A lot of new officials walk through the shiny new door of officiating every year.
But a whole bunch also walk out the back door...
Here are some reasons officials go out the back door:
* The weather is too hot or cold and they didn't think they would have to work that much.
* Someone offended them.
* They don't like the color of their outfits.
* They don't get enough breaks.
* They don't have meals provided.
* Their training wasn't adequate to prepare them for the job.
* They weren't hired to work after passing the certification process.
I would tend to think that the first five are the most prevalent answers but the last two are the ones that we need to work on the most.
Here are some suggestions to helping close the back door:
* Be very specific during training about the hours, weather, outfits, break times, and lunch provisions. We don't want them to get an unpleasant surprise on their first assignment.
* Be sure they go through a good on-court training process. Its not fair to ask a newly certified official to shadow for a bunch of matches/shifts and then not pay them. Noone likes to work for free so we need to find some way to pay them for their time.
* Make sure they understand the pay scale in officiating. While some think it is too much there are always others that think its not enough. Just be sure they know in advance what the pay scale is going to be.
* Be sure that those experienced officials who are doing the training actually know what they are doing. Just because a "new dog" is following an "old dog" around doesn't mean he is trained. He might actually be learning the "old dog's" undesireable tricks...
* Be sure that the trainers actually know how to train, encourage, implement, and involve the new officials. Trainers need to be equipped to do their jobs too.
* Help the new officials understand that this is a "real job" and they need to do real preparation, study, and implementation. It needs to be made crystal clear that if they don't do their job, then they won't be hired.
* Offer a counseling program for officials who have failed the test (both written and performance). This can be done effectively and might help us reclaim some of the back door officials.
These are just a few thoughts for your consideration. Be sure to send us your ideas...
9 comments:
Randy:
One thing that might help would be to assign a mentor to a new recruit. A mentorship should last at least a year so that the two could experience as many seasonal changes as possible. The mentor needs to be "on call" with the mentee throughout the year to provide support instead of leaving them to sink or swim on their own.
Just a thought. Would love to read what you think.
I would like to broaden the scope of this issue a little bit. I think you have raised some excellent points regarding the loss of "newbies". But I think we also have "tenured" officials going out the back door as well. And I wonder why that is? Are they just tired of it? Or burned out?
One bullet point I would like to add that I think contributes to the line forming at the exit: the frustration that comes from trying to understand and play the political "games" with referees and coordinators.
"Which ones do you send e-mails to?"
"Which ones are so pious that you have to wait until you are annointed and receive an e-mail from them?"
"Who gets pissed off when you send them an e-mail?"
"Who doesn't respond to e-mails?"
"Who uses only their friends?"
"Who won't use you if you work for someone else?"
"Who gives their friends longer shifts while the others get the leftovers?"
"Who sends you an availability list and who doesn't?"
And the list goes on and on.
Randy, I remember that one time you wrote in here that you consider everyone who works for you to be your friend. But I don't think that means that you socialize and hang out with every one of them. And you realize that some on your list are good officials and that reason alone is why you use them . . . and being your friend or not being your friend doesn't factor into it. Please correct me if I'm wrong about this.
Wish all referees/coordinators would view it this way.
I would tend to think that everyone that I use is my friend whether we hang out together or not. I do have to like their job performance though or I wouldn't be hiring them in the first place.
Job performance is huge but so is being able to "play well with others."
As someone who has done this for five years, and never did it for the money, here are the reasons I am about to get out:
1. Its a thankless job. One person is peeved at your ruling, one is happy, until the next ruling goes against them. The college coaches seem to be getting more abusive than they were in past. I get more than enouph conflict in my regular profession, without filling my weekends with the same.
2. The time demands are too great if you are already employed doing something else, and do this for non-monetary reasons. I don't mind giving up half a day on a Saturday or Sunday to help out tennis or the kids, but invariably, some other official flakes out, and I spend my entire Saturday and Sunday covering the 11 courts Randy references.
3. I am an admitted perfectionist, and this avocation does not lend itself to perfection. Its hard calling the far long line as a rover standing at the net, or covering several courts at one time. Admittedly, I still replay calls in my head from years ago and anguish over overrules I should have/or should not have made.
I wish everyone the best.
It's harder, more demanding & physically exhausting than initially anticipated.
It requires more effort than anticipated.
Not enough pay, thanks, or recognition of a job down well, or job well done.
Too much politics & political manuvering in the ranks. Also too many thin skinned rulers of personal fiefdoms.
It is not, nor will it ever be (save for the very few) a career.
These are just a few of the reasons that Newbies & seasoned officials leave.
BTW I do like the idea of mentors.
It seems the politics permeates every area of our lives. Its disgusting but is just a fact of life. I guess our choices are to live with it or move to something else.
The Houston Tennis Officials Association under the leadership of Ginny James does a great job in mentoring new officials.
Maybe I can get her to write a blog post about how its all done...
I agree Ginny James does a wonderful job in Houston. She is organized, gets information to her officials, requests that her referees contact their officials before the match. And best of all, you get paid in a timely manner.
Communication People! When everyone knows what is going on things run so much smoother.
How long did it take for King Carl of the SMUdians to pay his officials last year? Months, if I recall correctly. Why should/would anyone put up with that kind of nonsense? That might be one reason why folks head out. Personally, I have a full time job that eats up a lot more than 40 hours a week. Officiating and "the job" start to rub against each other; especially during the summer when spending 8 hours on a 100-degree court has no appeal. At some point, one of the two will have to go.
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