Decisions for Upcoming Season

[Hartsy]

My last few seasons have been very enjoyable. I've been building a good Varsity schedule in a couple of leagues, with improving ratings, working with newer officials on JV and Freshman level games and feeling very comfortable being the "veteran" official. I have made many friends among my partners and even with some coaches and parents.

While not pushing to work a full Varsity schedule or even trying to get enough games in to qualify for tournament assignments, I did enjoy the atmosphere a Varsity game provides, and it was good knowing my hard work was being recognized. I may not be driven to work post season but I DO want to be able to work any game with confidence and ability. I was getting positive feedback from my peers, evaluators, and even from my primary assignor.

So, I fully expected to have a similar or even a more heavy Varsity schedule for the upcoming season. That didn't happen. I got a big ZERO on my Varsity level assignments when initial assigning was done. Turns out the only ratings that matter now are from COACHES, and even though my ratings have been going up I now cannot get games. The assignor is using coaches ratings and some sort of weighting system for "games that are likely to affect conference standings" to set the schedule, and it is all done automatically by software. I was able to get a couple of games after the first assignments but I know the teams and these are likely to be very lopsided in score.

There has been one major resignation over this policy and I think a few others who have "retired". I am considering the same. I just don't think that I will be able to enjoy the season. Among my options are to suck it up and work what I can, just drop it altogether, or something in between like not working JV games in the conference where I lost all my Varsity games.

Any of you been through something similar? What would you do?

[JRutledge]

I have not been through this, but I have a question of you. Why would you not want to work the playoffs? I am not saying that is the actual reasoning for your current situation, but if you were not working enough to get a varsity schedule, do you think that could have hurt your standing or ratings over all? I know in our system in this state the more you work the higher your ratings can potentially be. I am wondering if that might have been the ultimate result from you not wanting to work that many games?

But for the rest of the comments, I think you have to decide why you are doing this in the first place. If you are doing it because you love it or are competitive, I would stick it out. Maybe, just maybe you want to change your goals in this to so that you can get the opportunities you wish, because I can imagine if you say that you really do not want to work playoffs to others, that might affect how you are perceived and indirectly or directly the ratings. I know if I was an assignor and had a lot of guys that wanted to work the highest level, would get the priority and guys like yourself would be thought of after if they really have no desire to work playoff in the long run. For one I have more credibility as an assignor if I give the games to the guys that are working the post season as opposed to the guys that never work that level. Everyone is trying to cover their behinds an one way is to show who is working with a certain background which can involve all kinds of things like years of experience, playoffs and ratings.

Peace

[jpgc99]

Another terrible assigning system. I especially dislike this because it encourages officials to appease coaches rather than call the game according to rule. Secondly, it discourages development of younger/newer officials. Coaches generally rate the old timers higher than the new officials regardless of talent or skill.

It sounds like you have options. I'd drop this league and ramp up my availability and energy in the other varsity leagues in the area.

[Hartsy]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I have not been through this, but I have a question of you. Why would you not want to work the playoffs? I am not saying that is the actual reasoning for your current situation, but if you were not working enough to get a varsity schedule, do you think that could have hurt your standing or ratings over all?

Good point. I'm working to get better and attract more Varsity games and playoff chances, just not making that a priority for me. I fully expected to have a better/bigger slate of games given my experience (12yrs) and my ratings improvement. I work 3 or 4 nights a week with JV or Varsity, and would gladly accept more Varsity than JV, but with this new system I was lucky to get ANY Varsity games.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Hartsy

Good point. I'm working to get better and attract more Varsity games and playoff chances, just not making that a priority for me. I fully expected to have a better/bigger slate of games given my experience (12yrs) and my ratings improvement. I work 3 or 4 nights a week with JV or Varsity, and would gladly accept more Varsity than JV, but with this new system I was lucky to get ANY Varsity games.

If it is all based on ratings, that is a horrible system. I would think ratings would mostly help who gets the post season, but if the assignor wants to give a new guy a shot, he/she cannot only use ratings to do get the officials unless you just want to appease the coaches only and not get the right officials.

Peace

[Ed Maeder]

Do you get to rate the coaches? Then why are they able to rate officials? This is a system that will only hurt an officials association.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Ed Maeder

Do you get to rate the coaches? Then why are they able to rate officials? This is a system that will only hurt an officials association.

Here in my little corner of Connecticut, coaches have absolutely zero rating input into how officials are assigned regular season games, however, statewide, they have total control over how officials are assigned to state tournament games.

Note: Believe it or not, coaches usually do a pretty good job of selecting our best officials for the state tournament, including up, and coming, young officials.

[Raymond]

Billy, "here" or "locally" is sufficient. Save your fingers.

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[Rich]

He thinks it's cute. Next thing you know he'll post the road sign again.

[SC Official]

In my state, an official's rating is the sole determiner of his/her varsity schedule, which is made by the SCHSL office. However, coaches have no say in what the officials' ratings are, and if they don't like a certain official, the schools can block up to eight (8) officials in Arbiter.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich

Next thing you know he'll post the road sign again.

That's only statewide, for Connecticut's propensity to mostly assign two person games.

I probably won't be able to use the "belt" road sign anymore, since IAABO (International) changed their dress code to beltless, while we, here, in my little corner of Connecticut, rebelled, and still allow belted pants, by a constitutional vote at last season's year end business meeting. I doubt that the rest of the state followed suit. In fact, I seriously doubt that many Connecticut officials even realized that there was a change in IAABO's dress code last year. A fellow official discovered the change, I didn't know about it, and I try to stay on top of such changes.

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Here in my little corner of Connecticut, coaches have absolutely zero rating input into how officials are assigned regular season games, however, statewide, they have total control over how officials are assigned to state tournament games.

Note: Believe it or not, coaches usually do a pretty good job of selecting our best officials for the state tournament, including up, and coming, young officials.

In a state I used to work, it was similar to what Billy described, i.e. the coaches' ratings exclusively determined the pool of state tournament officials. How that pool was then assigned to each round of the playoffs was up to the state office, but the pool itself was determined by the coaches.

Problems: Some (many?) coaches didn't write down any notes after games, and by the time the state office bugged them for votes, it tended to be the familiar veterans they would remember and then cast votes for. So while there were usually enough quality officials in the pool to make for great crews in the state tournament finals, some of the earlier round games would end up with some awful crews. Meanwhile there were young, new, quality officials on the outside looking in.

In fairness to said state, my understanding is that they have greatly increased their observation and evaluation system since I left. Hopefully that means the post-season pool is now being determined by more than just the coaches.