[JRutledge]

Z,

There is nothing in officiating that a young official cannot learn either right off the bat or pick up in a short period of time. Telling them all aspect of officiating is only going to educate and inspire them into what this "officiating thing" is all about. I personally think this is why we lose officials. Rules are only a foundation, your professionalism and conflict resolution skill and people skills are going to far out way knowing the ins and outs of Rule 2-10. Because when you have to use Rule 2-10, you have to explain to an angry coach what Rule 2-10 is and how Rule 2-10 is going to be applied or not applied. If you are yelling and screaming while "quoting" rules, your explaination might never be believed if you do not have some conflict resolution skills or people skills to get you thru that situation. And you better sure tell young officials how to deal with assignors and deal with other officials, they might not get another chance to make a first impression.

It is not like we are talking about toddlers, we are talking about adults that have skills and experiences that far way out what happens on a court or field. Give younger officials some credit.

Peace