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REPLY: Dirk, I can appreciate your frustration, but the hard reality is this: The officials who read and post on this board (many do it year-round) are completely dedicated to the avocation of officiating. They take what they do seriously. I've personally been doing it for 27 years and know that there is still more to learn. I approach every game with the same "do-your-best" attitude. I'd venture to guess that it's the same with everyone reading this post. It would be nice to think that all officials should be perfect in attitude, diligent in learning, and flawless in execution. But such thinking is "Pollyanna-ish." Frankly, and some officials are ashamed to admit it, all officials' associations include "haves" and "have-nots." Some officials are just too new and inexperienced to perform at a consistently high level. As others have said, often it is these young men and women who learn on-the-job in your youth league and others like it around the country. It's a training ground for young football officials no less than it is for young football players. Just as your young men are going to make mistakes in executing a play, these young well-meaning officials will make mistakes as well. And unfortunately, there are also other officials who may at one time have had a very positive and professional attitude, but who for some reason no longer put as much into it as they once did. They may no longer dedicate themselves to improvement or constant learning. The result, sadly, is apparent in their performance.
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Bob M.
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