Just jumping out on a limb with a few random thoughts.
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!
21 comments:
All Referee's do not need to attend the workshop. For a USTA sanctioned tournament, the requirement is that the Tournament Director or the Referee must have attended the workshop. Most all of the Tournament Directors attend.
But alas, not all tournament directors attend the workshop. That has nothing to do with the fact that certified referees should not be required to attend yet another school when this material is already being taught in the referee school.
There are some subtle differences in the duties of the referee and TD and I think the two schools should remain separate entities. I have both certifications and that facilitates lots of situations but the different perspective of the TD is appropriate for individuals who would never want to officiate and many referees would not sucessfully navigate TD waters either.
#1 - is kinda of a good idea - but, there is a better solution - make it a manditory thing every two years. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT - why don't people just come every other year... some do it anyway. Besides if you miss a year so what?!?! Just go back to a provisional? It is USUALLY the same pay....
#3 - Yes have a "new" officials offered every year - maybe even have less #'s of schools.
#6 Are you kidding me - there is no way some of our TD's will pay that amount. We use to do this stuff for free - PLEASE do not turn this into a "main" income type job. We are lucky to have TD's that go out on a limb in some cases to host events.. I would not push it!
I love #8.... it sounds like a GREAT idea to me! Who should we contact? It would be a GREAT way to network. I say first one should be Corpus.
I DO NOT LIKE THE #9 idea... it is NONE of your BUSINESS what the TD's makes or in some cases DOES NOT make. You are forgetting that you are an "at will" employee - no one makes you work for the amount you agree to work for... that is your choice... if you don't like it DON'T WORK!
BACO
I agree that what a TD makes is none of our business but they make it ours when they threaten to cut our pay and always complain that they don't make enough money because of what the officials make. When I hear of the huge profits that some of them make, then their whining falls on deaf ears.
If they don't want to show what a tournament makes then they shouldn't always be complaining about officials' pay.
I work a number of tournaments in different areas and I have never been threatened by a TD that they want to cut our pay. The biggest complaint I have heard from the TD's is that they are paying the officials to "rove" the courts and the officials are hanging around the tournament desk all day.
A lot of times officials have to "hang around" the tournament desk because the TD has sent out a site director that doesn't know what they are doing.
And what is the entry fee for the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and the Grand Slam in College Station? Profits like that are obscene.
When entry fees for a sanctioned tournament get up in the $100 vicinity then its time to reign them in. That's not love of the game, it is love of profit.
I agree the entry fees are WAY OUTTA LINE... Maybe the Texas Section Executive crew could take a closer look at the criteria for allowing TD's to host events - maybe part of that evaluation could be the entry fee - if TD's are smart they would get the community involved and get sponsors and make the tournaments affordable. THIS WOULD HELP EVERYONE!!!
GREAT IDEA on the annual get-together. Why not do it before a big event or after?
AND "RM"
If I owned a business and my employees wanted a “statement” because I complained about the money I was making - you could kiss my butt if you thought I would show it to them - are you CRAZY???... Here is an IDEA- stop crying and then stop listening to the TD's cry (by the way - I do not hear to many of them cry) - just do what I do and Rove or hire officials to Rove.
As far as standing around the TD desk… true – some TDs are HORRIBLE schedulers and PR people… BUT, that is not your JOB!!!! Let them handle it. I hate to see fellow officials sitting beside a court thinking ghtat they are effective – THEY maybe in 10’s and 12’s but, NOT REALLY. THE parents are watching us. DO YOUR JOB and get on the court. If you need a break – go inside or at least away from the courts… it the TD’s do not allow you to hirer enough officials – SO WHAT! They need to understand that you need a break. Don’t do your break next to the court – that is lazy looking. AND WHATEVER you do – do not do it standing next to the parents or the spouses.
that is my 2 cents
If the Texas Section sanctions a tournament (and they do for $250), then they should have the right to see the balance sheet from the tournament. I think they would quickly discover there are a lot of entry fees that are way out of line.
