[officialtony]

In Ohio it is mandatory to be certified by the State and wear the official OHSAA insignia if you are doing any level of a High Shool contest. While there are many games done each year in the spring and summer by officials without certification ( youth, travel leagues,etc. ), I have found through experience that those officials that do not wear the insignia receive a lot more garbage from the coaches than those who are certified and wear the " patch ". It may be that their officiating dictates the way they are treated, but I believe our certification also grants us a certain amount of respect by the nature of our earning it as a certified official. I can tell you that there are certified officials who are not as competent as others, but in general, most of the certified officials are better than most of the non-certified ones. Before anyone goes off - I said " most ". I have also seen some GREAT officiating done by people without certification who have been doing it for years and just chose not to work the level that requires certification -i.e. High School, College, etc.
Someone earlier in the post alluded that being certified ( patched ) means that you are licensed through the state and that it " means nothing else ". That couldn't be further from the truth. It means you are commited to getting better each year, that you have satisfied all the requirements that the State you work in feels you need to officiate, that you want to continue to learn and understand the sport by attending State Interpreters meetings and local association meetings, that you want to provide a consistency of officiating to young athletes and coaches that allows them to get the full benefit of the enjoyment of playing the game, and that it means more to you than just the money you get for being there.