Are there Officials/Referees on the boneyard? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Are there Officials/Referees on the boneyard?

Well I've called my share of fouls from the couch over the years. My percentage of correct calls after seeing the replay is impressive. :)
 
RuffRuff said:
So have you found your calling? I bet you're great at something.

Interestingly, they're now saying one of the best routes to healthy longevity is racket sports because the it keeps the hand eye part of the brain healthy, which aligns with longevity.
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That’s true but all racquet sports are not equal. Tennis is by far the hardest to master, some people just never learn how to control the racquet face or hit with power and still keep the ball from landing in the street. Pickelball has taken off because it’s similar to tennis but using a paddle makes it much easier for the average Joe to control the racquet face and the court is much smaller. It’s funny that a few people “get” the mechanics of tennis right away but others struggle with their serve, forehand, or backhand, no matter how hard they try. I taught tennis for years and it was a joy seeing the lightbulb go on in someone’s head when trying to develop a hard yet controlled serve with the “American twist”. I mean without trying to muscle the ball over net without hitting it 20 feet out. Lol
 
husky429 said:
I'm going to ask the stupid question of the week. Why is a swimming coach required to take a concussion course? Slip and hit your head on the way to the locker room? I don't get it.
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It's a great question... my only guess is that it's an attempt to standardize qualifications for all coaches/officials across sports. But that's a guess.
 
CONN78SEJ said:
That’s true but all racquet sports are not equal. Tennis is by far the hardest to master, some people just never learn how to control the racquet face or hit with power and still keep the ball from landing in the street. Pickelball has taken off because it’s similar to tennis but using a paddle makes it much easier for the average Joe to control the racquet face and the court is much smaller. It’s funny that a few people “get” the mechanics of tennis right away but others struggle with their serve, forehand, or backhand, no matter how hard they try. I taught tennis for years and it was a joy seeing the lightbulb go on in someone’s head when trying to develop a hard yet controlled serve with the “American twist”. I mean without trying to muscle the ball over net without hitting it 20 feet out. Lol
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Conn...do/did you play USTA? I was 4.0 for many years...multiple ACL and rotator cuff reconstructs have sidelined me the last few though, hoping to get back into it soon.
 
HuskyDevil said:
Conn...do/did you play USTA? I was 4.0 for many years...multiple ACL and rotator cuff reconstructs have sidelined me the last few though, hoping to get back into it soon.
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Played in college many years ago, worked at Lendl’s club in Weston part time many years ago as well.
 
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CONN78SEJ said:
That’s true but all racquet sports are not equal. Tennis is by far the hardest to master, some people just never learn how to control the racquet face or hit with power and still keep the ball from landing in the street. Pickelball has taken off because it’s similar to tennis but using a paddle makes it much easier for the average Joe to control the racquet face and the court is much smaller. It’s funny that a few people “get” the mechanics of tennis right away but others struggle with their serve, forehand, or backhand, no matter how hard they try. I taught tennis for years and it was a joy seeing the lightbulb go on in someone’s head when trying to develop a hard yet controlled serve with the “American twist”. I mean without trying to muscle the ball over net without hitting it 20 feet out. Lol
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True that - tennis to me was magic -developed my left to be equal to my right so didn't have to learn or master American Twist. Just hit power, slice, topspin serves either way and caused more than one player to lose a point complaining to his coach.

Now I am around 4.5, after dual knee replacements and arthritis hurts my hands/wrists after too much play. So long 6.5 rating!
 
Lafayette said:
True that - tennis to me was magic -developed my left to be equal to my right so didn't have to learn or master American Twist. Just hit power, slice, topspin serves either way and caused more than one player to lose a point complaining to his coach.

Now I am around 4.5, after dual knee replacements and arthritis hurts my hands/wrists after too much play. So long 6.5 rating!
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You were a 6.5?
 
