Interview with Otto Dietrich
Kathy Geels
http://www.nas.net/~hinder/98/01/interviewotto.html
I just got a chance to read Jay Smith's interview with Otto Dietrich. I enjoyed the pragmatic perspective on Olympic status, and generally love the way Otto expresses himself - very direct and clear. Hopefully he will continue to lead the way for people that truly love the sport. Jay you should be a journalist. Your questions are thought-provoking and courteous, and after reading your interviews I always feel like I know a little bit more about stuff that I care about.
Thanks again,
Kathy
Dropshot25
Interview with a vampire is more like it. Otto takes advantage of talking to
somebody who wants to believe that the USRA is doing the right things in the
players behalf.
JHard48170
>Interview with a vampire is more like it. Otto takes advantage of talking to
>somebody who wants to believe that the USRA is doing the right things in the
>players behalf.
Otto
Jeff Harding and the NWOR take absolutly no responsibility for the above quote,
but damn you gotta love that dropshot25 dude.
Honorary NWOR membership granted to drops...@aol.com.
Jeff Harding
Rollout96
Thank you Kathy!
I forgot to post it here, so:
Otto Dietrich is the National Rules Commissioner (since 1988) and Executive
Vice President) for the U.S. Racquetball Association (USRA). He began
playing racquetball in1973. His "day job" for over 30 years has been as an
Audit Director/Supervisory Auditor for the U.S. Army Audit Agency. This job
has taken to Indianapolis from St. Louis where he grew up and then to Seoul,
Korea, where he lived for 5 years, and then to Lilburn, Georgia, one of
Atlanta's eastern suburbs near Stone Mountain, his current
home.
He is married to a "super-tolerant" woman named Becki and has a 22-year old
daughter name Krista who is a Senior studying Industrial Engineering at
Georgia Tech and "co-op"ing with Delta Airlines. Otto is the only
racquetball
player in the family.
JAY: When did you start playing racquetball?
OTTO: I first started playing racquetball in 1973 as a challenge from a
friend at work who couldn't beat me at handball. (Turned out that he
couldn't beat me at racquetball either!).
JAY: How and when did you begin to be interested in competitive
racquetball?
OTTO: My first tournament was the 1973 IRA (predecessor organization of the
AARA and USRA) regionals held at Indiana University. I lost in the first
round of each division I entered, but met a guy there named Earl Dixon. He
was a National Masters Champion at the time. With only a few well-selected
words, he hooked me on reffing for a lifetime. I asked how I could get a
good viewing position for the finals
and he said "Either get to the court an hour before it's due to start, or
else volunteer to referee it, in which case you can wait until it is due to
start, walk up to the crowd, tell them to step aside, and take the very
best seat in the entire club! Plus, the players will only play when YOU
are ready to watch!" He was absolutely right! I got a chance to thank Earl
in person a few years ago and it was very meaningful to me.
I eventually played 4 or 5 times a week until about 1993 when knee problems
side-lined me. I've never played anywhere near that much since and I can't
actually
remember that last time I played competitively. But I do recall
(unfortunately) that, near the end of my playing career (if you can call it
that), I felt that I was becoming sort of a "jerk" on the court--focusing
more on the referee (and his errors) than on the match itself. I'm glad I
didn't have to referee me back then!! So, I basically hung up the racquet,
picked up
a clipboard, and began pursuing full-time notoriety as a contributor, not a
detractor.
When I quit, I was (at best) a low level "A" player in Georgia--a state
that had ratings that were probably higher than they would have been
nationally.
Now, I'm lucky if I get on a court to actually play once every 3 months.
But I still attend about 15 - 20 tournaments a year, including several that
take a week or more like, U.S. National Singles and Doubles, and the U.S.
Open, plus at least one International trip every year, like the World
Championships or Pan American Games.
JAY: How long have you been the National Rules Commissioner for the USRA?
