Association/Board Issues
Been approached to run for a seat on my local association board.:eek:
What are the top 3 issues that your local board/association is currently facing? Thanks! |
If I had to guess:
1) recruiting new officials 2) retaining new officials 3) actually getting officials to confirm their assignments with the schools 3-4 days before the game (this comes up at EVERY meeting). |
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We don't do #3 at all. It really isn't necessary. Before the season, the schools confirm the accuracy of the games as entered in Reftown, much like officials accepting assignments. A few days before the game, the schools get automated reminders of upcoming games. If something has changed, it is up to them to notify the assignor of the change. If they don't and the officials show up anyway, the school still pays for the game and the officials still get paid. Out of thousands of games per year, it is extremely rare that an official shows up to a game that isn't there. More likely, the schools forgot to notify the assignor that a game was added. |
It may not be necessary in your opinion, but the opinion of the Powers That Be(tm) in my association is that it is necessary. Therefore, I follow the direction of the Powers That Be(tm).
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Confirmation ...
My local board uses Arbiter to assign games, but our assignment commissioner still insists that we confirm all of our games with our partner, and the school.
I my case, I don't mind confirming because I don't get a cell phone signal at work, nor do I get email at work, so I make sure, in my confirmation email, that the athletic director knows exactly how to get in touch with me if there is a change in the game assignment. Several times, over the past several years, I've received emails from athletic directors, in response to my confirmation email, that read something like, "Thanks for the confirmation email. It reminded me that I haven't contacted your assigner, or the officials, that the game time got changed to ...". https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=OIP.M2b...95&w=103&h=102 February 1, 2015 BillyMac 30 Main Street Springfield, CT 06999 Home Phone (860) 000-0000 Cell Phone (860) 999-9999 (No Signal During Business Hours) Email: [email protected] Environmental Chemical Analyst Acme Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 587 East Main Street Springfield, CT 06999 Business Phone (860) 888-8888 (Ask For BillyMac) This is to confirm that I will officiate the boys varsity basketball game at East Oshkosh High School on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. Please contact me if there is any change in the schedule. My contact information is above. During weekday business hours, it is best to reach me at (860) 888-8888. I do not have access to the internet, nor to email, nor do I get a cell phone signal, at work. Sincerely, BillyMac International Association of Approved Basketball Officials Little Corner of Connecticut Board |
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When in Nome, be sure to do what the Nomans do.
Here the Referee is expected to confirm first with the crew, and then confirm the crew to the AD -- email preferred, but cellphone call for any iLuddites in our midst. We are cautioned not to pummel the AD's with unnecessary emails, so we are told to do it like that and in that order. He only gets one--from the Referee. Works great. Catches occasional errors or oversights that otherwise would've gone unchecked without that system. When guys don't do it, bad things happen. Enough so that we're probably gonna be sticking with this modus operandi. |
Infallible ???
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Now that we've moved to computerized assigning, and email contacts, there is a far less likely chance for a mistake to be made, but sometimes human error will rear it's ugly head, and that's why it's important that officials still confirm their games. I spend about fifteen minutes, every Sunday, sending emails to confirm games with athletic directors, and partners, for games coming up that week. I feel that it's time well spent. |
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I've been working basketball in my local association since 1998.
Never once have I ever contacted a school to "confirm" an assignment. Not once has there ever been a problem because I didn't do this. Schools receive the assignments through the Arbiter, just like I do. If they've changed the schedule or haven't included a game on their schedule, it's on them to contact the supervisor. If they don't and we show up, they are obligated by the NCHSAA to pay a full game fee. Yes, we contact our partners to confirm uniform and travel. When in Rome. |
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Also, the only time I've been in a car accident while traveling to a game, after leaving the accident and getting to the game site, it turned out there was a scheduling snafu and there was no game. So yes, in a perfect world, we should trust no one fat fingered anything, but in reality things go wrong. And I sure would have preferred knowing ahead of time I didn't need to travel to that school instead of getting into an accident travelling somewhere I didn't need to be. My little $40 check for a not working a game didn't make up for the $200 deductible I had to pay. BTW, I've worked in I.T. my entire adult life, I am intimately aware of how data is only good as the fingers that input it. |
It would seem a lot of these issues are communication issues caused by school AD's assigning officials directly. Would having a board assignor dole out the games not make things easier?
I know I only deal with an AD when I show up and don't know where my dressing room is or I need a fan removed. All of my games come from one guy who has to deal with the leagues/covneners/ AD's That seems more logical, to me. |
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Each of the past two seasons I've had a partner arrive at least 15 minutes after the scheduled start time of a BV playoff. One guy got hung up in traffic. The other is chronically late so I never assumed he would show up on time. |
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Another is complaints on what assignments officials get and who gets what assignments. Therefore, our board is in the very early stages of trying to implement a ratings system. If/when that becomes a reality, the ratings will be Top Issues #1, 2 and 3, I'm sure! |
The statewide ratings system. We spend half of our meeting time b*tching about it. Just beating a dead horse.
Losing younger officials to college. Not getting enough younger officials. |
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