. (The toilet/change of attire break must be timed so that the official has at least some objective information on which to determine whether a player has exceeded the reasonable time allowed for the toilet/change of attire break.)

· One or more player requests a toilet/change of attire break after the 3-minute rest period.

o The official starts the clock at the end of the explanation.

o The official starts the clock again at the end of the 3-minute rest period so that the official has at least some objective information on which to determine whether a player has exceeded the reasonable time allowed for the toilet/change of attire break.

2. Players must remain on court or in an area adjacent to the court designated by an official.

3. The official shall monitor the entire 3-minute rest period to ensure that players do not leave the court or the designated area. The official must continue to monitor the court until play resumes, even if the official’s assistance is needed or requested on another court.

4. Coaching is permitted during the 3-minute rest period and must take place on court or in an area adjacent to the court designated by an official. Coaching may take place using a cell phone or other communication device. The device must be turned off and stowed at the conclusion of the 3-minute rest period.

5. A player who is not ready to play at the end of the 3-minute rest period may receive a time violation, just as the player would for being late after a changeover or 2-minute Set Break. Should an additional 20 seconds pass without the player being ready, a code violation for delay of game may be issued.

6. If both players or teams are not ready to play, assess the time violation penalty against the last player or team who is ready to play.

7. A player may choose to take a toilet/change of attire break during the 3-minute rest period, but in doing so, the player waives the right to further coaching and coaching is not permitted during the toilet/change of attire break. Reasonable time is given for this break. The break must be timed so that the official has at least some objective information on which to determine whether a player has exceeded the reasonable time allowed for the toilet/change of attire break. Coaching for any player not taking a toilet/change of attire break ends at the conclusion of the 3-minute rest period.

8. Preferably any toilet/change of attire break is taken at the conclusion of the 3-minute rest period. Reasonable time is given for this break. Coaching is not permitted for a player who is taking a toilet/change of attire break or for any player waiting for another player to return from a toilet/change of attire break.

Instruction to Players Before Start of 3-Minute Rest Period

1. Instruct the players immediately before beginning to time the rest period.

· The 3-minute rest period will begin at the conclusion of this explanation.

· Coaching is allowed during the rest period.

· Coaching must occur on court or in the area that the Referee has designated that is next to the court.

· “Time” will be called at 2 and ½ minutes and players must be ready to play in 30 seconds thereafter;

· Failure to be ready to play will result in a time violation.

· Further delay will result in code violations.

2. If a player requests a toilet/change of attire break:

· Explain that the toilet/change of attire break may be taken after the 3-minute rest period and that the player has reasonable time to complete the break. No player may receive coaching during a toilet/change of attire break.

· If a player insists on the need to take the break now, explain that the player loses the right to receive coaching and has reasonable time to complete the break.

3. Assuming that at least one player takes advantage of the rest period, the official calls "Time" at 2 ½ minutes and advises the players that within 30 seconds all coaching must cease and they must be ready to play.

4. If a player is not ready to play, the official assesses a time violation. The penalty will be either a warning or a point penalty depending on whether the player or team has received a previous time violation.

5. If the player is not ready to play in an additional 20 seconds, the official assesses a code violation. The penalty is a point penalty, game penalty, or default depending on whether the player or team has received a previous code violation. Note that if the penalty is a game, the match is over.

6. If the player is not ready to play in an additional 20 seconds, the official assesses a code violation resulting in the match being over.

Reasonable Time for Toilet/Change of Attire Break

1. The rules allow players reasonable time for a toilet/change of attire break. Penalties for lateness after a toilet/change of attire break should be assessed in only the most blatant case of delay. The players must be given the benefit of the doubt.

2. When the courts are arranged for easy access to toilet facilities, the Referee may give guidance to the players and officials as to how long it should take for a round trip to the toilet. But even then, it is impossible for the Referee to fix a specific time as being reasonable because of variables including:

· The possibility of there being a line to use the facilities.

· The difference in the reasonable amount of time needed to use the toilet or locker room depending on the specific reason for the trip.

3. A blatant case that justifies assessment of a penalty for lateness requires the official to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that a player has abused the right to a toilet/change of attire break. The official may assess a time violation (warning or point penalty depending on whether the player or team has previously received a time violation). If play has not begun within 20 seconds of issuing the time violation, a code violation (point, game, or default) may be assessed.

4. Remember that the bigger issue with toilet/change of attire breaks is with a player receiving unauthorized coaching. The penalty for receiving unauthorized coaching is a code violation.

Texting Is Permitted In Division I Tennis

2012-01-21T16:07:00.006-06:00

There has been much debate lately (at least here in Texas) about whether a coach is now permitted to text on the court during a match. Here is the new ITA rule:

ITA Rules Updates

Effective January 1, 2012

Listed below are the ITA Rules updates as decided by the Operating Committee in December 2011.

Updated verbiage is in bold.

ITA Rule I.J.1 When coaching is allowed (Page 251)

1. When coaching is allowed. A coach may coach a player any time during the match so long as he does not interfere with play. Coaches shall be designated before the doubles matches and

may only be redesignated before the singles matches.

2. Electronic communication devices. Use of electronic communication devices (e.g. walkie-talkies and

cell phones) (i.e – cell phones, iPads, tablets, etc.) is prohibited; however, for Division I matches

only, use of such devices is permissible for texting and/or data tracking purposes (speaking,

listening or using any voice-activated features on such devices is not permitted).

If you are interested in referencing the website that spells it out in more detail, here is the site:

http://www.itatennis.com/Assets/ITA+Rules+Updates+2012.pdf

Note: There is also an "ITA Rules Updates" site listed under "Links" on the right side of the blog.

To Our Fallen Heroes

2012-01-21T07:29:00.002-06:00

Soldier grieving the loss of two of his comrades.

"Many people remember a fallen soldier as a person in uniform. Sometimes that soldier is the four legged friend who saved your life by being a bomb-sniffing dog and finding the IED and warns you about it before it explodes." Michael Hoffman

It is estimated that these dogs save an average of 3-5 soldiers lives A DAY and an average of 150 lives throughout their careers. Wow. That's a 150 people who can go home to their families because of one single K9 soldier's efforts. 150 mother's hearts who will not be broken while they are accepting a folded flag at their child's funeral. 150 parents who will see their children grow up. And untold numbers of children who will not have to grow up without their parent. Because of one dog.

Thank a hero, thank a four legged soldier. And what wonderful soldiers they are. RIP, heroes.

Roddick's New Look

2012-01-12T10:33:00.003-06:00

ANDY RODDICK

Here is how Andy showed up at a tournament this week.

Not sure what to think of that...

To The Winners Go The Rings

2012-01-12T09:28:00.003-06:00

Pictured above is the beautiful BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP RING that the Baylor women's tennis team was given last night during the Baylor vs OSU basketball game.

Congratulations to the Lady Bears on their championship--and their beautiful rings.

Pictures from 2011

2012-01-10T07:50:00.027-06:00

For all of you who have a son, you will know how true this is...

This is probably a wedding I'm glad I missed.

I'm getting out of New Orleans as fast as I can after last night's game.

Taking a break between matches at the Afghanistan Open.

A truer statement was never made...

The troops getting ready to do their first tournament.

Words you don't want to hear after working your first US Open.

Should be one of the mottos for tennis officials.

And these two are in charge of selecting the women linespersons for the Open.

I didn't get invited to do the Big 12 tournament...

Your question before you work your first ZAT tournament.

Guys resting and sunning before a Baylor match.

Three new trainees in Arkansas.

So you don't want me to form an Officials Union for you?

New program called "Jock Talk" coming in 2012.

If you don't start winning, I'm turning you into a tennis official.

"Home Cooking" north of the Red River.

"Yes, I can work the finals but let me finish what I'm doing first."

Just passed his first Sectional exam.

Equipped and ready to do lines at the Australian Open.

"We're on our way to a diversity clinic."

Taking yet another weather break at one of Vickie Wright's tournaments in Austin.

"I thought they told me I was a ball boy."

Cuomo parading his diversity colors in New York.

Mother and Dad at their first ZAT tournament.

Coincidence Or Divine Intervention?

2012-01-09T18:42:00.003-06:00

TIM TEBOW

Tim Tebow has become the fastest rising star in the NFL and his star grew even brighter when he led his Denver Broncos to a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers this past weekend.

Tebow is very open in sharing his Christian faith and frequently puts John 3:16 under his eyes before a game.

In the game this past weekend Tebow passed for 316 yards and the average pass play was 31.6 yards. This unusual occurrence has caused literally millions of people to Google the Bible reference in the past 24 hours.

Coincidence or divine intervention??

Latest Update on the Infamous Background Checks

2012-01-09T14:47:00.002-06:00

Thanks to our very own Gary Tolbert, I think most of the problems with the background checks have been solved!

Seems that everytime he would try to do the check it would reject his information. He got in touch with the company that does the background checks and a supervisor told him that he was certified until November of 2012 already. The supervisor then said that if the USTA was going to require background checks again this year, they would lift the gate so everyone could get it done.

It should be ready to go--thanks to the creativity of Gary Tolbert...

Background Checks Required This Year

2012-01-05T13:50:00.002-06:00

Even though the site listed below says that background checks are only required in 2011 and 2013, here is the word from on high about background checks:

- ALL Officials need to take the BGC in 2012 to certify for 2013.

- BGC will happen again in 2014 (even years) so that all officials are certified for the following odd year.

- if a provisional tested in 2011 they will need to go through a BGC in 2012 in order to get on track.

- all prospects need to go through a BGC to be certified regardless of year.

- all Officials must complete the BGC by November 1st

The background checks take less than 3 minutes and are free to USTA members. To begin the process, simply click on "background check" on the top right of the blog.

Our Goal: One Stop Shopping

2012-01-02T15:07:00.004-06:00

Blogging is one of the most innovative means of communications in today's world.

As we live in a world of ever-expanding technologies, we are treated to some of the greatest tools of communication in our history. Rather than reject these tools, let's all learn to embrace them and use them for our good.

As we take these new steps in our officiating world, it is one of our goals for this blog to become a ONE STOP SHOP...

ONE STOP SHOPPING FOR A NEW OFFICIAL

When a new official comes to the blog, they can start from scratch in their official's life. There are links to joining the USTA and Nucula and then links to taking the provisional test and signing up for your background checks and eye exams. New officials can also find links to locating area coordinators and even buying their new officials clothes.

ONE STOP SHOPPING FOR AN EXPERIENCED OFFICIAL

Keeping our experienced officials happy and interested, we provide links to ITA apparel, USTA account pages, and even a list of all major universities and web sites in the country.

Since all officials seem to have an opinion about most everything in life generally and in officiating specifically, we provide forums for their opinions--and boy do they share them! We try to provide blog posts that are informative, sarcastic, humorous, sad, happy, and enjoyable--and then open them up for your comments and thoughts.

Hopefully the new year will see this blog truly become a ONE STOP SHOPPING EXPERIENCE for everyone who blogs on...

DFW National Officials School

2012-01-02T08:26:00.001-06:00

DFW NATIONAL SCHOOL

January 14-15, 2012

Location: Grapevine High School, 3223 Mustang Drive, Grapevine 76051

SCHEDULE

Saturday, January 14th

8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. USTA Sectional Class for officials with four or more years experience.

12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch (please make your own arrangements)

1:00-3:00 p.m. ITA School

3:00-5:00 p.m. Referee School (Only for those with six or more years experience)

Sunday, January 15th

8:00 a.m-1:00 p.m. USTA Sectional Class for officials with three years or less experience or those who

can't make the Saturday class.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE CLASS

* Complete all exams online before coming to class.

* Register online for the school.

* Register online for Nucula.

* Print out and bring to class all verification of passing the exams.

* Classroom material is online and needs to be printed out and brought to class.

Note: Links to online exams, Nucula, and school registration are found on the top right of this blog.

Note: There will be another school in the Metroplex (Plano) on May 13, 2012, for those who are unable to attend this school. For further information, check the link to officials schools.

Happy New Year & Some New Prognostications

2011-12-30T09:12:00.006-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our blogging friends. May 2012 be your best year ever!

As we approach a new year many of you love to make new year's resolutions. I have found that most of us break them within the first month but they are fun to make anyway. Here are some for the new year:

* Resolve to keep trying to get our officials paid for their training time.

* Resolve to enlist as many new officials as possible.

* Resolve to have meals provided for all officials.

* Resolve to pass the officials exams.

* Resolve to be more diverse in the new year.

Along with the new year's resolutions are always some prognostications (that usually never come true), but again, they are fun to make. Here we go...

* Prognosticate that the Big 12 men's tennis race will be closer than ever and a dark horse team will emerge as champion.

* A&M will not have a joyous time in their new SEC home in every sport except track.

* UT might actually win 8 games in football in 2012--but its highly doubtful.

* UT might actually find a real quarterback as they roam the country recruiting.

* Baylor will find out how valuable Griffin was and will probably return to reality in 2012.

* OU will go undefeated in the Big 12 football race and play in a BCS bowl.

* Tech will buy stock in a new tortilla factory in Lubbock.

* OSU will suck in 2012 but at least they finished well in 2011.

* TCU will finish at least 3rd in the Big 12 football race.

* Tom Wright won't have to have surgery this year.