OTTO: I first became the National Rules Commissioner in 1988. Back then,
to
be the National Rules Commissioner, you had to be on the Board of
Directors and they collectively decided who among them would serve as the
commissioner. Well, getting elected to the Board was tough! In fact, I
failed to get elected twice, but then one of the directors resigned and Van
Dubolsky (then and currently President of the Association) mercifully
appointed me to the vacant Board position. I was immediately elected as
National Rules Commissioner. Since then, the Board has become convinced
that the person most qualified to be National Rules Commissioner just might
NOT be on the board. Accordingly, they have revised the USRA Constitution
to provide that the position is now appointed by the President subject to
the approval of the full Board of Directors. I've been re-elected and/or
appointed and approved by the Board ever since. I'm
now into my 10th consecutive year--an unprecedented tenure which previously
was limited to only 4 years.
JAY: What all does that position entail?
OTTO: While there is no real job description, the National Rules
Commissioner
is generally expected to serve as the chief referee at all national events,
maintain the Rulebook, manage the rule change process using the National
Rules Committee, general membership, and the Board of Directors, and respond
to requests for rule clarification, which sometimes involve rendering
judgments on unclear
aspects of the rules.
JAY: I first became familiar with you by reading your articles in
Racquetball
Magazine. I am also familiar with a book you wrote on officiating. How
long
have you been writing for the magazine and are there other books that you
have
authored?
OTTO: I started writing for Racquetball Magazine as soon as I became Rules
Commissioner, but wrote several articles before that for several other
racquetball publications, such as National Racquetball. I once even wrote
an article that was published in Handball magazine. I wrote "Officiating
Racquetball" several years ago with Jim Hiser. It's now sadly out of date
and revising it is one of my many "yet undone" tasks. I hope that this
coming
spring will provide me the free time I'll need to make changes and expand
it--especially in the area of hinder calls.
JAY: Have you held any other positions with the USRA/AARA?
OTTO: Last May, I was elected the Executive Vice President of the USRA. In
the past, I've also served as the Treasurer. Further, I've served on
numerous
committees both while I was on and off the board itself. This is my 8th
year as a member of the National Board of Directors and have 2 years left
on my current term. In addition, I've been a member of the Georgia Board
of Directors continuously since 1982!
JAY: What do you consider the highlights of your racquetball career both on
and off the court?
OTTO: Winning the Georgia State "A" Doubles Championship was certainly a
playing highlight (they really were too few and far between!) Off the court
(in a
sense) I've been honored to referee many extremely important matches over
the
years. But the ones I'm most proud of were the 1995 Pan American Games
Gold Medal matches both in Men's Singles and Doubles. This was
racquetball's debut at the most prestigious multisport event that
racquetball
has ever been played at. I was actually a critical part of it. WOW!! What
pride I got
out of just being there. But being selected to call those matches and then
having
the Americans win was, in a word--AWESOME!!!
I also rather fondly recall the Closing Ceremonies of the 1988 Olympic
Festival. With many thousands of spectators gathered in Oklahoma
University's Stadium, as I
marched in, with many hundreds of other volunteers, the racquetball
athletes in the stands began a resounding chant of "Otto, Otto, Otto,
Otto". It truly brought a tear to my eye to think that these athletes--36
of the finest racquetball players in the country--would single me out for
such recognition. Of course, how could I leave out receiving the 1996 Joe
Sobek Award (the AARA's last) for having made the "greatest contribution to
the sport" during the year.
JAY: I know I speak for many people when I say that your participation in
the
alt.sport.racquetball newsgroup is appreciated. What is your opinion of the
newsgroup specifically and the internet in general as a way to promote
racquetball?
OTTO: The newsgroup is really GREAT and racquetball should promote both it
and the Internet in general as much as possible. I really appreciate your
nice comments and
the many thanks that I've received from other users. It keeps me pumped
and participating! I also appreciate the help provide by Robert Tarrall
and John Varrill in promptly posting answers to rules question whenever I
can't get on the 'net" for a couple of days. Their statements usually right
enough that all
I have to do when I get back on is confirm the correctness of their
postings!
