Cindysphinx
G.O.A.T.
Two of my teammates had a weird situation in a match on Saturday. They told the following story after the match.
They were playing doubles inside the bubble; the rest of the team was playing outdoors. Ninety-minute unofficiated timed matches.
One teammate broke a string. She only had one racket. Her other racket was in the possession of the captain (in the trunk of her car -- why, I do not know), who was watching the outdoor courts play. The teammate picked up her cell phone, told one opponent she was going to call the captain to have her bring her the spare racket, and started dialing.
Seeing this, the other opponent came over and said she wasn't allowed to use a cell phone during a match. The teammate said she was going to do it anyway because she needed the racket and because one opponent had said it was OK. I assume the captain brought the racket.
Afterward, we were talking about how this should have been handled by all involved.
My recollection was that you cannot leave the court to get a replacement racket, and if you do, time penalties accrue. I do not know if any time penalties are spelled out in our local rules. The ****iness penalties are 5 minutes = 1 game; 10 minutes = 2 games; 15 minutes = 3 games; 15+ = default.
I told them I thought the rule was different if you need to leave the court for some other reason, like a wardrobe malfunction. In that case, I thought you could take a reasonable amount of time to address the problem, but rackets are the exception. Then again, maybe that only applies in officiated matches?
I have no idea what the penalty is for using a cell phone during a match and whether it matters that one lady said it was OK and one said it was not. Would the penalty be a default? Could it be addressed by grievance after the match?
Personally, I would find it highly irritating if an opponent brought one racket to a timed match and then needed to waste time securing a replacement. I always bring two rackets, and if one of my rackets is being strung, I bring a crummy racket from the garage.
Still, I cannot imagine imposing such severe time penalties on an opponent who broke a string. Then again, I guess I could offer her my spare racket. Then again, what if she broke that one and I needed it myself . . . .
They were playing doubles inside the bubble; the rest of the team was playing outdoors. Ninety-minute unofficiated timed matches.
One teammate broke a string. She only had one racket. Her other racket was in the possession of the captain (in the trunk of her car -- why, I do not know), who was watching the outdoor courts play. The teammate picked up her cell phone, told one opponent she was going to call the captain to have her bring her the spare racket, and started dialing.
Seeing this, the other opponent came over and said she wasn't allowed to use a cell phone during a match. The teammate said she was going to do it anyway because she needed the racket and because one opponent had said it was OK. I assume the captain brought the racket.
Afterward, we were talking about how this should have been handled by all involved.
My recollection was that you cannot leave the court to get a replacement racket, and if you do, time penalties accrue. I do not know if any time penalties are spelled out in our local rules. The ****iness penalties are 5 minutes = 1 game; 10 minutes = 2 games; 15 minutes = 3 games; 15+ = default.
I told them I thought the rule was different if you need to leave the court for some other reason, like a wardrobe malfunction. In that case, I thought you could take a reasonable amount of time to address the problem, but rackets are the exception. Then again, maybe that only applies in officiated matches?
I have no idea what the penalty is for using a cell phone during a match and whether it matters that one lady said it was OK and one said it was not. Would the penalty be a default? Could it be addressed by grievance after the match?
Personally, I would find it highly irritating if an opponent brought one racket to a timed match and then needed to waste time securing a replacement. I always bring two rackets, and if one of my rackets is being strung, I bring a crummy racket from the garage.
Still, I cannot imagine imposing such severe time penalties on an opponent who broke a string. Then again, I guess I could offer her my spare racket. Then again, what if she broke that one and I needed it myself . . . .