* Myron Krueger will cut back on officiating so he can spend more time in College Station.

* Herb Taylor could be close to matrimony in the new year.

* Gary Tolbert will make up four new officiating rules this year.

* Vickie Wright will be sporting a "new look" as an Austin referee.

* Mary Lynn Satur will start an "ex-bunny club" in the Metroplex.

* More pro level officials will quit when they discover they can't make a real living.

* A high profile Metroplex official will get married and two will get divorced.

* Djokovic will win the Grand Slam.

* Nadal will retire.

* A new ITA officials organization will emerge in Texas.

* The officials will wear burnt orange shirts at the men's NJCAA tournament.

* A transgendered man who has now become a woman will rise to the top 10 in the women's ranking.

* Television networks will severely curtail their coverage of women's tennis due to lack of interest and sponsors.

* A different woman will win each of the Grand Slam tournaments.

* There will be a three way tie for #1 in women's tennis at the end of the year.

* There will be some key resignations and retirements in the Texas officiating world.

* We will see more transgendered officials working our tournaments.

How Badly Do We Need An Update?

2011-12-26T18:55:00.003-06:00

One of our blog readers recently sent in an email pointing out how badly outdated the USTA and USTA Texas Section websites are in regard to officials. Perhaps if we list them on the blog, they might actually get updated sometime in 2012.

USTA Website (www.usta.com)

* When you click on the USTA website and go the "Officials" tab, click on "ITA National Championships" and you will see the last time the material was updated was 10/26/09. Here is a link to the site:

http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/Officials/ITA_National_Events/

* When you click on the same location as above and then click on "Important Information For All Certified Officials" you will find that the information is how to send in your 2009 Data Card for your 2010 certification and the requirements to attend a 2009 school. Here in the link:

http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/USTA_Import/images/sitecore_ustasections/USTA/Document%20Assets/DataCardletter09.pdf

Texas Section Website (www.texas.usta.com)

* When you click on "Officials" and then go to "Becoming An Official", there is no mention of Nucula and no mention of the background check requirement in 2010. It also has instructions to send your non-existent data card to the Sectional Chairman. Here is the link:

http://www.texas.usta.com/Officials/becoming_an_official/

* When you go to the above listed site and click on "officials" and then click on "FAQ", again there is no mention of the background check. In order to become an official you are instructed to send in your data card or write to Ryan Orner in NYC. Here is the link:

http://www.texas.usta.com/Officials/faq/

Obviously our officials are on the ball and finding these un-updated sites for our experienced and new officials. Surely someone somewhere could find the time to update these important sites sometime during the past two years...

We must apologize because in the past we have had a blog link on the right side of the blog entitled "Becoming An Official." That link has been removed since it contained such badly outdated material. As soon as the site is updated, we will put the link back on the blog.

If you are a new official or know someone who is beginning as a new official, you can send an email to this blogsite and will immediately send you a document outlining the correct steps that need to be taken in order to become an official.

Hopefully you will find the new information helpful.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T08:49:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends. I hope you have the very best Christmas ever--and then God's choicest blessings in the new year to come.

You are kind of like a "tennis family" to me, so my thoughts and prayers are with you all tomorrow on the most special day of the year.

2012 Exams Now Available

2011-12-20T11:05:00.002-06:00

The 2012 OFFICIALS EXAMS (Sectional, Referee, and ITA) are all now available. You can link to them by going to the right side of the blog under "Officials Information Sites" and clicking on "2012 Exams." Remember you need to take your exam before you attend the school.

You can also check out the dates and contact info for the OFFICIALS SCHOOLS by going to the right side of the blog and clicking on "Officials Schools Info."

Tournament Player? Great New Site Just For You

2011-12-15T19:29:00.003-06:00

For those of you who play tournaments and/or leagues on a regular basis, the USTA has come out with a great new tool just for you--your own personalized USTA page. Its complete with your name, USTA number, ranking, and all the tournaments are at your fingertips... What more could you ask for?

BTW, they also include a place where you can look up another player and their ranking with very little effort.

Why not get started now with your own home page--just click on the link below and its all yours.

http://tennislink.usta.com/TOURNAMENTS/Common/Default.aspx

Training Needs To Be Refined--Not Lengthened

2011-12-13T06:43:00.004-06:00

And welcome to the world of tennis officiating!

It seems that the topic of training is on everyone's lips these days--and rightfully so. We all hear horror stories of something some official has done somewhere and we just shake our heads and hope it gets better. A cancer never gets better on its own and horror stories will keep happening unless we take specific, positive steps to help with the problem.

Unfortunately, a lot of people think that the cure is MORE AND LONGER TRAINING SESSIONS for new officials. One of the drawbacks to this approach is that a lot of the horror stories are coming from experienced officials! A few years ago we had a training session for instructors and the guy who taught the class said, "The issue isn't lack of knowledge, it is lack of personal skills." And therein lies the truth behind our statement that training needs to be REFINED instead of lengthened...

We already require all officials to attend an officials school and take a test to be certified so it is doubtful that we need to pile on more classes and tests. The vast majority of horror stories do not come from lack of knowledge, they come from lack of personal skills and training in human interaction. Here are a few suggestions and thoughts for us to ponder:

* Continue the shadowing program for all new officials. Be sure they are being trained by a good, experienced official and not someone who just wants to get it over with as soon as possible.

* Find some monies to pay people during their shadowing time. After all, they are certified officials and all corporations pay their people during training. The USTA and Texas Section certainly do not suffer from lack of money--now it just needs to be focused on the right areas.

* Refine the training to include the following:

1. Anger management focusing on how to deal with angry people and maybe even anger

issues within ourselves.

2. Self-image and specifically the official's self-image and how it affects their performance.

3. Human interaction. Involves learning how to recognize personality traits in people (such

as parents, players, and spectators, and then how to work with those traits.

4. Ego control. Seems like a lot of problems arise because the official's ego gets in the way

and then control and confrontation take over. Many of the problems we encounter come

about because of uncontrolled egos on the court.

* Require remedial training (especially in the above mentioned areas) for officials who are constantly written up and having complaints filed against them.

* Expand the educational horizon for our officials. Develop a good reading list of books that deal with these human issues as well as internet programs that help develop good people. Then make sure we all read and watch and learn.

These are just a few thoughts and suggestions. We would welcome more...

Its Time For Training--NOW

2011-12-12T07:26:00.004-06:00

* A female official in the Metroplex stood at the net in a USTA tournament match and watched a male player throw his racket from the service line to the fence and said, "This is your warning. If you do that again I am going to code you."

* A male official in the Metroplex was officiating in a USTA tournament match between two men's doubles teams. On match point, team A hit the ball into team B's court. Team B considered the ball good and played the point. After the point was over, the official walked into the court and said, "the ball was out. Game, set, and match" even after all four players agreed the ball was good and noone had even questioned the call.

* An experienced official (not in the Metroplex) was standing at the net post in a major adult USTA tournament. The official clearly observed an incorrect call but did nothing. When questioned about his failure to overrule, he said, "I clearly saw the erroneous call but I was going to make the player ask me to do something before I was going to overrule."

These are just a few examples of our pressing need for better and perhaps more intense training. We have given some thoughts (and ways to pay for it) but apparently the time has come to find the money to pay for more officiating. Our previous blog post gives a concrete method for finding at least $10,000 to help pay for training and I'm sure there are others. We spend thousands of dollars sending evaluators around Texas when perhaps that money could be better spent on training.

The most highly trained officials we have are our REFEREES. Why not find them some money to help with training and let them train the new officials in their own areas. We don't have to import trainers and pay all those expenses when we have the best trainers right here with us--the ones who do the hiring and firing. They have the experience--now let's enable them to do the training...

The responsibility for developing and funding this lies squarely with our Sectional Chairman. At least he has authorized paying for some officials' training parts of Texas--and that's a good step but if its available for one part of the state, then it should be available for everyone.

Now let's see a better developed plan and program to help with our training...

Let's Do The Math

2011-12-10T07:32:00.005-06:00

One of the ways you discover creative methods of growth is to delve into the realm of the hypothetical--so here we go...

Let's us say "hypothetically" that we are going to establish a TRAINING GRANT to accumulate money to fund training around the state of Texas. These training programs would be in addition to the annual officials school that each official is required to attend, and in most cases for an experienced official, would be optional for an official to attend. The training would be a requirement only after a local association has deemed it so.

Note: This specialized on-court training would also be a good training school for officials who need refreshing and/or have had complaints filed against them.

Note: It might work best if there were a Texas Section Training Coordinator who would be responsible for coordinating the training efforts throughout the state. This person would also be responsible for submitting the pay vouchers for the trainers.

Back to the discussion of the TRAINING GRANT, and specifically how to fund it. One hypothetical idea would be the following:

* Use any leftover money in the officials budget of the Texas Section. This usually is at least $2,500 annually.

* Cut the officials committee back to one meeting (the annual Texas Section meeting when all other committees meet) per year. Require that any other meetings be done by conference call, email, or internet meeting programs.

* Here is the approximate amount of money that would be gained by this new policy. (Remember that travel expenses to meetings are not included in the officials section of the Texas Section budget).

18 officials (average number who attend the semi-annual meeting)

$300 average amount spent on each official including meals, mileage, hotel, and transportation.

$5,400 Amount of money to be gained by deleting the semi-annual officials committee meeting.

ANALYSIS OF AVAILABLE MONIES

$5,400 Money to be gained by deleting the semi-annual officials committee meeting.

$2,000 Money to be gained by deleting ad hoc committee meetings.

$2,500 Amount of excess money in the Texas Section budget.

$9,900 Amount of money available with these changes.

What that means is that there would be 550 HOURS OF PAID TRAINING IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE (at $18/hour for the trainers).

Note: With these changes, the trainers could be paid for their efforts (that they are currently doing for free) and there would be a much larger number of trainers available. With that amount of money available for training, we could easily increase the training programs throughout the state without any additional budgeting.

Just a HYPOTHETICAL THOUGHT for the day. We would welcome yours...

Some Thoughts About The Issue of Training

2011-12-08T13:39:00.006-06:00

As we get closer and closer to the time for officials schools, we also seem to intensify the debate about training--and this year it is focused on roving training. Seems like numerous TD's feel that Texas officials are weak in the area of roving and are calling for yet more training. At the recent TD-Referee Texas Section Workshop in Dallas there was much discussion about the need for more roving training in the state.

Since we hear from people all over the country, let me make a few suggestions about how to help in this situation.

Be sure to remember that these are just suggestions and we are more than open to hearing anyone's helpful suggestions concerning the area of rover training.

* Have each instructor pay special attention to roving (and subsequent questions) in the instructors' school. Most officials know the rules and have already taken the tests, why not spend a bit more time going over roving and chair procedures and leave time for questions and answers.

* Utilize the resources of the larger associations. All of the larger associations have well-developed and well-thought out training programs. They would be glad to share--just ask.

* Establish at Texas Section grant designed specifically for on-court training of officials. Even though many of our larger associations have well-developed training programs, the vast majority of Texas goes without any specific program for training. This grant money could also be used in the larger areas to pay the instructors who do the training. Currently, we ask them to do hours and hours of training without any pay and this is not right.

* How to pay for the grant?

1. Use the money in the officials budget item for the Texas Section. We always have an excess of money in that account and this would be a great way to spend it.

2. Cut the officials committee back to one annual meeting per year. Literally thousands of dollars are spent each year for people to come to the annual meeting, the semi-annual meeting, the ad-hoc committee meetings, and numerous other gatherings. Even though this travel money is not contained in the "Officials" budget line, it is still money being spend on tennis officiating.

3. Closely monitor and supervise monies being spent on the officials item in the Texas Section budget.

* There would be numerous well-qualified officials willing to teach new officials if there was at least some stipend for doing the teaching.

* Require new and older officials who have complaints filed against them to attend one of these training classes. The problems we encounter in Texas are not limited to new officials. New officials are already being required to attend additional training so just limit this training to those who have had complaints filed against them.

* Reaffirm the responsibilities of a referee to those who work in this capacity. Right now the only ITA chair training is offered at Highland Park HS in Dallas--the others get their training by being "taken under the wing" of an experienced official who trains them. A good referee always knows how to teach their new officials so they can quickly gain experience.

* Remember that the best training is always hands-on training. We can teach principles and technique all we want in a classroom but noone really makes it work until they are on the court working. The place for this is not "tacked on" to the instructors' school. Make a special time just for this training.

* Pay those who are in training. Remember that we are dealing with certified officials and they need to be paid during their training time. Again--establish a GRANT and then use that money to supplement their pay and that of their instructor.

These are just a few suggestions. We would welcome yours...

A Few Random Football Pictures

2011-12-07T07:52:00.012-06:00

Pretty well sums up the season in Austin...

The Sooners are going somewhere but its sure not to a BCS bowl.

LSU Tiger is ready to roar again.

At least the Fiesta Bowl is better than nothing.

And we thought 10 points would beat LSU...

Traded in TCU for SMU...

Found out the Big 10 is better than they thought.

All Ohio State has left are some buckeyes and a new coach.

Interesting thought...

At least the Bears won more than they ever have...

Eating was about the only enjoyable thing in College Station this year.

A word of advice to Baylor.

