Ratings

[SCalScoreKeeper]

How are officials evaluated to move up a category where you are? Here you pay for an observer to come to a match (must notify assignor before season begins) and then they tell you at the end of the year whether or not you passed.The cost of observation depends on the category you are looking to move from.

[Insane Blue]

Originally Posted by SCalScoreKeeper

How are officials evaluated to move up a category where you are? Here you pay for an observer to come to a match (must notify assignor before season begins) and then they tell you at the end of the year whether or not you passed.The cost of observation depends on the category you are looking to move from.

I think it sucks that we have to pay the unit $100 (C4 moving to C3)to be rated with no guarantee. some officials have tried a few times and are still C4's and a couple Hundred lighter.
Inland Softball and Baseball do ratings for free but limit the number of officials that are rated yearly.

[oldsetter]

1. Pretty funny you call it a 'unit'.

2. Just because you apply does not mean you are ready. Of course the problem here is that it is subjective....and political. That is life. There is no solution to that.

3. In my area, the assigner rates you. Doesn't really mater because the assigner also assigns you. Be nice to the assigner. We don't really have levels, we do use the arbiter and you have a 000 to 900 rating. Be nice to the assigner. The assigner assigns the regular season and considers coach requests for prospective officials for post season. Be nice to the assigner. You can be a DI college official and not get post season matches but a 2nd year may. lol. such is life, be nice to the assigner.

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by oldsetter

We don't really have levels, we do use the arbiter and you have a 000 to 900 rating.

My board also uses Arbiter in three categories - R1, R2, & LJ - with a rating from 100 to 700.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

LCubed and oldsetter- what do those number ratings mean? how do they work?

[stmaryrams]

Sorry to comment on an older thread but here in Ohio we only have three ratings for OHSAA officials.
Class 3 is a High School student. They are limited to 9th grade and lower matches. They must submit an application and one observation to move up following graduation.
Class 2 - may be R2 for Varsity matches and take any other match sub-varsity. They must be rated by 2 officials and pass an online test.
It is preferred that the rater be an official not working the match but often times it's their partner. Difficult to make notes of game play but not any more difficult that a post game conference with your partner. As secretary of our association I request that the candidate work the match for another official who rates them. The other official gets the match fee.
They then take an online test.
This is the only time Ohio officials take a test or are rated other than when they first take the class (20 hours instruction with 1 hour of on court).
We have some officials who have been working 20, 30 or 40 years who have never advanced above this level and haven't taken a test or been rated in years.
Class 1 officials may be R1 for Varsity and work post season matches. Officials are rated in the post season on a case by case basis. All officials at the State Finals are rated.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

No problem stmaryrams-I was just curious to see how different states operate

[chapmaja]

We have a couple things in Michigan.

First, the schools are supposed to rate all officials throughout the season and submit ratings to the MHSAA at seasons end. Most of the schools just rate a few officials during the season and it's enough to satisfy the MHSAA requirement. We are required to have a certain number of ratings over 3 years and a certain average rating if we are going to do post-season. We also have to watch an online rules meeting each year and submit our season schedule to the MHSAA if we want to be on the post-season eligible list.

Second, my main association does ratings for officials. This is based generally on the assignor or trainers seeing you at the preseason scrimmage and maybe working with you once or twice a season. This is also based on if you kiss the right person's rear end in my opinion. I say that because I have a rating of less than 2 for Varsity contests from the schools (1 being best - 5 worst), with over 20 ratings, but according to the association, I am barely qualified to work JV volleyball (yet they have no problem assigning me to varsity events when they need someone). This is really the does your trainer like you and do you work college volleyball rating. Since I don't work college, and have no significant desire to work college, my rating is much lower with the association.

Unfortunately the association handles 90% of the assigning for my area, so I have to either deal with their political BS or drive much farther to get matches.


I will say this, as an assigner for another sport, it is nearly impossible to rate all of the officials regularly. You need to rely on what the schools and or coaches say about officials. In my assigning I have been lucky enough to work with most of my officials personally before I began assigning or in my first year of assigning, so I know their strengths and weaknesses. I also do take a lot of feedback from the coaches I know have been around for awhile and have a reputation of being fair minded (and ignoring the ones who are hotheads and complain to complain).

I have a small enough group I assign for my sport that I have a pretty good feel for the level of all the officials I assign. I also will seek the opinion of the coaches for officials that are new to my group. If I get comments an officials is doing a great job, I remember that. If I get comments about concerns with officials, they do get addressed. Sometimes I will address the concerns personally with the official, sometime I will send an email to all my officials about a concern (but won't name the official the concern was brought about).

[SCalScoreKeeper]

It's interesting that schools get a say in your rating.Here schools have no say in your rating.When you start here you start as a C4 (our lowest available category).You would be a varsity R2 or line judge and R1 on sub varsity matches along with lines.Some C4s are varsity R`1s on occassion mostly small school matches.You decide whether or not to give it a shot to move up.I got my first varsity R1 this year.