New Coordinator - USTA Official's Dept.

From Rich Kaufman:

I wanted to update you on the position of Coordinator for the Officials Department.

Please join me in welcoming Julio Echavarria as the new Coordinator for the USTA Officials Department. Julio has been with the USTA Pro Circuit Department, headed by Brian Earley, for the past seven years. In addition to his position as Coordinator with the Pro Circuit Department, Julio has been an important part of the USTA Professional Division, working in Credentials at the US OPEN and at Davis Cup and FedCup Ties. In addition, he has worked closely with me on many projects related to the Officials Department and the US OPEN and he is very aware and current with many of our activities. With his background in the Professional Division and his involvement with a variety of programs with the Officials Department, we are extremely fortunate to have Julio’s skills and knowledge now with us.

There will be some time needed for transition as Julio winds down with the Pro Circuit Department and moves over to the Officials Department. He is involved with Davis Cup coming up very soon and he will be involved with training the person who will take over his position with the Pro Circuit Department. Until Julio is with us full time, please continue to address any concerns or questions to me until the transition period ends by mid to late March. We will keep you updated on this transition and we will post this announcement to all officials in the Officials Department Newsletter and the Officials Webpage when the transition period is nearly complete and Julio is prepared to take on the day to day activities as Coordinator.

Thanks.
Rich Kaufman
Director of Officials, USTA

2009 ITA Rules Updates

You may find the 2009 ITA Rules updates on the ITA website
www.itatennis.com

Here is the direct link to the actual updates
2009 Rules Updates"

National TE Training Sessions Finalized

The dates have been confirmed. The 2 sessions taught by national TEs are
1) Indianapolis Jan 31-Feb 1 - trainer: Roger White - contact Bill Kopek
2) Toledo Feb 21-22 - trainer: John Suter - contact Jerri Banks

If you plan to attend either session, you must pre-register.
The Saturday session if for umpires with 3 or more years of experience. The Sunday session is for umpires with less than 3 years of experience.

Be sure to come to class with the completed online exams - available at
http://www.usta.com/USTA/Global/Get_Involved/Officials/Information/2009_USTA_Referee_and_ITA_School_Tests.aspx

Required exams:
umpire -> USTA Sectional Exam
referee -> Referee exam
ITA -> ITA exam

Tentative 2009 National TE Training Sessions

At this current time, TENTATIVE schedule for national TE training are at two sites.
Jan 30, 31 in Indianapolis and
Feb 20, 21 in Toledo.
Sectional trainers need to attend on Friday evening before the regular training session. Until the national TE is assigned a specific date, the Midwest plans will remain tentative.

submitted datacard received by Alan

As of 10/6/2008

CENTRAL INDIANA

Baugh, M


MIDDLE ILLINOIS

Day, G
Dunkin, D
Kurniawan, H
Niebuhr, K
Mangina, S
Mangina, V
Swicegood, G
Thomas, N
Waite, D
Wilson, W


NORTHEASTERN OHIO

Allensworth, G
Bell-Hodges, D
Cochran, M
Davis, H
Gander, C
Gander, R
Hodges, E
Bathlolomew, F
Hopfer, W
Meister, J
Meister, R
Mogus, B
Morley, M
Nelson, J
Schweitzer, E
Shiu, S
Shoman, B
Wise, S


NORTHERN INDIANA

Mary Martin
Carol Relitz
Robert Relitz


OHIO VALLEY

Daniel, M
Martin, T

National Officials Newsletter, September, 08

Please find the latest national officials' newsletter at
September Newsletter If you lose the link, you can find it at the www.usta.com site. Follow the link for "leagues and tournaments" and then follow "officials"

There are chair umpire hints on calling all the lines from the chair. It's a tough job, but you'll do better with the right techniques.

REMINDER: Datacards are due to your District Chairman NOW. Don't forget your USTA member number and expiration date. Be sure to Sign your own datacard.

Datacard are due soon

Midwest Officials:
Reminder: It's time to get your 2008 datacard in order so you can submit it for recertification for 2009. Your district chairs must verify your certification qualifications, make copies and submit the originals to Alan Steinhauser by October 15. Therefore, be sure to meet your district chairman's deadline, between end of September and very early October.

• Be sure you have indicated the training session you have attended, including dates and name of the trainer.
  
• Be sure that all your umpiring events are complete with signature of the referee or chief umpire
  
• Front page should contain your current USTA membership number and expiration date which is beyond Nov, 2008
  
• Your signature and date should be completed
  

If you wish to gain specific certification level, include that information when you submit your datacard. Incomplete datacard may delay your certification or possibly lower the certification to a provisional level if you are certified at all.
Remember, your district chairman is a volunteer who does this administrative work to help the officials. Do your part to minimize their overhead.