Frustrated
 

First, sorry for the length of the post. I am getting up there in years compared to most of the officials in our association. As some of you may know, I had to take several years off for health reasons and last season was my first season back. The schedule was about what I expected last year but I did have a few games in, what many in my association would call, the good category. I try to keep my expectations realistic. I am overweight as a result of the health issues and years of having extreme limits on my physical activity but since I was cleared to resume officiating I have lost about half the weight I need to lose and am still losing.

During the off season I attended numerous camps and the majority of the feedback was positive. The most consistent negative comments my lack of athletic appearance and needing to get faster. Face it, like many will never be 6’-6”, I will never be fleet of foot. However I constantly hear I make the calls that need to be made so apparently I have learned to compensate for the lack of speed by getting a good look when “getting beat”.

At my last camp my assignor was there and we visited for a while. I told him that I understood it was in his, and the associations, best interest to put the best officials possible in every game and that if I was not happy with my schedule I only needed to look in the mirror. Then I asked “What two or three things do I need to improve in order for it to be possible for you to give me a better schedule?” He assured me he had no problem with me and that I was on the list of people he wanted to watch during the camp. He also said that he was concerned last year about my return and wanted to see how it went. I noticed him sitting next to the clinician during two of my three games at the camp. In both those games I got rave reviews from the clinician (one that has known me for years even said it was the best work he had ever seen from me).

At our first association meeting the assignor called about 15 names and had those people stand, then told them their ratings had increased because of what they showed at camp. I was not one of them but all of them were young and I figured it was just his way of encouraging newer officials.

Today the first wave of game assignments were released and despite my disappointment I accepted all the games. Honestly, this first wave is “worse” than the first wave last year. I can keep losing weight and keep working out so even after two fast paced boys games I am still “keeping up” as well as others. However, I cannot get younger and cannot get that much faster.

I will see how the remainder of the year’s schedule ends up but if this is an indication I may have to do a re-evaluation at the end of the year. I love officiating…but I have little, if any, desire to leave work early and drive all over a major metropolitan area to work these types of games.

Sorry…just needed to vent.

I wouldn't get discouraged so soon...there are only so many "good" games, and most of the time an excess of referees that truly deserve them. I myself am a younger official so each season I feel I have improved drastically, and I remember being very disappointed at the first "wave" last season. By the end I had achieved an improved schedule over the prior year, which is all I could ask for. Sounds like you've put in some good work....don't worry that the fouls are 6-1 against your team right now, they always even out by the end of the game!

The Picture of Dorian Gray ...
 

You can't get younger, but you can lose the rest of the weight that you wanted to lose. Keep a positive attitude. The kids, and coaches, in those "B" games, will appreciate a good "A" official.

Some of the best games I've ever worked were games that other officials thought were 'beneath them'

Dont let other people's classification of the game determine your level of enjoyment, enthusiasm or effort. For you, it is the best game of the night.

I frequently find myself in your position, except it's because of moving (due to military obligations) rather than injury. Regardless, the lip service paid by assignors during the summer versus the schedule you ultimately get....well, it just sucks. No way to sugar coat it. One day I hope that an assignor will just be honest with me when I'm the new guy and say:

"Hey, new guy, you're pretty good but there are board rules and/or hierarchical sensitivities that leave you with a 0% chance of a varsity schedule unless you can provide proof of a collegiate schedule. Any questions? Oh, and I like your shoes."

In any case, I've come to realize I have no control over my schedule outside of the product I put on the court. So I put the best product out there that I can every time, regardless of level. And I have fun doing it. Most epic game I ever worked was a varsity game, but #'s 2, 3, 4 and 5 on my all time list were 8th grade/frosh/JV/5th grade (AAU). Lots more varsity games that I don't remember nearly as well.

It's all about the lens you view your assignment through. If it's fun, keep doing it. When it's not fun anymore, that's ok, but stop doing it.

Without seeing you work and compare you to others, really hard to know what is the issue. But it is not uncommon to feel you are better than what others perceive you to be. Also this thing comes with some disappointment on many levels. The best thing I can tell you is to keep working and wait for the entire schedule to come out. Maybe, just maybe that is the worst of the assignments. You also never know until you work the games anyway. Ultimately be patient if it is this year or next.

Peace

Well said Billy. We need a 'like' button!

There have been studies that show approximately 80% of people in a given area believe they are above average. In some areas, like sports, that number is likely higher. That means at least 30% of the officials are certainly wrong. They're in the wrong half. And it really suggests even more overestimate their abilities because just putting yourself in the right half doesn't mean a person puts themselves at the right point in the right half...they would tend to overestimate that too.

You must do not work many of those games. ;)

Peace

A Prairie Home Companion ...
 

"Well, that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average." (Garrison Keillor)

Where's that "like" button? :)

That contest is the most important one of the night for those athletes, those coaches, those parents, and those fans. They deserve my best effort.

Not always true, but we often say this on some level. I have had coaches at the lower level in multiple sports not want to treat these levels as the same as the higher levels for multiple reasons. Often times lower level ball is a place where kids will never play beyond that level. There are coaches that know this and even want officials to not enforce certain rules or make accommodations because it is not that "serious." We should give our best effort, but let us not act like every level is treated the same. This to me is about as silly of a statement as when we say, "We do this for the kids" when we are working games.

Peace

Have to admit, it's times like these I'm glad I live where each league has its own assigner. Cause one of the assigners here doesn't really care for me that much and I'd hate for my schedule to be dictated entirely based on his whims.

I've given up the whole "have to work the best games each night" mentality. In about 2009, I worked the "game of the century" as they called it on the local news. A season later, nobody remembers that game, let alone who worked it. It just doesn't matter in the end.

I work good games, average games, awful games. As long as my game starts at 7:30PM, there's a pep band, and the anthem is played, I'm happy. Oh, and 3-person crew.....I don't work 2-person anymore.

In my state, all varsity games are assigned out of the Columbia SCHSL office based on your rating and rating alone. We're only allowed two nights of varsity per week (almost always doubleheaders, girls then boys). We get all our sub-varsity assignments from our district director. The only way to get "better" varsity assignments is to get better ratings from your peers, do better on the exam, and get full experience points by staying in the league for five years.

I give my best effort, but oh how I wish I wouldn't have to work girls basketball.