European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wimbledon 9i by Ron Mckinney staff writer a y a a a. A. A a a 1. Gharl Umpire Kon sly did t overrule the. Call. ,. A a it was in the torm of a letter from the All / England Lawn Tennis and croquet club. Ii. Called for Slye to extend his services As an Umpire at Wimbledon in 1985. Y Slye could t have Boon happier a a Quot somebody at my level if you re invited to Wimbledon you just Don t turn it. Down. That  Apex of officiating. It s a Beautiful tournament Quot he said a  / a /. / Quot a Quot Slye 57, is the director of logistics for the Bamberg. Military Community during those times that he in t on the. Chair or refereeing a Tennis tournament. He has t Umpire Wimbledon since 1987 and won t be there this week. V there s no time for vacations with the Slye household. Not. When there s a Davis cup tie in Jamaica to be a. Y c refereed. Or when you have to Fly to Tokyo to be an. Umpire for the Japan open a a seven years after Slye debuted at the . Open participating in the Glamour of Wimbledon became an overwhelming experience. Quot it was awesome Quot he said. A being a Guy from the states you hear about Wimbledon a lot. But to be there on the grass with All the tradition that s associated with that tournament it s  thrill. Slye noticed that the Wimbledon tradition affected the players conduct. Quot i think they feel the pressure a lot. It More but they respect the tournament a lot More. You la get somebody who will act up in Cincinnati but would t act up for the same reason at Wimbledon. It does subdue them a Little bit Quot he said. Y a a. A y v. A a a before a foreign Umpire can take the chair at. Wimbledon he is expected to work either the qualifying rounds or one of the  tournaments in. England Lye said. And although umps Are paid about. $100 a Day they Are responsible for their housing and transportation,.As Well  the official uniform which costs More than $300. A. A a a Quot. Still Wimbledon was More than just another Milestone in Slye s Tennis officiating career which dates Back to a a. 1970. It was an International Honor and when he took the chair for the 1987 semifinal Between Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl Slye became Only the second american in. Memory to Umpire a semifinal according to Wimbledon s head referee Alan Mills. Y y. Quot a a \. Quot a e try to go with someone capable of doing the Job Quot. Mills said of their decision to use Slye. Quot normally the. A British chair umpires Are among the Best in the world Quot. Slye has been among the Best Tor More than a decade in 1978, he began  of 10 years of umpiring at the  open in. 1989, he picked up the third leg of Tennis. Grand slam officiating at the French  a in his third year at the . Open he was called on to a chair the 1980. Singles final Between John Mcenroe and a Bjorn Borg. ,remembers stepping onto the court with  Best players in the world and looking up into the stands full of 21.000 spectators. Another 40 million  watching on television for a moment Slye wondered r what he had got himself into. A y it a. Umpires silo conceded.  to a Case of the butterflies top. Y a a /. One of his biggest problems at that . Open final a a a was not How to control the volatile Mcenroe. It Wasa controlling the crowd As Mcenroe dazzled his fellow new yorkers with a Brilliant win in   Quot in new York it s a Tough audience Quot Slye said Quot part of your responsibility is crowd control they re All yours and if you get them against you to and. Behold it can be. Tough. It really can Quot. A a a a a Quot. Y a a a. A communication with the fans As Well As with the ���./1 players is the key to control Slye said. A a. Quot if you ignore their players questions it makes  and i Don t blame them because they re legitimate. Questions. Even in they re not legitimate answer them the Ken Slye in his Wimbledon umpiring Days. File first time and then get the match going Quot he said. Quot you have to. Be firm but understanding in the Way you talk to them and address them because they re under a lot of pressure there s a lot of Money in the Tennis world  y y y a by a a qty y a. Slye who has Umpire 18 of Mcenroe s matches said he enjoys working with the fiery american because he has to be prepared for anything. Quot your adrenaline pumps a lot More because you re not sure what s going to happen and when it s going to happen Quot Slye said Quot you have to realize Wherett s coming from and at a. The same time keep the match fair for his opponent Quot Slye is training officials this week to work for local just the fact by new Day i Quot f British Tennis is your cup of Lea Here s some Wimbledon trivia Quot y u a. Quot it a during a typical championship Quot fortnight two weeks each summer this year from monday to july 7about 31,000 balls Are used in typical English. Fashion the official Guidebook notes Quot Bour 2,600 do in balls Quot. New balls Are tossed in after every nine games. A the Queen last attended Wimbledon in 1977, when she viewed the matches from the Royal Box a segregated platform at  end of Centre court. It is nol known for whom she cheered. A Wimbledon is one of the Lour Quot open Quot tournaments that make up the grand slant. The  French and australian opens Complete the list. A each competitor during the tournament is. Allowed one seat on the Centre and no. 1 courts for one guest Good on Only alternate Days. A Over  leading to the players waiting room at Centre court reads the following inscription from Rudyard Kipling a i you can meet w Ith Triumph and disaster. A. A a. A . Open Russ Adams John Mcenroe faces Ken Slye at 1983 . Open. Military tournaments and the German Bunde Sliga. But / officiating is not for everyone he said. A Quot a lot of people gel turned off by it you get yelled at and embarrassed by some players Quot he said Slye ought to know. In his first experience calling the / service lines at a pro tournament in 1970, the by. V incomparable Hie Nastase lived up to his nickname Nasty Quot you talk about an  officiating a he said. Quot holy smoke he did no to like a couple of my Calls and he sat Over on the opposite Baseline and drilled balls at me All night. I wanted to pick up the chair and hit him with . To y. A a a Quot. To  interested in participating in Slye s officiating a clinic May Contact him at ets 469-8606/7569. A and treat those two imposters just the . A most players a says chief executive Christopher Gorringe a a done to read  the shortest women a singles final was 25 minutes in 1911 mrs. Ril Chambers Defeated mrs. , Boothby 6-0, 6-0. The longest menus final in 1982, was. Lour hours 16 minutes Jimmy Connors edged John Mcenroe in five sets. A a a a must of the obstructed View scats in Centre court which holds 13,107 bodies will be eliminated after this tear s tournament when the roof will again be raised and most of the pillars will be replaced. A consumption varies from year to year but in recent fortnights the figures Are for one two week period Wimbledon crowds ate up 23 tons of strawberries with Cream naturally12,000 bottles of Champagne 300,000 cups of Tea and Coffee and 75,000 pints of Beer. A contrary to popular belief it is the Bath Bun not strawberries and Cream that is the traditional Wimbledon food. The Bun is a danish pastry sort of sprinkled with sugar and layered with sultanas.  texture and delicate of flavor it is reputed to be the Perteet complement to a Nice cuppa