And We Think It Only Happens In Texas

2011-12-06T21:05:00.004-06:00

Printed below is an article on Zoo Tennis written by Colette Lewis describing some events at the Orange Bowl. You can read more at this site: http://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.com/

And to think some people complain about officials in Texas--just read this story:

I've seen a lot of tennis matches in my ten years on the junior circuit, but today was the first time I'd seen a chair umpire call a let but not order the point on which the let was called replayed.

That it happened on match point in American Mackenzie McDonald's 8 a.m. match with No. 7 seed and Eddie Herr finalist Patrick Ofner of Austria made the call more than just a novelty.

McDonald was up a break in the final set at 4-3, but lost that advantage in the next game and Ofner held for 5-4. Serving in the next game, McDonald saved two match points, and also was required to replay a point after he had hit a winner, when the chair umpire called a let from a ball rolling over from the adjacent court. McDonald won the replayed point in that instance, and after two more deuces, held for 5-5. Ofner held for 6-5, and McDonald called for the trainer at the changeover, who stretched him out on a nearby bench, but the delay was brief.

Serving at 5-6, McDonald won the first point with Ofner missing an overhead, but the 16-year-old Californian double faulted and made two forehand errors to give Ofner two more match points.

After a short return from Ofner, McDonald wound up to hit a forehand, a ball bounced over from the next court, and the chair umpire loudly called "let." McDonald went back to collect the balls to serve again, when Ofner circled a mark just beyond the baseline. The chair umpire bounded down to look at it, put his finger up to signal out, and called game, set and match.

The several dozen spectators, most of the them admittedly friends and supporters of McDonald, but also college coaches and others with more objectivity, were stunned for a moment, but then began yelling "you called a let." McDonald himself said that several times to the chair umpire, who didn't deny calling the let. He asked if McDonald wanted to call the tournament referee, and McDonald said he wasn't leaving the court, so the chair used his walkie talkie to call, not the tournament referee, but an assistant. There was a short conversation between the assistant and the chair, which wasn't audible to those of us in the stands on the other side of the court, but according to McDonald there was no discussion of the reason why the point wasn't replayed when the assistant referee came onto the court.

"[The assistant referee] just said he was going to do what the umpire said because he didn't see it," said McDonald. "I guess the umpire said I hit the ball before he called the let, which I disagree with and the whole crowd seemed to disagree with too."

Eventually McDonald accepted the decision, and shook hands with Ofner, but the crowd's boos, extremely rare in junior tennis, reverberated for some time after.

2012 Officials Schools Schedule & Information

2011-12-06T14:27:00.009-06:00

Now that we have all had a good time discussing the pay and meal arrangements in the Metroplex, it is time to shift our focus to the OFFICIALS SCHOOLS in 2012. The Texas Section Coordinator, Kevin Foster, has announced the schools schedule so we wanted to get that information to you as soon as possible.

NOTE: You will need to take your tests before you attend the school and they will be posted on this blog as soon as they are available. You will also need to REGISTER for your school online and in advance. You can do so by clicking on "Schools Registration Link" on the upper right section of the blog. You can always check for schools information by clicking on "Officials Schools" on the upper right section of the blog.

2012 Officials Schools Schedule

DFW - National School	Jan. 14-15	Nancy Ebersole	ncebersole@yahoo.com
Hill Country – Boerne*	Jan. 14	Carol Bruehler	redoaks@gvtc.com
Lubbock*	Jan. 14	Trevor Edgemon	Tedge12@valornet.com
McAllen	Jan. 14	Marta Hotz	marta.hotz@ourclub.com
College Station	Jan. 21	Gordon Brynildsen	gordon@gordonstennis.net
Houston- National School	Jan 21-22	Nancy Vivero	NANCYMV243@aol.com
San Angelo	Jan. 21	Courtney Nagel	cnagel@bentwoodcc.com.
Abilene	Jan. 28	Allen Prachyl	allen.prachyl@abileneisd.org
Corpus*	Jan. 28	Ralph Martin	rmartin@stx.rr.com
Tyler	Jan. 28	Millard Countryman	countryman@suddenlink.net
Amarillo	Feb. 4	Janet Smith	jjsmith96@hotmail.com
Austin	Feb. 4	Mike Flynn	mikeflynn4@gmail.com
Midland	Feb. 18	Bert Rainwater	fsrainh2o@sbcglobal.net
Wichita Falls	Feb. 25	Bobby Haggerman	Weekspark@aol.com
San Antonio	Mar 10-11	Tippy Garza	arcadio3@sbcglobal.net
Laredo	Apr. 28	Al Trevino	doct@bizlaredo.rr.com
Waco	May. 5	Jane Hammond	evelynjane1020@hot.rr.com
Plano	May. 13	Randy McDonald	RMtennis@yahoo.com

New MTOA Board Members & Policies

2011-12-05T08:27:00.003-06:00

In last night's meeting, the Metroplex Tennis Officials Association elected five new board members and then the board selected the officers for 2012.

The new board members added were:

Susan Wertenberger

Nancy Ebersole

Gary Tolbert

Larry Gendron

Stephanie Burnam

The new officers for 2012 are:

President: Nancy King

Vice President: Susan Wertenberger

Secretary: Roz Tuerk

Treasurer: Randall Edwards

The board also discussed various issues with the issue of tournaments providing meals for officials occupying the majority of the discussion. The board finally came up with this policy:

"A tournament is responsible for providing meals for officials. If they choose not to, then the official may leave their site for a reasonable time period to secure and pay for their own meal. They will be paid for this time."

This new policy is to be followed by all tournaments and enforced by the referee. If the referee does not secure the cooperation of the tournament, then it is their responsibility to notify all officials who will be working of this change in policy and procedure.

Time To Consider The Cost of Living During Budget Time

2011-12-02T08:05:00.004-06:00

Just watch the gas prices rise and rise...

Remember most of us have kids (and grandkids) who always need money...

This is the time of year when all associations in our larger cities begin to think and rethink their pay scales for the coming year--and its a discussion well worth having...

With the sky-rocketing cost of living, we as officials need to take a long look at our pay scales but we also need to temper our discussions with reality. The reality is that gas prices (and everything else) are going up but the number of participants in tournaments is going down. Tournament directors will quickly tell us that they can't afford for us to raise our rates but many of them have no problems raising their entry fees to cover inflation.

So--here are some thoughts to consider in our discussions:

* The rising price of gas. Everyone knows it takes gasoline to get us where we are going and some areas haven't raised their rates in years.

* Some large associations (such as the Dallas Tennis Association and the Ft. Worth Tennis Association) have quit providing meals (which has been a requirement since the beginning of time in the Metroplex) in order to save money. The TD's saving money on our backs isn't the right answer... Higher rates should be charged for those tournaments that do not provide meals.

* We need to consider the costs involved in tournaments with less than 50 participants and adjust accordingly.

* Conversely, we need to consider the amounts of money taken in when a tournament charges large entry fees.

* Consider the amount of money paid football and basketball officials in UIL events. Tennis officials are way down the scale but many times we are asked to do a dual match with one official for 19 matches.

* When considering ITA fees, the answer is probably not to lower our fees but lower the number of officials on a match. The rate should probably be increased for those schools who do not provide mileage.

* The current rate structure in the Metroplex is $18/hour for the referee with an 8 hour minimum and $15/hour for the umpires with a 6 hour minimum. Meals are to be provided. This seems to be the gauging standard around the state--but probably needs to be raised in 2012.

* Consider the cost involved in attending an annual school as well as the cost of officials' equipment. Even though these are tax deductions, they still come out of our pocket.

These are just a few random thoughts at this budget-preparing time of year. We would welcome yours...

Typical Excuse: It Was The Referee's Fault

2011-11-25T07:01:00.003-06:00

Ndamukong Suh

One of the dirtiest players in the NFL, Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions, gave this excuse after being ejected from the game:

"I want to apologize to my teammates, my coaches and my true fans for allowing the refs to have an opportunity to take mt out of this game."

How many times have we heard that same excuse from whining, disobedient tennis players?

Texas 27 A&M 25

2011-11-24T23:09:00.003-06:00

Enough said...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T14:03:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving always begins with lots and lots of food. Here's hoping you all have a great feast tomorrow...

Then we have many things to be thankful for... Such as:

* Living in America.

* Having the many tennis officiating friends that we all have.

* Having our friends and family to celebrate with us on this holiday.

And here's wishing to you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

MTOA Slate of Nominees

2011-11-21T06:52:00.003-06:00

According to the by-laws of the MTOA, four new board members shall be elected at the annual meeting. Here are the four nominees as presented by the Nominating Committee (other nominations can be submitted from the floor):

Nancy Ebersole

Stephanie Burnam

Susan Wertenberger

Gary Tolbert

Larry Gendron will also be nominated to fill Cathy Kennan's unexpired term.

Be sure to read the information about the annual meeting in the following post and come and join everyone on December 4th!

Metroplex Tennis Officials Association Annual Meeting

2011-11-14T20:47:00.002-06:00

The MTOA will hold their annual meeting on Sunday evening, December 4th, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will feature the election of four board members and a time of food and fellowship.

The annual meeting will be held at the home of President Nancy King and her home is located at 2713 Thorncreek Lane in Ft. Worth, Texas (76177).

There will also be a board meeting immediately following the annual membership meeting in which officers will be elected for 2012.

All Metroplex officials are invited to attend so ya'll come!

How Would You Rule?

2011-11-08T18:32:00.002-06:00

The unique aspects of an MTO in a UIL high school match.

In a UIL singles match, player A asks for a receives a medical time out on the changeover at 4-3 in the second set. The coach immediately comes out and starts the 2 minute diagnosis to be followed by a 3 minute treatment time.

What do you do with the coach of player B after the 90 seconds for the changeover has run out?

1. Tell him to immediately leave the court because there is no coaching allowed during a medical timeout.

2. Let him stay with player B as long as they are treating player A.

3. Ignore player B and her coach and concentrate on properly administering the medical timeout to player A and her coach.

4. Make sure neither coach is coaching during the MTO and let them both stay on the court.

Congratulations to Marta Lesniak of SMU For Winning The ITA National Indoors

2011-11-07T16:15:00.003-06:00

Mitchell Frank and Marta Lesniak

FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY - After four grueling days of exciting matches, champions were crowned on Sunday at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.

Top-seeded Mitchell Frank (Annandale, Va.), a freshman from the University of Virginia and the reigning ITA All-American champion, faced by far his biggest challenge on Sunday, but he rose to the occasion and beat Illinois senior Dennis Nevolo (Gurnee, Ill.) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, in a match that featured thrilling baseline rallies and some dazzling net play by Nevolo. The competitors were knotted at 5-all in the final set when Frank converted on a pivotal break point to take a 6-5 lead, and from there, he needed just five points to serve out the match and win the title.

"It was a tough one today," Frank said after the match. "The third set really went back and forth, and luckily I was able to convert the break at the end of the set. He’s a great player and it’s great to get a win like that. It’s very special to win any college tournament, and it’s definitely special to win at the site at the US Open."

In the women’s final, Marta Lesniak (Poland), a senior at Southern Methodist, won the school’s first indoor title by virtue of a 7-5, 6-1, victory over University of Florida senior Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.). Lesniak trailed Mather 4-1 in the opening set before taking complete control of the match, smacking winners from both wings and also connecting on four aces.

Each doubles final went the full three sets, with the winner of the opening set ultimately losing the match in both the men’s and women’s final. Ohio State’s No. 2 seeded team of Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola fought back from a 4-6 first set deficit to defeat the No. 3 seeds from Tulsa, Ashley Watling and Clifford Marsland, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. In the women’s final, the young unseeded team of Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria of USC upset No. 3 seeds Kristy Frilling and Shannon Mathews of Notre Dame 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Pearls of Wisdom

2011-11-06T15:36:00.006-06:00

It seems that every weekend that passes provides yet another opportunity for us to accumulate more PEARLS OF WISDOM as officials. Mondays are always a great day because that's when we get the emails with all the events that happened over the weekend.

Here are some of the PEARLS from this weekend:

New code violation created at the state UIL tennis tournament.

Seems that a new code violation has been created at the state tournament this year--a code for putting your racket on the top of your head. The explanation we heard was that it is a code for unsportsmanlike conduct because when a player does this it means that he/she is ridiculing their opponent for playing over their head. I can surely understand unsportsmanlike conduct, but this one is a little difficult to comprehend. Last time I saw a young man doing this I asked what he was doing and he said, "I'm playing like a dunce," so i guess the beauty of a code is truly found in the eye of the official...

Ty McDonald in action at the University of North Texas team tournament.

This was a great weekend as my son, Ty, had his first real encounter with a wild college player. Seems that the girl yelled out the F-word so he coded her. Then a few games later as he was standing at the net and the girl had just lost her serve to go down 0-5 after losing the first set, she said s__t, and Ty told her to "watch out" since she didn't yell it out and he was the only one who heard it. She then looked him squarely in the eye and said, "Shut Up!"

He then had the inglorious privilege of saying: code violation, unsportsmanlike conduct, game penalty--game, set, and match. The girl then began to cry and her coach congratulated Ty and then suspended his player...

A lesson well learned.

Gary Tolbert showing the proper way to have a coach exit the court after a changeover.

