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Originally Posted by REFVA
I had to wait my way and work hard for my opportunity. This is a downer. I am ready to hang my sneakers...
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I don't know exactly what kind of feedback you're looking for, so let me just share my experience with you. I went 5 years without a single varsity game. Then I got a few varsity games. The next year I got enough varsity games to qualify for tournament work. I was lucky to get one crappy D3 game. The next two years, I got no postseason games. By this time, I was working varsity college ball -- but not high school playoffs. The next year, I got an early round game and was shocked to receive a regional semi-final (Sweet 16) game. It was girls and only D2, but I was happy to have it.
At our end-of-season banquet, our featured speaker happened to be the state high school tournament director. He talked about the job he does in assigning officials and stuff like that. During the talk, he said (and this is a direct quote, because I remember it like yesterday), "If you want to see how a high school game should be officiated, come watch (my name) work a game." In front of my whole association!! Obviously, I was thrilled.
Guess how many postseason games I got the following year. Zero. I was, quite frankly crushed. How did I go from getting pointed out by name, to getting shut out?
How many the year after that? Sqadoosh! At our banquet that year, I received our association's award for outstanding achievement on the court. I felt like puking, to be honest. It was a very nice gesture, but I felt that I did not deserve it if I wasn't even working one round of play-offs. What had I really achieved on the court? I had a really nice regular season. Whoop-dee-doo. To this day, I do not display the award.
The next year, I worked a prelim game and a regional semi-final. Why? I still have no idea. The last two years, I have worked the state semi-final game (Final Four). Why? I still have no idea.
So what's my point? After I got shut out a few years ago, I decided to stop worrying about the postseason. It was out of my control, anyway, so there was nothing I could do about it. I decided to control what I could control (my training, my rules knowledge, my performance on the court) and not worry about what I couldn't control. In my case, it has worked out -- but again, I have no idea why. Hopefully, you'll stick with it, keep doing an outstanding job, and force somebody to notice. I hope it doesn't take you as long as it took me. Good luck.