ADVANTAGE. In this Issue: In this Issue: A Couple Friendly Reminders Crystal Ball

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1 Wsu.edu In this Issue: ADVANTAGE Oregon Rookie Class Personal Profile: Official Lois Ker PNW Official of the Year Award Oregon State High School Officiating USTA.COM Resources Official Newsletter of the USTA/PNW Tennis Officials Organization Issue #38 January 15, 2007 In this Issue: A Couple Friendly Reminders Crystal Ball A Fashion Trend-Setter Officiating as a Parallel Universe A (Re)turn to the College Courts Official s Code of Conduct #8 Officiating Multiple Sports A Couple Friendly Reminders By Dave Muhich Greetings to one and all! Before we get too far into the heart of this month s newsletter, I have a couple tidbits of administrivia to remind everyone of: The 2007 class for Washington officials, and BC and Oregon officials who wish to attend, is January 27 and 28 in Tacoma, Washington. Please RSVP to John Rodenberg by 1/20/07, if you haven t already. The location is Lakewood Racquet Club, th St SW, Lakewood, WA (253) Parking is plentiful at the club. The class schedule is: o Saturday 8AM to Noon USTA Class for officials with 5+ years of experience Noon to 1PM Lunch (free to attend even if you didn t attend the morning class) 1PM to 3PM ITA Class 3PM to 5PM Referee Class o Sunday 8AM to 1PM USTA Class for officials with 0 to 4 years of experience, and new applicant rookie officials (lunch will be provided) For the month of January, both the old AND the new USTA official s shirts will be acceptable attire. Since national supply has lagged with the needed demand, John is allowing us to wear either shirt for any events we work in January. Any other gear that we wear or bring to court MUST have the new logo patches places/sewn over the old patches. Page 1 of 5

2 A Fashion Trend-Setter By Dave Muhich Congratulations to Joseph Bella of Bremerton for being the first PNW official to be photographed oncourt in his new USTA Official attire! Joseph wins $25 from John s personal bank account, and the distinction of being the most fashion-conscious official in the entire PNW congrats Joseph! A (Re)turn to the College Courts Requires Preparation By Shawn Alford Some time has passed since I last stood poised at the net anxiously awaiting the start of an NCAA tennis match. Even after passing the ITA exam last year, I did not sign up for any of the collegiate dates. I guess I just wanted to know if I still had it. Over the last two years I have enjoyed officiating our section s top juniors and club players but am ready to meet the challenge of faster paced, quicker judgments and greater expectations with college players and coaches. Our colleagues who have elected to attend the Washington schools are at a bit of an advantage in prepping for this year s college season since their school dates are at the beginning of the season. For others who won t be in the classroom for a few more months, brushing up on the rules is left up to ourselves. Luckily the Friend at Court makes this process a bit easier. It is very helpful that the difference between USTA and ITA rules are in a bolded and italicized font when reviewing their distinctions. I find myself reviewing possible situations and real court situations in my mind. This includes reviewing past experiences for what I or a colleague did right, wrong, or could have been handled in a different way. Stakes are considerably higher on university courts. Egos, tempers and attitude are as well. Normally nice, calm, decent people can turn on a dime if one, as an official, is not on the ball or things start to go wrong on their team. It is our responsibility to help keep play fair, be fair, swift, accurate and smart in our calls and decisions. Preparing for each match and executing good officiating skills will take your collegiate officiating career a long way. Who knows; if you can excel on the college courts, you may have the potential to advance to new levels! Page 2 of 5

3 Officiating Multiple Sports By Steve Halberg For the last three seasons I have been privileged to officiate three separate sports- Football, Basketball and Tennis. When asked to compare the job of working these sports for this article, I found many things that officials have in common: 1. Persistent study of the rules is essential to maintaining a strong working knowledge required to do the job effectively. 2. A love of the sport and respect for the game is what motivates the best officials to do the job. They approach each game or match as if it is the most important event they will ever work. 3. Consistency is the most important characteristic of a well officiated event, whether it is a blockcharge in basketball, a holding call in football or enforcing the code in tennis- be consistent. 4. Follow the code of ethics for each sport to assure that your integrity and the reputation of your association is held in the highest regard. 5. Officiating skills cannot be learned by studying only- work as many games or matches at all different levels as your schedule, interest and body allow without jeopardizing your job, family or health. Find mentors and listen to them. Set your goals high and challenge yourself to improve. Each sport has a special appeal that is different from the other: In football, the travel to out of town games with 3 or 4 other officials creates an opportunity to learn, build friendships and focus on a game that takes you away from your daily worries and concerns. I love the lights, the noise, the teamwork and the way small towns support their teams. In basketball, it revolves around working together as a team with your partner to call the best game possible. It is physically demanding because you are constantly moving. Making a big call in the final seconds of a closely contested game and having the gym explode with excitement is very memorable. I also occasionally get to work a varsity game with my 21 year old son- a thrill for me and a heavy load for him. In tennis, it is the intimacy of two players giving it all they have, making their own calls and for the most part, the sportsmanship they show. Tennis involves the most concentration because our job and the outcome can depend on just one crucial line call. I hope your experience rewards you with great friends and wonderful memories. Thanks for giving back so much to the games you love! Crystal Ball By John Rodenberg and Polina Konstantinova No, this is not a projection of the future of tennis umpiring in This is an announcement that I have received a USTA Crystal Ball, inscribed with Lois Ker s name, to award to her in In the way of background, the award is for work within the section of both an officiating and a general volunteer nature. It has no name, it has no monetary award, it is just a way of saying thanks for work above and beyond what most officials do. In the case of Lois Ker, she has: Recruited and trained 25 USTA officials Hosted 15 officials over the years in her home Page 3 of 5

