WELCOME!



Well folks, it sure looks like this pandemic thing is mostly behind us, although caution keeps us glancing into the rear view mirror. The old saying: “May you live in interesting times” isn’t lost on us; it has come true. It’s likely that the light we see at the end of the tunnel isn’t an oncoming train hauling some new variant – and so we press on with our beloved sport. For now, we here at BTG World Headquarters have managed to put together yet another page-turner (albeit virtual) addition to the annals of officiating squash. You’ll find news, interviews, reports, articles, resources – and attempts at humour. Let’s have a look. ……. ED

The American Chris Gordon says to his opponent, Shawn DeLierre: Nice shot, Shawn.

Shawn: Aw, it went off the frame!

Chris: Yeah, that's what made it so nice. 

2023 CANADIAN JUNIOR CLOSED (May 6-9) and CANADIAN SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS (May 10-14)

Montreal, Quebec

Our biggest event of the year is coming up soon at the Montreal Forum and Atwater Club (and other clubs) in Montreal. Viano Oghenekevwe is the Tournament Referee and the reffing team has been selected, but if you just want to watch some great competition and pick up some officiating tips – this is the place. 

RULES NITTY GRITTY

CROSSING THE FLIGHT’ (CTF) MISJUDGMENTS 

Basic concept

As refs, we’re all familiar with ‘Crossing the flight’ (CTF) situations. Typically the non-striker clears sideways across the court, while the striker standing behind, stops play and requests a let rather potentially hitting the opponent with the ball as it travelled to the front wall. What’s we're talking about is Rule 8.11.1, and today we’ll touch on its considerations because it’s not unusual to see strokes being mistakenly awarded – typically because the ref has rushed to judgment. Things are not always as they are first perceived.   

Reflexive Decisions

Unfortunately, our initial reflex often proves wrong – and the upcoming video-clip collection demonstrates that point. The goal today is to induce a reconsideration of decision-making parameters you might have rather than counting on your reflexes – which in turn increases the chances of a fair decision. 

The clips will show that there is an unfortunate tendency to rush judgment and to mistakenly punish the non-striker for simply having hit a loose return - a return that is now travelling back towards both players with the striker standing behind and ready to hit the ball back towards the front wall. For a stroke to be awarded, the opponent must be hittable with the ball traveling in a direct path to the front wall. In many cases, as you will soon see, the opponent is actually clear (sometimes well clear) – and yet a stroke is awarded. 

As a final note to this preamble, it’s worth noting that the non-striker’s clearing effort is immaterial to the decision; the non-striker would either have been hit – or not; that is the only thing that the rule asks. 

The video compilation

What follows below is a 3.5- minute video compilation of situations which may be mistaken for strokes. To avoid things getting too complicated, we’ll only address cases where the ball comes to the striker directly from the front wall – and not those that may have hit the sidewall & backwall first, or which may involve turning or further attempts. Also, in order to minimize any distracting considerations, it’s worth noting that these situations are not cases of interference to the swing. 

You will notice that in each of these clips, the ball was beside or in front of the non-striker at the moment it could have been hit – meaning that the non-striker could not have been struck with the return traveling directly to the front wall. In most cases, the likely reason for the stoppage in play is momentary obstruction of the striker’s view of the ball. Have a look at the video - then join us on the other side for a few final comments. 

Discussion

In the cases you have just seen, it’s quite clear that the strokes were awarded in error, that the non-striker was not hittable with the ball. Other than being unfair, such strokes are counterproductive to the oft-stated goal of reducing interruptions. A loose standard promotes requests for lets because players will quite naturally choose to interrupt play looking to get easy points from Referee decisions. 

As well, it’s a mistake to believe that awarding strokes in borderline CTF cases will promote better clearing. The reason is simply because such returns are unintended in the first place; they are obviously surprises to the player who just hit that return. Typically, the ball was either mis-hit, or it rebounded unexpectedly after hitting the vertical nick at the front – resulting in that non-striker now probably scrambling to clear. No number of stroke decisions can affect the future occurrence of such mis-hits or surprises. 

Conclusion

The Referee must put aside initial instincts, and instead pay very close attention to the position of the opponent at the moment the ball could have been hit. Strokes should only be awarded in cases where it’s clear that the non-striker would have been hit by the ball going directly to the front wall.

Referee Zal Davar, says: Yes let

Peter Barker complains with: Awhhhh ! 

Zal: It stayed up 

Barker : (looking incredulous) Where was it up ???? 

Ref: Where he could have got it!

