During the workshop we were told that in order to be more "user friendly" that we should allow players more time between the second set and the tiebreak if the weather is hot... Breaking specific rules is not a solution to user friendliness...
Here are some factual examples of the LACK of user friendliness in Texas:
* We are now told that all officials schools must be held on Saturday and Sunday. This has NEVER been the practice in Texas and totally neglects those officials who cannot attend on weekends.
* We are now told that they will be adding additional schools since the current structure has schools only taught in January and February. The only problem is that our leadership has posted nothing and has no concrete dates for any additional schools. Sounds a bit like a political promise with no reality behind it. In Texas, our ITA season begins in January so it would help if our leadership would actually publish the dates and locations of the 2010 schools so we can adequately plan for the new year.
* Every sanctioned tournament must have either a referee or tournament director who has personally attended the Texas Section Referee/Tournament Director workshop. The only problem is that this workshop is ONLY taught in Austin and on only one weekend. Promises were made that there would be an additional school in Dallas in May but now we are hearing that that was just another political promise. It ain't gonna happen...
* Every certified official is constantly told that they must attend a school in order to be certified. The only problem is that the Sectional Chairman has regularly given tests to people without their attending a school and their authorizing their certification. Just another example of lack of genuine leadership.
* The USTA Texas Section has a website with a section devoted entirely to officials. The only problem is that the last newsletter and any other updates are years old. Surely something pertinent has happened in the last few years. Yet another example of lack of genuine leadership.
Lest someone say we are being too critical--here are some simple and easy steps to becoming USER FRIENDLY in Texas:
* Schedule schools at different times during the year and on different days of the week. Not hard to do--just take out a calendar and do it. We have at least 16-19 schools in Texas every year so surely some of them could be taught during the week.
* Allow officials with over 5 years experience to take the certification tests online. If you have ever taken a Defensive Driving Course you can see that a school can actually be done online.
* Update the website or at least assign someone the task who is going to follow through. A true leader knows how to do this.
* Do NOT require a certified referee to attend another workshop in order to referee a sanctioned tournament. Everything that was taught in the Texas Section workshop is already covered in the referee certification school and sure doesn't need to be repeated.
* Do have the tournament director's workshop included in each officials school. This would enable the TD's to be able to choose when and where to be certified instead of having to come to Austin on one specific weekend.
* Publish the minutes of all Texas Section Officials Committee meetings as well as the minutes of all Texas Section Officials Committee Ad Hoc meetings. This is just simple law and logic and it is time to actually do it.
15 comments:
I am not from Texas thank goodness but a little further north. It seems to me that most, if not all, of your problems come back to one common location and that is your Sectional Chairman. Don't you ever have elections for this position?
Unfortunately not. The Sectional Chairman is appointed by the President of the USTA Texas Section and serves completely at his pleasure.
But one would have to think that a rotating, sectional chairmen wouldn't be that knowledgeable of the officials in a state as large as Texas. Someone must be whipering in the ear of the figure head, sectional chairman. Who is the real person pulling the strings on TX Sectional Officiating?
You can probably put the amount of time that Bob Rubel has spent with Bruce Sampley on a 30 second timer. No wonder we are getting what we are getting.
The normal procedure in Texas has been for the incoming President to just keep whoever was serving as Sectional Chairman before they took office. At least that's the way it was when Cheryl Jones was Sectional Chairman.
Not from Texas, but the way I read the "ORIGINAL POST" and comments, the major of problems comes it the form of the sectional chairman running the organization as he desires. Same as Cheryl Jones did and now runs the BIG XII with here favorite select group. This has happen in every USTA section until members band together and take action to remove this individual or form another organization in the district. Good Luck in getting this resolved
Lets see... since CERTIFICATION means NOTHING to officiating, there really is NO need to attend a school. All you have to do is take the provisional test and turn it in. So you won't receive your personal copy of the FAC - who cares! It's on-line anyway. Being a provisional official won't stop you from working events and there is no difference in pay grade based on your CERT level. So I don't see what the big deal is.
Remember, there is always a way around the rules.
I miss Eeyore. Has he gone away or do you ignore all of his posts?
I miss Eeyore too! Perhaps he will return soon...
Life has been good. My team keeps kicking butt in football and that little winch from CS has been keeping her big fat mouth shut. I take it she has quit officiating or has taken an extended leave of absence.
What more is there. I'm living the dream baby!!!!
Oh yeah I still keep up with the blog religiously. It just isn't the same any more now that THAT WOMAN WHO CANT BE NAMED appears to out of the picture. Mission Accomplished....
Get ready for my yearly birthday party. It's just around the corner and this year it's destined to be extra lively...
Its good to see that Eeyore is alive and well--not quite behaving though. Thought I would post it so you would know he's still around. Maybe in 2010 we will get to know his true identity...
Welcome back Eeyore, welcome back.
Why do you guys in Texas put up with Sampley? Get off your butts and do something about it.
As in the church-world, "user friendly" typically devolves into "There is no king and every one does that which is right in his/her own heart." "User friendly" is a euphamism of "politically correct" where it is seen as inappropriate to tell some one they are wrong. So every player/coach should just make up their own rules as they go along. They need not even be consistent throughout the match.
May the best cheater win.
I thought we are encouraged to promote the sport of tennis by thinking outside of the box in our efforts to recruit new officials.
Somebody needs to get their head out of the sand and let's get back to encouraging those who step outside the box to promote the growth of officiating.
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