|
|
|
WSF Referees’ Review
... Dec 2005 |
 Welcome to the WSF Referees’
Review Redux! (For the accountants and dentists among you,
“redux” means “brought back again” – i.e. reborn). After a call
went out in the summer for contributions, I waited for them to
pour in….and waited….and waited. Not even a dribble! I
eventually came to realise how lonely previous editors of this
Newsletter must have been….
Thus the first issue of the new regime has been a little
delayed, while I scraped around for material from people I knew
could be persuaded and would be reliable.
However, this is not the way to run a railroad: if we don’t get
contributions for future editions, the new Referees’ Review will
be short-lived. So it is up to you, Referees, to supply your
Newsletter with scintillating material about your fascinating
experiences as a Referee, or your profound thoughts about the
challenging task of refereeing.
As an attempt to spark your interest, your protests, or even
your anger, I have written an “Editorial” in the hope that it
will provoke some sarcastic or even intelligent responses.
On a serious note: the Referees’ Review provides us all with a
forum (the only such forum we have) to discuss matters of mutual
interest and concern. We are dispersed all over the globe, and
most of us meet in small groups from time to time at the
Tournaments to which we are assigned. We never have an “Annual
Meeting” of WSF Referees, at which we can conduct business and
discuss the burning issues of the day in refereeing circles.
But here in this Newsletter all our voices can be heard – on any
topic that might interest Referees on the international scene.
So please, please, sit down at your keyboards and write down
your thoughts. The world (of squash) is waiting with bated
breath…. (I am that world.)
Rod Symington |
CONTENTS
PDF Version
May 2006
Edition |
Compensating
Professional Referees
Bob Hanscom, Los Angeles Athletic Club Squash
Professional*
Does “professional” still mean…one who is specially trained to
do a job and receives ‘just” compensation for doing so? If
so…why is it that “professional” referees are not paid for doing
a (difficult) job they’ve acquired those skills and knowledge
for, in addition to being certified in providing that
“professional” service?
In fact…in addition to not receiving compensation, many
“professional” referees often need to pay their own way to
tournaments, only to be criticised and verbally (and sometimes
physically) abused for doing their job as a “professional”, all
while volunteering their services! That is truly a sad state of
affairs.
The squash organisations and tournament organisers are evidently
of the opinion that (for some unknown reason) these
“professional” referees owe the game, tournaments, events, etc.
their services and should be willing to “volunteer” their time,
energy and expertise in assuring that an event runs smoothly
regarding the officiating (and sometimes even organisation) of
the event.
Would one invite a doctor, lawyer, investment advisor or some
other “professional” to their home or office and expect to get
“free” advice and/or service. Forget it! You can’t even call one
of these “professionals” without expecting to be charged.
On one hand, when amateur or professional players are asked to
sit and referee a match, in many cases, there is, at the very
least…resistance. Why might this be so? Is it that those
“players” feel inadequate regarding their knowledge and
experience in refereeing a squash match? Probably (and
rightfully) so! They are first and foremost players…and
oftentimes they are not certified squash referees.
It is no mystery why there are many disagreements between the
players and those sitting in as referees during squash
matches…either at the amateur and/or professional level.
So…realising this, “professional” referees are invited to events
in order to provide a “professional” service obviously needed,
which cannot be provided by anyone else…but for no or very
little compensation! This doesn’t seem quite fair!
It’s about time, as in other sports like baseball, football,
basketball, hockey, golf or soccer…compensation for
“professional” squash officials should be considered when
planning and/or budgeting events. Just perhaps…doing this may
motivate a greater number of “qualified” individuals to become
“professional” referees.
It has often been said, “the quality of a sport is dependent on
the quality of its officiating”. Let’s bring the “quality” of
squash to its rightful place by employing “professional”
officials.
Bob Hanscom
*Ed. Note: Bob Hanscom has been not only a long-time teaching
professional in Los Angeles, but also a U.S. National Referee
with considerable international experience (e.g. World
Championships, Pan-American Games), and he is also a very
successful promoter of professional squash tournaments. |
From the
Director
 I am very pleased to be able to write a column in the Referees’
Review, now revived under the editorship of Rod Symington.
Although this initial offering is somewhat abbreviated, we are
hoping that it will inspire you all to put e-pen to e-paper and
send your contributions to Rod for future issues. This is, after
all, your newsletter, but we all need to contribute from time to
time to ensure that the publication continues. I would think
that we need a good cross section of news, tournament
experiences, humorous anecdotes, technical articles; anything
you think would be of interest to your WSF refereeing
colleagues. Please send your contributions to Rod directly
(symingto@uvic.ca ) or to
Lorraine Harding at the office in Hastings
(lorraine@worldsquash.org ).
