To the Virginia officials ...

[bisonlj]

Our football schedules are generally not assigned. Schools contact directly with crews and usually do it as soon as they contract the games. That means it often starts 4-5 years out. Our crew already has three games scheduled for 2020.

[ODog]

Wow, 2-3 years out? We're lucky to get 2-3 days out for our first wave of games.

Hoop season around here starts THIS WEEK and we don't have our assignments yet!

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by ODog

Wow, 2-3 years out? We're lucky to get 2-3 days out for our first wave of games.

Hoop season around here starts THIS WEEK and we don't have our assignments yet!

This is freaking ridiculous as well. There is no way the assignor is still waiting to find out where and when the games for next week are going to be. The fact that he cannot get assignments out at this stage is just plain laziness.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by johnny d

This is freaking ridiculous as well. There is no way the assignor is still waiting to find out where and when the games for next week are going to be. The fact that he cannot get assignments out at this stage is just plain laziness.

I agree with that too. At least a month, but no more than 2-3 is about right.

[DRJ1960]

I'll get my January schedule the week of Christmas....

[RedAndWhiteRef]

Originally Posted by johnny d

This is freaking ridiculous as well. There is no way the assignor is still waiting to find out where and when the games for next week are going to be. The fact that he cannot get assignments out at this stage is just plain laziness.

My "regular" job is one that schedules week-to-week (hey, I'm only 23!). I have a relatively consistent schedule, but sometimes I have to work the odd shift that I'm not expecting because that's just how it is. So every week is a constant sweat between "can I work my job?" or "can I accept my games/what dates do I block on Arbiter this week?"

For football I got my assignments at least two weeks in advance. For baseball I got damn near my entire schedule before the season even started. Is basketball honestly that much more difficult? I'm not an assignor, so I really don't know.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by RedAndWhiteRef

My "regular" job is one that schedules week-to-week (hey, I'm only 23!). I have a relatively consistent schedule, but sometimes I have to work the odd shift that I'm not expecting because that's just how it is. So every week is a constant sweat between "can I work my job?" or "can I accept my games/what dates do I block on Arbiter this week?"

For football I got my assignments at least two weeks in advance. For baseball I got damn near my entire schedule before the season even started. Is basketball honestly that much more difficult? I'm not an assignor, so I really don't know.

Is there a difference in the way those sports are "organized" in your area?

The farther out an assigner assigns, the more work s/he'll have to do twice (schedule changes /turnbacks).

The closer in an assigner assigns, the greater risk the the officials he wants will be busy.

Where the "sweet spot" is depends on the assigner and how many other assigners are working in the same area. For example, I think the three closest high schools to my house have three different boys assigners and three different girls assigners. The two closest colleges have different assigners. So I could work for eight different people and not travel more than about 4 miles each way.

In other areas, someone might work for only one assigner the entire season.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Where the "sweet spot" is depends on the assigner and how many other assigners are working in the same area. For example, I think the three closest high schools to my house have three different boys assigners and three different girls assigners. The two closest colleges have different assigners. So I could work for eight different people and not travel more than about 4 miles each way.

In other areas, someone might work for only one assigner the entire season.

And that is probably the difference that drives the extreme early assigning.

Here, in Oregon, there is just 1 HS assignor per area. That is the way it is organized. A person can work for 2 or more but they will not be in the same metro area. A few work in adjacent towns.

There are not that many college assignors either. In the surrounding 100 miles, there are 2 f or men and 2 for women. With the much lower population density, there are simply fewer colleges to be assigned.

All of them, including the one I worked for assign in the fall for that season. They expect that if you have a HS game, you'll take their game over it. The HS assignor expects to lose officials to college assignments but also expects that he be notified as soon as you know about the college assignment.

All of them expect that if your calendar is open, you will take a game they offer you. If you have your calendar blocked, they don't expect you to take anything.

[johnny d]

Originally Posted by bisonlj

Our football schedules are generally not assigned. Schools contact directly with crews and usually do it as soon as they contract the games. That means it often starts 4-5 years out. Our crew already has three games scheduled for 2020.

This is just stupid. Your entire crew could be dead in 2020. There is no way anyone can reasonably be expected to make a commitment to a particular day 4+ years in advance, especially for something as trivial as officiating a high school sporting event.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by johnny d

This is just stupid. Your entire crew could be dead in 2020. There is no way anyone can reasonably be expected to make a commitment to a particular day 4+ years in advance, especially for something as trivial as officiating a high school sporting event.

