Congrats!
I agree w/ Tim, get a mentor. They reduce the stress level drastically and "show you the ropes." Then, when you are ready to fly out of the nest and go out on your own to officiate games, a good mentor will be the first to let you know.
My first year, I had a phenominal mentor, his name was Al. He was a veteran official w/ a solid varsity schedule. He took me "under his wing", got me games, did the test with me (went through it, explained, and anwsered my questions), and was just there to bounce ideas off of, like deciding which games to accept and which not to.
Deciding which games to take is a big thing for a new official. You must know your limits and not accept what you can't handle. Get your name out at the lower level before you move up. If no one knows you at the bottom, you can't make it to the top.
Some officials percieve giving a T, something that must be done in order to obtain prestige. Don't do it, as Willie said, preventive officiating is the key. You have to stay in the gym, and put up with the coach, why should he get to leave when he is not willing/can't put up with you. Unless it is a safty concern, keep the coach in the gym, don't give him the satisfaction of getting to you. This is proably the harderst part of officiating, knowing where to draw the line and call the T
I would not recommend "partnering up" on your first real year as an official official. You should officiate with as many people as possible, you will learn a lot, everyone has a little tip that will improve you a lot. officiating is a lot of little things and this will help. but, i think after a few years, partnering up is the way to go so that you and your partner make a name for yourselves and move up the chains. ad's, at least in my area (northern wi) prefer to book officials in pairs.
And last, have fun with it. officiating is a fun job to have, and when it stops being fun, then you know it is time to quit. Have fun and good luck
Doug
-Keep your eye on the prize
[Edited by Doug on Oct 14th, 2001 at 09:39 AM]
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