ASSIGNMENTS
As the year 2005 winds down, Lorraine has just completed the
refereeing assignments for the final event in the calendar year,
the inaugural Saudi Invitational in Al-Khobar. In all, there
were 17 events that requested WSF Referees including several new
events appearing on the calendar and using our services (Kuwait,
Jamaica, and Saudi). A table showing all
appointments for 2005 can be found later in the newsletter.
This table shows which referees actually were appointed to the
events, but does not show the restrictions placed on Lorraine
before inviting anybody (must fly a certain airline, only
European-based referees, this last one for a European event,
etc.).
2006 PROMISES
Early indications show some promise for 2006 as well. The Windy
City Open, scheduled for late January in Chicago, has been
growing steadily from its modest beginnings some years ago and,
this year, will be a Super Series event with $100,000 prize
money. The Pace Canadian Classic, normally held in November in
Toronto, will be held in early January 2006. This is a result of
some renovations being done in BCE Place, the tournament’s usual
home. The Commonwealth Games in March in Melbourne is yet
another opportunity for many WSF Referees to participate in
refereeing the top level players as well as get some rare
experience in doubles. The World Championships for 2006 are the
Junior Men, to be held in North Palmerston, New Zealand, in
July, and the Women’s World Teams, scheduled for September in
Edmonton in Western Canada. The two World Opens for 2006 are yet
to be confirmed.
The IR Programme Review conducted by Anne Smith a couple of
years ago has resulted in a series of working groups working out
the details of how to implement the recommendations of Anne’s
report. Those recommendations, that were a matter of policy,
have been implemented. A couple of the working groups have
completed their work and their reports will be considered by
ManCom in the near future.
Still others are major projects, particularly the CBTA
(Competency Based Training & Assessment), which will be the
cornerstone of our programme in the future. I will be providing
a progress report to the AGM in Salvador, Brazil in November.
CALLING THE SHOTS
The new DVD is now available. Thanks to Alan Mott for coming up
with the winning title of “Calling The Shots”. It focuses on the
4 most troublesome areas for referees, those being Blocking,
Backswing Interference, Front Wall Access, and Effort. Its
format lends itself to formal classroom instruction or to self
paced instruction, and can also be used as a test for referees.
Welcome back to the Referees’ Review. Please keep those cards
and letters coming. As always, I welcome any comments,
suggestions, and questions you may have about any aspect of the
IR Programme, to my new e-mail address at
mail@grahamwaters.com
Graham Waters |
Editorial
(Note: The opinions expressed in this Editorial are the
responsibility of the Editor and in no way reflect the official
position of the World Squash Federation).
The efforts of the eleven Working Groups who are presently
developing concrete proposals for various aspects of the
International Referee Programme will, no doubt, result in great
improvements to the IR Programme and to the quality of the
referees who are certified under it. But there is another issue
that was not (and could not be) a part of the IR Programme
Review, but that greatly affects the quality of squash
decision-making: the officiating system itself. (Note: this is a
pet peeve of mine, and I am shamelessly exploiting this
opportunity to open the issue up for debate).
Almost every major sport in the world has taken steps to
eliminate officiating errors and to introduce procedures to
improve the quality and accuracy of decisions. Three types of
measures have been instituted: teams of officials, the use of
video replays – or a combination of both.
Thus in soccer, the former touch judges whose original
responsibility was simply to signal when the ball went over the
touch-line, were upgraded some years ago to the status of
“Assistant Referees” and now have the power to call fouls that
the Referee doesn’t see (which is a major improvement). In other
forms of football (e.g. American, Canadian – yes, folks, they
are different!) there is either a team of officials that
consults on questionable calls, or (as in American football)
uses video replays to check the correctness of a call. In
cricket, when I played it as a kid, there were just two umpires;
now the video replay official helps the umpires on field with
what are essentially marking calls (e.g. run-outs). Even in
tennis, where all of the calls are essentially marking calls –
and there are at least seven officials watching the lines – the
introduction of video replays is imminent. Those are just a few
examples from many that could be cited of where sports have made
efforts to improve the quality of decisions and reduce the
errors.
So why does squash – whose referee arguably has the most
difficult task in all of sport – adamantly refuse to make
serious efforts to improve the quality of decision-making? Is
there any other sport in the world where so many subjective
decisions are made by one, single referee (who is, more often
than not, seated in the wrong place, far away from the action)?
When did we ever have a full and frank debate about this issue?
It is true, some attempts have been made over the past 15 years
to see if other systems might be beneficial – first, three
referees, and then two referees were tried – but neither of
those systems was given a fair test. They were fated to fail
because the “experiments” were based on the false assumption
that you could simply issue a set of Guidelines about the
operation of the systems – and leave the rest to the referees.
