Can you call hindrance for shrieking?

G

gameboy

Hall of Fame
I was at a junior tourney for my daughter's very first USTA sanctioned tourney, and I must say I was horrified with what I saw.

There were these two girls who couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old playing an under 12 challenger match. Their attitudes were bad enough with constant challenging of calls, but what really threw me off was their incessant shrieking. It was so loud that you could hear it from 5 courts away. I was sitting in the viewing area watching my daughter and I couldn't stand it because it was so loud.

They didn't shriek on every shot, just on certain points. Is this really what junior tennis is like? Because if it is, I am going to stop my daughter from playing tennis and make her go play golf where bad sportsmanship like this is not tolerated.

Can my daughter call hindrance on these little monsters, if she faced someone like this? It would certainly bother me if I was playing.
 
anubis

anubis

Hall of Fame
If the shriek is extending through to when the ball is on your daughter's side of the court, then yes I would challenge. You aren't allowed to talk, communicate or make distracting noises when the ball is on the opponent's side. You're only allowed to talk, communicate or make noises when the ball is on your side.
 
Cindysphinx

Cindysphinx

G.O.A.T.
If there is a roving official, then explain to your daughter how to call them.

Also, maybe mention that she should consider claiming hindrance only if she is actually hindered. It is not enough if only her dad is hindered. :)
 
mmk

mmk

Hall of Fame
Sure, look how often Sharapova and Azarenka are called for hindrances. Happens all the time. Oh, wait....
 
J

JLyon

Hall of Fame
If the opponent is rattled by the shrieking then they need to get an official, otherwise it is assumed the players are annoyed but ok with the shrieking.
 
Fintft

Fintft

G.O.A.T.
anubis said:
If the shriek is extending through to when the ball is on your daughter's side of the court, then yes I would challenge. You aren't allowed to talk, communicate or make distracting noises when the ball is on the opponent's side. You're only allowed to talk, communicate or make noises when the ball is on your side.
Click to expand...

Well now at least I know that I can challenge it, although I doubt that I'll do it (not against girls anyhow).
 
O

Orange

Rookie
It would be a good idea to read the Code section that applies to noises and to discuss it with your daughter. I believe that shrieking falls under the term "other loud noises" in Section 37 of the Code, which says:

37. Grunting. A player should avoid grunting and making other loud noises. Grunting and other loud noises may bother not only opponents but also players on adjacent courts. In an extreme case, an opponent or a player on an adjacent court may seek the assistance of an official. Grunting and the making of loud noises that affect the outcome of a point are hindrances. Only an official may rule that these actions are hindrances and order that a let be played or a loss of point, depending on whether an official had previously warned the offending player.
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree with the conclusion of Anubis that the location of the ball is determinative with regard to whether shrieking is permissible. I think Anubis might be thinking of Section 34 of the Code, which governs talking during play. According to Section 34, singles players should not talk during play, and doubles players should not talk to each other except when the ball is coming toward them.
 
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Kalin

Kalin

Legend
As long as the WTA tolerates animal-like shrieking it will be very difficult to endorse proper behaviour at lower levels. Unfortunately, the WTA doesn't give a flying you know what... all they are concerned about is equal pay for their screaming babes.

The only way to change this is to boycott matches where the shriekers participate... maybe the WTA will get the message
 
F

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Kalin said:
As long as the WTA tolerates animal-like shrieking it will be very difficult to endorse proper behaviour at lower levels. Unfortunately, the WTA doesn't give a flying you know what... all they are concerned about is equal pay for their screaming babes.

The only way to change this is to boycott matches where the shriekers participate... maybe the WTA will get the message
Click to expand...

Appreciate this direction, but I recommend being a little more assertive. Write a letter... or five! Tell the powers that be about what you see happening to the game through your lens. That way they'll at least know what the problem is instead of having to interpret the attendance downturn. Otherwise they might start requiring more skimpy outfits the same way they did with ladies' beach volleyball.

Oh yeah, I'm also betting that the WTA is getting away with tolerating the screaming because the players have officials making the line calls. Not the case for the rest of us. Aside from the general distraction for everyone nearby, it makes line calls and match management much more difficult.

I say make a hindrance call against your opponent and see what happens.
 
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Fintft

Fintft

G.O.A.T.
IA-SteveB said:
Say what? Guys shriek? That is so awesome.
Click to expand...

No it's a girl lol And she even admitted to encouraging even her softer swings(on my short balls) to go in as winners, by a prolonged shriek(she does this on most shots anyhow, including serves). As I don't hear almost at all with my right ear (after military service), it's a distraction, as I hesitate trying to make sense of the sound, while the ball is on my side of the net etc.
Anyhow, when we played for fun I just hit her out of the court, mainly b/c I was more relaxed.
 
newpball

newpball

Legend
Kalin said:
As long as the WTA tolerates animal-like shrieking it will be very difficult to endorse proper behaviour at lower levels. Unfortunately, the WTA doesn't give a flying you know what... all they are concerned about is equal pay for their screaming babes.

The only way to change this is to boycott matches where the shriekers participate... maybe the WTA will get the message
Click to expand...
^ this.

Money talks!
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
gameboy said:
They didn't shriek on every shot, just on certain points. Is this really what junior tennis is like? Because if it is, I am going to stop my daughter from playing tennis and make her go play golf where bad sportsmanship like this is not tolerated.
Click to expand...

Seems like a very poor reason for switching to golf.
 
G

gameboy

Hall of Fame
Child will do what a parent makes available.

Golf kids are far better behaved. I'd rather have my daughter exposed to that crowd.
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
gameboy said:
Child will do what a parent makes available.

Golf kids are far better behaved. I'd rather have my daughter exposed to that crowd.
Click to expand...

Shrieking is not bad behavior. You make it sound as if it is a moral issue. Stop blowing things out of proportion.
 
West Coast Ace

West Coast Ace

G.O.A.T.
Kalin said:
As long as the WTA tolerates animal-like shrieking it will be very difficult to endorse proper behaviour at lower levels. Unfortunately, the WTA doesn't give a flying you know what... all they are concerned about is equal pay for their screaming babes.

The only way to change this is to boycott matches where the shriekers participate... maybe the WTA will get the message
Click to expand...
Not long ago the WTA made a statement that they were going to phase out shrieking for the 'next generation' of players (nice leadership - the art of kicking the can down the road) - "...approves a plan that targets future players...":

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8103913/women-tennis-plans-eliminate-excessive-grunting-next-generation-players

I guess this tournament didn't get the memo.

OP, sorry your daughter had this bad experience. Maybe in the future you can email the tourney director and ask them if they're going to enforce the new rule.
 
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