|
This is a complaint I here often from coaches. I happen to officiate girls in the fall and coach boys in the spring so I see it from both sides. Here is what I do.
Imagine rating sets on scale of 0 to 100, 100 being the sweetest set you ever saw and zero meaning the player caught the ball at her/his waist and threw it up in the air.
If the sets from both teams are consistently between 96 - 100, anything below 96 gets called. That is an easy match!
If the sets from both teams are consistently between 88 and 96, anything below 88 is called. Still pretty easy but probably kind of sloppy.
Now, if you have one setting 96 - 100 and one setting 88 - 96 it gets tricky. I will usually lower my standards for the better setter and not call an illegal contact until she sets a 93 or 94. Conversely, I will call a little tighter on the other setter and maybe call anything below a 90.
While the coach of the better setter may not agree, I think this is fair for the teams. If an official holds every setter to the highest standard of the best setters in the league or district, that official might be run out of town! Remember, the best games for an official are the ones where no one even remembers who they were.
I know what you are thinking! If officials hold every setter to the highest standard the setters will adjust and raise their skills. Not so! That WOULD happen in a perfect world but we don't live in a perfect world!
You know as well as I it takes a lot of time and practice to develop a good setter. Some kids can play volleyball most of the year and can hone their skills quicker. Other kids play multiple sports and don't get the reps and experience to develop their setting skills as fast. Let's not forget about officials either. Many volleyball officials have a difficult time learning the difference between a clean set and a so-so set. It is hard to develop young setters when officiating can be so wildly inconsistent.
I think I'll get off my soapbox now. I hope I answered your question. If not, I can jump back on later....
|