some general guidelines
When I was in high school, I'm proud to say I managed to earn a varsity letter as a tennis player, competing at first doubles for our team my senior year.
Perhaps the most notable thing about high school tennis, the first thing that most first-time observers point out, is that there are no officials at a match, not even typically at state championship matches. Players make their own calls, and must be trusted to be honest about them.
There are times, however, when officials might seem like a good idea. But I fully believe the players should be honest enough, and respectful enough of their opponents, to render them unnecessary.
Controversy brewed at the Farmington-Berlin girls match on Thursday, a critical one between probably the two best teams in the conference, and a growing rivalry. It is understandable that there would be some tension.
But there was what I felt in my experience to be an excessive amount of complaining from both sides about calls. Players and fans on both sides were quick to point out plays which they thought were called incorrectly against them by the other team, and even after some of the matches ended, the complaints carried on.
In particular, I overheard several parents pointing out to their children the calls that the other team had made wrong, and how good it was that they had played the match honestly.
My problem is this. If the complaints are coming from both sides, while both sides simultaneously are claiming honesty on their own part, something must be wrong. The fact is, making a split-second call with your naked eyes, while simultaneously trying to play the game, running around, preparing to hit the ball should it land in, is extremely difficult. Mistakes will be made and there will be times that a call is missed, or a player is positive they saw something that did not actually happen.
But the fact remains that there is a lot to be gained from the sportsmanlike approach required of players policing themselves.
My first bit of advice to players is this: When in doubt, always call the play in favor of your opponent. This was the way I made calls as a player, even when I suspected that the point should go my way.
Yes, there will be times when you make the wrong call and hurt yourself. But chances are, there will be other times in which you are sure you made the correct call in your own favor, when in fact you saw it wrong. Furthermore, your opponent may see you make a call in their favor that they believe was actually wrong. In that case, you will have gained their trust and respect as an honest player, and should you later make a call that goes against them, will be more inclined to believe you.
And fans, my message is this: understand that mistakes happen. Just because people make a bad call, even if from your vantage point it was an obviously wrong call, does not mean they are being dishonest or cheating. They simply might not have seen it from their point of view. Of course, there will always be some players who look to gain a small advantage from time to time by making a call in their own favor. But, I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of high school players take their dual role as match official very seriously, and would never intentionally make a bad call.
And coaches, your position as role model may be most important of all. Stress to your players the importance of making the right calls. Is winning worth so much that you would have them consider cheating to get there? Keep an eye out for bad calls, and be prepared to question a player should anything suspicious happen. You are the ones with the ability to teach.
But, please, don't let the values that can be learned from this tradition be lost by looking for outside line judges. It is far more important than the score.
Perhaps the most notable thing about high school tennis, the first thing that most first-time observers point out, is that there are no officials at a match, not even typically at state championship matches. Players make their own calls, and must be trusted to be honest about them.
There are times, however, when officials might seem like a good idea. But I fully believe the players should be honest enough, and respectful enough of their opponents, to render them unnecessary.
Controversy brewed at the Farmington-Berlin girls match on Thursday, a critical one between probably the two best teams in the conference, and a growing rivalry. It is understandable that there would be some tension.
But there was what I felt in my experience to be an excessive amount of complaining from both sides about calls. Players and fans on both sides were quick to point out plays which they thought were called incorrectly against them by the other team, and even after some of the matches ended, the complaints carried on.
In particular, I overheard several parents pointing out to their children the calls that the other team had made wrong, and how good it was that they had played the match honestly.
My problem is this. If the complaints are coming from both sides, while both sides simultaneously are claiming honesty on their own part, something must be wrong. The fact is, making a split-second call with your naked eyes, while simultaneously trying to play the game, running around, preparing to hit the ball should it land in, is extremely difficult. Mistakes will be made and there will be times that a call is missed, or a player is positive they saw something that did not actually happen.
But the fact remains that there is a lot to be gained from the sportsmanlike approach required of players policing themselves.
My first bit of advice to players is this: When in doubt, always call the play in favor of your opponent. This was the way I made calls as a player, even when I suspected that the point should go my way.
Yes, there will be times when you make the wrong call and hurt yourself. But chances are, there will be other times in which you are sure you made the correct call in your own favor, when in fact you saw it wrong. Furthermore, your opponent may see you make a call in their favor that they believe was actually wrong. In that case, you will have gained their trust and respect as an honest player, and should you later make a call that goes against them, will be more inclined to believe you.
And fans, my message is this: understand that mistakes happen. Just because people make a bad call, even if from your vantage point it was an obviously wrong call, does not mean they are being dishonest or cheating. They simply might not have seen it from their point of view. Of course, there will always be some players who look to gain a small advantage from time to time by making a call in their own favor. But, I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of high school players take their dual role as match official very seriously, and would never intentionally make a bad call.
And coaches, your position as role model may be most important of all. Stress to your players the importance of making the right calls. Is winning worth so much that you would have them consider cheating to get there? Keep an eye out for bad calls, and be prepared to question a player should anything suspicious happen. You are the ones with the ability to teach.
But, please, don't let the values that can be learned from this tradition be lost by looking for outside line judges. It is far more important than the score.
Labels: tennis
posted by Ryan Pipke at
1:59 AM
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