Just Knowing the Rules Does Not Necessarily a Good Official Make...

 We often hear the words, "he/she is a good official" or "he/she is not a good official" so that begs the question--what makes an official  GOOD OFFICIAL?

After 35 years of watching, teaching, and working with hundreds of officials, I have found some things that make a good official.   I'm sure there are plenty of other things but let's focus on these for right now.

*  Good personal skills.  Knowing how to be polite, sensitive, caring, and just basically a well-adjusted good person will get you a long way in tennis officiating.  You will be working with people who have absolutely no personal skills so it is imperative that you do and know how to operate in those skills.

*   Know the rules.   This goes without saying but you can't be a good official without knowing the rules.

*  Don't be governed by your ego.  Noone wants to hear how good you are or how much everyone thinks  you are the best official in the universe.  Personal humility is something you either have or you don't have it and it shows by the way you officiate and deal with others.

*  Don't be guilty of "tooting your own horn."   If it needs tooting, then someone will rise up to do it.

*  Know how to "self-evaluate."   If you are married, your spouse can do it for you but if not, learn to seriously evaluate how well you have done your job and then make the adjustments as they are needed.

*  Learn how to deal with people who are upset and/or angry.  Its a process and very difficult but you can't be a good official without it.

*  If you know the faults of others then keep your mouth shut about them.   Noone likes a gossip.

*  Be sensitive to what goes on in the lives of others.   You may be thrust into a situation where someone needs a friendly ear or spirit.  

*  Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.  That comes directly from the "Owner's Manual" and we would do well to heed it in officiating.  

*  Always do your best whatever the assignment.  It shows so do it well...

ACCOUNTABILITY: Is it a pipe dream or a reality?

 

In our world today, the concept of "accountability" is often laughed at, ridiculed, and often completely ignored--and saidly, that ethic has managed to find a way into our tennis officiating world.  

Here are some examples of the lack of accountability in our tennis world:

*  I walked through the site of the Grand Slam of junior tennis in Texas last year and in five minutes I saw 5 blatant examples of cheating, numerous players throwing rackets and swearing, parents screaming insults at other parents and officials, and sadly--officials walking around like nothing was happening. 

*  In a collegiate dual match I was in the chair and looked over at my far sidelineswoman and she was standing on the court eating a sandwich and drinking a coke while the match was being played. 

*  A UIL official that regularly cheats on her mileage reports and the account of her hours worked in a match. 

*  An ITA official finishes their singles match and then it takes 17 minutes to get off the court and to the next highest match still playing.  

*  A UIL official just left an important dual match during the match without even notifying either head coach or the other official working the match.  

*  A UIL official decided to take a bathroom break of 10 minutes when the dual match was tied at 9-9 and it was the third set tiebreaker.   Sad thing was that the winner of the match would earn a berth in the state tournament.  

*  An ITA official was officiating a women's dual match as the only official but when the match got down to the last two matches he went up and sat in the stands because he said, "nothing was happening."

When we live and work in a world in which these examples occur far too often, perhaps it is time for us to stand up and demand accountability.  For example, when I am walking around in a collegiate tournament and I hear officials announcing the score and using the wrong verbiage--it tells me they didn't study and don't know the verbiage.  When I see an official standing or chairing a match and they completely ignore blatant rules violations, its time to call for accountability...

We would be open to hearing your thoughts on this vital issue.   Just click on the comment button below and leave us your opinions...

True excellence in officiating...

 

America's premier men's officiating team enjoying some relaxation after a hard day's work.