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Old Tue Jan 23, 2007, 12:47am
Rita C Rita C is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 872
Angry Site administrater interference

Tonight [Partner] and I officiated games between [Visitors] and [Home] middle schools. The site administrator was __________.

The keeper of the official book was inexperienced so the clock was helping him. There were times we, the officials, missed that subs were due to come in or were slow in bringing them in. At one point the coach for the [Visitors] team said, “Are you going to be bringing in the subs or not?” I am not certain those were his exact words but the tone was unsportsmanlike. I brought in the sub and told him, “You are allowed to ask a question or make a statement but it must be in a polite manner. This did not qualify.” At the next opportunity, he asked me about the situation again, in a respectful manner. I explained that we were slow in bringing in the subs and apologized. I reminded him that we weren’t getting the usual horn to remind us that subs were available because of the inexperience of the people at the table and that we all had to be patient with inexperience at this level. I assured him that we would try to be more expeditious. I then returned to the game. At the first opportunity I shared his concerns with my partner. I felt that I had handled the situation adequately.

Shortly thereafter I saw [site administrator] at the bench talking to the coach. I could see no reason for her doing so at that point. When I had the opportunity I asked her to talk to me after the game. (I know her from work.)

After the game I talked with her as I was returning to the coaches’ room. I asked her what she was talking to the coach about. She said she had asked him if there was a problem and that he had said that I had said that he had been rude.

I said, “[site administrator], you can’t be doing that during the game. You undermine the referees.” She stepped back in horror and said, “I don’t know who you think you are but my job is to make sure that the visiting coaches are happy. You can’t tell me what to do!” I told her that I would then have to report this to the association. She told me to go ahead, that both she and the visiting coach would be reporting my behavior to [vice principal]. As I was talking to her, the visiting coach came up to listen in.

I went to the coaches’ room to change my shoes so that I could leave. As I left the floor, [site administrator] and the coach continued commiserating about my behavior. I asked [partner] to stay with me because I expected what happened next. [site administrator] came into the room (I was in the back room.) and started screaming at me. “Don’t you dare do that again! Don’t you dare talk to me like that in front of everyone! If you have something to say to me, you can have me come back here and talk to me.” I reminded her that she had essentially undermined me and asked her to leave. She remained and continued screaming at me.

The rulebook specifies that the referees have jurisdiction within or outside the boundary lines. It is my understanding that the site administrators are those people to whom we turn when we have issues with the facility or the crowd. The game is our jurisdiction and she had no place talking with the coach during the game. She could easily and nearly did, exasperate the situation. I would appreciate if the association would send a letter to the school defining the site administrator’s responsibilities. This is the third time she has inserted herself into one of the games I have officiated in an inappropriate manner.

It is especially distressing that she should follow me into the dressing area. She had me cornered there. This is to be our retreat. Her job is to protect us from this type of behavior. Quite honestly, I feel she owes both [partner] and I an apology for her behavior.


That's my report. I'm just furious. I want to hit something.

Rita
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