Perhaps we should do a teaching video showing officials the proper hand signal for directing a coach to leave the court after calling "time" on a changeover. Seems that one official at the state tournament simply told the coach, "Get the hell off the court."

Perhaps a little more training would be in order...

The Case Of The Crotch-Grabbing Goober

2011-11-03T07:27:00.003-05:00

New term: junk-grabbing

As we all move through the officiating world there are instances that bring anger, frustration, doubt--and most of all, humor. Not all events are bad and some are just funnier than others...

This past weekend, the Myronian and I were officiating a UIL regional tournament. During the finals match, here is what occurred:

Player A had received a code violation (racket abuse) in his previous match and since codes are cumulative in UIL, his next code would be a game penalty. Seems that he lost a crucial point in the finals match and immediately grabbed his junk (note that I used the contemporary term instead of crotch or balls) and began to lewdly grope himself.

At that point, I immediately gave him a code violation (for lewd junk-grabbing) and a game penalty. Since the dual match was tied at 8-8 and the next code violation for our young buck would have been a default, the match took on huge implications.

I have no doubts that the boy should have been coded both times but what I resent the most is that I had to stand on his court for an hour and a half (since I was the only one who could default him) and watch his gyrations and loss of self-control. In essence, what he had done was interjected me into the dual match by his bad behavior.

Sometimes we get called into positions that we didn't ask for...

(BTW, he finished the match and won and his team won the dual match and will be going to the state tournament this weekend. Sure hope he can keep his hands off himself in College Station.)

#1 Problem In Tennis: PARENTS

2011-11-02T16:16:00.008-05:00

These are the all too familiar words of many of today's tennis kids... Their parents have become an embarrassment to them and in many of our tournaments, are completely out of control. Just like we officials are required to attend a school once a year, perhaps the USTA should make a "parent's course" mandatory for all parents of junior tennis players.

We've all had encounters with the "mother from hell" and all of her tricks and tirades... What a joy and hardly worth the amount of money we are being paid to oversee their children.

In a recent boys 12's ZAT tournament, we had two mothers get into a screaming match in the stands. It is any wonder their boys grow up to be juvenile delinquents. Seems that the mothers these days tend to be more aggressive than the dads but then it could just be the time of year when dads are out hunting and mothers are supervising their darlings.

Lest we think the mothers are the only violators, you see some crazy dads out there too...

This past weekend we had one dad physically confront the doubles team that had just beaten his son. To make it worse, the attacked boy's coach came to the rescue and then got into a shouting match with the errant father. After the UIL dual match was completed, the father again confronted the opposing team and the shouting began all over again. Too bad we can't issue penalties after a match is completed...

In that same match, official #1 warned a father about coaching his daughter and was told, "I'm her father and I can do whatever I want." After being told he couldn't and that his daughter would be penalized and he would be removed from the center, he left in a huff. Later in the match the referee walked by and the father was coaching again. The referee firmly reiterated to the father that coaching was forbidden and he would be removed and his daughter coded if he didn't stop. Again he said, "She's my daughter and I can coach her anytime I want." In a loving and sensitive manner, the referee looked him directly in his fatherly eyes and said, "do you fully understand that if you utter another word of coaching to your daughter you will be removed from this center and your daughter coded?" At that point the father sat down--and the referee called the daughter's coach over to reaffirm the actions.

The outcome: the daughter lost (obviously the coaching wasn't working), the coach had a 10 minute visit with the dad, and the sun set on a long, long dual match.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

As officials, this is always a difficult decision since you want to enforce the rules but also avoid world war 3... Here are some suggestions (and I'm sure there are more):

1. Be firm with out of control parents. Warn them first, then code the player, and then remove the parent.

2. Be sure to write up the offending parent and send the writeup to Austin.

3. Do not ignore bad behavior and unethical actions by a parent. That only makes them worse for the next official.

4. Pray that the bad parents will go to someone else's tournament.

5. Pray for the kid because they have to live with that parent.

6. Encourage the parent of an errant child to discipline their own children instead of asking us to do it. Imagine what would happen if little Johnny's Dad took him off the court any time he misbehaved--either Johnny would behave or we wouldn't have to worry about him any more.

7. Remember that all parents are not offenders. The vast majority are wonderful--but we all need to deal with those who dishonor the name of "parent."

Congratulations To State Qualifiers

2011-10-30T06:57:00.007-05:00

Under the direction of coach Dan Holden, the Scots will be seeking their 13th team title.

Wichita Falls Rider, in their second trip to state, will be pursuing their first state team title in 4A under the direction of their coach, Scooter Gillen.

Coach Morgen Walker will be leading the Plano West team as they seek their fifth 5A state title.

McKinney Boyd is making their first ever state appearance in 5A under the leadership of their coach, Kristen Crawford.

Congratulations to all the state qualifiers from the north Texas regions.

Be Sure You Get Certified!

2011-10-26T10:30:00.003-05:00

Now is the time of year when you need to tell the powers to be that you want to get certified for next year. Here is the process:

* Go to Nucula and sign in.

* Click on "My Account"

* Click on "My settings"

* Click on "Certs"

* Go to the bottom and click on "recertification request"

Be sure you do this or you won't be certified or re-certified.

A New Term: BIO-DIVERSITY

2011-10-24T17:17:00.005-05:00

Perhaps "biodiversity" applies to our faithful diversity pooches...

It sure doesn't apply to the umpires in the World Series...

Any time you are working a tournament (or hosting a blogsite) you get a lot of interesting thoughts and comments... Today I got a great new word given to me--biodiversity! It seems that not a day goes by that we don't hear about "diversity" in our tennis world so can you just imagine the uproar that would be heard around the world if the US Open only had older, white men as officials.

We're not sure what "biodiversity" means but I'm sure it has some application to this email post that I received talking about the umpires at the World Series:

"At the beginning of the World Series broadcast on Fox 4 tonight, they introduced and showed pictures of the 6 officials. They were all older Caucasian males. Where is the diversity? A large percentage of the players fit one minority category or another, but not the officials. Is it possible that Major League baseball is primarily in performance, not skin color or ethnic background?"

Do You Think They Are Calling Lines Now?

2011-10-14T14:38:00.004-05:00

Its out... because a liberated woman said it was.

I think it was out... First, let me take a poll to be sure.

I sure as heck know that it was out. Anyone want to argue with me?

What Is The Right Court Per Official Ratio?

2011-10-12T08:36:00.007-05:00

Texas' statewide average is one official per 11 courts.

Of course, the ideal is one official per court but that only exists in collegiate, pro, and Dubai tennis.

One of the most frequently asked questions is how many courts should a roving official be expected to properly supervise--and boy, does the answer run the full spectrum of numbers. Some say it should be 1/4, some say 1/10, and some actually do tournaments where the ratio is 1/25. Truth is, in Texas the AVERAGE RATIO is one official for every 11 courts (according to a survey taken in 2010 of Texas referees and tournament directors.)

I think most every would agree that 1/25 is not feasible and 1/11 is probably pushing the limits quite a bit but where is the proper ratio. I would tend to think its between 1/6 and 1/4 for us to properly do our job and partially satisfy the tournament directors and the Junior Council. How well do I remember when the Junior Council representatives came into the Officials Committee meeting and told us that we weren't properly enforcing the rules--and they were considering putting a limit on how much we could charge... So folks, the issue is out there and it is a real and valid issue.

There are many realities that factor into this discussion--and here are a few random thoughts to consider:

* The tournament and TD must be able to make a decent profit. Noone is denying this but obscene profits when an official must officiate 1/12 courts isn't the answer.

* We must be willing to have an open and honest discussion at all levels about what constitutes an "obscene profit" and what is a "reasonable profit."

* Our leadership in Texas must find a way to lower the state-wide ratio of 1/11.

* Parents, coaches, and players all expect much more from an official at a tournament site--but are they willing to pay the financial price?

* Should court monitors be used to supplement the certified officials?

* Should there be a limit placed on the amount a tournament can charge for an entry fee?

* Are people in America ready to pay more in their entry fees to have a lower official/court ratio?

When there's a problem, we need to take the time to properly discuss the issue and then explore our options. I think that time has come...

(BE SURE TO TAKE THE TIME TO VOTE IN THE POLL ON THE UPPER RIGHT OF THIS BLOG)

The Joys & Lessons Of A Super Champ Major Zone Tournament

2011-10-10T07:30:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I had the privilege of officiating at a Super Champ Major Zone tournament and worked the boys 12's site--and what an experience it was! Here are some of the lessons I learned and observations I made...

* These kids are better than I ever thought they could be at 10, 11, or 12 years old.

* They all have a protective Mother somewhere on the planet earth and she sees everything.

* The Dads come out in force but many are preoccupied with the I-Pads and I-phones.

* There are a lot of type A boys in this division.

* Not all of the boys behave well.

* Not all parents abide by the rules.

* Not all 12 year olds know the rules as well as they think. They do however know how to ask for a linesperson when they think they have been wronged.

* Some parents are great and resent the bad ones.

* The boys love to sit around and compare their achievements. Woe to the one who doesn't win much.

* Its always good to have a great site director. Especially one who knows how to find and order the best pizza in south Dallas.

* Some parents can't tell time--and its their job to do so since the boys can't drive yet.

* Some parents think the rules weren't made for them.

* Some parents love to coach even though they know its wrong. Just think about what they are teaching their kids when they do this.

* Discipline is the responsibility of the parents and not the officials.

* I can't wait to see some of these guys play in college. They are going to be great!

* Its fun to watch them win, lose, and play the game--even though some cry when they start losing.

* Its just a good thing there is an official at every site or no telling what would happen. (Even though I had 12 courts to supervise at the same time...)

* We need to pray daily for all referees in America...

Overall, it was a great experience!

Do We Have The Right To Have Expectations Of Others?

2011-09-29T06:58:00.004-05:00

We all live in a world of GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

One of the most resounding questions asked through history is, "do we have the right to have expectations of others?" The obvious answer is YES. When we interact with others on either a personal or professional level, there will always be expectations and the way we succeed and find happiness is to know and understand those expectations. This process is especially true in the officiating world because many of our problem areas arise because of unfulfilled or misunderstood expectations. Here are a few expectations for your consideration:

EXPECTATIONS OF AN OFFICIAL

* That you know the rules of tennis and how to apply them fairly.

* That you get along with others in a work environment.

* That you know how to bathe and use deodorant on a regular basis.

* That you know how to coordinate your clothing. If you are going to wear a black shirt, please don't wear pink or turquoise shoes.

* That you know how to wash clothes and always show up with clean garments.

* That you know when you hat/cap is worn out. Please don't wear a hat that looks like your great grandfather wore it.

* That you are willing to listen to your referee and in some cases, the more experienced officials. There's nothing more ineffective than a bull-headed official who won't listen.

* That you understand that coaches, players, and parents are actually humans and deserve our respect. We are not called into the officials world to be Attila the Hun.

EXPECTATIONS OF A REFEREE

* That you have an experienced grasp of the rules and know how to apply them.

* That you treat those who work for you with respect and dignity.

* That you pay attention to what is happening around you.

* That you know how to have fun and enjoy being with the other officials.

* That you are protective of those who work for you.

EXPECTATIONS OF A TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

* That you know and understand the role of a TD--and then operate within that role.

* That you don't act like the "boss" and dictate orders to everyone around you.

* That you don't keep reminding us that we work for you--we already know that.

* That you pay attention when you are doing the draws so we don't have to correct them later.

* That you hire legitimate site directors who actually know what they are doing.

* That you provide lunch/supper for your officials just like you do for your site directors--and don't complain all the time about how we are taking away your profits.

* If you don't provide meals then have the integrity to provide enough money for an official to buy his own lunch. Recommended amount is $10 per meal.

* Treat all officials with dignity and respect. In most cases they have much more training and experience than you do.

* Relax and enjoy the tournament. Not every parent is a devil out to get you and not every official is incompetent.

* Do not constantly tell the officials how little money you are making on a tournament.

* If you require officials to be a site 30 minutes before start time then pay them from the time you require them to be there. No official likes to donate 30 minutes of time just because you want them there.

* Don't ask an official to stand on a court for 6-8 hours without a break. Remember you are the one in the shade or AC at the tournament desk.

* Don't ask us to be site directors. You should hire someone else for that job.

* Don't expect sinless perfection out of your officials. We're human just like you are.

The Legend & Lore Of The Ohio State Buckeye

2011-09-25T18:03:00.005-05:00

The logo of the university claiming the "buckeyes."

Picture of two actual buckeyes--the source of all good luck!

There are times in our lives when we encounter situations in which we learn valuable life lessons--and that happened for me this weekend at the ITA tournament in Waco...

We had a great time with the men's tournament and saw some really good tennis but I learned the most from a younger (that means not as old as I) official who shared the legend of the Ohio State Buckeye...

Since I did not actually know what a "buckeye" was, I guess I was wide open to his wisdom. Seems that the "buckeye" is actually a nut off of a tree and is the state tree of Ohio. The "eyes" on the nuts are actually supposed to be the eyes of a buck hence they arrive at the name "buckeye."

It is also symbolic of a Big 10 university called Ohio State University but I will leave that wisdom for a later post.

This younger official imparted this wisdom and he gifted me with a set of buckeyes (pictured above) and said the stories goes thusly,

"If you one wishes to have good luck, then one should rub his nuts."

