That's All I Can Stands ...
 

... I can't stands no more. (Popeye)

I watch CNN while working out at the gym and I've seen this commercial dozens of times.

It's a commercial for Humira. A woman realizes that although she's trying to manage her ulcerative colitis, her fear of reoccurring symptoms means she's missing out on special family moments. At her son's basketball game, she's distracted by her discomfort and must step out, just before her son makes a three pointer.

I want to scream every time I see it.

1) Son, and a his teammates, are wearing red jerseys with the name of their school, "Central", on the front of the jersey. The son, and a few of his teammates, are wearing white undershirts under their red jerseys.

2) Immediately after the game, the son, still wearing his sweaty, dirty, game worn uniform, is standing in line, with his dad, at the salad bar of a restaurant, getting ready to enjoy a post game meal with his family.

Don't kids learn proper hygiene any more? Back when I was his age, after our games, and practices, all of us would shower, and put on our street clothes. I would never even consider wearing my smelly uniform, or dirty practice stuff, outside the gym, especially to a public place like a restaurant.

I hope that the family sitting next to them at the restaurant brought some Lysol, or Febreze, with them.

Now I feel better. Would someone please help me down from this soapbox before I fall and get hurt? After this I'm going to yell at some kids to get off of my front lawn.

Moderate to severe ulcerative colitis.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Those were your only problems with the commercial? Not thst the kid didn't forcus on the game? His coach? Or his teamates?....

I get sick to my stomach everytime I look at CNN.....:D:D:D

Punch (In The Stomach) Line ...
 

I've got the cure. Here it comes. Be ready. You've guessed it.

Get a prescription for Humira.

Billy on another island again. :eek:

Peace

This smells like a typical BMac thread.....he starts it and then pads his thread total with mindless responses.....:D:D:D

Better Then Getting Voted Off The Island ...
 

Just BillyMac tilting at windmills.

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.E...=0&w=211&h=180

If the mother has ulcerative colitis, I don't think the son's smelly gym clothes are going to be noticed.

I was teased in HS in the 80s didnt enjoy showering. At some point I know they stopped using the showers in HS. I am betting it was from sexually charged inappropriate behavior. We live in a sexually charged country and I can imagine the youth and what started happening in showers between the 80s and now wasnt good. When they stopped showering it became the norm since everyone has kids I am sure folks got used to it in public. Year round allergies prevent me from smelling much. I wonder if I am immune. I bet if you talk to a teenager today and get to the truth thats the real reason they dont shower any more.

Get Off My Lawn ...
 

I understand that culture evolves, and that showering in school after physical education class, or after a practice, or a game, is no longer part of the culture of a school. I still don't think that this is good hygiene, but I get it.

What I don't get is how a parent can bring a sweaty kid, with a dirty, smelly uniform, into a sit down restaurant. A McDonald's drive through? Sure. If I'm dropping a bundle for a steak at Ruth's Chris Steak House, I don't want some smelly kid, in a sweaty uniform, sitting at the next table.

Go home, shower, put on some clean clothes, and then go out for a family dinner.

Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way?
What's the matter with kids today?
(Bye Bye Birdie)

Damn neighbor kids are back on my front lawn again. I'll get them good this time, I'll turn the hose on them.

When I started officiating varsity hoops 7 or 8 years ago and decided showering after every single/double header was something I wanted to do, I was surprised to find out how many locker room shower areas/stalls have been converted to storage areas for the athletic departments outdated equipment, and misc items.

I've got to believe it's because of years of no use.

The number 1 reason I hate dress codes for HS games. We get inadequate changing facilities that often lack showers.

Seriously, I've showed up to playoff games and the game manager says "Okay you can change in this bathroom we will try to keep the people coming in to a minimum...."

Are you kidding me?

Is showing up already dressed frowned upon in your area? I don't do it, but a lot of folks in my association do, especially for JV games that tip earlier.

I've been around the block enough by now to know which schools don't have showering facilities, so those are the days I wear my favorite jeans and pullover or maybe even nice sweats. I'll take baby wipes for a quick post-game sponge bath and clean pair of skids so I don't have to go home or to the ol' watering hole with swamp butt and I'm good to go.

