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Originally Posted by JRutledge
I think it is safe to assume that if there is a policy that outlaws such a situation, then it is very possible that there would be all kinds of ways to make sure that does not happen. I have also worked many games by myself. Many times I have worked by myself because someone did not show up or there was a complete mistake on the person assigning the game. In my cases it was the AD usually did not give the proper information.
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mikeref's state obviously has such a policy, and safeguards, in place. Maybe all of his games, at all levels, are three person games, so if one official doesn't show, there are two left to work the game. Not so here in my part of Connecticut. All of our local board's games, up to the state quarterfinals, are two person games, although I understand that some "big city" games in the southern part of the state are three person games. We actually have a written contract with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference that stipulates that one official is to receive 150% of the standard game fee.
You haven't been officiating a long time if you have never worked a game by yourself. Just this past season, I showed up to observe the start of a junior varsity game, before my varsity game, to find that, through the fault of the athletic director, no officials had been assigned to the junior varsity game. The A.D. had erroneously heard that the visiting team did not have a junior varsity program. After clearing it with the two varsity coaches, as stipulated by our local board's policy, I quickly got dressed, and worked the J.V. game by myself. With twenty-seven years of experience behind me, I knew instinctively how to best work the game by myself: free throw line to free throw line, meet with the J.V. coaches, and captains, before the game, explain my limitations, and ask them to help me, i.e out of bounds, etc., don't get caught on the baseline, "cheat" on reporting fouls, administer free throws from the trail position, bounce the ball to the throwin player as often as possible, etc.
All I want to do is to write down some of these guidelines, as they have already done i.e. the Kansas State High School Activities Association, through the Topeka Officials Association,
http://www.topekaofficials.com/PDF%2...0Mechanics.pdf, and the Greater Sudbury Board of Basketball Officials
http://www.greatersudburybbo.com/doingitright.html (IAABO Board 106).
Again, instead of discussing why there is no other official, or how it can be prevented, can we please discuss some guidelines that may give a rookie official some help going into a one person game?
BadNewsRef: Man, were you right.