[stripes]

Originally posted by JRutledge
I only want to make this point. Years of experience alone I think are very overrated. I think you need to have more game experience than the amount of years you have been working. I know younger officials that only do 10-15 games a year total. You cannot learn a hell of a lot during that short period of time. I personally think you need to do close to 100 or more to really get your feet wet and learn all kinds of reason why you make calls and what not to call. You also learn much better what the game is all about, and that is very important to be an official. But then again you need "like" game experience too. Not to knock the rec. league or AAU games, but if the attitude is to not switch or not to rotate or just operate proper mechanics, then I think you do not learn a lot from those games. But if you have partners or leagues that demand that kind of operation or behavior as an official, you can and will grow much faster than if you are just winging it.

This is why I go to several camps a year. You get the opportunity to work a game and have someone demanding that you do the mechanics and call the game relatively correctly. I probably do about 40 games during the summer that are all camp games. It is like another half of season to get further experience at the game I am always trying to get better at.

Peace

Jeff makes a great point here. I know too many guys who have worked for 5 or 10 years, but all the experience that they have is really one year 5 or 10 times. They haven't learned the things that an official needs to control the game and get respect. They work games, but they don't learn from them. I see them make the same mistakes that they have made for several years--even after they have been told what they do is wrong.

I personally know an official that was working JUCO his 3rd year and D1 his 4th. He is very good. If you think you are ready--GO FOR IT!!