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Hut, one of the main differences between you and the veteran officials is that they are not having to think as much as you are. They are working a well-established routine which you do not yet have. As everyone else has said, you are probably trying to do too much. I am assuming you are working wing positions and will continue to do so for a while, yet. Right now, you need to work on identifying formations and your pre-snap signals to your far wing and learn to read your key. Midget ball is almost always going to be a run, but as you get the bigger kids, you are going to have to be able to do this to prevent yourself from getting caught out of position on pass plays with a four man mechanic. Knowing your key and the players and section of the field you are responsible for will help slow the game way down for you. Having the head knowledge of what to do and actually getting your body to do it are two seperate things. It is numerous snaps that mesh the two together. As others have said, once you get this down, you add a couple of other things you feel you need to focus on since keys and players your responsible for are now second nature. Don't get frustrated with where you are, just work on getting better. These early days are something everyone had and has to go through. It's just part of it-no substitute for snaps. All of us have gone through this time where it feels like they are always snapping the ball before you are ready. Again, don't worry or get rattled, just do what you can on that play. Pretty soon, you will be twiddling your thumbs waiting on them to finally snap the ball. Football officiating is a lot like a golf swing, it gets good when you don't have to think about the mechanics of it. One other thing that might help you. You will be ten times better the next time you work, because you are mentally processing the games you worked and you have gotten the butterflies out of the way. The next time you will get that nervous is your first varsity game and your first white hat assignment. Good luck and keep studying.
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