AMTO E-NEWS

 JUNE 2009

Dave D's chair school during Columbia Tennis Association Flag Day Tournament at Wilde Lake was conducted June 12-14.  It was well attended and OJT was had by our AMTO current and future chairs.

The mixed doubles Districts was conducted June 12-14 at Baker Park in Frederick.  30 teams completed 123 matches over 3 days.  Winners at 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 had to beat some tough competition to go to Sectionals.    Officials were getting ahead also:  Mike Kess shadowed a 3rd event, and Mike Sesin shadowed his 1st.

Adult Districts is next July 17 - 19.  Dave P is preparing for his official's availability "call," so be ready with a timely response.

Our new-tennis-officials seminar is postponed till September.  The approach should remain the same:  Discussion about etiquette of commitment to a tournament (See inside back cover of FAC) and about duty to safety of players and spectators.  Then it's "ask-the-TE" with rules questions and scenarios from us regular officials.

A good magazine is "Referee".  Members of the National Association of Sports Officials receive a members-only edition as a membership benefit.  The bad news is there is minimal tennis-related articles.  The good news is that concepts and ideas from featured sports - football, baseball, basketball, soccer - contain carry-over educational benefit.  For example, an article of the current magazine talks about the language of the "game".  We will need to communicate to players, parents, and coaches in a manner they understand.  The fewer words the better; if you have to define the "doubles alley" or the "tee", you'll soon lose your audience.  Any tennis official - even a new or non-tennis player - must know and use the language of tennis.

Recently a spectator voiced concern about officiating and assessing code violations with this phrasing: ". . . poor sportsmanship shown by [player x] was unbelievable! I could not believe that [player x] is ... [x] years old and that a ... official would not remove him from the court. Any player should have been removed for [screaming, crying, throwing his racket ...], but it is extra valuable to the younger players because perhaps they will learn a lesson   . . ."  If a player exhibits unsportsmanlike conduct, as the one in the quote apparently did, exercise a duty and code.  As USTA officials we have a duty to players to ensure play by the rules; one function is to supervise the conduct of players.  Our source for decisions, along with judgement as appropriate, is the FAC; there are the rules, regulations and code to guide or direct us.  On the one hand, yes, code behavior when codeable by the rules, and penalize per the PPS without skipping steps - point, game, match.  While we also have a duty to spectators, "bad" - or immature - behavior is not, in and of itself, codeable.  (Note that sometimes a calm caution about behavior that is marginally codeable - taking care not to "coach" - can prevent future problems.)

May's puzzle answer:  Make a call: "Touch."  Striker of the ball loses the point, because the ball struck a permanent fixture.  All players accepted the positioning of the score-minder.

Scenario puzzle for self-education:  You've been accepted by Referee A to rove a minor tournament.  Two weeks before the date, Referee B requests your attendance at a major out-of-town tournament for which there has been low availability because of holidays and local competing tournaments.  What do you say, if anything, and to whom?