Hi Peter and all,
Many thanks for your input Peter. The outcome from the meeting was that people
thought it would be a good idea to run some sort of pilot event outside of the
current VI tennis calendar, where we can trial such things as larger court and
different shades/patches. There will certainly be no changes put in to the
current competition calendar in the near future. In answer to Keiths question
earlier on, the larger court comes with use of standard net height. This is
interesting as for B1s this might actually be beneficial when returning. The
higher net means that shots can’t be fizzed in so low meaning that some of the
pace might have to be taken off them to make the shots clear the net. However
this doesn’t take away from having to cover more ground. I guess it’s something
that we won’t know for sure unless we do try it out.
I totally understand Peter about the hassle and discomfort potentially caused
by patches and shades, which is why I am currently not in favour of patches in
the domestic game. However I will tell you a true story which may help you
understand why it has been deemed necessary to use such methods in other sports:
In 2011 the patching system in blind football was made more strict. After video
evidence clearly showed an Argentine player repeatedly looking under his
shades. At the time I was in the provisional squad for London 2012, however I
was the newest, least experienced player of the bunch, and had a real challenge
ahead to make the final cut. We had a player at the time who was exceptional.
There were some suspicions especially from other countries around some of the
things he was able to do, but nothing had been proven. As soon as he was
required to wear patches, his game completely changed. He had zero spatial
awareness and was unable to even participate, let alone do the amazing things
that he had done previously. He left the squad and we carried on into 2012. I
worked as hard as I could, and managed to grab the eighth and final outfield
place for the London 2012 squad. Had this particular player not been found out,
I would never of had what is still one of the most amazing experiences of my
life. Unfortunately, classification is not full proof, even on an international
level. Rules such as patching and shades are not brought in to inconvenience
the vast majority of us who play the game properly. They are there to protect
us.
Sorry for the essay LOL
Cheers
Roy
Sent from my iPhone
On 17 Aug 2018, at 11:41, Peter Bosher <peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Roy and all,
I realise that this is too late for the meeting. I was on holiday and just
catching up. I do feel quite strongly about the shades/patches issue though
so am keen to know the outcome, or contribute to future discussions.
I paid British blind Sports for a certificate to classify me as B1. That
should be sufficient. I find all the shades I've tried very uncomfortable
and they seem to effect my hearing - strange as that might sound - there is a
noticeable sound shadow and my judgment of where the ball is changes when I
wear shades. If you add to this the faff of having somebody stick on patches
through the day, it might just be enough to discourage me altogether.
My point is that the certification process should be robust, and there would
then be no need for patches or shades which are a nuisance at best.
Re court size, I completely agree with Roy's take on this. Until we can
consistently return a higher proportion of serves, increasing court size sets
the B1 game back. What was the view of the meeting, and what are
international rules on this?
Lastly many thanks to Roy for your great work on our behalf, and for keeping
us posted - much appreciated -
Best,
Peter
On 15/08/2018 10:25, Roy Turnham wrote:
Thanks Emma. In my experience with patches there is no discomfort to speak
of. In football we wear them all the time and there is little complaint.
However I guess there could be issues with people having allergies or eyes
that are very sensitive to pressure. You are right, they are quite fiddly to
put on, especially if you’re doing it several times in one day. In football
and goal ball you are in teams and generally travel with coaches who tend to
take the responsibility of looking after the patching. In tennis this is
different as a lot of people travel as individuals without their club
coaches. Maybe the responsibility of patching could be given to the Empire?
but then I can’t imagine the tennis foundation being particularly happy
about spending money on 60 odd sets of eye patchs when they are already
reluctant to spend money on quality tactile lines and tape.
My view on shades is that we either use robust shades, or no shades at all.
With sleep shades, you don’t even have to attempt to cheat to allow light in
as they are so ill-fitting. I think that a blindfold definitely comes under
the category of personal equipment and I agree with you on the issue of
hygiene. However it wouldn’t hurt to have a few spare pairs on hand at
tournaments for new players or those who might have lost or forgotten theirs.
