Q&A: How a tennis coach’s calm translated to officiating

Q: What is the process like to become a USTA-certified official?

Steve Rodriguez: You start by becoming a USTA member, getting Safe Play approved and passing a background check. Then you begin online training, and after completing all the modules you move on to on-court training, which is shadowing with experienced officials while roving. Once you complete that, you must pass the training checklist to get certified. The process was pretty straightforward.

Q: How long did that process take for you?

Steve Rodriguez: When I want to do something, I’m fairly focused and get excited to finish. I don’t like to procrastinate or leave loose ends hanging. So I did the whole process, and I think I was certified in about two months. I finished around last August.

Q: What kind of officiating have you done since then?

Steve Rodriguez: I’ve primarily stuck to roving at USTA junior tournaments, Level 4 through 7. From what I’ve heard, it’s kind of hard to get higher levels until assigners or head referees get to know you and trust you, which makes sense—you should start at the lower levels. I’ve probably done 15 or 20 events. I try to do one every month or two, typically on the weekends, for a little extra money.

I also got my ITA officiating certification and did a couple of college matches last spring. I was so new and I’m not comfortable being a chair umpire yet, so I just did some roving for a few Division II matches.

Q: Did anything surprise you when you first started officiating?

Steve Rodriguez: At tournaments, when I first started, I was like, “Oh, these are 16s or 18s, this is going to be high level and fast paced.“ I was more nervous. Well, believe it or not, those are the easier matches, because the kids are so skilled and they know the drill. They’re not trying to irritate the other guy or trying to hook him on a call. They’re pretty self-sufficient.

The most difficult days are typically the 12-and-under boys and girls because that’s where all the parents are always there, and they’re more involved. The kids are still learning the rules, which is great. I don’t blame them, but they’re much more emphatic and demonstrative. More grunting seems to happen, more “Come on” and “Let’s go,“ or sometimes even taunting.

But I don’t mind it, because again, it’s a learning experience. I give lessons to kids 12 and under, so it’s kind of a good opportunity for me to learn, from my perspective, what a child should do or not do on the court.

Her school still won the overall dual match, but that was an unfortunate way to finish. That kind of stuck with me, especially as I was still learning the ins and outs of college rules.

Q: Finally, what are your goals for your officiating career? Are you hoping to work your way up to higher levels of play?

Steve Rodriguez: I haven’t really thought about an officiating goal or a career path, but I just want to continue getting more experience. I have a chair umpire workshop coming up in San Diego at the end of July that I’m pretty excited about, and I’ve done another workshop in Orange County for roving. I think those are great because they’re all day, you really dive into different scenarios, and they have very experienced and knowledgeable instructors who teach you about procedures and protocol.

I just want to continue my education and further my skills. I would like to work my way up to doing USTA Sectionals or a national event down the road. And then on the college side, I hope to work my way up and use that knowledge to eventually chair some Division I matches.

Learn more about USTA Officiating and USTA Coaching.