2005 US Squash NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
MURR CENTRE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BOSTON, MA
16 - 20 MARCH, 2005
TOURNAMENT REFEREE'S REPORT
1. Background
2. Referee Rally
3. Summary of Referee Assignments and Assessments
4. Conclusions
1. Background
I was again invited by US Squash to be the Tournament Referee for the S.L. Green and Women's Open divisions of the US Squash National Championships, held at the wonderful Murr Center facility at Harvard University in Boston from 16 - 20, March, 2005. This would entail recruiting, assigning, and assessing the referees for all matches in these two divisions.
I was also asked to lead an Advanced Referee Clinic as part of the US Squash Referee Rally, held in conjunction with the Championships. This clinic was held from 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 20th.
I was provided with a very comfortable room at the Doubletree Suites Hotel and Kevin Klipstein, the new CEO of US Squash, reimbursed my other expenses before departure.
2. Advanced Referee Clinic
On Sunday morning, March 20th, I conducted a clinic that attracted 5 participants. We watched the new WSF DVD that showed examples of the most problematic areas for referees - blocking, backswing interference, front wall access, and effort required. Each subject matter was covered in turn, first with rallies at actual speed, followed by the same rallies in slow motion for more in depth analysis.
3. Summary of Referee Assignments and Assessments
There were 11 USSRA Referees available to referee in the two elite divisions. Many of them were also playing in their respective age or skill categories. Unfortunately, we lost the services of Sheldon Anderson as he had a personal emergency and had to withdraw from the tournament. We also lost the services of Maj Madan (see separate report) after the Thursday matches.
Two other restrictions on referees' availability were their arrival times (matches were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday evenings, but some referees did not arrive until late Thursday or Friday) and their departing flight on Sunday afternoon. Many referees had to leave to get to Logan Airport before the last matches were complete, further reducing the refereeing options. In Boston, we were fortunate to have Wayne Hodges, Mike Riley, and the Ansdells, all within driving distance, so that they were willing to cover the Wednesday matches even though they were not playing until Thursday evening or Friday. At other sites, this may not be the case.
The correct way to officiate a squash match is with both a marker and a referee, but with the scarcity of available referees, this was totally impossible. However, with the great cooperation of all of the referees, we did provide a single official for all matches in both the main round and consolation of the two Open divisions, as well as the semi-finals of the Men's -25, +25, +30, +35, +40, +45, and the finals of all of the previous categories mentioned plus the M 50+, M55+, M 60+, W+35+ and W40+ divisions. I was able to recruit a few other referees from outside the inner core who agreed to step in and referee an occasional. This group included Ken Stillman, Quentin Hyder, and Dominic Hughes. I was also able to fill in on 5 matches when others were unavailable. The 12 referees and a summary of their assignments follow:
Referee, Level Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.
P. Ansdell, National 3 3 1
W. Ansdell, National 2 3 1 1 1
J. Coddington, State 1 1 1
R. Goonesekera, Regional 1 2
B. Harris, National 2 4 2 3 3
W. Hodges, National 2 4 2 4 3
M. Madan, National 1
C. Owen, Regional 5 3 2 2
H. Richardson, National 2 2 2 1
M. Riley, National 3 3 1
A. Strasfogel, Regional 1 1 2 1
G. Waters, National (Hon) 1 1 3
Because we were always scrambling to find available referees for the required matches, assessment opportunities were very scarce. I was able to conduct only 2 assessments over the event. Ben Harris also performed 2, and Wayne Hodges was scheduled to do another, but had to be pulled from that assignment to referee on another court. None of these assessments resulted in any referees being upgraded. With only one exception (Jim Coddington), this group of referees is the same group that has been refereeing at the National level for some time. US Squash must find a way to attract more people into the refereeing program.
4. Conclusions & Recommendations
It is always a juggling act trying to assign referees to events when most of them are also players in the event, some also attend US Squash meetings, and most tend to arrive a day or two after the Open divisions begin, and leave for the airport before the final matches have been completed. We have been able to cover the necessary matches so far, but there may well be a time when this might not be possible.
I'm not sure what the answer is. I realize that the referees are paying their own way to the event and want to participate in their respective categories, they all work and are not able (or willing) to take additional time off to referee a day early or a few hours later on Sunday. Perhaps US Squash should examine ways to attract referees to attend the full event and/or to reward those who do.
I don't think that the Sunday morning is the right time to hold the Refereeing Clinic either. Many players who lose early have left town, there are many finals scheduled for the Sunday morning that need referees assigned to them, and it's the morning after the night before (the always excellent dinner/dance/party hosted by US Squash).
One other small point. There are frequently some withdrawals, defaults, and cancellations, particularly on the consolation side. It would be extremely helpful if the Tournament Director would inform the Tournament Referee as soon as he becomes aware of these things so the TR can adjust the refereeing assignments accordingly.
Graham Waters
Tournament Referee