Black Tennis Pros

Right on time after the Wednesday Coaches Corner, friend and sista blogger Blogpassion of "We Need to Stop: Black blog on African American issues, news, celebrity gossip and more," working an end of tennis that I generally don't address, the umpires. It's all tennis, it's all relative and I'm glad to have a break. Thanks BlogPassion!
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Didn’t like that one call during one of your favorite tennis matches or thought the chair umpire was sleeping through the match, and perhaps you can do a better job? The opportunities are there for those interested in becoming a USTA match officiator. You must know and study the rules of tennis and obtain professional certification.

Here are requirements for certification:
20/20 vision or corrected to 20/20 vision
Pass a written test for the area you will umpire in
Successfully complete a certification program at an approved school
Submit an official’s data card which is a record work and official’s application
Have USTA membership and certification
Number of tournaments: must officiate a minimum number of tournaments each year
Code of Conduct: officials must adhere to these rules

There are specific certification requirements for every official position. The various areas of certifications are for: provisional umpires, provisional referees, sectional and USTA officials, sectional umpire, sectional chair umpire, sectional referee, USTA roving umpire, USTA line umpire, USTA chair umpire, USTA referee, USTA chief umpire, national line umpire, national chair umpire, national referee, national chief umpire, professional line umpire, professional chair umpire, professional referee, professional chief umpire, and intercollegiate umpire.

Now that is a lot of officiating. There are umpire clinics where less experienced certified USTA umpires may attend to get on-court training. The various types of on court tennis officiating includes line umpire, rover, or chair umpire. In addition, umpires may pursue a tennis tournament administrator position such as referee or chief umpire.

Roving officials monitor multiple courts. Solo chair umpires are the lone umpire responsible for everything that takes places before and during one match. Line umpires work a line and call line shots on a tennis court. Referees supervise all aspects of play including making the drawing and substituting alternates.

• Here is a link to the USTA OFFICIALS CAREER GUIDE
• Here is a link to “The Rules of Tennis” the 317-page guidebook, officials must study and be proficient in.
• Here is the USTA link for additional information:
• Here is a link to The 2008 USTA Officials Department Chair Umpire Availability Program so you can have an idea of how the vacancies for tournaments are advertised and expenses covered.
• Tennis Umps Charge Racism, Sexism, CBS News