thu304am08, Nove03beTue, 04 Mar 2008 09:32:30 +0000 11, 2007...08:46p03
Does the Umpiring Suck This Year?
I was talking with former 10-goaler Daniel Gonzalez and an Argentine 9-goaler the other day as we watched 26-goal contest. The 9-goaler and I talked about how much better the umpiring was this season compared to last season. Daniel asked us if we thought the umpiring this year was good. We agreed that it was, in fact, terrible, but we agreed that it was better than last year.
Wh is it that our umpiring isn’t getting any better. Why is it that there doesn’t seem to be any program that allows the lesser rated umpires to improve their skills to the point where they can actually improve their ratings an break into the upper echelon of umpires that appear in “all” of the high-goal matches.
On the other hand, we agreed, there ought to be some system in effect that can actually lower the ratings of umpires who do a poor job.
“If I play poorly,” said the 9-goaler, “I’m out of a job. If the umpires do poorly, there doesn’t seem to be any action taken. It’s like the federal government.”
So my question is, what is the system that is being employed, and who is monitoring it, including the jobe being done by the Director of Umpire Services and the National Umpire Committee?
Later in the day I watches a game in which it looked as though the umpires were trying to give the game to the club owner. Nine of the ten goals that were scored by his team come on penalty shots, with the opposing team, and ultimate winner, committing penalties at a 3-1 ratio to the host team.
There is a great deal of money that is being spent to play high-goal polo, and the umpires who officiate the top games make the most money, but if they consistantly deliver poor efforts who is there to discipline them, replace them, demote them? Who is there to actually make these officials responsible for the jobs they do?
The umpires are doing a far better job this year than they did last year. The problem is that the job they are doing this year is not very good. Who is going to accept the responsibility for this, and will they be able to protect their job if they aren’t performing it acceptably?
Any ideas out there?
5 Comments
thu304am08, Nove03beTue, 04 Mar 2008 10:36:40 +0000 11, 2007 at 08:46p03
The National Hockey League has a system where the bottom two or so referees are not asked to return for the next year.
They are replaced by officials from other professional (minor) leagues.
Don’t know how the bottom individuals are selected (nor the replacements for that matter), but it is long overdue in the USPA.
Tenure seems to be the order of the day when it comes to USPA umpiring.
Have to believe that there are decent individuals waiting to get their chance.
It’s time…
thu304pm08, Nove03beTue, 04 Mar 2008 20:54:05 +0000 11, 2007 at 08:46p03
Backhander,
The “club owner” has not lost a game in the 26 goal and the game I think that you are referring to the final score was 11-10 with 4 of the 11 goals from the penalty line and 3 of the 10 from the penalty line. There were 12 penalties in favor of the winning team and 11 penalties in favor of the losing team. Are you certified as an umpire or qualified? If you are then get out there and make a difference. The umpires that we have do a good job and are fair to both teams. The players don’t make it any easier on them by appealing for fouls that simply don’t exist.
thu304pm08, Nove03beTue, 04 Mar 2008 22:27:27 +0000 11, 2007 at 08:46p03
The club owner to which I referred was the owner of Lechuza Caracas Polo Club, in the finals of the Lechuza Caracas Cup, which was won by Audi, 11-10.
Lechuza scored the first goal of the game from the field, its other nine goals came from penalty shots. Audi was awarded nine penalty shots (four of them were Penalty 5s). Lechuza was awarded 16 penalty sots (four were Penalty 5s). Lechuza converted five Pen. 2; one Pen. 3; two Pen. 4s; and one Safety or Pen. 6. Audi converted one Pen 2 and one Pen. 4. Each team missed three Penalty 4s.