I will leave all applications of this proverb to your own imagination... but thanks to the younger one for his impartation of wisdom and knowlege.

Congratulations To Lauren Longbotham Meisner

2011-09-22T17:52:00.006-05:00

Auburn University

Lauren Longbotham Meisner

New Auburn Women's Tennis Coach

Auburn University Tennis

Our special congratulations to Lauren Longbotham Meisner as she became the head women's tennis coach at Auburn University this week. Lauren had a great tenure as tennis coach at SMU which culminated with her team making the final 16 this past year.

Best wishes to Lauren and Tod as they begin their new life in Alabama... I have a feeling that the competition in the SEC is going to be a tad tougher than in Conference USA.

Chair Training At Highland Park

2011-09-22T07:09:00.004-05:00

Highland Park High School is host to a dynamic officials training program.

Officials are given on-court training at each HP home match.

There are times when UIL high school programs rise up to assist the USTA--and Highland Park High School in Dallas is one of those schools. Highland Park High School is the host site for the only officials on-court training program in the nation and is certainly to be commended for their generosity and vision for officiating in America.

Under the guidance of their head coach, Dan Holden, HPHS has chair officials for all of their home matches and the officials have a great opportunity for on-court training by a certified official. The program was begun two years ago and now features on-court officiating in ten home matches. In an average home match each official will get to chair 2-3 matches so it is a great opportunity for training.

Under the direction of Randy McDonald and Dan Holden, the training program has grown to a full slate of officials this year. Randy states, "The experience that an official can gain by doing at least 20-30 chairs with a supervisor is fantastic. This experience enables them to move into the collegiate officiating ranks with no difficulties. Thanks to Highland Park for giving us this opportunity to train our new officials."

The training program at Highland Park is a great springboard for officials to move up the officiating ladder. Since most ITA coordinators require an official to have "experience" before being hired, this is a great beginning for that level of experience. Each official has classroom instruction before ever taking the court and then has an experienced instructor observing each of their matches.

If you are interested in being part of this exciting program, contact Randy McDonald at 214 796 7402 or rmtennis@yahoo.com

Update on ITA Apparel

2011-09-16T20:38:00.012-05:00

Officials shirts can be ordered with "Referee" or "Official" embroidered on them.

ITA windshirts.

Our supplier wants us to email Whitney Leasley instead of calling her. That way they have a paper trail to confirm the orders.

Here is the link to the company in Waco: http://qtipromo.com/
This can also be accessed by clicking on "ITA Apparel" on the top right of the blog.

The new site does not have a link to the ITA apparel yet and the management has asked that you EMAIL this person to place your orders for ITA apparel: (We will publish a blog post when the site has a link to our ITA apparel.)

Whitney Leasley (wleasley@qtipowers.com)

Note to all ITA officials: Remember that the black shirts are now required to do ITA matches in Texas.

Here are the items that are available:

Men's black ITA shirts ($23) w/"referee" or "official" embroidered S,M,L,XL,2XL,3XL

Ladies black ITA shirts ($23) w/"referee" or "official" embroidered S,M,L,XL

Black vests ($49) w/"official"

Black jackets ($55) w/"official" embroidered (these are from the same company as the Big 12 jackets)

S,M,L,XL,2XL,3XL

Khaki ITA caps ($9) for "Official" and black ITA caps ($9) for "Referee". The caps will have the appropriate title embroidered on them--please do not ask to have "Official" embroidered on a black cap.

Words From Baby Serena

2011-09-15T09:02:00.002-05:00

Here are a few thoughts and musings from our hero--Serena...

* I only made $1.5 million at this year's tournament so I have the right to scream.

* That chair official hates me so I can do whatever I want.

* I didn't think Stosur was that good.

* Venus got better toys than I did.

* My butt is too big to get around the court that fast.

* All chair officials hate me because I'm black.

* My Daddy made me do it.

* I'm still mad because Venus designs better dresses than I do.

* I miss Henin.

* Too bad I couldn't have had Lynn Welch for a chair umpire. She overrules everything.

* I should have gone to college.

* Does anyone have Hussein Obama's phone number? Maybe he could help me with my anger management classes.

* A $2,000 fine? I spend that much on my nails.

* Since I'm black, I should get 3 games and choice of toss at the first of every match.

* I want a black chair official for all of my matches. Maybe then I'll get the respect I deserve.

* Am I the best female tennis player ever? YES

We Have A Ways To Go On Diversity

2011-09-12T07:31:00.002-05:00

Even the pooches are open to diversity...

Even though the USTA seems to spend their every waking moment trying to achieve diversity, there are still places out there that seem to be untouched. If diversity is their goal at the Open, then I would say they are doing well. I'm just wondering what happened to the over 45 white male...

Here are some quotes that I thought you might find interesting while we are discussing diversity:

"You old white people. It is your duty to die."
HISPANIC LEADERS SPEAK OUT

Augustin Cebada, Brown Berets; "Go back to Boston ! Go back to Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims! Get out! We are the future. You are old and tired. Go on. We have beaten you. Leave like beaten rats. You old white people. It is your duty to die. Through love of having children, we are going to take over.

Richard Alatorre, Los Angeles City Council. "They're afraid we're going to take over the governmental institutions and other institutions. They're right. We will take them over . . . We are here to stay."

Excelsior, the national newspaper of Mexico , "The American Southwest seems to be slowly returning to the jurisdiction of Mexico without firing a single shot."

Professor Jose Angel Gutierrez, University of Texas ; "We have an aging white America . They are not making babies. They are dying. The explosion is in our population . . . I love it. They are sh----g in their pants with fear. I love it."

Art Torres, Chairman of the California Democratic Party, "Remember 187--proposition to deny taxpayer funds for services to non-citizens--was the last gasp of white America in California ."

Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor, "We are politicizing every single one of these new citizens that are becoming citizens of this country . . ... I gotta tell you that a lot of people are saying, "I'm going to go out there and vote because I want to pay them back."

Mario Obledo, California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations and California State Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under Governor Jerry Brown, also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, " California is going to be a Hispanic state. Anyone who doesn't like it should leave."

Jose Pescador Osuna, Mexican Consul General, "We are practicing 'La Reconquista' in California .."

Professor Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University ; "We need to avoid a white backlash by using codes understood by Latinos . . . "

Lest We Forget

2011-09-11T08:01:00.002-05:00

September 11, 2001

Low Pay & Lawsuits--Life In The USTA

2011-09-10T07:34:00.002-05:00

Seems that things are heating up for the USTA in their dealings with officials from around the world. Below is an article just published about the pay at the Open and other Grand Slam tournaments.

Four United States officials recently filed a lawsuit against the USTA over their pay at the US Open. If you would like a copy of this lawsuit, email me at rmtennis@yahoo.com and I'll be glad to send you a copy.

Enjoy reading...

This weekend, the men’s and women’s singles champions at the United States Open will take home at least $1.8 million each. The total prize money is a record $23.7 million. The tournament’s revenue is expected to exceed $200 million.

At the United States Open, the highest-rated umpires in tennis make $250 a day.

Gold badge chair umpires, the highest-rated officials in professional tennis, the ones who work the most important tournaments and matches, make $250 each day at the Open. It is the lowest pay rate for any Grand Slam tournament. There are 26 such umpires. Twenty-four of them worked Wimbledon, but only 13 are here at the Open.
“We’ve been saying this for years and years,” Norm Chryst, a retired gold badge chair umpire, said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “The U.S. Open makes more and more each year, but very little of that goes to the officials. Gold badge umpires don’t want to come here. Why? A lot of the answer is money.”
For gold badge umpires, officiating tournaments is their primary job and main source of income. At most tournaments, their pay is set by the ATP World Tour, the WTA or the International Tennis Federation. But at Grand Slam events, tournament organizers dictate everything from pay rates to accommodations.
Chryst said the United States Open once paid the most among major tournaments, an assertion that was confirmed by a current gold badge umpire who requested anonymity because they are not allowed to conduct interviews without permission. Now, the Open pays the least.
The Open declined to make available the director of officials, the tournament referee or any top umpires. But Chris Widmaier, the managing director of communications for the United States Tennis Association, said: “We’re very comfortable with the quality of officials. There doesn’t seem to be any controversy except the controversy that one disgruntled official has stirred up.”
One gold badge umpire detailed complaints, including pay, to The Times, a London newspaper, earlier this week. But Chryst said the issue went beyond one official, as shown by the umpires who are not working the Open. They include some of the most respected in the sport, like Lars Graff, Mohamed Lahyani, Cedric Mourier and Steve Ullrich, the chair umpire for last year’s men’s singles final.
Widmaier said the Open generally hired 15 or 16 gold badge umpires. He said that two declined this year to spend less time on the road, and another ran into visa issues. Asked if all 26 gold badge umpires would be ideal at the Open, he said that many would not be necessary.
“We look at every aspect of this tournament every year,” he said. “If we feel improvements need to be made, we make them.”
A spreadsheet obtained by The New York Times showed that Wimbledon paid gold badge umpires £189, or about $306 daily. The French Open paid 190 euros (about $270), even for the tournament’s qualifying rounds, while the United States Open pays $185 a day for its qualifying rounds.
At the Australian Open, gold badge umpires earn about $383 for each main draw day, and they make overtime if they work more than 10 hours, a perk none of the other Grand Slam tournaments provide.
The differences extend beyond pay scale. Gold badge umpires receive their own hotel rooms at the United States and French Opens, share two-bedroom apartments in Australia and must book their own accommodations at Wimbledon, where they get about $121.50 a day for expenses.
All tournaments provide on-site meal vouchers, with none higher than the French Open (about $37). All also pay a portion of the umpires’ travel expenses, with the United States Open, at $500 for travel both domestic and international, again the lowest of the majors.
Chryst said the problems with the United States Open went beyond pay, extending to more complaints like too many hours and not enough days off. Chryst said the absences were heavier on the men’s side, with more ATP gold badge umpires absent. “They’re the ones who see the players every week,” he said.
Told that officials believed the tournament had not suffered in quality, Chryst noted that several gold badge umpires did not work the entire United States Open in 2004 because they were involved in a credential scandal at the Athens Olympics.
An umpire officiating an Open match that year between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati made one particularly erroneous call, an instance often credited as the impetus behind the implementation of the Hawk-Eye instant replay system. The umpire, Chryst said, was rated a silver badge.
“Was Hawk-Eye ultimately fortunate for all umpires?” he asked. “I think so. It’s a good thing. But that’s what can happen when the best aren’t there.”
Players appear more aware of individual umpires than their respective ratings. Told of the lack of top-level umpires at this year’s Open, Roger Federer said: “I don’t know about that. It’s a tough job being an umpire. I wish that all the best umpires would be here, but it is who it is, and I hope that they can resolve the issue.”
Chryst said, “There’s nothing the umpires can do except not come.”

Article written by Greg Bishop.

Great Article About One Of Our Own

2011-09-09T13:32:00.001-05:00

Lynn Welch

Lynn Welch is by no means famous. She knows this, and likes it that way. She is slightly embarrased when people call her name out on the grounds of tournaments, asking to take a picture with her or have her sign an autograph. She obliges when away from the courts, but when she is nearby, she politely declines.

But the notoriety -- however big or small -- has been dutifully earned. For the past 18 years, Welch, a Maine native, has worked the professional tennis circuit as a chair umpire, earning Gold Badge status, the highest of ratings for a working professional in her field.

I meet Lynn on Day 10 of the Open, while rain spits steadily outside of Louis Armstrong Stadium. She is underneath in a tucked-away corner, with a group of umpires, some of who are playing cards to pass time. "I'll be in white pants and a navy blue sweater," she told me earlier on the phone. "OK," I think. "But so will everyone else you're around."

I don't need to know what Welch is wearing because I've seen her before, of course, working tour matches, including the US Open final last year between Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva. She has worked over 10 Grand Slam finals and various other semifinals, oftentimes the choice because of her experience, especially when no American player has reached that match (just another precaution for neutrality).

Welch is known by fans at home, as well as those at tournaments. Her voice has been a steady force -- literally -- in the chair for nearly 20 years, and she's been under contract with the WTA for the last three years since earning her Gold Badge in 2003.

"My friends will say that when they're in their kitchen they'll hear me in the living room and know that I'm on -- they'll hear me before they see me," Welch says, laughing a little. "Someone told me I should go into doing voice-over work... for some reason a lot of people will say they love my voice in the chair. They say they enjoy the clarity of it."

I enjoy it, too, and half expected Welch to great me by saying "Deuce" or "Advantage, Roddick." But she doesn't, instead saying hello with a warm smile and dutifully setting out to determine a spot where we can go and talk.

We walk through the underbelly of Louis Armstrong Stadium and make our way to an office in Grandstand, where Welch greets familiar faces along the way. She begins telling me about working her way up from being a linesperson and Bronze and Silver Badge umpire to eventually sitting where she is today.

I can't help but wonder about crazy moments on court, asking her what she's seen and experienced over the last two decades.

In 2003, Welch worked a third-round US Open match between Ai Sugiyama and Francesca Schiavone that was delayed over four days. On the fourth day, the players had only been on court for a few minutes when Welch felt a ball hit her in the side of the head -- an errant throw by a ball person.