4 Originated a Newsletter for BC officials Traveled to US for 5 committee meetings in five years Written rules explanations, conducted training and supervised events Worked with Tennis BC to grow the local tennis community, including officiating Served on PNW official s committee and written the process for Official of the Year Spent $1000 of her own money on shopping trips to the US, thus helping the US economy! Mothered numerous young officials, in BC and beyond Congratulations Lois! Officiating as a Parallel Universe By Tony Anegon I recently had a flashback of being at a University of Michigan-University of Illinois men s tennis match in Ann Arbor in approximately Immediately before play commenced, Brian Eisner, the winningest coach in Michigan history with 18 Big Ten titles, asked the spectators who had gathered if any wanted to volunteer and help officiate the match. Obviously, the above scenario would not occur in the present. In the relatively short time I have been officiating, the demand for officials has increased noticeably. While there are many reasons for the increased demand, it will continue to increase as long as the overall level of professionalism that exists among the officials in our section remains high. The importance of professionalism is evident when one reviews the Official s Code of Conduct where the term is mentioned twice. The very first sentence of the Code states: A USTA official is expected to maintain high professional standards. Tenet no. 16 reiterates this strongly, requiring that an official shall: Conduct himself (sic) in a professional, ethical manner. The Official s Code of Conduct reminds me in many ways of the rules of professional conduct I must follow in my real profession as a lawyer. In that regard, I view officiating as a parallel universe to my real job. Most officials I have met have been or are involved in other endeavors that require significant responsibility and professionalism. Transferring the concept of professionalism from our non-officiating life to our officiating life is a method of meeting or exceeding the standards set forth in the Code. In fact, before going on court (and sometimes while on it), I often remind myself that if I can maintain my professionalism during difficult times in my real job, being professional on the tennis court should be a simpler task. For me, transferring the concept of professionalism from my day-to-day job to officiating has enhanced my officiating experience. And, believe it or not, as serious as all of this sounds, I actually have fun. All of us became officials for various reasons. For me, it was to give something back to the game that has been a part of my life for nearly 4 decades. I like to think that this can be accomplished by maintaining a high level of professionalism on the court. As with other professions, officials are always subject to criticism, but nobody will ever criticize you for being too professional. CODE OF CONDUCT #8 DO NOT PUBLICLY CRITICIZE OTHER OFFICIALS By John Rodenberg Publicly or privately do not criticize other officials. Publicly is the wording in the Friend at Court 2006, Inside of Back Cover. I have chosen to add the privately, also. Publicly, the official is on the court during the match, doing their job. There is no need to talk or criticize anyone, at anytime on the court. As an official you are there to pay attention to the match, Page 4 of 5

5 stay involved and attentive to the action on the court. Naturally, you observe other chairs, lines or referees. But, you don t have the big picture, the view that your colleagues have or any facts or details about any else, other than your action. So, publicly while on court, there is no way you can criticize. What about after you leave the court, and may be in a public setting, talking with other officials, in a restaurant or hallway? There are many public spaces. Your voice can be heard, and it could reflect badly on your ability to be a professional and act professionally. You may not think you are being critical, but someone else may not view it that way. Never discuss the match calls, the action of other officials, the outcome and how it may have been affected by a call, or the tempo of the game and you heard a call that changed the tempo. The caution here is, don t criticize other officials; in much the same manner as Code #7 Don t be interviewed without permission of the referee ; don t be heard or seen publicly criticizing other officials. Now, to the private criticisms of officials. I interpret this to be criticizing officials to other officials or to non officials. Unless your job is to evaluate and feedback on official s behavior, you are not charged with criticism of officials. You can, however, seek out a referee or other supervising official and pass on concerns about something you observed off or on the court. Make it factual, and make it unbiased and make your comments in private to a person who is interested and concerned, and has the ability to react to the situation you are describing. Or, go to the official that you observed and make the comments to them in a constructive manner. This second paragraph is more appropriately called human relations, and every organization has norms for behavior in these situations. ADVANTAGE is the Official Newsletter of the PNW-USTA Officials Organization. John Rodenberg, Contributing Editor and Dave Muhich, Managing Editor. Send comments to tennisracq@wa.net and davemu21@hotmail.com. We re committed to deliver you the ADVANTAGE when it comes to officiating in the PNW Section. Page 5 of 5