Quote:
Originally posted by Tim C
I believe that Rich works in an area of the country where you, as an offical, sell your own skills and develop your OWN schedule of games.
There are several areas in the US where there is not an "association" or an "assigning commissioner" . . . you get your own games.
HOWEVER, Rich is a VERY successful offical in other sports and I am sure that he is being his own worst clinic in this thread.
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Thanks, Tee, for your confidence
I've worked varsity schedules in three states where games were assigned out of an association and you had to earn a position on a varsity staff. Where I'm at now, I have to hustle my own games via athletic directors and conference commissioners (athletic directors assign all nonconference home games and conference commissioners assign all conference games).
It is a fair question: Did I seek out and accept varsity assignments too quickly? The honest truth is that I don't think so -- Tee is right that I am a harsh critic of myself and that might not paint me in the best light on an Internet discussion board. I'm OK with that, unless there are athletic directors and conference commissioners lurking that will hold such brutal honesty against me
The subvarsity officials I've worked with here, to be quite honest, are, well...... I partially attribute this to a weak association system here -- an official does not have to belong to an official's association since the association has no games to assign anyway. Other places I've lived, training was given through associations, assignments were made through associations, and varsity promotion and assignments were made through associations that were formed by and for the state office.
Most JV and frosh games here are covered by someone who plunks down $16 to get a state license and then receives not an iota of officiating training -- they get the assignments cause they are available at the right time and most of the time live in the town where the game is located.
The really good officials -- the ones I want to work with -- all work varsity ball, or are scratching the surface of working varsity ball.
I posted the original situation because I thought some of the veterans would be able to give me some reminders on how to slow myself down and turn this into a learning experience for some lesser experienced officials. But I did call basketball for a dozen years before my injury-induced "vacation" (I broke a foot working baseball) so I don't think that lack of experience is the problem. Maybe lack of recent experience, but I'm not sure I'd get any of that working down a couple of levels. Without challenges.......
Rich
[Edited by Rich Fronheiser on Dec 23rd, 2002 at 06:46 PM]