[VaTerp]

Around here our association assigner selects officials for all district and regional playoffs. There is no direct input from coaches. We have a peer evaluation where all varsity officials rate their partners throughout the season and the scores are tabulated and each official receives a year end ranking. We also have evaluators who observe games throughout the year. I'm not sure how much weight any one factor has but it's ultimately the assignor's discretion who works all playoff games.

The state playoffs begin with quarterfinals and are assigned by the state (VHSL) athletic director. I believe the assigner or commissioner for each sanctioned association submits a list and VHSL assigns from that list. Quarterfinal games are worked by crews from the same association, while semi-finals and finals are worked with mixed crews.

There is also a summer VHSL evaluation camp where they take 36 officials from across the state and evaluate them over 2 days in conjunction with a team camp. You are then rated in 9 categories and given your score, ranking, and the avg score of all officials at the camp. I've been told that they are trying to move toward making attendance at this camp a prerequisite for state tournament assignments but I imagine that is a long ways away if it ever even happens. I attended the camp this past summer even though I worked a state quarterfinal last season.

Last year I found out I got my quarterfinal game the week of the regionals. This year, my assignor asked me to confirm my availability for a state semi-final about 10 days ago. I received the assignment in Arbiter this week and will get an email from VHSL telling me who my partners will be. My guess is that they start with the state finals and then work their way back in terms of assignments.

As for the conversations, people will talk and complain about who gets what. We even have some officials who show up at districts and regionals, and probably the state games too just to see who is working and question why so and so is working certain games.

I hear the talk about other officials and know things are likely said about me as well. Some people don't like the fact that this is just my 4th year in the association and I've received some fairly good assignments. I've been referred to as a kiss-azz and some other things. But I know that's the way things go so I don't really pay attention to it. I'm working a girls regional semi tonight and am sure there will be some of these very officials sitting in the stands.

What I do is make myself available, work the games I'm assigned, try to get better, and try not to be the source of problems and headaches. That's worked fairly well for me and it's the advice I give others when they bring up the politics and "game-playing" involved in getting better schedules and/or playoff assignments.

Regardless of the system used, there will be worthy people left out and some legitimate questions about whose working those games. But there will also be many more people focused on complaining and critiquing the system and individual officials rather than putting their focus on improving their game to get the assignments they say they want.