Quote:
Originally posted by MattKerns
If you are getting Junior Varsity assignments, stick around for the Varsity game, at least through half time; better yet ride with the varsity officials to the game. Be a sponge.
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I just had to comment on this. You might not live in an area where you will even be able to know who the Varsity officials are until you get to the game site. I will go a step further, stay the entire game. Unless you have to get up real early in the morning or have a real long drive (not that this is going to change your drive time), you should make it a routine to stay and watch the entire game. If you want to progress as an official, the only way that you learn how to do this is by watching higher level officials. How are you going to understand what the heck you are going to do in sticky or hostile situations without watching first hand what better officials are doing. You might pick up different things from different officials, but the idea is to witness it for yourself. It is one thing for me to tell you what to do, but if you see me do something and you are around to ask questions about what I did or did not do that type of education is invaluble. You do not get that by watching TV or going home. Stay the entire game, go in the locker room and leave with the officials when the game is over. There is also strength in numbers when you leave to alleviate problems that might have occured during the varsity game. And when you are not working, go to a game yourself. Most officials are not going to get upset if you want to set in on their pregame, if they are worth anything as an official.
Doing things like this will give the varsity officials a good impression of you and might help you with contacts or associations if you are around. And you meet many officials that you might not see on a regular basis.
The bottom line, make every night you work a late night. In my area, most of the JV games start from 5:30 to 6:30. Most start at 6:00 and when I was a JV official or even when I was just doing one of these games even last year, I always stayed the entire game. I did not care how long of a night it was for me personally, I wanted to learn and get better. And if you want to get better, these are some of the things you need to do.