Jurrasic spelled out what I meant. I don't care who throws the ball up. I'm talking about officials who will take charge. Manage, Communicate and have the courage to call certain plays and leave certain plays alone.

Let's see who is aerobically fit with distance running tests so that we can go out on the floor and run short bursts in polyester pants for about an hour.

Make sense.

Not.

Rich

While they don't track precisely, ability in one will, in most cases, be reflected the other. There are some officials that simply can't make it down the court. If they can't make it down the court, they sure will not make it a 1/4 mile.

Quote:

While they don't track precisely, ability in one will, in most cases, be reflected the other. There are some officials that simply can't make it down the court. If they can't make it down the court, they sure will not make it a 1/4 mile.

If it's an area that does 3-person and you need coverage for afternoon games, maybe a better test would be to make sure someone has a pulse. :-)

Z

Well that might work with some of the teams you see, but if you work some of the teams I see, you better have more than a pulse and some energy to run up and down the court. ;)

Peace

Yeah !!!
 

Rut,
'Specially on them BIG floors, yo? ;)
mick

Your part of the country doesn't have a monopoly on athleticism Rut.
My point is that there are lower level games that require coverage and from what I understand, most associations can barely cover those games as it is. Given the choice between getting them covered with some "slower bodies" and not covering them all, I say let's just stick with the pulse check. :-) If there are areas with a surplus of excellent referees with the athletic ability of Carl Lewis who are willing to do lower level afternoon games, then maybe those areas should implement that fitness test.

Z

What happens if a ref fails the test? You make a good point zebraman, but I think there should be some standard of fitness for the top V games. I would not recommend blocking a ref who failed the test from all games, but it can give an assignor ammunition for explaining why someone who has always been getting the top games is not anymore. It would be alot easier to say sorry you failed the test that saying sorry you got old and fat.


Of course only in areas that have enough refs that are qualified to handle the top games regardless of physical fitness. An experienced slow ref would be better than a fit bad ref.

NO S..........!!!!!
 

No $h!t Sherlock!! ;)


No $h!t Sherlock!! ;)

You do not have to have the athletic ability to be able to run with players. But you do have to have a sense of humor if you took my post as serious. :D

Peace

Zebraman, wow you are making some serious excuses for being out of shape. Is there a reason for this?

The reason is that you missed his point completely. You need to go back and re-read his post.Z isn't making any excuses at all for officials being out of shape.He's simply telling you that,on afternoon games,availability can be the <b>only</b> factor on who is assigned to games-fit or not.As an assigner,I can tell you that that is certainly true.You take what you can get sometimes.If the mirror fogs up,they're on the game:D.

I think that you also missed the ":-)" in his post.

Jurassic, how do you deal with out of shape refs? Not just a little out of shape-but slow enough you have seen it affect their ability? I am not referring to lower level games but higher level ones.

The reason is that you missed his point completely. You need to go back and re-read his post.Z isn't making any excuses at all for officials being out of shape.He's simply telling you that,on afternoon games,availability can be the <b>only</b> factor on who is assigned to games-fit or not.As an assigner,I can tell you that that is certainly true.You take what you can get sometimes.If the mirror fogs up,they're on the game:D.

I think that you also missed the ":-)" in his post. [/B][/QUOTE]

And with all due respect JR, I also think Z missed the point that everyone else is making. For one, we realize that if a game needs to be filled, especially a lower level game you put pretty much anyone on the game you can. But if other tests are to be used a barometer for ability, why not a test of physical ability? Especially when I see fat, older and lazy officials on games working over younger, in-shape, hard working officials. If we are going to use written tests as qualifiers of officiating ability, why not physical ones? Now no one is saying you have to have officials that have a 6 pack on your stomach and the marathon ability of an Olympic Champion, but if we want to test other things which have little to do with officiating, then why not something that we actually have to do, RUN?

Peace

It sounds as if the NC eagles don't want to fly with turkeys anymore. Let's just get the tape measure out. Why waste time running? Anyone with a waist over 32" must line up at the east corner of the gym for summary flogging at dawn followed by a 6 mile run and 10 by 400 wind sprints. Repeat weekly until all the poor varsity wannabes either pass or pass away.

SIUC 4-0 (We sure can beat up those D2 teams)

If they can't do the job,then I simply won't use them on higher level games.If an official can't get into position to make the proper call,then there's a good chance that they won't make the proper call.That's not fair to their partners,let alone the players and teams out there,who are the most important ones anyway.I also tell them to their face why they aren't being assigned to key games,play off games,etc. We have an appeal process set up for when I make these decisions,but I can't remember it ever being used.The guys seem to know in their own minds that there's nothing personal involved,and that someone had to make that decision,and it is the right decision. The toughest part is telling good,long term officials,who are also your friends,that you don't think that they are physically able to do the highest level games anymore.I think that it helps that they know that I applied the same criteria to myself, and that I won't do varsity games anymore(unless it's a last minute,panic need-an-official type of thing). I'm a firm believer that you have to earn your way into the good games,and keep earning your way every year.I'm also a firm believer that you gotta push your good young,fit,keen officials. If you don't,you stand the chance of losing them.Or take the risk that they're gonna start to just mail in their games,instead of going all-out.The older officials also know that they had better be prepared to do things properly too,without cutting corners.That means being reasonably fit and trim,using the proper mechanics,knowing the rules and how to apply them,etc.,etc.Those are the basics,before you get into evaluating the other things that they need like game awareness,judgement,"presence",etc.

Btw,I'm not talking about officials getting beat down the floor on a fast break.That happens to the fastest officials at times,even in 3-man NCAA games.I'm talking about the Leads that root themselves on the end line,no matter where the ball is swung to.Also the Trails that won't move with the ball,across or up and down.I lump the lazy officials in with the guys that have really slowed down. Neither deserve to be on the best games.

Jmo,but someone has to do it.