HuskyDevil said:
Conn...do/did you play USTA? I was 4.0 for many years...multiple ACL and rotator cuff reconstructs have sidelined me the last few though, hoping to get back into it soon.
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CONN78SEJ said:
Played in college many years ago, worked at Lendl’s club in Weston part time many years ago as well.
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I played NELTA, now USTA NE, as a kid ... never could beat this guy in at least 20 attemps Director of Tennis Glenn Marshall Announces Retirement after 33 Years - University of Connecticut Athletics

Rossetti Brothers Pickleball on Instagram: "ATP legend Ivan Lendl, playing with Glenn Marshall, hits ATP vs. The Rossetti Bros at Pickleville in New Haven, CT. He’s an 8X Grand Slam champion in tennis as he now wins gold medals in pickleball. #pickleball #tennis #ivanlendl #atp #atptour #aroundthepost"
 
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UConNation said:
Yup. I have to pay for an annual "non-athlete" membership to USA Swimming.
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I used to officiate FSCL summer club meets in the late 1980's. All I needed was a whistle and an hour seminar. $100-$150 for 3 hours work, the lunch I got served at some of the Greenwich country clubs was worth working for free. These days you need CPR, first aid and a background check, besides the US swimming membership. My cousin is the HS coach of a high-end team in the Hartford area, his son is a star swimmer. I wasn't allowed to give the team a pep talk before a meet because I wasn't properly vetted :(
 
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temery said:
What level did you play?
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It was the early/mid ‘90s so there wasn’t a rating system (4.0, 3.5, etc) I don’t think but I played mostly B and some A tournaments locally.
 
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StllH8L8ner said:
Yup, Murphy. They were doubles partners. He was just a lefty though if I remember correctly.


Interesting, if you played in NELTA tournaments, we may have run into each other!
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That is a long time ago - New England Lawn Tennis Assoc and I can scarcely recall a match on grass. Maybe Newport, RI was back then but thinking 1987ish.
 
Lafayette said:
That is a long time ago - New England Lawn Tennis Assoc and I can scarcely recall a match on grass. Maybe Newport, RI was back then but thinking 1987ish.
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Past & Current Situation, still have the racquet
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I sit next to a retired basketball ref at South Florida WBB. When he was active, I was always getting chided for yelling at the refs. Now that he’s retired, he does all the yelling for me.
 
Flipside said:
Past & Current Situation, still have the racquet
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I was a Prince and then Wilson ProStaff guy but used Donnay for a couple of years mainly because if Agassi was using it, I was using it and it was a cool neon yellow color. Lol. Then I realized the oversized head wasn’t working for me. That’s what she said.
 
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QDOG5 said:
I retired last year and a friend of mine who has been a ref for many years convinced me to sign up. He said there is a ref shortage in almost all sports. Overall it has been a positive experience. I ref boys/girls basketball up to the JV level. I'm happy to stop at the JV level plus there is a wait list for refs at the varsity level. I also ref girls lacrosse and girls flag football which just became a HS sport in Illinois. I ref varsity in those sports. The higher the level the more you get yelled at. It goes with territory. I've learned a few valuable lessons in my short career. After a game is over your work is done. Don't hang around because somebody on the court/field is not happy with the result of the game. Parsing calls with the losing coach is never fun. Also, regardless of the sport more whistles is better than less whistles, especially early in a game.
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Glad to hear you’re enjoying it. My buddy from England teaches gym at my school but has been a club level soccer coach for close to 20 years now. With a young family and the grind of the travel, he’s thinking about ditching coaching for reffing — better control of hours, less stress and plenty of options in the Stamford area.
 
StllH8L8ner said:
I was a Prince and then Wilson ProStaff guy but used Donnay for a couple of years mainly because if Agassi was using it, I was using it and it was a cool neon yellow color. Lol. Then I realized the oversized head wasn’t working for me. That’s what she said.
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Babolat and Yonex were kind to "donate" some gear as back in the day you could not be sponsored or given anything of value.

Their trick was claiming they had merch for radio giveaways but if unclaimed they would be deemed worthless and unsellable so they were free to give away.

Seems janky vs today's game since players can be paid in cash or gear for NIL.
 
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