I officiate in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. This year we are getting $17 for AAU games. We use stop clock, NCAA Women's rules but two-man mechanics (league director's decision). For tourneys we get $22. It's paid at the end of the day by the gym administrator and is in cash.
The AAU league director has contracted with the same couple of guys for the last several years to assign officials to the games. The assigners are simply basketball officials. One works Div II & III ball. The other is an assigner for the Dallas officials chapter. These two have developed a relationship with the league director over the years. And here's the good part, out of the $17 to $22 game fee we receive, we pay the assigners a one-time $60 assignment fee at the baginning of each year to be eligible to receive games for that year.
Sounds like other areas are considerably more lucrative than ours...don'tcha just hate that!! If it weren't for all the love and gratitude we get from the moms and dads, it wouldn't be worth it...
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As far as hustling & mechanics, I tell new officials to always hustle and use standard mechanics (to the extent you can) in recreational games just as they would in any other game during the regular season. For one thing, you NEVER know who is watching. But more important, you can develop some pretty bad habits during the spring and summer if you aren't careful. If you use your "good mechanics" for the 4 months of the regular season but your "recreational mechanics" the rest of the year (6 to 8 months for most), which mechanics are going to be more natural to you.