Quote:
Originally Posted by jTheUmp
For me, it was last Friday, hands-down.
Situation: boys 10th-grade/JV doubleheader, between two of the best programs in the Twin Cities.
The ominous signs first appear on Tuesday, when I email my partner to confirm the details of the game time and location. I receive a one-sentence response: "I show up dressed and on the court, so don't look for me in the dressing room"
Gulp.
Partner shows up about 9 minutes before tipoff, leaving us virtually no time to do a pregame.
Double Gulp.
The first game is very fast-paced and physical... the second game is a step above the first game in both respects... both games were faster then I'm used to, and I was having a very hard time making calls because of the speed and athleticism of the players. I never could get into a good rhythm the entire night, and it seemed to be painfully obvious to everyone in the gym that my partner and I were outclassed. I lost count of the number of instances where there was foul-level contact that I "passed" on because I couldn't get the whistle blown or couldn't figure out what to call. (and before you say "not all contact is a foul"... this contact was definitely a foul... I just kicked it... more times then I can remember.)
I was never so happy to be done with a doubleheader as I was that night.
Luckily, I got to get back to the gym on Saturday with another boys 10/JV doubleheader. The games was just as quick and athletic, but I was able to keep it in control, and my partner was MUCH MUCH better.
I just wish I could figure out what I could've done differently on Friday.
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There's an old saying that it's better to get to a level a little late than too early. Do you feel like you, personally, are ready to be working games like this?
That said:
I've worked boys games involving some of the top teams in the state -- most all of those are worked 3-person. I frequently show up early to watch the sophomore (essentially, the JV) game that's played before us. Worked 2-person, those games always look a lot harder to work from the stands than the varsity games feel from the court.
Of course, about 6-7 years ago, we worked those varsity games 2-person and while I felt I had no problems with the pace, it was just a lot of running up and down the court and getting the fouls we felt we needed to get.
If you feel you missed a lot of fouls, that can lead to the perception that the game got "out of control." Sometimes getting those fouls can slow down the pace of the game and clean up the activity. Sometimes not, in which case you'll be shooting a lot of free throws.
The lack of a pregame sounds and your reaction to it makes it sound like it pushed you out of where you needed to be mentally to be on top of the game early. Don't let your partner distract you (if possible) from being strong and aware early in the game.
That said, you crawled back on the horse -- it's all you can do.