Complaints, Complaints, and More Complaints

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that it takes a lot of work from a whole lot of people to make a tournament come off successfully--but along with all that work comes a WHOLE BUNCH OF COMPLAINTS...

While some complaints are valid and need immediate attention (such as our previous post), the vast majority of them are easily handled and many are not worth the paper (or email) they are written on.  It is not often that we single out one person for a job well done but in this case its valid and appropriate...

Nick Arnold in the man in charge of complaints at the Texas Section Office and I guarantee you that I would never want his job--and especially on a Monday after a multitude of tournaments over the weekend.  Our thanks go out to Nick for all of his fine work--and especially for his handling of all the complaints from players, parents, fans, tournament directors, officials, and the dog off of the street.  We are indeed lucky to have a young man of his caliber.

I served for years on the Discipline and Grievance Committee for officials so I can attest to the validity and lack thereof for many complaints.  Here are a few brief observations:

*  Some officials are inept.  Many times its because they are brand new (especially in ZAT tournaments) and are in training so remember that they have to be trained somewhere.  Some people are just blessed to be the authors of their training.  It takes a while to weed out the inept ones but the best solution for them is to not hire them in the first place.

*  Some parents are inept.  Most parents (99%) are just fine and very supportive of leadership and officials but the remaining 1% will cause you to pull out whatever is left of your hair.  I've seen parents berate their 12 year old children for not winning and scream and yell at officials over a call they think was missed.  The worst parent of all is the one who is reliving their childhood through their child.  They didn't win then and probably won't win now or they played at Wimbledon and expect their child to do the same.

*  Most parents are lots of fun.  The vast majority of parents actually know a lot about playing tennis and the rules of tennis and are very supportive and sympathetic to officials.  I really enjoy watching them as they moan, groan, exhort, encourage, and cheer on their offspring.  We should all try to enjoy the experience!

*  Not all complaints are valid.  Just because an official called a footfault is no cause for you to file a complaint.  That's our job--and we don't give warnings (unless its a ZAT and then very seldom).  Parents and fans need to remember that you can't see a far sideline/baseline call from the opposite end sitting in a lawn chair so you need to get over yourself.

*  Remember that officials aren't superman or superwoman.  The average ratio of officials to courts is 1 to 11 courts in Texas.  And you seriously want us to see and overrule every bad call?

*  Keep in mind that its a parents' job to raise their children and not the official.  I've had parents thank me for making their child behave--that's all well and good but the parents are ultimately responsible for their child's behavior--not me.

*  Remember that kids are kids--and let them have fun.  An official shouldn't pounce on every infraction they see but should remember that a "loving caution" goes a long way in correcting behavior and helping everyone (including parents and fans) enjoy the match and the tournament experience.

*  Remember that humans are humans and some will cheat and lie no matter what we do.  I can't imagine trying to sift through all the complaints that come in to Austin.  Imagine having two different people claiming to be honest and truthful and then have two diametrically opposed accounts of the same event.  The bottom line is that someone is not telling the truth--or perhaps is as blind as the official they are reporting.

There is no set solution to fix all of this because we are all humans and will be that way until the end of time.  I'm just glad we have Nick Arnold taking care of this for us...