The Canada Winter Games, held in PEI, was another blazing success not only for the players, but also for the officials. Players and officials gathered from across Canada to participate in this event held every 4 years. There was considerable focus on developing new officials as both Referees and Assessors. The officials, as usual, came together to form a cohesive team and contributed significantly to the success of the games. There was a strong Maritime presence, which is helping to build our East Coast Referee team.

Thank you to the CWG Referee Team of: Chris Toleman, Tournament Referee (PEI); Curtis Gillespie, Assistant Tournament Referee (AB), Dave Howard, Tournament Assessor (ON), Chris Mills (PEI), Sofia Navadeh Khodaddy (ON), Viano Oghenekevwe (QC), Simon Bicknell (BC), Lori Graham (NB), Lee Kirby (NS), Abdo Abdelrahman (NS), Christina Yap (BC), Ted Horbulyk (BC), Elvira Mitraka (NS), Joe Ellis (AB), Rob Davies (NB), Giovanni Piccolino (QC), Andrew Avery (PEI), John de Vries (AB), Gaby Sonego (AB), Dave Fishburn (ON), and Steve Bachiu (SK).

Australian David Palmer, after two successive strokes-against him in the second game, complains: I'm doing the same thing I was doing in the first game and all of a sudden you guys are calling strokes. It’s like you had a meeting or something?

Referee Graham Waters, answers: There was no meeting. 

In case you’ve never been there, our Officiating Program has its own YouTube site where video modules (listed in the ‘Resources’ area of our Squash Canada Officials website / database) are available for immediate playback – without any time-consuming download time – unless of course, you want the module stored on your own computer). TIP FOR USE: Simply click on the camera icon to the right of the title.  

At a league match in Barbados a few years ago, your friendly BTG editor hears the Marker call the 15-second warning between games. Then a bit later, the Marker adds: 5 seconds - - - - - 4, 3, 2, 1, time!

REFEREE CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 

As of reminder, it’s been over a year now that in order to play in Canadian Championships, competitive players must take the online officiating course and exam to become a Certified Referee. This will achieve three benefits: 

• To better educate players on the rules of squash to aid in their own play. 
• To increase the number of people in a better position to referee matches at events (from their Club level up to Nationals) when called upon to do so.
• To stimulate interest amongst players to pursue higher levels of officiating certification.

A survey was conducted of all P/T’s Executive Directors/Presidents and the Squash Canada Officiating Committee to determine the best approach – and the results were overwhelmingly in favour of a motion which required a minimum ‘Club Referee’ certification level for all players entering U15, U17, and U19 categories in the Canadian Junior Open (Canadian players only) and the Canadian Junior Closed - as well as players entering the Canadian Squash Championships, Canadian Masters Teams Championships, Canadian Men’s and Women’s Teams Championships and Canadian U23 Championships.

IN THE CHAIR

Profiling Canada’s Squash Officials

Viano Oghenekevwe

You will find all manner of personalities in the squash reffing game. There are those who are stern, those who are philosophical, those who are sticklers for the rules, those who only see the glass half full. And then occasionally you find someone who not only has a positive outlook but who manages to make everyone else feel the same way. When you meet that person at a Canadian event or various events in US Junior tournaments or out on the PSA Tour, then odds are you’ve run into Viano Oghenekevwe. Not only is he one of Canada’s most senior and active officials, but he is also one of the most well-liked. He’s almost always got a smile on his face and it’s always genuine.

Viano was born in Nigeria and emigrated to Canada 25 years ago. From a very young age, he was active and his parents told him he could never sit still. This meant he was involved in practically every sport you could imagine through school and university and his early work career. Speaking of work, Viano did his post-graduate studies at the University of Waterloo in Electrical and Computer Engineering, majoring in Robotics. His research focussed, he says, “on designing and comparing various Robotic Controllers for unstructured environments where you need the Robot to dynamically track and manipulate its intended payload.” You can ask him to explain this in more detail next time you run into him at a tournament! He currently works for an Aerospace company connected to the Canadian Space Agency.

Funnily enough, despite being such a dedicated athlete, Viano came to squash rather late, having never touched a racquet until 2008. He’s made up for lost time ever since, and today Viano is a highly ranked player nationally in his age group. Along the way, he has also managed to become one of Canada’s top officials and can often be seen refereeing matches on the PSA tour.

Viano, thank you for agreeing to share your experiences with In The Chair!

The pleasure is all mine!

So, first, tell us what you like about being a squash ref.

The pressure aspect of reffing, given all that goes in to making a decision in squash. It’s a challenge!

You love the pressure?!

Oh yes. But on the other hand, one thing I don’t like is that the overall treatment of referees isn’t always great, especially when it comes from players and fans alike. I’d say it’s getting better, though.

You’re known for being able to see the fun and positive side of things. What are some of the lighter or funnier or more memorable moments you’ve had?

