Alan Thomson
The PC Maintenance Program has been a topic mentioned in our last two Officiating Scoop articles. Open link if you would like to see the March edition… https://pickleballcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/March-Scoop-EN.pdf
When this program was initially discussed at the Officiating Advisory Council (OAC) meetings, each of the Provincial Head Referees anticipated that several Referees would likely not continue in the program, as they had not been actively Refereeing nor keeping current with the updates to both the rules and best practices.
What was not anticipated is the number of Referees who have been actively Refereeing and doing a great job on the court, to now not want to subject themselves to oral questioning and the vetting process now in place, which is intended to verify that Referees are able to perform at the standards of their currently held credentials. Achieving your credentials is not an easy process, so I can only assume that it has not been an easy decision to let them lapse, but one a concerning number of Referees are making. Why? And what can be done to change this?
I see only a couple of paths to resolution… 1) Curtail the program? 2) Convince those who are reluctant that the vetting process is not as difficult as being thought, and 3) Stay the course, as the maintenance program is required to ensure the validity of the Canadian Officiating Program.
Curtailing the program
Pickleball Canada and the members of the OAC do not see this as a viable solution to the problem. The maintenance program was instituted to circumvent a bigger concern… Canadian Referees being perceived to be less capable than their US counterparts.
Vetting not as difficult as being thought
The OAC would like to convince you that this is not a difficult process! If you are a Referee who is actively Refereeing several times per year, and you are keeping current with changing rules and best practices and taking the online quizzes, you will NOT have a problem with the 5 questions being asked. The intent is not to outright fail someone, but rather point out areas of weaknesses so that those can be rectified. Those asking the questions will be working with you, not against you. There are a few people now in the process who have not responded to the questions as well as we would have hoped, but they are studying and will be given another opportunity to be successful.
Stay the course, as it is required to ensure the validity of the program
After working hard to achieve a reciprocal credentialing program with USA P we knew that meeting and maintaining the performance standard for each Referee was going to be a challenge, as we have less opportunities to get on the court and practice our trade. The OAC had an immediate concern… ensuring that our program was every bit as good as USA P and that anyone receiving credentials in Canada would be fully capable of Refereeing in the US to the expected standards. Our worst-case scenario has been, receiving a call from USA P saying that one of our Referees, is now in the US Refereeing and not performing to expectations! Unfortunately, I must report that only a few days ago, this scenario played out and those concerns were expressed by USA P. The good news is, there are a few mitigating circumstances, and we are working to resolve this issue and alleviate those overall concerns. USA P realizes that the standards vary across both countries in all Provinces and States, and that continual monitoring and discussions will be required. To that end, USA P is very interested in our program and considering instituting a similar one to help negate like problems across their 50 states.
I see one other question being asked, “Why don’t we just have a Canadian Program?”
As you all know, Pickleball is arguably the fastest growing sport and continues to adjust annually. The Pickleball Federation of the America’s (PFA) stood up a number of months ago, and the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) continues to make inroads to having one Global organization. As Pickleball Canada’s Head Official I am working on a committee to standup the GPF’s Officiating Program, with the eventual goal of having each country train, assess, and certify their Referees to one standard.
I’m sure that the difficulties we are experiencing now will pale to those the GPF will have to navigate.
One last comment for those that believe we may have gone too far in our expectations of what a Pickleball Referee should know and be able to do during a match. Players are paying a considerable amount of money, with some tournaments even offering cash prices. We believe that expectations have been set and that the players now demand only the best from the Refereeing group. The Myoflex ® Canadian Pickleball Championships held in Halifax this past summer was a very successful event with nearly 900 players and a Referee crew of 20 Certified & 25 Level 2 Credentialed Referees working 2800 matches over the 5 days. The Professionalism of this group was evident throughout the tournament and many players expressed their appreciation for their attendance, long hours, and attention to detail, in some cases after 10 or 12 hours of work.
Whether you are an Official in the Program, or a player with a strong opinion one way or the other, we would appreciate hearing from you… officiating@pickleballcanada.org