[Sleeper]

Shocker, this is an excellent board if you want to learn. The officials on here have taken a great deal of time to answer my questions throughout the year and have made me a better official.

Part of the discussion occuring in this thread has to do with fundamentally understanding what an official needs to do to get better.

One of the undercurrents in the thread is the frustration with officials who don't treat it as a profession and take it seriously. We all work with them and it makes games difficult and frustrating. Derock's attitude toward relying on gut rather than knowledge is one of the biggest issues I have encountered, regardless of years or games.

This board allows for discussions to take their natural course. It also allows for people to espouse and defend their positions. It also allows for disagreement. Conflict, sometimes, is the best generator of education and learning because it forces us to defend what we believe.

Ask questions, read the answers, take what you can use and throw the rest away. As you participate more, you will learn the members that have good answers and those who don't. Welcome to the board!