50 Years of Officiating: Scott Van Beck’s journey from basketball to tennis

In celebration of Officials Appreciation Month taking place this November, USTA Iowa is highlighting Scott Van Beck.

After 46 years as a high school and college basketball official, Scott Van Beck decided to become a USTA official. He’s been doing it for the past four years.

“My favorite part of tennis officiating is the same as other sports—it’s all about game management and getting calls right,” he said. “If you do those two things, you will have a great match. The most challenging part is calling far lines from the opposite net or from the chair, especially in an adult USTA or a men’s ITA match.”

Van Beck grew up in Avoca and now lives in Des Moines after living in Texas for 35 years and Vermont for five. He played tennis back in the 1980s and has since taken it up again about 10 years ago.

He recently had an interesting officiating situation that probably doesn’t happen too often.

“I umpired a match between my two twin sons,” he said. “The play wasn’t at a high level, but the intensity of the match forced me to be my best, especially between points and games. It was fun, but those two made me work.”

Van Beck said individuals considering becoming an official should do it, mainly because there is a great need for them in all sports, not just tennis.

He also said officiating has made him a better player and much more patient.

“Officiating gives me a sense of accomplishment when I reflect on a match and figure I was right about 95% of the time,” Van Beck said. “I don’t care who wins because I’m competing against the game of tennis, seeing how many calls I can get right during a match.”

Check out additional Officials Appreciation Month feature stories from across USTA Missouri Valley by clicking here. Learn more about USTA officiating by clicking here.