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Originally Posted by bgtg19
In Michigan, coaches ratings of officials are, basically, everything in terms of advancement to tournaments, etc. There is a requirement that an official attends a rules meeting before the season, and then works a minimum number of varsity games ... and ... that's it. The rest is all based on coaches' ratings. You get rated better by coaches and you go further in the tournament.
This is, however, slowly beginning to change. This year, for example, Michigan is introducing an online rules test which is voluntary but which will be "considered" by the committee which makes tournament assignments. Also -- and Bud will be interested in this -- Michigan officials are about to begin a ratings process where we evaluate the schools (game management, coaches, players, fans, facilities, etc.).
That's how things are done, now let me express my opinion. I think that coaches *comments* would be useful. Yes, some comments will be misguided. You just dismiss those. But even if there is a perception problem, it may be helpful to know that there is a perception problem. Comments, great. Unfornately, in Michigan, we don't get any comments. We only get *ratings*? And ratings don't seem to communicate much; at least not clearly. This last year, I had a season with four highly-charged games and my ratings went down due to four "poor" ratings. I don't *know* that there is a direct correlation, but the previous year I did not have ANY "poor" ratings. What confuses me about the ratings is that this past year I had more top AND bottom rankings and less in between rankings than in previous years. (E.g., in 2005, I had 5 ratings of "excellent," 9 ratings of "good," 7 ratings of "average" and 0 ratings of "poor" -- in 2006, I had 10 ratings of "excellent," 4 ratings of "good," 3 ratings of "average" and 4 ratings of "poor"). Did I get better or worse?
Coaches ratings of officials in Michigan is "here to stay," as an MHSAA administrator put it, but at least they are trying to introduce a few other pieces to the overall picture.
I happen to subscribe to the outlook that Jeff articulated above. Only worry about what is in your control. Do the best you can and that's it. Let the rest take care of itself. Unfortunately, that does mean, IMO, that biases (race, weight, hair, etc.) enter into the picture.... *Most* of the bias against me is that I'm not quite as good as that other official....
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