CAUGHT ON CAMERA

As you may know, we use video technology to help junior tennis players achieve their goals. That means we videotape tennis matches - LOTS OF THEM - and it doesn't happen as much as it used to but it still happens way too much: we encounter unreasonable tennis parents who demand that we treat player differently than the hundreds of others who compete at junior tennis tournaments every single day. Oftentimes these parents threaten to sue us <as if we own more than the shirts on our backs!!> but they will not win because it should go without saying but I'll say it anyway: WE WOULD NEVER EVEN CONSIDER DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL OR IMMORAL.

Given that we only record matches in public OR in private (with full permission of the facility owner), we try to explain to the tennis parent that we live in a free country & when you leave the privacy of your home, you forfeit any & all expectation to privacy. Furthermore, if you've paid any attention to recent news, surely you realize that people can AND DO videotape anything or anyone at any time. Consider how easy it is to snap a quick pic or record a quick vid on your cellphone & you'll understand my point, not to mention the number of people openly walking around with GoPro cameras these days!!

That got me thinking about just how many times we are recorded each day in America. According to a quick Google search, our image is captured from 18 - 300 times PER DAY - often without our knowledge & certainly without our "permission." Since I never leave home without my trusty BlackBerry as I run around in support of HIGH-TECH TENNIS, I've captured a few samples of where my image has been captured. I should have taken better pics so you'd quickly recognize where I was when I snapped the pic but I'm sure you get the point & don't forget there's even a tv show called CAUGHT ON CAMERA!

They may be few & far between these days <thank goodness> but there are still some parents out there who are convinced that their child is so special that the rules just don't apply to him or her. These parents are absolutely determined to cause problems for us by complaining to busy Tournament Directors about what we do & how we do it. Fortunately for us, we only go to tournaments where we are welcome & our services are valued. We certainly don't go <ANY MORE> to tournaments where they throw us under the bus!! BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!! Instead, we <HEART> TDs who support & back us up, as Lorraine Novak did in this response to a parent who demanded a special exception for her child:

"This is a Public Facility and High Tech is an official vendor for this tournament. This is a service many players want access to and one of the amenities we promote. High Tech has permission to film players upon their request. This is really no different than a parent filming their own child. I cannot stop a parent from filming. Parents are simply paying someone else to do the work. So many players are visual and this is a valuable tool to help a player improve his/her game. 

The other issue you might have is that you are concerned it is a distraction or hindrance. The equipment is minimal and hangs on the backside of the fence. It is not on the court and there are no distracting colors. As long as there is no movement of equipment during play, the camera is not considered a distraction or hindrance. 

I am sure High Tech knows this, but I will remind them they cannot use your image in publications such as advertising without your permission. I will let High Tech know of your wishes and if they can avoid it, they will. However with 60 courts, they are not always able to keep up with the opponents. It is hard enough to keep up with the demands of the paying customers."

We don't have kids of our own but we really do care about YOUR kids & our only goal is to help them achieve THEIR goals!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!