But all refereeing systems require training – and that was sadly
lacking in the case of the experimental systems. (I could go on
at length about this – and will, if you do not send in
contributions…).
To speak frankly: One of the major obstacles to the improvement
of the squash refereeing system is the fact that many squash
referees love to be in the hot seat and don’t want the system to
change. This attitude is not healthy for the sport. The growth
of squash depends on many factors, but the lack of growth is
strongly influenced by some identifiable major impediments.
Among these are: three international organisations, three
scoring systems, the refusal to place the officials in the best
possible position – and the failure to recognise the progress
that other sports have made in improving their officiating
systems and doing likewise in the sport of squash.
The PSA has led the way in attempting to make the sport of
squash more exciting and attractive – and I think their efforts
have been largely successful. The next step is to open our minds
and see what practical steps can be taken to improve the quality
of officiating. (To be continued…)
Rod Symington
|
The Hedonism
II Open
Graham Waters
It’s September and the weather in eastern Canada is starting to
cool off with temperatures at night dipping into single digits.
Sure there are some lovely sunny days, but they are beginning to
be outnumbered by the grey, drab ones, not to mention the rainy
ones with a stiff nor-easter blowing!
Lo and behold, I get an e-mail from Lorraine at WSF headquarters
in Hastings. Would I be available to attend a WISPA event in
Jamaica the third week of October? A little research on the
Internet revealed that the event was being held at the Hedonism
II all-inclusive resort in Negril, a tourist area on the west
coast of the Caribbean island. A visit to the Hedonism resort’s
website reveals that it is a “lush garden of pure pleasure”!
OK, so now I have to negotiate with the home guard. Would it be
all right if I went to a women’s squash tournament in Jamaica
(sunny and 30 degrees+ every day) for a week in October, when
the temperatures are hovering near 5-10 degrees at home, to an
all-inclusive beach resort with a nude beach, a prude beach,
activities such as body painting, a toga party, and the
christening of the new water slide where participation “au
naturel” is encouraged?
Arrangements to have a week off work were a “walk in the park”
compared to the discussions at home. Negotiations were tense
but, with the right spin-doctoring, I was able to accept this
hardship appointment, and I was soon on board an Air Jamaica jet
bound for the Caribbean. I did have to take with me an extra
suitcase to bring back untold riches of gold, jewellery, rum,
and other Caribbean treasures.
There were three Canadian players on my flight, all entered in
the qualifying of the Hedonism II Open. We were met at the
airport in Montego Bay and whisked away into a waiting van for
the hour drive to Negril and the “garden of pure pleasure”.
After settling in, we met Eddie DePass, the intrepid Tournament
Director, for dinner and drinks, and off to bed as there were
eight qualifying matches the next day.
 I
will not try to describe the matches or the progress of the
tournament, as this was brilliantly chronicled by my roommate,
Steve Cubbins of the SquashSite website. From a refereeing
standpoint, I was THE referee, although both Noel McKreith and
Eddie DePass wanted to do some early round matches and be
assessed. I had a look at the draw and we agreed to give them
some matches that did not appear to be too confrontational. In
fact, we did such a great job of identifying those matches that
they all turned out to be “invalid” for assessment purposes.
On the social side of things, Eddie had organised two evening
functions where the players attended as well as an all-day
outing to Montego Bay to see a bit more of the island and made
sure that the referees, the press, et al, were included. All
were received very well.
The event was a great success and Eddie has already booked the
hotel for the same week next year. He was hoping to add a PSA
event alongside the women’s event, but, with only two courts,
that may prove to be difficult. Plan B was to have a 4-man
invitational as well as the 2nd annual WISPA Hedonism II Open. I
have my sun block ordered already!
Graham Waters
Tournament Coverage |
The Little
Things
Graham Waters
Over the years, I have had the good fortune to be exposed to a
great many of the world’s best and most experienced squash
referees. In the process, I have picked up a few things that
you never will find in a rulebook, but are invaluable in
helping to become the best squash official you can be.
Clearly, the most important factor in being a top referee is
your ability to interpret Rule 12 correctly and to give
correct and consistent decisions when asked to decide an
appeal under that rule. However, here are a few more helpful
hints on how you can help the players and, in so doing,
present yourself to them as a competent and confident squash
official. Some of them relate to your role as a marker, some
of them as a referee, some as both, but, hopefully, all will
be helpful. I call them the “little things”.
