Recruitment and Retention of Officials

[lewpert]

My point to the OP that I didn’t make succinctly is, once you get your younger crop cultivated work with the state association. It’s their high schools, they should be going to games & providing feedback to the officials & the assigners. Don’t let assigners that try to extort money for games ruin or frustrate kids working their way up. It does no good to recruit if you can’t retain.
As for me, I didn’t leave the game because of $250, I left the game when it became apparent that greasing the correct skids meant more than ability on the court. Integrity should still stand for something, especially in the officiating fraternity.

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by lewpert

My point to the OP that I didn’t make succinctly is, once you get your younger crop cultivated work with the state association. It’s their high schools, they should be going to games & providing feedback to the officials & the assigners. Don’t let assigners that try to extort money for games ruin or frustrate kids working their way up. It does no good to recruit if you can’t retain.
As for me, I didn’t leave the game because of $250, I left the game when it became apparent that greasing the correct skids meant more than ability on the court. Integrity should still stand for something, especially in the officiating fraternity.

Perhaps my experience has been different, but I wouldn't calling it greasing the right skids. When I was trying to work high school ball, I knew I was going to have to attend each assignors camp if I wanted to work games in their leagues, and that practice continued at the college level. Every level or conference I wanted to work in I knew what was involved and that the best and in many cases the only way to get in to that league or level was attend the right camps. Did you really expect to get games without going to the assignors or associations camp?

[Dad]

Originally Posted by johnny d

Perhaps my experience has been different, but I wouldn't calling it greasing the right skids. When I was trying to work high school ball, I knew I was going to have to attend each assignors camp if I wanted to work games in their leagues, and that practice continued at the college level. Every level or conference I wanted to work in I knew what was involved and that the best and in many cases the only way to get in to that league or level was attend the right camps. Did you really expect to get games without going to the assignors or associations camp?

I honestly hate this kind of system. I got D2 games before I had my first varsity game in my first association. I got lucky getting into an amazing association my second time around. Earning varsity games is a must, imo. Going through hoops that aren't good identifiers of good officials is silly.