Well, once, I don't know how it happened, but this bird got into the squash venue. A rally was going on. One of the players got distracted by the bird that flew by while his opponent hit a perfect rollout nick! Of course, the other player asked for a let for distraction. Can you guess what I gave?

That sounds memorable, for sure! What about dramatic events?

This may not have been the highest level match, and you have to wonder how something like this happens, but I remember reffing a match once where first player bageled his opponent 11-0…and then in the next game it was also 11-0…for the other player!

You’ve seen a lot of things as an official. What stands out as a peak moment for you?

I don’t know that I would call it a peak moment, exactly, only because my enjoyment of refereeing is still growing, so I’m not near the peak, I hope! But I do remember that I was getting better and better at reffing but never got invited to bigger PSA event. Then one day, someone dropped out at the last minute, and I got the call up. I jumped at it and have been part of the roster ever since. That was very exciting, getting that call and having a chance to prove that I was capable at that level.

Do you remember any difficult matches and how you managed to control them? 

Oh yes! My most difficult match was actually at a junior event. Both players were not moving well. I saw the whole nine yards - excessive swings, fishing for strokes, blocking, player misbehaviour including dissent. To control the match, I dealt with every instance of an issue right away. The player corrects that and then the opponent does the same thing. Then I deal with that. The use of Code of Conduct can work magic even if it is just a warning to start with. So don't be afraid to use Code of Conduct, especially if used at key times. It keeps everything under control.

Given your experiences, what kind of things would you like to see changed or done differently in the reffing world?

I think mostly I’d like to see much clearer pathways for emerging refs, with more and more opportunities for growth. It’s a hard vocation and it would be great to make things really clear, break down cliques and habits, and truly support motivated, interested and talented people in the officiating journeys.

What rule would you most like changed? 

I’d be open to seeing the scoring changed in some way. This is one part of the rules that has seen changes over the decades with all the different alternative scorings we have to date. I know some experimental scoring systems are being tried out. It’s all part of making the game quicker and better to watch and getting more people involved, I guess. I have often wondered how a timed-scoring system would work. You play two halves of 13 minutes, with a 4-minute break, for a 30-minute game, the winner is the one with the most points at the end. I’d be open to seeing how something like that might work!

Are there any players you’ve reffed who stand out? And why? 

Yes, Ali Farag. I love the way he plays, and he is very fair on court. Furthermore, it is very easy to referee Ali…except maybe when he plays Mostafa Asal!

If you could say one thing to players, with no filters and no worries about anyone thought of anyone else, what would you say to them? 

It would probably be around just getting them to play on. If a player said to me, “Are you kidding me?” I could say, “There is no way in Saint Bruno you are getting that ball! No Let. Play on...We are not going to have this conversation. Don't be a big baby!”

You did most of your early reffing in Quebec and Ontario. Who mentored you when you were starting out? What is the best advice you have been given?

Guy Vigneault. He advised me to focus on the basic foundational skills upfront on the onset. One can then build on the decision making later.

What advice would you give to emerging Referees? 

Stick with it. There will be times you feel like giving up and wondering if it is all worth it. Focus on the reason you started refereeing in the first place and renew your motivation to continue on. And sincerely self-evaluate, so that you can carefully work on areas of weakness. Be self-driven and put in the hard work it takes to become a good referee. Experience is only gained by experiencing all the things it takes to get there, highs and lows.

Good advice. Along those lines, how can we get more people interested in officiating?

I think we need to do a better job selling the joys of refereeing, although one can argue how few they are! But again, it’s about having a clear development pathway, providing support along the journey, making sure people have good mentorship. And maybe paying them wouldn’t hurt!

You’ve achieved a lot. Do you still have ongoing goals as a Referee?

I would like to referee at the highest level of our sport and if one day, squash is on the Olympics, to referee on that stage.

What has it been like to referee around the globe?

I really like travelling in the first place. And the experiences refereeing has brought me have been amazing. The community of referees is excellent at every event. I do recall a certain event in the Cayman Islands where there was enough time between matches to spend some time on the beach. That was pretty good!

Viano, thank you so much for taking the time to let us get to know you better!

I enjoyed it! Thank you.

FEEDBACK AND INPUT

So that’s it for the spring 2023 edition of the BTG newsletter. We are all grateful to the gods of squash who it seems, have looked down favorably on us and have allowed our beloved sport to pretty much return to normal. Meanwhile, if you’ve got something to say, email Geoff Johnson (Squash Canada Director of Sport Development) at: geoff.johnson@squash.ca  

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The SCOC wish to thank Barry Faguy, Geoff Johnson, and Emily Hall for the great work in getting this issue of BTG out!

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