And yet it sounds like they are.

My problem with some officials is this -- they know they have a conflict well in advance but wait till the last minute to address it. Surely those college officials knew they had a game on Thursday before they contacted me on Monday.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Rich

And yet it sounds like they are.

My problem with some officials is this -- they know they have a conflict well in advance but wait till the last minute to address it. Surely those college officials knew they had a game on Thursday before they contacted me on Monday.

Unless they received a last minute assignment which happens to me at least once a year.

But I've never known college assignors to keep a HS crew together as a college crew. Of course, the concept of permanent crews is totally foreign around these parts

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Unless they received a last minute assignment which happens to me at least once a year.

But I've never known college assignors to keep a HS crew together as a college crew. Of course, the concept of permanent crews is totally foreign around these parts

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I've not been a part of college basketball, but I did work college baseball the last 10 years. I'd simply tell my college assigner that I was already working. Then again, I didn't live for working college games, so I get that's probably just me.

I have other college officials -- they always find subs for themselves and offer those names to me when turning back dates. Around here, that's the polite thing to do. Especially if you wish to keep getting assignments.

Frankly, if I assign a college official 8 dates and they end up turning back 6 of them, I'm just better off not using that person at all. It's nothing personal, really.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Rich

I've not been a part of college basketball, but I did work college baseball the last 10 years. I'd simply tell my college assigner that I was already working. Then again, I didn't live for working college games, so I get that's probably just me.

I have other college officials -- they always find subs for themselves and offer those names to me when turning back dates. Around here, that's the polite thing to do. Especially if you wish to keep getting assignments.

.

I don't "live for college ball" and I hate that folks characterize good officials who strive to work a certain level with that negative connotation. I also do not live to be at the beck and call of any of my supervisors, and luckily I no longer have any supervisors who think an official should always be available no matter what. I work to be the best official I can be, and the benefits have been being hired by multiple supervisors to work college ball as well as having 2 HS supervisors who like having me work games for them.

Here assignors do not want officials volunteering names for replacement, some even get upset about it. Turn your game back as soon as you realize you need to do so, and the assignor will find the replacement.

Also, every supervisor I work for, 6 college/2 HS, allows officials to turn back games for higher level games without penalty or repercussion (college over HS; D3 and up over JuCo; D2 and up over D3; D1 over D2). They realize their better officials are the guys who are trying to move up and they have enough officials to fill slots. Also, 7 of my 8 supervisors work or have worked college ball in their careers and fully understand the concept of moving up, as they did it themselves. They only get upset when officials fail to close out their dates and then turn back games because "I forgot I had a previous commitment". That will cost officials games, and understandably so.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

I don't "live for college ball" and I hate that folks characterize good officials who strive to work a certain level with that negative connotation. I also do not live to be at the beck and call of any of my supervisors, and luckily I no longer have any supervisors who think an official should always be available no matter what. I work to be the best official I can be, and the benefits have been being hired by multiple supervisors to work college ball as well as having 2 HS supervisors who like having me work games for them.

Here assignors do not want officials volunteering names for replacement, some even get upset about it. Turn your game back as soon as you realize you need to do so, and the assignor will find the replacement.

Also, every supervisor I work for, 6 college/2 HS, allows officials to turn back games for higher level games without penalty or repercussion (college over HS; D3 and up over JuCo; D2 and up over D3; D1 over D2). They realize their better officials are the guys who are trying to move up and they have enough officials to fill slots. Also, 7 of my 8 supervisors work or have worked college ball in their careers and fully understand the concept of moving up, as they did it themselves. They only get upset when officials fail to close out their dates and then turn back games because "I forgot I had a previous commitment". That will cost officials games, and understandably so.

Don't get me wrong - I never hold back someone who wants to work at the next level. Unfortunately some think the "next level" includes a boys game over a girls game or a bigger HS conference than the one I assign.

All I'm saying is that if an official turns back 75% of his assignments because he's getting that many college dates, it becomes too much work for me, then. I can still use the person to pick up last minute stuff and changes on open nights, but I just won't put them on the schedule.

And here I want names of subs given to me -- although I reserve the right to use that sub or not. If I don't, then I'm on the hook to find a replacement.