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Originally Posted by crosscountry55
A) More evaluation and assignment transparency. How does the assigner rank officials? How are assignments allocated and why? The perception of secrecy drives a lot of guys away, especially those who aren't super talented but are nonetheless a vital part of the organization for sub-varsity basketball.
B) The elimination of any mandatory waiting periods before guys can move up to varsity. If they can work, let 'em work when they are ready, not when some arbitrary minimum number of years has passed.
C) Camp opportunities. Scholarships, grants, etc. Many camps aren't the macho blood baths they used to be, meaning officials looking to improve will find a welcoming and inspiring experience that convinces them to keep doing it for years. Getting hooked on officiating as a lifetime avocation probably happens within the first three years for most officials, so that's the period that it's most important to get them to camps and clinics that energize them.
D) Better pay. Seems obvious, but we hear the horror stories from AL, LA, etc. That's not helping.
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Some great points, but I think some are situational so I'll skip them.
B) Around here we have an amazing varsity crew, so I want to make sure people are ready. Tried it a couple times, and I just can't stand it when ADs call me and say we don't want bobby bob back here again. Plenty of competitive freshman games and then JV games for newer officials to work. Almost all JV games are 3man.
C) I've found this to be one of these best ideas. Really not a good idea to lay on requirements and such for newer guys. A lot of the good ones won't buy into it at the start. I was one of them when it came to camps.
I've found two methods to really help.
One, if you have some incredible old know-it-all in your association, is to get a class before the first test. The value of this is incredible. Everything from creating a bond/friends from any given year, to a near 100% pass rate the first time around.
Two, before anyone's first game stress that they are just out there to have fun. Most of them are going to look like idiots, mess up everything, and have crowds who know/voice it. Every year I try to make as many first games as I can just to guide first years.
These are both for retaining officials. Getting them has always seemed a non-issue. With these two methods I've cut down drop-outs substantially.