Nine Intriguing Questions for 2008
My annual look ahead to 2008 is available today on The Tennis Recruiting Network. And while at the website, check out Nick Bollettieri's first installment addressing one of the biggest issues in junior tennis--cheating.
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14 comments:
$10,000 got voted down. I would think that why can a tennis player keep money and not a soccer or golfer or whatever sport was their rationale. It costs a lot to play on the AAU teams, club soccer, etc also. I think there should be a national champion for the teams that cheat and the teams that don't cheat. At least, it will be two level playing fields.
thanks for the info...I knew it was up for a vote last weekend but I couldn't track down the result. Is there a link to the info somewhere?
The problem with cheating is that the consequences for getting caught are extremely light.
When was the last time you heard a sponsor dropping a kid for cheating?
When was the last time the USTA sanctioned or dropped a high-performance player for cheating in a tournament?
When was the last time a player got defaulted from a tournament for too many overrules? (In my experience, it happened once it the past couple years at a Super National, and the experience did not stop the player from continuing to cheat in future tournaments.)
As in life, so in tennis, when the incentives for cheating are high and the consequences for getting caught are low, people cheat.
Purists know that to cheat in tennis is to fail at tennis, no matter what the outcome. The culture of the sport should reflect that mindset, by sanctioning cheaters more stringently.
Andy Brandi will address the cheating issue in the next Q and A.
a comment about cheating. I have been to events, where the "Mcenroe" like kid gets the point penalties, while the meek, shy looking child hooks on important points, and takes strategic bathroom breaks. And these kids get away with this, as they bring no attention to themselves. If a umpire is called over, of course they stop. What happens when the roving umpire goes elsewhere? You got it. More of the same. It is a strategy many use, and the "Mcenroe" type kids who show passion out there, are many times more likely to wither under this assault. By "wither", I mean..more outbursts, more penatly points, and most imporantly, the main goal of the stealth cheaters: more unforced errors.
Welcome to the world of Junior tennis. A world where only the strong survive. The sponsered, the tennis pro dad coached, the rich, and the mentally tough.
Would it be safe to assume, that perhaps in this scenario, some talented, honest kids get left behind?
NEVERCHEATEDBUTMAYBEISHOULDA: You sound absolutely ridiculous. 1) The thing that gets you sponsored is being good enough and having talent for the future.2) The thing that makes you mentally tough enough is your character and what you know about yourself inside.3) Rich: I cant help you there. Get a better paying job if you're that pissed off about your income. 4)Tennis pro dad: Can't help you there either GET OVER IT. YOU SOUND WAY TO BITTER.
1) the thing that gets you sponsered, being good enough, and having talent for the future. Correct. And of course, rankings points have nothing to do with this. Do all kids who are sponsered cheat? Of course not. But cheating is used, and does help in the cutthroat world of Junior tennis. That is an unfortunate fact.
2) the thing that makes you mentally tough enough is your character and what you know about yourself inside. Correct. It also helps you deal with cheaters.
3) get a better paying job if you are that pissed off about your income. Correct. Tennis is an expensive sport.
4) bitter about tennis pro dad's. Incorrect. Just jealous!:)
Of course the fact that other kids cheat does not prevent your kid from succeeding.
My point is that if we adults don't want there to be cheating, what are we going to do, other than mouth platitudes?
If we want to stop cheating, we have to sanction cheaters.
If we don't want to take that step, we should just shut up about cheating. We sound like the player who blames cheating for his loss, but didn't do anything about the cheating during the match.
I think there will aleays be cheaters in life and in every sport. Unless, there are more officials at tournaments, kids are just going to have to deal. Unfortunitly, the cheaters know when to cheat(critical points). I think after 3 tournaments of complaining about a childs cheating, they need to have some kid of consequences. I thought someone 2 yrs ago was suspended for 6 months after numerous complaints (a girl). I just hope it does not disscourage newcombers to the sport.
Habitual cheater are not sanctioned enough. Eevryone knows who the cheaters are and because they are not sanctioned after repeated overrules, they contine to torment the system and ply their trade. Some of the highest ranked cheaters will be attending fine institutions of higher learning to play tennis. Cheaters win because the system condones it like the movie, "The Emperor's Club."
I cannot help but to think i am at a tournament right now. Instead of hearing about the cheating i am reading about them. We all know who the repeat offenders are. The more we talk the less is done. I think there should be a petition about the cheating. (or something else that would impact the junior greivance committee to act). I heard some parents in the past had decided to take a stand against the cheaters by defaulting their childs matches against them. (not a fan of that). I guess my point being is, is there anything that can be down by juniors (that is who it does effect)to have some kind of punishment set in place against the repeat cheaters?
After 2 overrules they should lose a point, 3, a game and 4, the match. You have instances where repeated overrules doe nothing to curb the cheating. Most of the time line judges will not overrule which makes a mockery of the system.
can't a tennis player keep his winnings minus his expenses for that particular tournament as it is?
Amateurs are generally reimbursed a per diem for the number of days they are in a professional event. Should questions arise, it is important to have documentation of expenses incurred.
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