Observation: Impediments to Moving Up

[rogero1]

As an assignor, what percentage of games do you work in your leagues?

I have an assignor who schedules himself to whatever he can take when he is not working a higher level game. Is this typical or a rarity?


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[Rich]

Originally Posted by rogero1

As an assignor, what percentage of games do you work in your leagues?

I have an assignor who schedules himself to whatever he can take when he is not working a higher level game. Is this typical or a rarity?


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This year I'm working 6 games, mainly to watch newer officials.

Next year I'm working zero.

If I'm asked to find crews for non-conference games I'll occasionally work if I'm open. But I pick those carefully....

I'm getting paid well to assign the league. I don't need to work it as well.

[biggravy]

Thanks for an interesting, timely topic. Especially since it comes from a fellow Kansas official. I'm 38 and have never had facial hair. After the end of last year's season I grew a beard for the first time. Found out I love it. Had no comments through baseball. I was wondering about basketball since nearly everyone I call with (HS V only no college) is clean shaven. At our area meeting I already had one comment and a few weird looks. Besides the beard I've lost 40 pounds since January and worked on my game. I'm in the best shape of my life. I want to keep getting better and maybe do college some day. Seems silly that facial hair will hold me back but it sounds like a very real possibility.

[jpgc99]

Originally Posted by biggravy

Thanks for an interesting, timely topic. Especially since it comes from a fellow Kansas official. I'm 38 and have never had facial hair. After the end of last year's season I grew a beard for the first time. Found out I love it. Had no comments through baseball. I was wondering about basketball since nearly everyone I call with (HS V only no college) is clean shaven. At our area meeting I already had one comment and a few weird looks. Besides the beard I've lost 40 pounds since January and worked on my game. I'm in the best shape of my life. I want to keep getting better and maybe do college some day. Seems silly that facial hair will hold me back but it sounds like a very real possibility.

The beard will hold you back from the college game. At the high school level, the 40 lbs weight loss offsets the beard.

I'm half joking about the high school part... As you can see from the thread, it varies by region and by assignor. From my experience, these things all play some role but the extent it will impact you varies by a lot of other factors. For most high school assignors these are more important than your facial hair: Dependability, availability, communication, play calling and rules knowledge. "Looking the part" often gives people the impression you can do the above things well. It might not be true, but that "eye test" is often a reality. If you're overweight, wearing a beard, have long hair, etc you might not pass the eye test and then the other criteria doesn't even matter because you've already been crossed off the list. Of course this is totally dependent on the number of games to be assigned and the number of available officials. Supply and demand plays a major role here.

[BatteryPowered]

In my association I can think of just three officials who have facial hair. All were established and calling mostly varsity when I joined...I have worked with two of them this year. That tells me I "caught them" in the pecking order of assignments.

Is it because I got real good very quickly? As much as I would like to think so...probably not the reason.

Are their work schedules and or blocks limiting their assignments? Maybe...it can happen.

Is the assignor holding facial hair against them? Don't know, but it is curious.

As for jewelry, I do not wear my wedding ring. I mentioned it in a conversation with my wife right after I started officiating. She smiled and said "Pull the ego back. Do you really think someone from the stands or a young girl is going to try to pick you up while you are calling a game?"

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BatteryPowered

...

As for jewelry, I do not wear my wedding ring. I mentioned it in a conversation with my wife right after I started officiating. She smiled and said "Pull the ego back. Do you really think someone from the stands or a young girl is going to try to pick you up while you are calling a game?"

During my single days I did have some luck in that department, and I was in my 40's.

[Dad]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

During my single days I did have some luck in that department, and I was in my 40's.

Don't call it luck.

Smile and know you're the best looking guy on the court.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BatteryPowered

As for jewelry, I do not wear my wedding ring.

Fool me once ...

https://forum.officiating.com/basket...tml#post524238

Fool me twice ...

https://forum.officiating.com/basket...tml#post524302

Never was a third time.

[Welpe]

I've always worn my wedding ring and nobody has ever said a thing about it to me. Shrug.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I've always worn my wedding ring and nobody has ever said a thing about it to me. Shrug.

No one has ever said anything to me, it's a personal decision for me to take it off. Not everything is about somebody else saying something to you, sometimes it's just your own choice based on what you like or don't like.

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[Welpe]

Absolutely and you're also not telling others to take them off. I have no problem with you choosing not to wear one. My comment was directed towards those that are saying to take them off.

[dahoopref]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

We've beaten the facial hair horse dead, so let me shift gears. I invite a discussion about wedding rings to begin. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Wedding rings are the only jewelry acceptable to wear that can be seen.

Peace

Originally Posted by jpgc99

I wear my wedding ring. I don't see how rules governing the players has anything to do with me.

Originally Posted by Welpe

I've always worn my wedding ring and nobody has ever said a thing about it to me. Shrug.

Originally Posted by Welpe

Absolutely and you're also not telling others to take them off. I have no problem with you choosing not to wear one. My comment was directed towards those that are saying to take them off.

For those of you who officiate Men's College Basketball or aspire to, the following is from the 2015-16 Officiating Manual:

Page 32, Article 5. Emblems and Jackets
A. Wrist watches, rings, chains, necklaces, and other jewelry shall not be worn.

Short story: The observer in my area was very keen on an official's uniform appearance. Last season during a post-game evaluation with the crew, the observer asked why I didn't wear my wedding ring during the game (because he knew I was married) and I simply replied, "It's not allowed to wear while we officiate on the court."

My assignor told me one of the reasons I advanced to the conference tournament was that I complied with the uniform regulations of not wearing my wedding ring.

Question:
When advancement to the next level is so competitive with other officials, why do something voluntarily that is against regulations that could hinder your advancement?

[JRutledge]

I do not think wedding rings are exactly included in that area. For one I know many supervisors that like people that are married and I do not think they want you to take it off because it is technically jewelry. I know D1 officials that were their ring and it does not hurt them. I think that section is about some random ring that someone might wear.

Peace

[Welpe]

I'm watching the USC / UCLA game and one of the officials didn't get the memo that wedding rings weren't allowed.

And of course I thought of this thread.

[j51969]

The big take-away here is getting to whatever the next level is for you. At some point what separates one official from the next is very minor. Court appearance and grooming standards may very well be the difference. Find out what is acceptable in your area. Two officials I work with on a regular basis are advancing in women’s college basketball. To include an invite to Patty’s camp this coming year. Both of them are extremely fit, have zero facial hair, and yes take off wedding rings. Even though it wouldn't be a concern in any of our HS games they do it because that’s what they do in college (muscle memory). IHSA has other ideas here in Illinois. If fitness and physical appearance mattered state finals official wouldn't look like that. But I'm not telling anyone who officiates in IL anything they don't already know. Even something as like how tall you are can matter. Both of them are under 6ft, so there is hope for us all.

P.S. One is African-American and one is Caucasian