"I went to the microphone to say the score and thwop! It hit me in the side of the head and knocked my glasses to the ground off the chair," Welch recalls. "I realized I was bleeding and noticed that the players hadn't seen what happened. I had to yell out for them to wait for me, "Wait!"

"Ai Sugiyama walked over and made me an ice pack ... but all I could think was it was day four of this match and I was another delay." Welch was able to start up again, but the rain started up again itself, stopping the match 10 minutes later.

If blood didn't stop Welch, neither would a broken ankle on another occasion, she says.

"I got down to check a ball mark and just missed one of the rungs of the ladder," she recalls. "The first thing I thought was, 'I broke my ankle' ... but I got up and kept going."

Later in the match, when Welch went to check another mark, someone yelled, "Don't get down!" The crowd laughed, she says, but the players wouldn't let her get down. Instead, they checked the marks themselves.

Welch's perseverance has seen her through a system of peer review, where umpires will be assigned to help each other along by watching one another's matches and giving feedback on how each other did.

"We may tell each other, 'You could have tried this,' or ask, 'How did you feel about this?'" she says. "Those reviews go to the ITF. We do it at all the Grand Slams. You can always learn from how you did."

Welch often watches her matches on tape afterwards, critiquing the way she handled confrontations or made certain overrules. "I have high expectations of my performance on and off the court. You have to be yourself but you don't want to do something that will get people talking. You have to present a professional demeanor on the court."

Her memory is uncanny. The bleeding match? Sugiyama and Schiavone. And when she broke her ankle in 2001? That was Jenny Hopkins and Lisa Raymond.

The meticulousness about Welch is not too surprising, it is her job to pay attention to details. She has a method to how she approaches each and every match. She always tries to be aware of the whole court's surrounding, use preventative umpiring to temper what could be contentious situations and, her advice to up and coming umpires? "Make sure your umpire bag is packed for the day," she says, "there's nothing more embarrassing than forgetting something when you're on court."

On the rainy Wednesday afternoon, Welch is waiting for the rain to subside, having been moved to the first match on instead of the second. She notes that she hasn't seen the players much during the Open ("this is one of the bigger tournaments"), but that she usually just says a passing hi -- no out to drinks or dinner with their families. And what does she love about it all? "I love my job. I love that I get to travel."

On our way under Armstrong Stadium I wonder if anyone will recognize Welch, but she stops short with a group of groundspeople, not for autographs but to get an update on when play might start.

"[It] makes me chuckle. Just because people see me on TV they think I'm famous, but I'm just a normal person," she says, throwing her small black umpire's bag over her shoulder. "But it makes me feel good, too, when they say something like, 'You're my favorite umpire.' It gives me a smile for the day."

And Baylor Takes A Stand

2011-09-07T16:55:00.003-05:00

A loyal fan of the green and gold.

Thought you might enjoy reading this great article about today's Baylor stand against A&M going to the SEC.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20110907-bear-trap-sec-accepts-texas-am-but-baylor-makes-a-stand.ece

And The Plot Thickens...

2011-08-31T13:05:00.003-05:00

Texas A&M University officially notified the Big 12 Conference that the institution will submit an application to join another athletic conference, the school said in a statement. The Aggies are interested in joining the Southeastern Conference. After leaving the Big 12, A&M would apply for SEC membership and have the bid approved by nine of those 12 schools.

Presumably, A&M knows that SEC commissioner Mike Slive has the votes in place. Anything else would be a huge embarrassment. But the Aggies did leave room for a retreat in their statement, noting the withdrawal is conditional on membership in another conference.

Texas A&M would end its membership in the Big 12 Conference effective June 30, 2012.

What Is Your Answer?

2011-08-28T14:17:00.002-05:00

Here is a copy of an email I received this weekend. What would your answer be???

Do you know the answer to this?

During a drill there was a discussion .... one of the pro's told the group that the receiver's partner can stand anywhere on the court. "Even sit on the bench if he/she wants to." ... at the beginning or during the point.

FAC Rule 8 SERVER & RECEIVER p.8 ... Case 1: Is the receiver allowed to stand outside the lines of the court? Decision: The May take any position inside or outside the lines on the receiver's side of the net.

FAC Rule 26 HINDERANCE p19 Case 5: In doubles where are the server's partner and receiver's partner allowed to stand? Decision: The server's partner and the receiver's partner may take any position on their own side of the net, inside or outside the court. However, if a player is creating a hinderance to the opponent(s), the hinderance rule should be used.

FAC Rule 15 ORDER OF RECEIVING IN DOUBLES p.11 Case 1: Is one member of a doubles team allowed to play alone against the opponents? Decision: NO

If the receiver's partner was sitting on the bench, would it then be 2 playing against 1? .... in violation of Rule 15? However, if the receiver's partner was injured and couldn't run, didn't want to retire, but chose to stand in one spot and let his partner do the running, would that be within the confines of the rules? Could the opposing team of the "bench sitter" say the person sitting on the bench was a hinderance.

I can't imagine one player sitting on the bench, while his partner played the match ... but the debate was about ...... was it within the rules.

A Night At The Texas Open (WTA Event in Grapevine)

2011-08-24T06:50:00.006-05:00

Not sure who is playing but that is Ron Morrill on the baseline and Susan Wertenberger on the sideline.

Gary Rayburn in action on the baseline.

Andy Suchower on the baseline.

"Watching Grass Grow" might have well described in the evening.

Last night I had the wonderful privilege of taking my son's girlfriend, Nicole, to her first pro tennis tournament--we went to the Texas Open in Grapevine for this WTA event.

The night was great fun as she saw chair officials and linespeople for the first time and saw how hard some women can actually hit a tennis ball. She loved the flair and excitement of the show!

I thought the highlight of the evening was how well our local officials did calling lines. They looked sharp and did a fine job throughout the evening.

The chair officials on the other hand were another story. I watched four different chair officials and if I were grading them, they would get a "C" at best. One kept slouching in his chair, one couldn't get the score right, one kept trying to impress the crowd with his fake accent, and overall they were weak to say the least.

The players made a lot of noise but produced little if any quality tennis. I've seen better at college dual matches. One was so out of shape that by the second set she was wheezing in the heat... At least they wore some great outfits so that helped pass the evening.

The facility was nice--but poorly attended. In the match we were watching there were 16 people in the stands so I sure hope they had some good sponsors. The general admission bleachers weren't finished on the center court and they elected to finish the bleachers first on the side that looked directly in the sun. The ones in the shade haven't been completed yet--but hopefully will be by Sunday.

Overall it was a fun evening because I went with a wonderful person, saw a lot of good friends, and enjoyed seeing my friends perform well--but in the end result, it was kind of like watching grass grow.

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

2011-08-23T14:38:00.004-05:00

SERENA WILLIAMS reacting to US Open seeding.

Serena Williams was seeded 28th for the U.S. Open, which stuck with its policy of following the rankings instead of taking into account players’ past performances.

It means Williams could face one of the Grand Slam tournament’s top eight seeded players as early as the third round.

The 29-year-old American leads active women with 13 major championships, including three at Flushing Meadows—in 1999, 2002 and 2008. She recently won consecutive hard-court tuneup tournaments at Stanford and Toronto, making her one of the favorites to win the U.S. Open, which starts next Monday.

A former No. 1, the American is ranked 29th this week. That’s up from 175th in July, a few weeks after she returned to the tour following nearly a year off because of a series of health problems.

“After careful deliberation regarding Serena Williams’ seeding, we decided to maintain the objective criteria in place to determine the women’s singles seeds at this year’s U.S. Open,” tournament director Jim Curley said in a statement released Tuesday by the U.S. Tennis Association.

In the past, Grand Slam tournaments have taken into account factors other than the official rankings when determining seedings.

At the most recent major tournament, Wimbledon, two-time defending champion Williams was moved up to No. 7 in the seedings, 19 spots higher than her ranking at the time, even though it was only the second tournament of her comeback. She wound up losing in the fourth round at the All England Club.

Her older sister Venus, a five-time Wimbledon champion, also was bumped up in the seedings there. But Venus Williams isn’t seeded at all for the U.S. Open, which she won in 2000 and 2001; she’s ranked 36th this week.

Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, the 2009 U.S. Open runner-up, is also No. 1 in the women’s singles seedings announced Tuesday, followed by Vera Zvonareva, last year’s losing finalist.

Two-time reigning U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, who is ranked No. 3, will miss the tournament this year with a stomach muscle injury. Fourth-ranked Maria Sharapova, the 2006 champion in New York, moves up to third in the seedings.

The men’s seedings are to be announced Wednesday, and the draw for the year’s last Grand Slam tournament is Thursday.

Finally! A Cold Front--Drops Temp From 141 to 127

2011-08-21T17:21:00.002-05:00

On court temperature at 3:30 p.m. on August 20, 2011.

In the Highland Park vs Plano West dual match yesterday the temperate on court at 1:45 p.m. was 141 degrees. At 3:30 the temperature had dropped to only 127 degrees.

Thank the Lord for a summer cold front!

Chair Refresher Opportunities

2011-08-15T20:59:00.004-05:00

Carol Linden in action! One of our more experienced MTOA officials.

All chair officials need a time of refreshing from time to time--and this weekend we have a great opportunity for our Metroplex (or anywhere else) to come and sharpen their skills.

Highland Park High School and Plano West High School are hosting a team tournament on Friday and Saturday and it features the top high school teams in the state--and they have invited us to come and do chairs at their tournament.

This opportunity is open to everyone and even if you are a new official and would like to come and do chairs, here is the schedule: (We will have experienced officials there to help if you are a new official and would like to learn to do chairs.)

Friday 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at Highland Park High School

Saturday 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at Highland Park High School

There will be no pay for the event but it is a great opportunity to get some great practice on some great matches. These matches are very similiar to college matches so they will afford you some great experience.

We only have room for 6 chairs per dual match so if you are interested please contact:

Randy McDonald

214 796 7402

rmtennis@yahoo.com

How Would You Rule?

2011-08-14T18:17:00.002-05:00

Since everyone seems to like this type of post the best, here you go:

SCENARIO

In a men's USTA doubles match, player A (on team A) hit the ball over the net with severe backspin. The ball bounced on the correct side and player B (on team B) was moving to return the ball when it began to go over the net back on to team A's side of the net (without being hit).

As player B was making an attempt to reach over the net and hit the ball before it touched the ground, player A reached in front of him and hit the ball.

Team A claimed the point because they said Player B did not hit the ball before it struck the ground.

How would you rule????

Injury Update On John McEnroe

2011-08-13T14:39:00.002-05:00

John McEnroe

TORONTO (AP)—John McEnroe had to be helped off the court with a leg injury during a Rogers Legends Cup match against Michael Chang.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion was stretching for a shot late in the second set Saturday when he collapsed to the ground, his face twisted in pain.

Chang and two medical officials tended to McEnroe as he lay on the court for nearly 10 minutes. They finally hoisted him to his feet and he hobbled off the court, his arms wrapped around the two medics.

He stopped at one point to toss his white hat into the crowd, the effort causing him more discomfort.

The 52-year-old McEnroe was receiving treatment at the Rexall Centre for what appeared to be a left hamstring injury.

This is the first year for the legends event as part of the Rogers Cup.

A Great Night Of Baseball

2011-08-11T07:40:00.008-05:00

President Bush at the Rangers game.

President and Laura Bush singing the national anthem.

Secret Service guy (in the blue cap) guarding the President.

Michael Young

What a great night of baseball and privilege I had last night... I went to the Rangers game and sat six rows behind President and Laura Bush. Even though he didn't come visit with me personally (as if we could get through the Secret Service), I did get to see one of my heroes.

BTW, the Rangers lost but I got a great picture of Michael Young! And we got to sit by two newly weds (Cody and Allyson) from Hobbs, New Mexico as they were celebrating their honeymoon at the Rangers game.

Semi-Farewell To One Of The Great Ones

2011-08-09T16:26:00.005-05:00

JOHN PETERSON

Retiring coach of Tyler Junior College

John Peterson in action!

With the announcement that John Peterson is stepping down as head tennis coach at Tyler Junior College there was sadness at the news of the announcement but also gladness in knowing that he will still be working with the university. I have been privileged to work closely with John for the past 12 years at junior college nationals and have found him to be one of those rare coaches who exhibit grace, honor, integrity, and wisdom in all that they do. I have been blessed to be his friend--and now I need to enlist him as a tennis official! He would make a good one.

Here is today's announcement:

Coach John Peterson, whose teams have won a combined 25 national championships in his 24 years, has announced that he intends to step down as head tennis coach at Tyler Junior College, effective August 31, 2011. Dash Connell, a former player for Peterson at TJC and current Assistant Coach, has been named as the interim Head Coach.

“John Peterson is a legend in the tennis community and has played a tremendous role in the Tyler Junior College Athletic Department as an Athletic Director and tennis coach,” said Athletic Director Dr. Tim Drain. “He and his wife Dorothy have played in important role in my family’s life that I will never forget, and I will miss seeing him on a daily basis. However, Coach Peterson has agreed to a part-time role in the Athletic Department to help with this transition period, and I do look forward to working with him in that capacity.”

“I am thankful to Billy Jack Doggett and Ray Van Cleef because they were so persistent in getting me to TJC,” said Coach Peterson. “I knew during my interview that it could be special place. I honestly intended to stay a year or two, and here I am nearly 25 years later.”