I do not think nor want the officials to inspect the balance sheets. That should be done by those who are granting the sanctions.
JMHO
No to that RM! I do not want BIG BROTHER inspecting my income... why should they inspect anyone elses...?
With that said - Lets consider this for a minute... You and I do numberous tennis events throughout the year to "help" our personal income. Some TD's do only a few events - but they put A LOT more of there time and effort into these few events. In MANY cases these events are part of teir yearly income. How can you compare your hourly wage to their income for the tourament. They take all the risk and we don't. Their name is on the bottomline whether we do a good job as the officials or not. The only thing the players know is who is running the event... You and I are going to get paid either way. If they do a bad job or we do a bad job - THEY are responsible. NO ONE thinks to question the referee.
Big Brother will get reports on the officials too - but in the end the - the bad reflection is on the TD not the officials crew.
When is the last time you or anyone else were contacted by the Texas Section for being lazy or late or dressed bad or sleeping on the job?
I really think that getting into other peoples business is wrong and I think you do too!
Good comment on making the Texas Section monitor the fees - let them set rules for lower fees as part of the section granting the tournaments. These TD's can manage with lower fees. They will have to work at it....
BACO
I agree with much of what BACO says but I still believe that the Texas Section has the right and responsibility to monitor and regulate the entry fees if they are charging a fee for the sanctions. If that involves checking out balance sheets to determine the validity of entry fees--then so be it.
Personally, I find $100 entry fees to be way out of line and the profits being made at some tournaments to be obscene.
There is such as a thing as the free market. If one TD raises the prices of a tournament to the point that he or she is making "obscene profits', then people will stop signing up, or some other TD will see an opportunity and offer a tournmanet at a more reasonable price. Its called free market capitalism--give it a try.
I agree but the free market thing goes out the window a bit when the Texas Section is selling sanctions and special places on the calendar. It just doesn't pass the smell test.
ON A SERIOUS NOTE: I think we should have an Officials Tournament (NON-sanctioned) and only let certified Officials play! MAN THAT WOULD BE FUN! Maybe let a parent be the chair official or better yet - let some of our nice coaches.
We could have our meeting(s) AND have the tournament. Great time to socialize.
Do it in a good location where everyone can get to it.
My thoughts - BACO
Entry Fees keep going up because the freaking USTA wants their bigger and bigger cuts, I believe they already charge a sanction fee, $3 goes to Tennislink Fee, $2 at least goes to USTA, then there are numerous other fees. I would think if they take away some of the excess fees entry fees would go down and more people would get back to playing tournaments.
Jason brings up a good point. Could someone delineate the USTA and other fees required of a tournament? Not talking about balls, courts, officials etc, just the fixed fees required for sanctioning and scheduling.
Thanks
What a bunch of delusional garbage!!
Tennis is what matters--not tennis officials--the notion that you are important, required and need constant butt kissing is a perverted delusion of the hackers who are very self over rated.
The union demands of trivial work compensation by tennis officials drive TDs to find volunteers and other truly tennis supportive officials to help with events.
This self importance of tennis officials is the problem--cannot play, read the FAC at the 8th grade level, passed by affirmative action quotas, and not the hot shots.
Yes, tennis be dammed. Lets pay those incompetents to screw up
tennis matches. Yea, that's the ticket.
Hey anonymous 10:51, if the TDs, in fact, do what you say, volunteer wise, that'll mean that much more money for them from their exorbitant entry fees. Yeah, that's the ticket, more money for the TD's! Let's all get behind that program!
You what fine let the TD's get their volunteers, let them deal with the children and the parents and then let the TD deal with the parents after junior loses a match at a National Tournament because his opponent cheated.
Their are bad apples everywhere but do not lump all officials together, reason why officials are needed at tournaments and it has nothing to do with unionizing and demands. It is because of constant parent complaints when officials are not present.
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