The 1st blog entry in the “Why don’t you talk about…” series – these entries are suggested by fellow officials who feel the topic is worth discussion.
Roving is, by far, the thing we do the most of in the PNW. We cannot be everywhere at once, but attempt to divide our time equally between all assigned courts; sometimes roving 4 courts can be just as difficult as 8, depending on the tournament. Ideally, Rovers should be a visible presence on all of their assigned courts and players on neighboring courts cannot claim an Official Hindrance when Rovers are performing their duties even if they allow themselves to be distracted by the uniform or movement of a Rover.
I didn’t find information in FAC about the manner in which a rover should move around the courts, but in reviewing material from Official School, I found the following suggestions made in “what NOT to do when Roving – ‘Do NOT walk across the court while ball is in play.” This guideline implies staying put, at the net post, between 1st and 2nd serves and waiting until the point ends to enter or exit a court – that being said, I’m sure there are situations we could all think of that would require a Rover to interrupt play on a court.
As always, your comments are welcomed.
Pacific Northwest Tennis Officials Association 