Should Enunciation Classes Be Required In Officials Training?

Imagine announcing some of the names at today's tournaments--but getting the score right is a different story!

After listening to some of the atrocious enunciations and pronunciations at Wimbledon, and realizing that its an even greater problem in the US and the ITA world, perhaps its time to make an enunciation class a requirement for all officials.

Nothing was scarier than watching a Wimbledon match and hearing the chair official say "love fif-tin."  Where in the world do they get guys like that and whoever teaches them to talk like that?  Imagine asking a high school student his age and hearing him say, "I'm fif-tin."

Then we can come back home to Texas and Oklahoma and Arkansas and hear all kinds of unique dialects.  Somewhere we need to reaffirm that you are to speak in a clear and conscise manner and not try out for "Super Bowl Broadcaster of the Year" or drama king/queen of America.  Just say the score so it can be understood and move on...

I do admit that even though it sends chills up my spine to hear some of that, some of the introductions in the ITA world are "unique" to say the least.  We had an official in Oklahoma that could do a match introduction that could not be matched anywhere on earth.  Of course it caused the Big 12 coordinator to have regular heart attacks but it was great fun for us and the players and the spectators.

After all--its just a tennis match at the local and ITA level.  We can surely expect more at a Grand Slam tournament.