JAY: I have watched many Professional matches and feel that the officiating
is a big problem. There are many issues at stake when discussing the
situation.
I do think, however, that having one referee for the late matches, as they
do now with Dave Sable, is a step in the right direction. What is your
overall opinion of the officiating on the IRT tour?
OTTO: Sadly, I think the current situation is very pathetic--no real
rulebook (other than the IRT/WIRT exceptions listed in the USRA Rulebook),
no real rules official, no real referee! Often, it's like a jungle--every
man for themselves--where they seem to be making up rules on the fly.
Moreover, if Hank Marcus (the IRT Commissioner) makes a ruling, then why
can't someone at least write it down in a log or something that could be
referred to the next time that same situation arises?
Certainly, having a single well-qualified referee for professional matches
from the quarter-finals on is a definite improvement from the past.
Unfortunately, Dave Sable is NOT that person. I won't detail the reasons,
but there are several. Also, I staunchly believe that having another pro
player "take the stand" is NOT very professional either. What other
"professional" sport does that? Even ones that are NOT heavily funded don't
do that! The funds currently available to compensate a referee are
apparently limited, but I'd think that most players (especially those at the
top where a call or two could make a difference) would be willing to
sacrifice a small portion of their "winnings" to pay for the presence of a
quality, truly independent, dedicated referee.
I think the IRT should hire a referee (and perhaps one or two alternates)
and make
them accountable to the tour itself to ensure more professionally officiated
and played matches. That is, make sure that matches are played in
accordance with the written rules (change them if the amateur rules are not
good for the pro
ranks) and that players demonstrate proper respect for the referee (again,
let it be
like pro wrestling if that's what they want, but don't pretend to be
something that it's not). A good referee, it seems, could easily adapt
his/her style to the desires of the overall tour!
JAY: On the Amateur side, there seems to be very large differences in the
capabilities of referees from match to match, level to level, and
tournament to tournament. What do see as the best way to begin having more
knowledgeable and proficient referees?
OTTO: First, this problem isn't limited to the amateur side. The pro's
have the
same problem. The answer it seems is pretty much the same thing I was told
many
years ago, "If you want a good ref, be a good ref!" That means that you and
I are each responsible for the quality of the referees whenever we win (or
lose) and thereby "take the stand". If everyone would try to be a good ref
(of course, realistically, many can NEVER become one), then there are bound
to be enough refs to handle those situations where a good ref is NEEDED due
to the players involved, etc.
How do you become a good ref? From my perspective, you "Just do it!"
-- Read the rulebook. I'd bet that most of the readers of this article have
never
taken the time to read it cover to cover. It's actually only 12 pages
long
with just the first 5 covering all of the important playing regulations!
-- Ref more matches than required number to get experience. Face some
real situations where you have to recall the rule and learn to apply it.
-- Get certified. The USRA has a certification program in place. You should
contact your state president about activating it if it isn't operating in
your area at present!
JAY: Do you think that the average tournament player is finally beginning
to
realize that there ARE avoidable hinders (I know that this subject is very
lively on the Newsgroup)?
OTTO: They do here in Georgia and also at the National level! While I
can't
speak for other specific areas of the country, there are individuals out
there all
across the nation who have become more aware of the call. Hopefully the word
will continue to spread slowly, but surely. It will always be "tough" for
some people to call an "avoidable" because it is rather accusatory! But how
can this
game ever be considered fair if such calls aren't made? Avoidables should
be called even in Novice matches because they are the ones who MOST need to
learn that some hinders are not merely play overs!
JAY: What was your impression of the U.S. Open?