Anticipate Appeals
Whether you are
the marker or the referee, make a mental note of every close
pickup, ball close to the out line, possible fault, etc. in
case an appeal comes at the end of the rally. If you are the
marker, try to let the referee know whether you thought the
shot was good or you were unsure. If you can whisper that with
no danger of being heard by the players, thereby causing a
distraction to them, then do so. Alternatively, try to develop
a simple hand signal like the thumbs up sign for good and the
wavering hand (so-so) for unsure. This communication will not
only help the referee in determining a final decision but will
also help identify the dubious shot. When that appeal comes at
the end of the rally, the referee will know exactly which shot
is being appealed and will be ready to give a clear, concise
decision. The players will respect this and have more
confidence in you. Contrast this with the painful pauses that
we have all seen when the referee is busy marking the score
sheet, has to be reminded which shot has been appealed, and,
more often than not, can’t remember the shot in question.
Keep Your Eyes on the Players
At the end of each
rally, the referee should not immediately look down to mark
the score pad, but should watch both players carefully. This
is to ensure that no appeal is forthcoming. Sometimes, a
player will have an appeal, even though there had been no
indication of this during the rally. By doing this, you will
also be able to notice some Rule 17 violations which are
sometimes missed by the referee being busy marking the score
sheet. Let the marker do that, you can always take that extra
second or two and catch up. If you are fortunate enough to be
refereeing from a balcony, this becomes even easier as you can
mark your sheet and still watch the players over the top as
they are still in your line of sight.
Remember the Side
Whether you are
the marker or the referee, every time you write down the
score, make a mental note of the side from where the next
serve must come. You will then be in a position to correct a
player who is moving to the wrong side or respond immediately
to a request from the players. This will eliminate that
awkward situation of the players not knowing where to go and
the officials staring at their pads trying to figure out their
scrawl.
Interruptions
Any time a player
is injured or there is some other reason that play must stop
for some period of time, you must decide the outcome of the
last rally played or the one in progress when the interruption
occurred. Write down the resulting score before you deal with
any further situations and make sure the players know that
result. When play resumes, you will then be confident of what
the score is, the side, etc. How many times have you seen a
player get injured with all of the ensuing confusion, and when
the match starts again, nobody can remember the result of the
previous rally, or whether a let was allowed?
Repeat the Referee’s Decision
Immediately
As the Marker, it
is your duty to repeat each and every Referee’s decision. You
should do this immediately the decision is out of the
Referee’s mouth with absolutely no hesitation. You should be
starting to mouth the word ”Yes” as the Referee is saying the
word “Let”. When the decision is given and repeated that
quickly and decisively, it adds credibility to that decision.
I am not suggesting that this alone will eliminate any
arguments, far from it. However, it will have a small
psychological effect of reinforcing that decision in the
players’ minds, and might give them reason to pause before
arguing.
Call Every Ball that is Not Good
The rules state
that the marker shall call every shot that is a fault, out,
down, or not up. This means that you have no option of whether
to make that call however obvious it may be. Most players want
every ball called, and, if the call is not made, they will
assume that you didn’t see it, and will lose confidence in
you.
I know that we are sometimes put in less than ideal positions
from which to officiate and, as a result, we don’t always see
all of these shots, particularly shots that clip the top of
the tin when legs and bodies and racquets are flashing around
in front of us. Of course, in those situations, say nothing,
but if you see it, call it.
Learn the Players’ Sign Language
It is very
important to know the accepted sign language that players
employ during the course of a match. A good referee will know
instinctively what the player wants and can deal with it
immediately without the cumbersome questioning that we
sometimes hear. This is a bit difficult to convey in writing,
but let’s try:
What side, please? - pointing alternately to both sides
of the court either with a finger or with the racquet.
Sometimes players use both arms in a criss-crossing action for
the same purpose.
Please repeat the score - pointing to the ear,
indicating that the player didn’t hear the score.
Towel, please - a shaking of the hand in a polishing
type of movement. This usually happens after a player has
fallen and created a wet spot on the court.
Let, please - the forming of the thumb and index finger
into the shape of the letter “L”.
I hope these help, and that they will inspire confidence in
the minds of the players that you will be refereeing and
marking in the future.
Graham Waters
|
 |
Epilogue
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Referees’ Review and
found something of interest in it. While no firm schedule has
been set for regular issues, it would be my hope to produce at
least two editions a year – and more, if enough material is
submitted.
So it is up to you, fellow referees, to send me material as
often as you can. Referees of the world unite! You have nothing
to lose but your chains!
Send all contributions for inclusion in the Newsletter to
symingto@uvic.ca |
Ode to Rule 12
What’s that you say, you want a let
On a well-struck shot you wouldn’t get?
I’m sure you want a call that’s fair,
But on that ball, you had no prayer.
You moved to reach a tight drop-shot,
But what you thought was on, was not,
The trickle boast left you off-track –
And running into your opponent’s back.
My decision stands, so please play on,
Your chance to talk has almost gone,
And wasting time is not a joke –
If you persist, it’s a Conduct Stroke!
G.W. |
|
