I'm thinking about all of these things as we're getting ready to start work for All 8 On The Floor, which is a training tournament that I've been THRing for the last few years. There are so many tournaments now, which is both amazing and kind of exhausting, and officials are having a wide range of experiences with them.
Some tournament applications ask for references but the THRs aren't checking them. Some others offer early acceptances to tournaments with a strict "don't tell anyone" clause, where acceptances aren't made public for whatever reasons. There are a number of things that go into making a tournament work, but starting with these often sets a tone that sometimes does more harm than good.
My latest pet peeve: tournament applications that don't list the tournament head ref or the tournament head non-skating official.
I know that often NSO planning comes later, but I'm of the opinion that the head officials for the event should be clearly listed on the application along with the nuts and bolts about where the tournament's taking place, when officials are expected to be there, and so on. Most applications have most of this information, but too often the THR and THNSO information is left off the application.
Why? No tournament should be moving forward without these key officials in place. Why would an application elect not to use the THO (tournament head officials) of the event as a key selling point? Furthermore, why wouldn't you let potential applicants know for whom they might be working?
For me, at least this year, I've realized that it's important for me to know. Not everyone's styles mesh and there are people I like working for and people I won't work for any more. If I have to go digging to find out who's running the show, that's not good. That kind of thing absolutely influences whether or not I'll apply to work a tournament.
There are lots of legit reasons why someone might not work a tournament; maybe it's too far away or not worth the travel, or they won't get enough on-skates time to justify the expense. Maybe they don't want to work with certain people. Let your applicants know.
THRs and THNSOs are very much part of the appeal of a tournament. In many ways, they're the public face of officiating in promoting and recruiting for a tournament, and make or break someone's tournament experience. Often that happens before someone even gets through the door; how someone's rejected is important (pro tip: form letter rejections that don't even list the official's name are always the wrong choice) as well as what happens when someone's accepted.
If your THO is generally a jerk, that's an issue. If the THR is a little handsy or gives you the creeps, that's important to know. If your THNSO is going to say things like the title of this piece (an actual quote, sadly, that a THR recently sent my way), maybe that's not someone you want to work with in an official capacity. Or any. (And in my case, not someone I'm going to work with again.)
If your THO is someone you've liked working with before, that's important to know too. If they're someone who's organized and you think will run a good tournament, that's a factor to consider as well.
To end on a positive note, here's one particularly good example of an application: Maple Stir-Up 2014. Check it out.
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