“I worked under three Presidents and enjoyed them all. I want to thank all the many players that made it possible for us to prosper here. I think the school has done well to award Dash the position. I wish him well and will help him and TJC in any way I can.”

He is a member of the NJCAA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame, the NJCAA Women's Tennis Hall of Fame, and is a 2007 inductee of the Texas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame. In December of 2000, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association named Coach Peterson the Junior College National Coach of the Decade. He was the only coach named coach of the decade in both the men's and women's division.

Coach John Peterson began his tenure in Tyler in 1987, and his teams have experienced great success throughout the years. His men's tennis teams have won twelve national championships, and his women's tennis teams have thirteen national championships, including winning the title the last two years. In his 24 years at TJC, Coach Peterson's overall men's tennis record is 394-101 and his women's teams are 434-88.

Coach Peterson is married to the former Dorothy Driver and has two children and four grandchildren.

John-Paul “Dash” Connell has been an Assistant for Coach Peterson since January 2009. He played at TJC under Peterson from 2001-2003. He then played at Texas A&M from 2003-2005.

After Texas A&M, he was a tennis pro at Willow Fork Country Club from 2006-2009.

In 2003, he was a First-Team NJCAA All-American and won the coveted ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship for Junior College Players. In 2002, he was named a Second-Team NJCAA All-American and won the Donnelly Award from the World Team Tennis Organization. In 2001, he was the Art Foust Sportsmanship Award at the Texas Boys' Super 18 Championships and was the UIL 5A Doubles State Champion.

Dash is married to Shae Connell and they have two sons, Mason (2) and Emerson (2 weeks old).

Reminder For All Referees & Tournament Directors

2011-08-09T16:07:00.002-05:00

USTA Texas Section Tournament Director’s Workshop Information

We are gearing up for the annual Tournament Director’s Workshop and look forward to seeing everyone soon. Remember the workshop is mandatory annually for a tournament director or referee of a junior sanctioned tournament, and the workshop is mandatory every two years for a tournament director or referee of an adult, senior or super senior tournament.

If you would like to attend the Austin, Texas workshop on Sunday, August 28th from 10:00am to 4:00pm, please click on the following link and register online. The deadline for this workshop is end of day August 15th. There will be a $3.55 processing charge for this registration.

https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=981463

If you would like to attend the Dallas, Texas workshop sponsored by the DPTA on Monday, September 26th from 10:00am to 4:00pm, please click on the following link and register online. The deadline for this workshop is end of day September 15th. There will be a $3.55 processing charge for this registration. When you check-in at this workshop a $20 check made payable to the DPTA will be due.

https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=982795

Collin College: On The Cutting Edge of Tennis Scheduling

2011-08-03T08:07:00.008-05:00

Tournament desk at Collin College.

Computer bank at the tournament desk.

Head coach (Marty Berryman) on the left and assistant coach (Rod Coltman) on the right. Under their direction, Collin College has become one of the premier tennis programs in America.

Easy viewing for players and spectators alike.

Updated draws posted for all to view.

Two words quickly come to mind when considering the tennis program at Collin College in Plano--cutting edge and user friendly. Under the direction of head coach, Marty Berryman, and assistant coach, Rod Coltman, the college has taken huge strides in making their tennis program one of the elite programs in America.

Collin College has been the host for the men's national junior college tennis tournament (NJCAA) for the past 10 years and it is now one of the finest tournaments in the land. The tournament features a Texas Section Chair Academy taught by national and state instructors and now chairs all the matches in the tournament. In 2012, the NJCAA national tournament will also feature the Big 12 Chair Academy in conjunction with the tournament. The Collin College men's team was tri-national champions in 2010.

This year Collin College has made another step in modern technology with the addition of their computerized desk. The tournament desk features screens that show updated matches and scores as well as updated draws for all players and spectators. These new additions are featured above.

Officials Inclusion Council

2011-07-29T13:18:00.003-05:00

Does "inclusion" mean all dogs included?

Or does it mean we all get to surf together...

Or just holding hands and singing...

Just received this in an email today:

The USTA is looking for new Officials Inclusion Council (OIC) members who would like to be considered as candidates to serve a two-year term on the OIC team. If you are interested in serving, please notify your Sectional Chair no later than September 15, 2011. The National Staff will work with Sectional Chairs select individuals to join the OIC.

The OIC reflects a balanced mix of professional and grassroots officials with a wide range of demographics. In addition to quarterly on-site weekend meetings, participation also requires monthly conference calls and additional outside work between meetings and conference calls. There are three sub-councils, each with two co-chairs plus serving members. The sub-councils are: Recruitment, Development & Retention; Culture & Environment; and Communications.

The OIC exists to support the mission of the USTA: “To promote and develop the growth of tennis” and help foster and implement the USTA’s core values and strategies for diversity and inclusion while creating an environment that is respectful and supportive of all officials.

OIC Suggestion Box Program

The OIC continues to receive comments and suggestions from umpires across the country. We spend a great deal of time researching and drafting responses to all of the great questions we have received as well as addressing suggestions and ideas. If you are interested in submitting a questions or comment, write us at OIC.COMMUNICATIONS@USTA.COM.

* What does "inclusion" mean in USTA language????

New Indoor Facility At Baylor University

2011-07-22T08:47:00.007-05:00

Headlines announcing the new facility.

Architect's drawing.

The headlines of the Waco Tribune today announced the new Baylor University indoor tennis facility. The new indoor courts will be located across from the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus. The facility will feature four indoor courts at an approximate cost of $7 million.

Perhaps this will encourage the same development at UT and A&M. SMU already has plans for their indoor facility.

Things are on the move in Texas...

And The Race Is On...

2011-07-22T07:47:00.003-05:00

And the race is on to sign up officials for the 2012 season...

Let's see... Its July and ITA coordinators around the state (TCU and Baylor) are already sending out their availabilities for the spring tennis season. It sure can't be said that ITA coordinators aren't prepared. (I always find it fun trying to project out my life for 6-8 months and make firm commitments.)

Oh well, it just increases the anticipation of the coming tennis season and THE RACE IS ON...

At Least She's In...

2011-07-21T07:29:00.003-05:00

You may call her a lot of things but you sure can't call her fat any more.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) Serena Williams is using her special injury-protected No. 1 ranking to get into the U.S. Open field.

She is ranked 172nd this week, and only the top 105 players have been granted direct entry into the field for the year's last major championship, which starts Aug. 29 in New York.

But because Williams was sidelined more than six months by a series of health issues, she has the right to use her special ranking to enter up to eight tournaments, including one Grand Slam.

"I have nothing to lose," Williams said Wednesday at a news conference in New York City before a World Team Tennis event. "I think that's when people are the most dangerous."

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Wednesday that the provisional field for the U.S. Open has 97 of the top 100 women in the WTA rankings, including two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and French Open champion Li Na.

Williams said she expects to play in upcoming WTA tournaments at Stanford, Toronto and Cincinnati to get into shape.

"It was really awful to miss the Open last year," Williams said. "My goal is to make sure I'm really fit. It's the longest I've taken ever taken off from tennis, so it's a challenge."

Chair Training Opportunities

2011-07-19T21:41:00.002-05:00

Chair training opportunities will be offered again this fall to officials throughout Texas. The training will take place in conjunction with the Highland Park High School dual matches and will feature at least two chairs for each official at a dual match. Each participant will receive on court chair training by an experienced instructor.

The requirements are simply that an official is USTA certified and has a desire to do chair officiating. They must also have a USTA shirt to wear when officiating.

Because this is a training opportunity, there will be no pay for the matches. It will however open doors for future chair officiating work and those who complete the training will have the inside track for spring ITA work as well as participation in the 2012 Chair Academy which will be held in May.

Here is the schedule for training matches:

September 6 4:00 p.m. Highland Park vs Wylie East HS

September 16 4:00 p.m. Highland Park vs Ennis HS

September 23 4:00 p.m. Highland Park vs McKinney Boyd HS

September 27 4:00 p.m. Highland Park vs McKinney North HS

October 11 4:00 p.m. Highland Park vs McKinney HS

October 14 4:00 p.m. Highland Park vs Allen HS

A training participant may choose any or all of these training opportunities if they so desire.

If you are interested in this training, please contact:

Randy McDonald (rmtennis@yahoo.com)

214 796 7402

Having The Right Idea

2011-07-19T13:18:00.004-05:00

The three McDonald children resting on a hot summer day...

Now these two have the right idea for a summer's day in Texas...

The Perfect License Plate

2011-07-18T14:35:00.002-05:00

This would be the perfect license plate for many many tennis players...

Have any other suggestions?

A&M Names New Women's Head Coach

2011-07-14T07:24:00.002-05:00

HOWARD JOFFE

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Howard Joffe (pronounced JOFF-ee, rhymes with coffee), one of the brightest young collegiate tennis coaches in the country, has been named the new Texas A&M women's head tennis coach, Aggie Director of Athletics Bill Byrne announced Monday.

"I am very pleased to announce that Howard Joffe has accepted the position as our women's head tennis coach," Byrne stated. "He comes very highly recommended by many people within the tennis community and has done a great job of rebuilding two previous programs. He was the top candidate put forward by our committee headed by (Senior Associate Athletics Director) Jeff Schmahl."

"Coach Joffe is an extremely talented recruiter and developer of young tennis players," Schmahl said. "His work ethic is second to none and he has one of the most positive attitudes of any coach I've been around. I have no doubt that Howard will be Building Champions with the Texas A&M women's tennis team."

Joffe has had success both as a head coach and as an assistant coach having served as the head women's tennis coach at the University of Maryland for the past two years and led the Terrapins to the NCAA Championships this past season, marking the Terps' first appearance in the NCAA Championships since 2006. Joffe's squad finished 13-10 and was No. 34 in the final ITA rankings.

"It is no secret that Texas A&M is one of the best places in the country for tennis, as well as the entire athletics department," Joffe said. "I was very impressed by everything at Texas A&M. The academic reputation, the athletics success and the support of the overall athletic program and the great fan support of the 12th Man makes everything top notch."

Yet Another View: Why Old Men Shouldn't Play On Public Courts

2011-07-13T06:15:00.002-05:00

And here's the reason why...

(This one came late last night so I thought I should print it as soon as possible to keep from offending any more of our female counterparts.)

WHY OLD MEN SHOULDN'T PLAY ON PUBLIC COURTS

1. They cheat. Have you ever stopped and listened to them accuse their opponents of everything under the sun?

2. They're slow. Just time them and see how long it takes them to walk to the courts after they get their senior discount on court time.

3. They don't have kids. This enables them to talk freely about all their sexual ailments and treatments.

4. They stink. Its common knowledge that old men don't bathe very often--and are proud of it!

5. They can't volley. Not because of lack of ability but lack of the mobility needed to get to net.

6. They don't own a stopwatch. And they don't care nor do they intend to buy one. They depend on the women coming after them to remind them when their time is up.

7. They're cheap. How much does a new white t-shirt cost?

8. They're obscene. Have you seen some of the shorts they are wearing? They're the ones they saved from the 60's.

9. They fart. They are all proud of their bodily functions and show them off as often as possible.

10. They swear. Because of their limited vocabulary, this is the end result.

11. They leer. Most of them are latent horndogs but all that's left is their imagination and fond memories of days gone by.

12. They flirt. And they always choose the hottest woman out there to practice their trade.

13. They pee in public. They don't see any reason to walk all the way to the clubhouse when a tree will do.

14. They talk too loud. Just play next to four of them and you will see.

15. They don't support the local pro. Not only will they never take a lesson they haven't bought a racket, shoes, or clothes in the past 15 years.

16. They wear out the baselines. The only time they go near the net is when they are finished and/or are changing ends.

17. They hate kids. Just watch what happens when one of those women brings their brats to play next to the court while they play a league match. They raised their kids and don't mind telling you they don't want to be near any more.

18. They're experts on tennis. They all know why Nadal lost the Wimbledon finals...

Just Another Opinion...

2011-07-12T15:10:00.003-05:00

Women playing tennis on public tennis courts--right or wrong?

I recently ran across the following article and was saving it for just the right day--and maybe that day has arrived after reading some of the recent comments on the blog.

I'll not reveal the name of the author but if you are offended, we will allow you space to rebut...

Here you go:

REASONS WHY WOMEN SHOULD NOT PLAY TENNIS ON PUBLIC COURTS

For many years now I have been trying to muster the courage to write this article, and the time has finally arrived… You may or may not agree and it really doesn’t matter at all, but at least I have shared my wise and objective opinion on this universe-threatening issue.

Here are the reasons why women should not be allowed to play tennis on public courts:

1. They cheat. All you have to do is listen to a bunch of women after their match is over and they are convinced they have just played (and probably lost to) the biggest cheat in the northern hemisphere.

2. They clog up the lobby in the clubhouse. Seems that women all want/need to go to the bathroom at the same time and a man has no chance of navigating through the lobby when the call has been issued.

3. They have kids. Woe unto any club that let’s mothers bring their fair-haired children to the match with them. You are then stuck with babysitting for the four hours it takes their mother to finish her match.

