[refTN]

Originally posted by SMEngmann
RefTN, just a quick word of advice from a young official a little further along than you. I have never seen you work, but from your posts I gather you love officiating and you're very driven, but in order to move up quickly, cockyness is not necessarily a good thing and it should not be confused with confidence. Cockyness will stunt your growth as an official and it will certainly prevent you from learning all there is to learn as you climb the ladder. There's something to be said for paying your dues and it's politically not a good move to be a "know it all." You can learn something every game from other officials, regardless of how good you judge them to be, and a lot of that comes from game experience. Stepping on toes on the way up the ladder burns bridges, because after all, by making your rise through the ranks, someone else is coming down on the other end, someone who might not think he's ready to be losing games to a "hot shot." Being labeled as a "hot shot" is a double edged sword in that it means you're good, but it also means that you let everyone know it rather than having your work speak for itself. You don't want to be seen as a know it all.

On a similar note, although you clearly have a passion for officiating, don't let it totally consume everything you do. I remember at a camp this year (maybe Coast 2 Coast) one of the clinicians mentioned that "There are a lot of referee junkies here," referring to guys who let officiating interfere with other concerns. At every camp I've ever been at, the top guys always say that officiating has a place for them, behind a strong family, their job and often their religion. Don't let it be totally consuming.

Finally, and perhaps the best lesson I've learned so far as an official is that you're only as good as the person who hires you thinks you are, that matters even beyond what your own evaluation says, or even what the tape says. If it's a mens rec league, the league director, who's likely never officiated, is the judge, or even the players, at MS it's the MS assignor, at HS, the HS guy. Ultimately, the game you call and the way you call it has to suit their preferences, otherwise you will be out of that particular job. You are in for a unique challenge as such a young official moving on to HS because you will naturally be questioned and challenged because of your age, even if your calls are dead right and coaches will push you. You must respond with confidence, rather than cockyness, and above all, do what your supervisor wants and respect the other officials and learn from them.

I agree and it is going to be hard for me, because of knowing what i know and the andvanced techniques and philosophies I use will not more than likely be well liked by my HS assosciation. I also have no problem debating with officials on rules and interps, and that gets me in trouble alot but that is how I learn.

Thanks again for the advice I will try to do better.