Q
A
&
with the
RULES GURU
By Christine Barksdale
USAPA Managing Director of Athletic Competition
A: Good question, since a ball on court
I was recently playing in a
refereed tournament match when
a spectator impacted the outcome
of the match. During a point, late
in the game, someone in the crowd
yelled, “ball-on-court!” I stopped
play—but my opponents didn’t. We
lost the point. Turns out the “ball
on court” was a different court.
Who is allowed to stop play when
Submit your questions to
[email protected].
Q: Dear Guru,
a ball rolls on the court, and what
should the referee have done in this
situation?
Q: Dear Guru,
We’d Like to Hear From You!
could be a safety issue. Typically, any
player may call “ball on court.” In this
case, it wasn’t a player but a spectator
on another court. In your case, I would
have appealed to the referee under
rules 8.C. “A hinder called by the
referee or player will result in a dead
ball. The referee will determine if the
hinder called by the player was valid.
A valid hinder will result in a replay.”
The referee would then be able decide
if it was indeed a hinder and whether
a replay was in order.
Last week I witnessed a gold medal
70+ women’s match. During a point,
team 1 hit a shot past the team 2
player at the net. The team 2 player
looked at the referee and asked if the
ball was in or out. Someone watching
the match said a player can’t ask the
referee to make a call. Is this true?
A: I’m glad you brought this up. This is
a change to the 2018 rules. According
to Rule 6.D.3., “ ...A player may appeal
to the referee to make the call if he or
she did not clearly see the ball land.
If the referee is unable to make the
call, the ball is “in.” In your case, it
was acceptable for team 2 to ask the
referee for a call. They just need to
remember the referee’s call stands.
Q: Dear Guru, Q: Dear Guru,
I understand rule 7.J; however, some
players sitting on a bench that is 4 feet from
the side of court lined up from net have been
hit by a ball from a good cross court dink.
Sometimes players move out of way, but
sometimes they don’t. I have read rule 3.A.23,
permanent object (recognized positions). Does
this rule apply to the bench or people or both?
Is it a play over? It’s been gently argued either
way—moving the bench is not a problem, but
then there are people waiting on the court. Some of our courts have a fiberglass stick for measuring the net
height. It’s stored in the space between the net and the pole. It’s tall
enough to be hit during play. Several of us who referee have discussed
this possibility, and we haven’t reached a consensus. Is the stick
“post” causing a dead ball if struck, or is it “net” causing a let if the
ball is hit on serve or in play if hit in a rally?
A: This is a good question and is more
common than you’d think given the variety of
court situations players encounter across the
country. While I understand this could be “gently
argued,” the USAPA Rules Committee would
refer to Rules 3.A.23. and 7.J., which means the
team hitting the ball would win the rally.
A: This is an interesting situation. If this was a tournament, I’d
suggest the stick be removed during the course of the event. For
recreational play, since this situation is not specifically addressed
by the rulebook, the recommendation of the Rules Committee is
(assuming the ball passed
over the net) that a let be
declared and the point
replayed. This could be a
facility-specific rule so that
all players are clear when
the match begins how the
situation will be handled.
PICKLEBALL RULE BOOK
MAY/JUNE 2018 |
MAGAZINE
19