Best
Roy
Sent from my iPhone
On 14 Aug 2018, at 16:31, EMMA Meade (Redacted sender "emmameade571720" for
DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dear All
Thank you Roy for seeking our feedback.
It is sad that people need to cheat, but I suppose this is the way of the
world.
I don’t like the sound of patches, particularly if they are worn underneath
the goggles. Would this cause discomfort to the players and perhaps
pressure on the eyes? From Roy’s description, it sounds like there could
be a lot of time wasted and perhaps a reduction in matches if patching had
to be applied again and again.
Could there be a hygiene issue if players had to wear goggles/shades which
were provided by tournament hosts. I never lend my blindfold to anyone!
I am not sure about enlarging the B1 Courts, although I would be willing to
try the difference so that I could have an opinion.
Have a good meeting on Thursday.
Emma
Sent from my iPhone
On 14 Aug 2018, at 12:04, Roy Turnham <roy.turnham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Personally, I would also be reluctant to support patching in tennis just
yet. Logistically it would become a nightmare. Having to patch and
re-patch people during the day because of having multiple matches would
cause A lot of frustration. Maybe something to be considered for
national/international, but I do agree that can be a lot of hassle,
especially for those new to the game. It’s not so bad in football because
you generally play no more than two matches in a day. One thing I would
say regarding shades is, goalfix, targe, or not, there is still no
failsafe way to ensure that people aren’t looking without using patches.
Apart from maybe the new goalfix eclipse mask with the nose piece.
I am reliably informed by sighted people who have tried on the standard
goalfix masks that it is possible to manipulate your facial muscles to
allow light into the inside corners of your eyes without physically moving
your shades with your hands.
I agree, we don’t want to create an atmosphere of suspicion and
finger-pointing in tennis, but there have been genuine cases in other
sports of people cheating. Even with goalfix masks. That is why other
sports have felt the need to employ a patching system.
Sent from my iPhone
On 14 Aug 2018, at 10:34, Rachel Morgan (Redacted sender "goalballmouse"
for DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi roy
Remember that using targe/goalfix shades are not a requirement. I think
it would be better to try ensure people are wearing good quality shades.
(Maybe suggest clubs loan to players going to regionals & nationals?) I
think patching everyone would send a message that we are suspicious of
them and would be also be quite expensive. We don’t want to recreate the
toxic environment that exists in goalball because of suspicion everywhere.
I think you know i feel re the court :)
Sent from my iPhone
On 14 Aug 2018, at 10:21, Maria Oshodi (Redacted sender "maria.mal09"
for DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi roy,
For my part I don’t think patches need to be worn under the shades but
do feel the size of the B1 court should be increased as I’ve always
felt it’s unnecessarily small and restrictive to our game.
Thanks
Maria
From: b1-tennis-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:b1-tennis-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Roy Turnham
Sent: 14 August 2018 10:03
To: b1-tennis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [b1-tennis] Urgent feedback required
Dear all,
For those of you who aren’t aware, there is currently a poll on Facebook
around whether people would travel to Glasgow if it was to be made a
regional event next year.
https://www.facebook.com/777752128989036/posts/1712748555489384/
I’m aware that not everybody is on Facebook, so if you have any feedback
regarding this, and you can’t access the Facebook post, then let me know
and I will pass it on to the tennis foundation at the next advisory
group meeting.
I would also like to hear peoples thoughts on a few topics that are been
brought to my attention to discuss at the meeting.
Patches: do people feel there is a need for b1s to wear eyepatch is
underneath the goalfix shades in competitions?
Court size: do people feel that the size of the b1 court needs to be
increased, I.E to the size of the b2 court?
For peace of mind, these are just issues that are being discussed at the
moment. There is no intention of making any immediate changes without
proper consultation.
The next advisory group meeting takes place on Thursday, so any feedback
on the topics above, or indeed anything else, please get in touch.
I hope you’re all well
Best wishes
Roy
