FAQ: How Do I Get To Work More Often?

This is by far the most frequently asked question posed by our new officials--and a good one!  Here are some guidelines to help you in your officials life:

1.  Be sure that you have been certified (attended a school or taken the tests, passed the background check, and registered on Nucula).

2.  Be sure that you have attended the Roving 101 class and done your shadowing with an experienced official.  If you haven't been contacted about this, contact Nancy King as soon as possible.

3.  Secure a copy of the booklet of sanctioned tournaments that is given out by the USTA and Texas Section.  This booklet lists all of the sanctioned tournaments in Texas and the referee and contact information.

4.  The MTOA referees are given your name when you are certified so you should be receiving some information about work opportunities.  If you haven't, you might want to contact some of the local referees and let them know you are ready and interested in working.  One call or email will suffice.

5.  Do not hound referees about hiring you.  They will get to you in time but constantly calling and emailing will only move you further down the list.

6.  If you are interested in working at the pro level you might want to contact Stephanie Burnam (stefburnam@hotmail.com).

7.  If you are interested in working at the ITA (collegiate) level, you might want to contact Randy McDonald (rmtennis@yahoo.com).

8.  Most new officials personally know an MTOA referee so you might want to get with them and have them give you some more suggestions.  You might also ask them to evaluate you so you can work on your strengths and weaknesses.

9.  Stay positive in your outlook!  Eventually the opportunities will come.

MTOA Roster Available For Members

In order to facilitate better communication among our members, we are making available an MTOA membership roster which contains member's names and their email addresses.

If you are a member and would like one, please write to our email address (metroplexofficials@yahoo.com) and one will be sent to you.  We hope you will find this helpful.

How To Become An Official

STEPS TO BECOMING AN OFFICIAL

1. Secure a copy of the Friend at Court (FAC) rule book. You will need this rule book to take your tests. The 2011 FAC is required to take the 2011 Provisional Test and the 2010 FAC is required for all other tests.  This can be done by contacting Nancy King (information under “MTOA Officers” on the MTOA blogsite.)

2. Go to the blog (www.metroplexofficials.blogspot.com) in the upper right section and click on "Background Check Start Up" and begin the process. You must pass the background check before you can become an official.

3. Click on "Joining The USTA" to purchase a USTA card and get your member number.

4. Click on "2011 Provisional Exam" if you are a new official.  Fill out all the information they request and then take the online test using the 2011 Friend at Court rule book.  The USTA will then notify Bruce Sampley (Sectional Chairman) and he will notify you of your next steps.  The USTA will also send you an email with more details of what all you will need to do to gain access to Nucula (the national registry for officials.)

STEPS TO TAKE ONCE YOU ARE CERTIFIED

1. Click on "Nucula" and add your personal information and when you start working, add your work record on this site.

2. Contact your President (Nancy King) to let them know you have passed the Provisional test and are ready to begin training and/or working. Click on "Area Coordinators" to find the coordinator in your area. You are certified to work at all levels once you have passed the Provisional Test but some areas require more training and shadowing experienced officials before you can begin work in that area.

3. Click on "USTA Apparel" to order your officials' shirt and other equipment. Such things as khaki pants/shorts, bags, and stopwatch can be obtained much cheaper at the local stores.

4. Contact the local ITA coordinator if you are interested in working at the ITA level. Each coordinator will have a training program that you can enter and you will also need to click on "ITA Apparel" to order your ITA officials shirt and other equipment.

5. If there is still an Officials School offered in your area, you need to attend if at all possible. If not, you are certified to work until you can attend a school in 2012. A list of those schools can be obtained by clicking on "Certification Schools."

MTOA Constitution & By Laws

For those of you who are members of the Metroplex Tennis Officials Association, you might like to have a copy of our Constitution and By-Laws.  It makes for great reading and something every member should understand.

If you are an MTOA member and would like a copy, please write and request one at:

metroplexofficials@yahoo.com