Hi Roy,
Just a quick interjection with regards to tactile lines and tape. These are
currently the responsibility of the competition organiser to provide, not the
TF.
That said, if players are experiencing some variation in quality and
consistency (and that is certainly my impression) of court setup between
events, it may be worth pushing for a standard tactile setup for TF sanctioned
competitions.
Would be happy to provide specs of what we use for the Newcastle tournaments as
a starting point, though bear in mind that what we use may not be suitable for
all surface types.
Cheers
Steve Trewick
NEVITC
- -
Sent from my phone
On 15 Aug 2018, at 10:25, Roy Turnham <roy.turnham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 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
