Wednesday, March 16, 2011

ITA Men's Bathroom Breaks


Bathroom breaks in Division I men's tennis are expressly forbidden in the ITA rules--but these rules are frequently suspended in order to allow bathroom breaks. Some coaches say they want to suspend the rule because they don't agree with it and some say they just want the boys to have a chance to go to the bathroom if they need to.

The question is: if bathroom breaks are allowed, how many should be allowed?

One, two, three, or unlimited???

(Personally I have no problems if both coaches agree to suspend the rule but I tend to think that one bathroom break with reasonable time is enough. If they need another, they can take it in conjunction with a medical time out.)

Since this post was published we received this explanation from USTA powers about the bathroom break: (I'll let you be the judge of how correct they are.)

EXPLANATION AND PROCEDURES REGARDING MEDICAL TIME-OUTS GIVEN TO A COLLEGE PLAYER SO HE/SHE CAN GO TO THE BATHROOM AT AN UNAUTHORIZED TIME.

1. This MTO should be given when a player (man or woman) tells you they

cannot wait until the authorized time (changeover or set-break). This is a

one time occurrence per match.

2. The MTO (3 minutes) starts when they get to the bathroom and stops

when they leave the bathroom. Travel time is not included in the

3 minutes.

COMMENT: Chair should go with them or know how much time it

will take for them to get to the bathroom and back. Before going to a

given court check the time it takes to get to a restroom.

3. If they come back late from the 3 minutes and allotted travel time, the

Penalty should be Time Violations. (This agrees with the procedure

we follow when a male player is late from a bathroom visit on a

changeover or set-break.)

4. This MTO is not the one MTO allowed per match for Division I players.

See Page 250, H–1–a

5. The 3 minutes given for something in a player’s eye (Page 250, H-5)

is not considered an MTO. Try to use good judgment and common

sense.

IT WAS NEVER THE INTENTION TO DEFAULT A PLAYER BECAUSE HE/SHE HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You left out part of the rule, that extra time may be granted if the bathroom is a distance away from the courts which is a judgment call and coaches regularly decide whether the bathroom is close enough.

Even the NCAA's have allowed additional time to get to the bathroom.

Anonymous said...

One is good - if they agree. Besides, if the players want to go to the bathroom a medical bathroom break is allowed!

Anonymous said...

Just felt the need to reply to this one. In the NorCal section we treat men's bathroom breaks the same as women's (reasonable time). The "explanation" that was put out by Bruce Avery (and supposedly written by Jane Goodman) on how to implement the men's bathroom break has no basis in history, fact or regulation and tries to treat the break the same way as it's done in the pro's. We shouldn't be taking officials away from matches in progress (especially in roving situations) to escort players to and from the bathroom. Men's bathroom breaks aren't abused in this section and I would hope that the ITA will eventually change the rule to mirror the current rule that is used by the women.


Mike Luevano

Anonymous said...

When we go to the bathroom with the player do we have to check for verification of the event as a "number 1" or "number 2"?
Signed,
The Grape of Wrath

Anonymous said...

Bruce Avery and Jane Goodman do not write the ITA rules. The Coaches Rules Committee does this and Jane
passes the information on to the USTA personnel and umpires.

The college rules are then printed in the FAC and there is nothing about escorting players to the bathroom.

Anonymous said...

Well I just be damned:

tennis officials, priviliged to watch the last of the honorable individual mano a mano sporting contests,

now are debating seriously the considered length and need of bowel movements, especially urinary, of high intensity dehydratable tennis athletes.

As an ill fated ITA coordinator, hated by all for every possible reason,

Should I now learn that it is best to select officials by

their special nuanced handling of

the bowel movement break.?