I'm trying to put together some general guidelines for a game administrator, who has never refereed, to evaluate officials for me. I can't be at her site one night for this tourney, so I'm relying on her to help me determine which officials to move on to the semis and final. I haven't ever seen most of these officials work, and they're all volunteers with limited training.
Here's what I've come up with. It's intended to give her a somewhat more informed basis for forming general impressions, without getting technical. What do you think?
1. Does the official appear to take care of his/her own "business" or does he/she frequently defer calls, rules, and/or decisions to his/her partner?
2. Does the official communicate well with the participants? Or do players and partners wander around, scratching their heads, wondering what's going on?
3. Does the official communicate adequately with the table crew? Or are you left guessing what they called?
4. Do the official's calls match the game? Or is there a noticible gap between the players' skills and the way the official calls the game?
5. Does the official blow the whistle with confidence?
6. Does the official appear to use proper signals?
7. Can the official handle being "the bad guy"? Or does he/she constantly seek the approval of the players, coaches, fans.
8. Does the official help you keep things running on time?
9. Do they show up, preferably 15-30 minutes before their game, properly attired?
10. Do the players have a good experience when this official is working?