Refereeing with Dereck Prince

With recent rule changes, refereeing is not an easy job. There are so many rules to remember and as our guest today describes it, you have to have them at your fingertips without a second thought. In today’s episode, our guest is the incredible referee, Dereck Prince. 

Dereck is a former table tennis, badminton, and tennis player turned “pickleball addict.” He is also a data analyst, IPTPA Certified Teaching Professional, USAPA Certified Referee, and USAPA Registered Pickleball Referee Trainer. His passion for the game and skills as a referee have landed him for two years as the referee of gold medal matches at the US Open. 

Today, Dereck and I discuss his experience as a referee, some of the 2021 rule changes, and he offers tips to players like you who are playing recreationally or considering a tournament. This will certainly not be the last time I have Dereck on the show so stay tuned for more from today’s knowledgeable guest.

Show Notes:

• [1:32] - Dereck shares his background in sports and through these sports he found that later he already had the foundations for pickleball.
• [2:27] - His entry into pickleball was an amusing experience as Dereck found a new rec center near his home.
• [3:31] - After going to a pickleball class in 2017, Dereck describes himself as an all-around pickleball addict now.
• [4:40] - Dereck describes how he decided he wanted to referee.
• [6:14] - Dereck shares a humorous story of his first refereeing experience. His mistakes motivated him to learn more and eventually seek certification.
• [7:35] - Something a lot of people don’t know is that Dereck failed the certification test the first time he took it.
• [9:20] - In 2019, Dereck reffed the US Open in gold medal matches. He describes it as a little nerve-wracking, but he did well and was asked to ref again just last month for the 2021 US Open.
• [11:17] - Dereck explains how he learned of the honor of reffing gold medal matches.
• [13:11] - “It’s never the same. It could be the same players but situations always arise that challenge you to have to scurry your brain for the applicable rule and apply it there on the spot.” - Dereck Prince
• [14:01] - Knowing all the rules at a moment’s notice is a challenge because Trey points out that rules change in this game often.
• [15:06] - Trey and Dereck discuss drop serves and the provisional rule change to allow anyone to use it. 
• [16:37] - Referees have to closely watch serves and Dereck compares some of the serves to those in tennis and why they are not all allowed.
• [17:58] - Footfalls on the kitchen line still continue to be the single biggest problem in rec play and some tournament play. Without a referee, it is near impossible to monitor.
• [19:30] - Dereck explains how a lot of people try too hard to impart spin i