OTTO: It was great--even better than last year. The biggest problem again
this year was a terribly boring finals match!! No excitement, no fire, no
passion! A great victory for Cliff, but a pretty bad match for TV! People
want
excitement and action--not blowouts!! I hope that post production will
result in a lot of the earlier action being shown with the finals being only
a short segment at the end of the hour. The same problem has plagued
Michele Gould who has been totally awesome for many years now. But her
matches are really pretty boring stuff!! She almost always blows out her
opponent! Other than that, many of the Open's first year glitches were
overcome this year. Remember, though, I really have a very limited
perspective being confined to the public address tower from early morning
until late at night. But from there and based on what I heard from friends
and acquaintances, it was outstanding. Most notable--the food at the
Saturday night party was fantastic and the star of the show--Jason D.
Williams--was fantastic. I was 5 feet from the stage, right at his back and
felt like he was more than 110 percent into the performance did and he did
it great (balls of fire)!!
Can it be any better? Of course, and we (the USRA and Doug's staff) are
writing
up post event critiques designed to make it even better for next year!
Promus Hotel Corporation signing on for another 3 years--in effect,
guaranteeing it for the next four years is a definite sign that it is alive
and well!!
JAY: Do you foresee the portable court becoming the "touring showcase" that
it aspires to be?
OTTO: It certainly has the potential, but it probably will be really
expensive to "take it" anywhere. The first "traveling use" that I know of
will be for the
1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. That trip will serve as the
test
for how much it will cost in the future. The cost of setup and take-down
time is likely the single biggest cost item. Randy Stafford (who's company
built the court) apparently uses well-paid engineers for the construction
team and they are probably the ONLY
persons qualified at present to handle the court setup and takedown.
JAY: Are you a fan of the Men's and/or Women's pro tours?
OTTO: Sure, just like most racquetball players. They are THE BEST and what
every racquetball player aspires to be like one day!!! But we need to make
fans out
NON-players! I sincerely believe that doing THAT is THE real key to
expanding racquetball. If you stop to think about it, we don't really need
more courts or more players for that matter! We really need people (players
or not) to be interested in
what happening in our sport! Stir the general interest in the sport and the
number of players and then eventually the number of courts will balance
themselves out. Wide spread interest in racquetball would surely attract
advertisers that would in turn put us on television and sell magazines.
Sudsy's persona is a great start, but it's only a drop in the proverbial
bucket! I don't have the ultimate solution. Wish I did, though, cause I
could make a mint!
JAY: Do you think racquetball will become a medal sport in the Olympics
anytime soon? And, also, how important do you think that would be for the
well
being of racquetball in the United States and in other countries?
OTTO: Contrary to popular notion, the funds provided from the U.S. Olympic
Committee (not individual membership fees) are what keeps the USRA alive and
makes possible things like the U.S. Open and all the International
competition the U.S. Teams now enjoy! Racquetball IS a full-medal Pan
American Games sport--played for the first time in Buenos Aires, Argentina
in 1995 and scheduled for Winnipeg, Canada in 1999! Racquetball achieved
Pan Am status in a meteoric manner, but Olympic status won't be that easy.
That's a story to itself, but there are several factors--none of which
reflect poorly on racquetball as a sport! They deal more with big politics,
big money, and what you might call "no room at the inn!"
How important is Olympic status? It would solve the USRA's financial
problem cause we would share fully in the Olympic Committee proceeds. The
USOC distributes that revenue it generates from advertising, etc. to all of
the sports with those that have Olympic status getting the lion's share by
far.
Racquetball has a very promising future as a sport and the hope for Olympic
status certainly carries on in the hearts of the dreamers that have made the
IRA/AARA/USRA work for all these years. Someday, hopefully in my lifetime,
we will make it because and I want to be there. Having been honored to have
reffed both the Men's Singles and Doubles Gold Medal matches at
racquetball's first Pan American Games, I'd at least like to be able to
witness racquetball's first Olympic competition! What a proud day that
would be!!!
ROLLOUT96
Jay Smith
john varrill
It could be....it might be....is Dropshot25.... R. Jones reincarnated?
J.V.