A Word About The Refs and Linesmen

The unsung heroes of any well-run tournament are the referees and linesmen, and it would be unfair of me to write about this Tournoi for two weeks without mentioning how excellent the "Stripes" here have been. Henry's team has played six games so far, and the refereeing has been consistent in each game. The refs and linesmen all look to be about 19-21 years old (but who doesn't to me these days?). For the most part, they have called "tight" games, allowing physical play, but not tolerating any inappropriate aggressiveness. Some games were called tighter than others, but at least the calls appeared to me to be consistent no matter how the game was refereed, which is the most important quality in umpiring. Most remarkable of all, the referees and linesmen for the Tournament are all volunteers from around the Province. With over 2,000 players participating in the Tournoi, I can't imagine how many hundreds of games are played here over the 9 days. That the organizers are able to put together a volunteer refereeing corps of such size and caliber is truly impressive. Again, it speaks to how deeply ingrained this Tournament is in the life of this city and Province.