As to the “appealing pros”, start using technicals, red cards, to control their actions. As for the jobs that are being done by the umpires, for the most part (with the above exception) they absolutely are not biased. Poor umpiring is just that, not one-sided. What is being done to hone the talents of our umpires? What suggestions does anyone have?
thu305am08, Nove03beWed, 05 Mar 2008 00:14:35 +0000 11, 2007 at 08:46p03
As I see it umpiring in polo is NOT an exact science. Technically yes, some of the rules in polo are indeed technical, or textbook so to speak. The problem is that so much of umpiring isn’t technical. I have said before that one must have some “feel” for the game. In order to have this “feel” I believe some things must be true. One is that the best umpire may have been the best player. If the umpires have been there and done that it should in theory make it easier to “feel” the game at hand and to officiate accordingly. Hard to understand for those who haven’t been there and done that. Highgoal polo isn’t the same to officiate as low goal polo. The speed of highgoal makes it substantially more difficult to umpire effectively. Certainly most people can read the bluebook and understand the technical part of the polo, and yes pass the test. Having done so should give one the ability to effectively umpire in most low goal matches. Reason being that more times than not a foul will fall into the “technical” part of the game in low goal polo. The talent of the players and the horses is not what it is in highgoal, not even close. It is the increased speed and manueverability that quickly separates highgoal from lowgoal. That is where the problem exists and always will. At the increased level of speed and quickness is where alot of pro umpires will always fall short. If you didn’t experience a substantial amount of time on the field with the fastest and quickest horses and players in the highest levels of polo then it will be very difficult to comprehend what the “flow” means and why it is so important in effective umpiring. I remember my second year down in Palm Beach during an 8 goal practice game when Antonio Herrera was playing just one chukker to try a horse. I can tell you there were 7 other players on the field who never touched the ball and I was one of them. I was 3 goals at the time and playing on a winning 8 goal team. Even so, I could not get up to the speed that that chukker was at simply because he was so much better than the rest of us. He ran faster, turned faster and most importantly never missed the ball.
My point is simply this. There are not many ex 7,8 or 9 goal players in our current umpire system. The guys that we have are a great bunch of guys that I am quite certain try to do the best they can. The question is who is teaching them how to improve. Is it an ex highgoal player that can absolutely understand what it means to “feel’ the game. I played when there were not pro umpires, just highgoal players doing it because they had to. That being said, the umpiring was better then, and I guaranty you I am not the only one who feels that way. When we started the program we started it with Benny G.
Amazing, an ex highgoal pro. Unfortunately no one had his back, and in its early years that was at least as important as it is now. Pro umpiring was a bitter pill to swallow, but it has been swallowed.
Although the umpiring had its inconsistency’, one thing was a constant. The flow of the game was rarely interupted with a bad call. We got to play, and if I got there first the margins were at least as important as the “technical” or bluebook version of what supposedly happened was, and that “feel” was present in most highgoal games because the umpires were in fact highgoal players.
Our current system is lacking in highgoal playing experience, from the very top on down. That fact rears its ugly head too often today. I am quite sure that all the parties involved are trying to improve however lets not kid ourselves. Until the Director of Umpire Services is actually an ex highgoal player who is respected across the board from the patrons to todays players and into the pro umpire pool then the way I see it not much will change. I believe it is time to accept the fact that while pro umpiring is here to stay, and it definately should be, it will not get better until we take on the above concept, at least not in highgoal. Here’s a question… how DOES one get to be the director? I remember hearing who it was however I personally was never solicited nor do I know anyone else who was. I have no problem with the current director personally I am just wondering how he got the position? Didn’t anyone think like I do that we needed to pursue the highest rated ex pro we could find? Even if we were turned down shouldn’t we have at least approached people like Wayman, Armour, Evans and even myself who was at the tail end of my playing carreer? How do we come up with the people who get appointed… I would really like to know and I know I am not alone. If someone like myself had a sincere interest in taking on the job, what would they have to do? Lets answer that question and go from there. We can critique all we want, but lets talk about solutions. Whining gets nothing, what actions will ultimately result in a positive effect?
I do not claim to know it all so lets hear from the rest of you. This is the greatest forum for us as members to be heard. Lets rock and roll!
thu418am08, Nove04beFri, 18 Apr 2008 03:37:56 +0000 11, 2007 at 08:46p04
Reading this blog I wasn’t sure what to make of it,but after watching the 2 semi-finals yesterday,yes it still sucks.
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