Game arrival time

[Matt S.]

Informal poll: how early are you expected to be in the locker room for your varsity and/or college assignments?

For me, it's an hour for varsity, 75 minutes for D3 Women.

Wondering what the expectation is in other areas.

[SC Official]

45 minutes at the very very earliest on a weeknight.

Should be more like an hour if no conflict with work.

[Matt S.]

Originally Posted by SC Official

45 minutes at the very very earliest on a weeknight.

Should be more like an hour if no conflict with work.

Is that for HS or college?

[APG]

For my high school association: 30 minutes
College: Depends on the conference....latest is 60 minutes prior

[JRutledge]

My standard is an hour for any level of varsity or college unless otherwise stated.

Lower level games can be 30 minutes if started early enough like a 4:30 game.

Peace

[crosscountry55]

Have now officiated in six different states and the standard has always been 60 minutes for varsity. For sub-varsity HS games, pretty much 30 minutes is what I always remember being the mark. Of course one is always encouraged to shoot for a little earlier (~45 min) if possible, but work conflicts are understood and frankly if you're pushing 15 minutes from time to time no one cares as long as you keep your partner informed and get the game in.

For MS games, 20-30 minutes.

For weekend youth/AAU games, my personal standard is proportional to the paltry game fees I earn, meaning usually about 5-10 minutes. And even then, if I have the first slot in the morning, sometimes the gym is still locked when I arrive.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

For weekend youth/AAU games, my personal standard is proportional to the paltry game fees I earn, meaning usually about 5-10 minutes. And even then, if I have the first slot in the morning, sometimes the gym is still locked when I arrive.

If it is any contest that does not involve a regular uniform, that is pretty much the standard as long as you are ready to go before game time (usually games without a locker room). No one hardly gets excited about an AAU game like that.

Peace

[BillyMac]

For our high school varsity games, we are encouraged to be there at the beginning of the preceding junior varsity game, and expected to be there no later than the beginning of the second period of the preceding junior varsity game. In either case, varsity officials head to the locker room at the end of the third period of the preceding junior varsity game.

[jTheUmp]

If it's just a single varsity game: 60 minutes prior to scheduled tipoff. If I'm doing non-varsity or a JV/Varsity doubleheader, 30 minutes prior to first game.

Since I'm paranoid about being late for stuff, I'm usually 10-15 minutes earlier than that. Also, I really don't like feeling rushed before a game... I like to have some time to mentally get away from all the other life distractions and focus on the task at hand.

[Mark Padgett]

For driveway games it's 5 minutes.

[Kansas Ref]

Varsity 1 hour before scheduled tip time; JV/ Fresh 30 mins; Middle School 30 mins; recreational leagues (0 to 5 minutes)--these games usually feature a kid or coach running into the gym lugging gym bags and fumbling with score sheets 10 seconds before tip off.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Back in the day, for both women's and men's college it used to be 1:30 before the start time for Div. III and below and 2:00 before the start time for Div. I. Regarding Div. I games there is a protocol that each league that must be followed including a pregame with the Scorer and Timers.

The NHFS Officials Manual has always said 1:00 before the start time. Using that as a guide line I would like to be at the game site before the start of JV when I had a VAR game and I would either stay in the dressing room or at least be in the dressing room by the end of the third quarter.

I would always be at the game site 1:00 before the start time for JV games and at between 0:45 and 1:00 before the start time for FR and JrHS games. As I have gotten older it is important that I arrive 1:00 before a game because of the time it takes to put on my knee brace and to stretch out. It is hell getting old, LOL! And just think of poor MTD, Jr., he has to carry both figuratively and literally, LOL!

My preference has always been to arrive at the game site at the earliest time required. I wanted to allow for travel delays as well as to not be rushed in getting ready in the dressing room.

MTD, Sr.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Matt S.

Is that for HS or college?

HS.

I meant to say "very latest" rather than "very earliest."

[scrounge]

In this area, it's not absolutely required but it's expected that the varsity officials will arrive 1:30 early and watch the first half of the preceding JV game, offering feedback/comments at halftime to the JV officials. Does it always happen? No, but most of the time, most of the guys are there for at least a quarter and usually the whole half. No set time for sub-varsity, just be out there dressed 15 mins prior to tip. So practically, unless you show up dressed (discouraged, at least for the main conferences), 30 mins is the defacto arrival time.

[Kansas Ref]

Originally Posted by scrounge

In this area, it's not absolutely required but it's expected that the varsity officials will arrive 1:30 early and watch the first half of the preceding JV game, offering feedback/comments at halftime to the JV officials. .

In my experience/observation: no Varsity ref hung around the locker room to give ''advice''/'feedback'' to JV Fresh refs after the game was over. Those JV Fresh refs are high-tailing it out of there after their games--getting home and out of the snow--heck man it's dinner time right after games are done. When I do varsity I do not offer such 'advice' and when I do JV Fresh games I do not solicit such 'advice' from the other crew. In fact, I have not seen anyone do --nor would I expect anyone to attempt to do such. What kind of advice feedback is typically given? Is it necessary to do such?