4. They smell. Perfume is a wonderful and necessary thing for women but it sucks when its blended with aspercreme, ben gay, icy-hot, and all the other stuff they use for their imagined injuries.

5. They can’t volley. I have never yet met a woman who could actually volley so in essence they are wasting part of the court that could be put to much better us

6. They gossip. If you doubt this one, just hang around and listen when they are done or when they take a water break during the match.

7. They don’t own a stopwatch. If they did, they wouldn’t take 5 minutes on changeovers and 2 minutes between points.

8. They’re cheap. They always complain about the rates the club charges no matter what it is and they never buy their stuff at the clubhouse. They haven’t figured out that if they want a good pro, then they need to support him.

9. They sweat too much. Women seem to sweat way too much these days and there’s nothing more unenticing than a sweaty woman.

10. Their clothes selection sucks. Why do women wear outfits to play tennis in that they wouldn’t ever been seen in on a regular day?

11. Their hair-dos are pathetic. Most of them look like they just got out of bed in time to run to the courts.

12. If they even have make-up on, it runs. The vast majority look like they don’t wear a shred of makeup and the ones who do need to buy the kind that doesn’t run when they sweat.

13. They’re mean. Have you ever listened to them arguing with each other when they hate a call or lose count of the score?

14. Most of them are too fat. There are a few hotties out there but most are poster children for Weight Watchers and rightfully so.

15. Their clothes are too tight. Tight fitting clothes on a walrus isn’t becoming so please don’t inflict that upon us men.

16. They swear. A guy swearing is normal but a woman screaming the F word is disgusting and unbecoming.

17. They hate men. Just look at how they react when their time is up and they don’t want to get off the court for the men who have it booked after them.

18. They can’t tell time. How many women actually show up on time for their matc

19. They run up the plumbing bills at the facility. Ask the manager how many times he has to call the plumber after the ladies have been there.

A New Candidate For Chair Official

2011-07-11T08:11:00.002-05:00

MICHELLE OBAMA

Candidate to become a USTA chair official.

I recently received an email with a recommendation for a new chair official...

I will leave the rest up to your imagination but at least she meets a lot of the criteria for diversity (which we all know rules and reigns in the officials world today). The snarl would make her quite imposing!

Update On Tom Wright

2011-07-08T13:42:00.002-05:00

Just a little update on Tom Wright and his recent hip replacement surgery...

Tom had a 3 hour surgery on Wednesday to replace his hip. He is home now and doing quite well.

Vickie said he was out watering his flowers this morning so the recovery must be happening pretty quickly.

I know you all share in our happiness over Tom's successful surgery and quick recovery time.

I'm Bored...

2011-07-08T13:25:00.002-05:00

Seems like this about the calmest summer in history for tennis. We have a new king in men's tennis and the women's tennis is even worse than ever so there's not much to get excited about.

There are some ZATs and Super Champs tournaments going on but those don't bring much excitement unless they let us read the complaint forms on all the misbehaving parents...

We do have two big ITA tournaments coming in the next two weeks so that should liven things up around the DFW area. Thank goodness.

We are all still wondering who the new women's coach will be at A&M so that does help a bit with the boredom...

Of course there is the fascination with Mitch Krueger and wondering where he will go to college. There's still a shred of hope for UT and OU--but not much...

Cathy Kennan did sell her house and will be moving to Florida in the near future. We will miss having her around here but I'm sure she will liven up the east coast...

That's about all the news and thoughts I have for this hot summer day. If you know of something good to write about, send it to me... I'm bored!

A New King Is Crowned

2011-07-03T12:23:00.003-05:00

NOVAK DJOKOVIC proudly displaying his Wimbledon trophy.

Totally enjoying the moment...

Novak Djokovic ascended to the highest heights of men's tennis today when he dominated Rafael Nadal in the finals of Wimbledon. In addition to winning the Australian Open as well, Novak now sits atop the men's world rankings at #1--and rightfully so. The only match he has lost this year was in the semi-finals of the French Open to Roger Federer.

Congratulations to a most worthy champion...

The Best (And Only) Of The Americans At Wimbledon

2011-07-02T12:23:00.002-05:00

BOB & MIKE BRYAN

2011 Wimbledon Men's Doubles Champions

Congratulations to the Bryan brothers for winning yet another Wimbledon title. They are also the only Americans remaining in the competition this year.

Wonder what happens next????

Wimbledon Update: Finals All Set...

2011-07-01T13:46:00.009-05:00

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

New World's #1 Player and Singles Finalist

Djokovic in action.

The Bryan Brothers play in yet another Grand Slam final.

Some think NADAL can walk on water--we'll see on Sunday!

MARIA SHARAPOVA

Brings some class to the women's singles final.

But she can be intimidating...

PETRA KVITOVA

Trying to win her first Grand Slam title.

Wimbledon Update: A Really Long Medical Timeout And Boring Women's Tennis

2011-06-27T12:38:00.004-05:00

After calling a MTO before the start of the tiebreak, Nadal was able to run like a rabbit through the entire tiebreak (which he won.)

This year's Wimbledon is providing some great men's tennis--and a pathetic excuse for women's pro tennis.

MEN'S MEDICAL TIME OUT

Does anyone know the correct times for a medical time out in pro tennis? If so, please send. Nadal called for a MTO before the start of the first set tie break and it seemed to take an eternity. Someone please enlighten us...

Note: At least the chair umpire had the courage to call a time violation warning on Nadal for taking too long between points. Big surprise.

WOMEN'S UPDATE

Its hard to find words to describe the women's tournament this year. Here are a few thoughts: boring, pathetic, overweight, starless, and useless. Here are the match-ups for tomorrow:

Dominika Cibulkova vs Maria Sharapova

Sabine Lisicki vs Marion Bartoli

Tamira Paszek vs Victoria Azarenka

Petra Kvitova vs Tsvetana Pironkova

Since I don't recognize most of these the most thrilling thing I can find to say is that we have four "ovas" in the quarters. Yuk.

Congratulations To A Well Deserving Young Champion

2011-06-20T06:22:00.004-05:00

RORY MCILROY

2011 US Open Golf Champion

Rory McIlroy broke all kinds of records in winning the US Open Golf Championship yesterday. An exciting new face on the golf scene and a young man with integrity, manners, and a sense of history.

Perhaps it would behoove some of our young tennis players to emulate his example...

Thank Goodness The Williams Sisters Are Back!

2011-06-19T06:33:00.003-05:00

Its no secret that the women's pro tour is sick and needs help--and that help may have come in the form of the Williams sisters return at Wimbledon. Whether you love or despise the Williams sisters, you have to admit that they give excitement to the game. And excitement is what the women's tour sure needs these days...

Here is an excerpt for a major news source that pretty well sums it up:

But the biggest curiosity, at least at the outset, is: How will the Williams sisters do?

“It will be interesting to see how they come back. I think it’s interesting for the tour. It’s a good story,” Federer said Saturday. “It’s been an up-and-down, bumpy road for the women’s tour as of late. But we’ll see now how it goes here with the sisters back in the game.”

Part of the interest stems from wondering how much longer they’ll be around. Venus turned 31 on Friday; Serena will be 30 in September.

“Whenever they enter a Grand Slam tournament, it’s double the excitement and double the intrigue, I think, that they bring to the sport. They just bring a different level of tennis also, as far as the power and the emotional content,” said ESPN2 analyst Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam titles.

“It would be monumental in my mind if Serena pulled off a win,” Evert added. “I personally don’t know how it’s humanly possible for someone to take a year off like that and have gone through what she’s been through physically with her ailments and … it would almost shock me if she did. But knowing Serena and the way she’s come back before, you can never count her out.”

Are Texas Officials Really The Best?

2011-06-18T07:44:00.005-05:00

There seems to be some discussion around America about which state has the best officials--and I think the resounding answer is TEXAS!

Here are some of the reasons that Texas officials are the best:

1. We have hundreds of officials in Texas and very very few complaints.

2. We have the best Chair Academy for officials in the nation.

3. We have the most number of officials schools of any section in America and thus, are the best trained officials.

4. Other than a few minor spats here and there, we get along really well with each other.

5. We are a group of officials open to innovation and change. Just look at all the changes that have instituted in the last three years.

6. We just know we are the best and glad of it...

Unlike some officials from states north of the Red River, we are not given to insulting players, fans, and parents and are certainly not given to taking each other to court...

Pictured below is a photograph of what some might rightly say are the Three Stooges at birth. I guess we would have to go north of the Red River to discover the truth.

Enjoy...

Sights & Sounds From Summer Tennis

2011-06-16T07:55:00.029-05:00

Note found in locker after missing a baseline call.

Picture of Lee Ann Bain's wedding cake from the wedding she told noone about.

Picture of Randy's retirement home in Oregon.

Picture of three officials from Oklahoma. Guess who they are...

Sign posted outside one of the officials rooms at the US Open.

Comment from one of the trainees at the Chair Academy after Bruce Avery gave her an evaluation.

Words of wisdom to have a long life as an official.

Taking a little break after a summer tournament.

Be sure to protect me when I do my first service line.

Go on out there and officiate! It won't be that bad...

Myron Krueger's new truck he bought to go see Mitch win at the US Open.

Tom Wright's new bbq pit for Junior College Nationals.

Guys who were hurrying to watch their wives play at the Sectional Playoffs.

That's what happens when you're picking up flowers after the national anthem.

I'm so glad Randy made them provide lunch!

At least we won the battle...

They didn't tell me that ZAT mothers would be that mean...

If I look pretty do you think I can do lines at Wimbledon?

I saw you taking a break when you were supposed to be on duty.

Keep your mouth shut when you see one of the officials at the NCAA's screw up a call.

Headed down to Baylor to protect Matt Knoll.

Just practicing my line calls.

I told you that ball was out!

Don't you know anything about being a chair official?

I lost my head when the pressure got to be too much.

Summer Tennis Camps

2011-06-14T15:43:00.005-05:00

Listed below is a list and sites for the various tennis camps sponsored by our Texas universities. If you know of any other camps, please send in their contact information and they will be listed.

Baylor University: www.baylor.edu/tenniscamp

University of Texas: www.longhornstenniscamp.com

UT Dallas: https://ezpay.utdallas.edu/C20239_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?

University of North Texas: www.ussportscamps.com/tennis/nike/university-of-north-texas-nike-tennis-camp/

Texas Tech Women: http://www.texastech.com/camps/text-camps.html

Out On A Limb--Things I Would Like To See Happen

2011-06-13T07:12:00.004-05:00

Just jumping out on a limb with a few random thoughts.

Since it is summer time and everyone is busy relaxing around the pool and watching the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA title, I thought it was time to stir the pot a bit... Its always fun to stimulate your thinking (and opinions) so here we go.

Here are some things I would like to see happen in our officiating world:

1. Put the officials schools curriculum online for those who have been officials for more than two years. Fashion it along the same format as the defensive driving courses that we have all taken and that require a full six hours. Of course, I would probably limit the officials course to three hours at the most.

2. Email any new rule changes to all officials. After all, we can all read.

3. Require new officials to attend the format that we currently have for our officials schools.

4. Open a chat room for all those older officials that like to share their war stories and let them go at it. It would also be a good place to talk about different officiating scenarios.

5. Require only tournament directors attendance at the Texas Section TD/Referee Workshops. The same material is already taught to our referees in the referee school.

6. Have a state-wide pay scale of $20/hour for the referee and $18/hour for the umpires--and of course, with lunch/supper provided for all officials.

7. If #6 does not happen, then there should be a gasoline surcharge added to every officials paycheck. I would recommend $10/day.

8. Have a once a year convention of all officials in one of Texas' major cities--or at one of the good beach cities. We could have different speakers and workshops--and tons of time to eat out and fellowship together. Of course, we recommend that the Texas Section pay the expenses of the speakers and the convention site. The Officials Committee could meet during the convention instead of having two separate meetings a year. Think of the money they could save...

9. Require all sanctioned tournaments to submit a balance sheet within a week's time of their tournament's completion. This would bring some financial accountability to an out of control situation and perhaps lower some of the entry fees.

10. Pursue a study to offer low cost insurance and retirement plans for officials. I think it would be worth studying and maybe come up with a good plan.

11. Put some teeth into local and state wide officials grievance committees. We tolerate violations and ineptness all too often and its time to police our own.

These are just some random thoughts that I'm sure some of you will love and some of you will hate. At least it gets us talking and thinking... Have fun!

Officials Needed For US Open Qualifier Tournament

2011-06-10T09:43:00.003-05:00

Apply now to be a linesperson on June 24th.

Susan Wertenberger has sent out a request for 15 line officials for the Semi-finals of the US Open Qualifier tournament on June 24th. The tournament will be held at the Arlington Tennis Center and the pay is $100.00.

If you are interested, please respond directly to Susan at 817 235 5988 or susan.wert10s@gmail.com

Please remember that applying does not necessarily mean acceptance but you will be notified as soon as possible.

There will also be a line clinic held at Colleyville Heritage High School on Wednesday, June 15, at 7:00 p.m. for those who are interested.

New Addition To The Blog

2011-06-09T22:12:00.001-05:00

In order to share more information and opportunities with our readers we are adding an "ad section" to the blog. You can see all the pertinent information on the top right side of the blog and by clicking on the selected option you can find a wealth of information.

We hope you find this helpful and informative.