Quote:
Originally posted by BayStateRef
I can't accept this thinking. To me, an assignment is a contract. I do not expect my assigner to replace me because "someone better" is suddenly available. And I will not back out of a game because I found "womething better" from someone else.
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This is not a matter of integrity. I'm not calling in "sick" to my lower-level game, in order to secretly take a better one. I tell the lower-level assignor, "Bill, Lou needs me Wednesday night at such-and-such. I gotta turn back my Wednesday game to you". It's understood that if an official is needed at a higher-level game, that's where the official goes.
The first time this happened to me was several years ago before I ever got a varsity HS game. I was scheduled to do a 7th/8th grade game and my HS assignor called me and said he needed me at a JV game. Well, at that point in my career I was very excited to fill in for that JV game. But I was committed. So I told him that I was supposed to be at this other game. And the HS assignor said to me simply, "Well, you tell Bobby hi for me." And that was it. He needed me, so Bobby needed to replace me. End of discussion. That's just the way it works here.
It makes it a little tougher on the assignors, definitely, but it's great for officials, b/c you know that you will never be held back from a great opportunity b/c somebody's unwilling to "give you up" to another assignor.