Fri Sep 07, 2001, 11:59am
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Official Forum Member
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Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 1,130
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Quote:
Originally posted by BktBallRef
Quote:
Originally posted by Ed Hickland
To answer your question as to why R and U only meet with the head coaches. By rule R with U as witness must ask if players are legally equipped. Often, it is difficult to get to the head coach when we are all together as he is busy getting ready for the game.
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You don't have to bring the coach to the crew. You simply bring the whole crew to the coach when the coach is ready. The coach knows he must meet with the officials prior to the game. He can't ignore you forever. We simply go to both coaches during the first 10 minutes we're on the field.
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Also, here on Long Island for Saturday games many officials work morning games before afternoon games and arrive at the site as late as an hour before. And, when I was in California there were JV games before the varsity game.
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If you have officials who aren't getting to a varsity game until 30 minutes before kickoff, you certainly have more serious concerns to address. When do they pre-game? What happens if one or two don't show and it's game time? Are they mentally prepared to work the game? 
There can always be extentuating circumstances. We could discuss those all day. But if the crew arrives an hour and a half before game time, as required in NC and WV, I see no reason why the whole crew couldn't attend the conference. 30 minutes is more than enough time to take care of the few things that need to be addressed before a high school football game.
The NFHS Officials' Manual states 1 hour and 30 minutes and I would agree. But the cost to the schools places us in the position of working at JV game starting at 9am and driving sometimes up to an hour for at 1:30 varsity start.
I would love to arrive at the game site at noon without having to fight my way through Long Island traffic on Saturday.
BTW the start times were moved to 9 am from 9:30 following the change in the timing rule back in 1996.
To each his own.
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