TMI??? :D:D

Extremely frowned upon in our area. They are so desperate for lower level officials here it doesn't really matter what they do I've heard. They will still get a full schedule if they are willing to work.

With have a few private schools which put us in offices, classrooms, or storage closets. I tell my crews I'm coming dressed to those games.

Same, even though there are more than adequate locker room areas for officials at middle schools and at high schools in our area for sub varsity contests.

99% of the time Fr/So/JV officials show up fully dressed, then finish up their games while my V crew is pre-gaming, put on their black officiating jacket and walk out the door for home.

I get all itchy just thinking about it.

'Cause Every Girl Crazy 'Bout A Sharp Dressed Man (ZZ Top) …
 

We service around seventy high schools. I know of only three that don't have showering facilities, and a secure changing area.

From our local newsletter a few years ago:

When arriving at a game site, people immediately judge you by your appearance. Make a good first impression by coming to game sites dressed professionally in business casual attire. Consider purchasing a sweater, pullover, or vest, with an IAABO logo. Common sense dictates that some afternoon assignments may require officials to arrive in uniform, or in work clothes. Middle school sites may lack secure dressing areas, and may not have shower facilities available.

For most high school games, where secure dressing areas, and showers, are available, officials should not come dressed in uniform, and should not come dressed in sneakers, work boots, jeans, T-shirts, etc. It looks bad, and reflects poorly on our board. On court, the official’s uniform should be clean, pants pressed, all black shoes shined, jacket unwrinkled, and the official should be well groomed. Officials should shower after the game and should not leave wearing a uniform. Doing so could give the impression that the official wants to “get in, get out, and get paid”, which is not the impression that our officials want to present.

Next year I'll be available for midafternoon middle school games (next season, when fans yell, "Don't quit your day job", I'll be able to yell back, "Too late. I'm retired"), and plan to work a few and mentor some of the new guys. I've been talking to some of our middle school guys and they all say the same thing, "Come dressed in uniform".

LOL....YES....wear that badge with pride! You've undoubtedly earned it. Congrats.

There is some really really bad officiating by young men and women in our local middle school games. However, what that says to me is there is a huge opportunity for seasoned vets to come along side and mentor some of these officials that we desperately need to stay in the game and continue their development.

Good to know you're stepping up. A lot of guys can't and/or won't do it.

Education Is The Key To Success ...
 

I'm now working as a chemist (who says those that can't do teach, I can do both, I can do, and I can teach) but I'm actually a retired thirty-plus year middle school science teacher.

Teaching is in my DNA. It's in my blood. I can teach my ass off.

Member Expectations
 

That would not go over big here in my little corner of Connecticut.

From my local board:

Member Expectations
- Arrive at game site in timely manner and appropriately dressed - business casual, no jeans.
- Varsity members arrive early to observe subvarsity officials and subvarsity officials remain to
observe varsity officials.

In much of the world, nobody cares how the FR/JV officials show up. They arrive, work, and leave.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Get In, Get Out, Get Paid, Not Here ...
 

From what I read on the Forum, I agree, but in the world of IAABO, especially Connecticut IAABO, and specifically, my local board IAABO, the education, and training, of new officials, and the continuing education, and training, of experienced officials, is our main objective.

Collegiality and education go hand in hand. Veterans observe inexperienced guys. Inexperienced guys observe veterans. Plays, rules, mechanics, signals, positioning, and game management, are discussed. Positive feedback, and constructive criticism, are offered.

Of course the number, and level, of game assignments, and game fees, are important (few of us would work for free, or want to work just one freshman game a week), but it's not our only raison d'être.

Sure, not everybody buys into the system. We've got a few subvarsity guys that just want to get in, get out, and get paid, but it's a very small percentage.

That might be true and it still does not change an often bad stereotype. We have locker rooms, so you need to act like you have changed your clothes, even if you hide it well.

Peace

Well down here, a lot of sub-varsity officials can't get to schools any earlier than 15 minutes before tip because of work, etc. So showing up in uniform is inevitable and acceptable and quite frankly, the schools couldn't care less and I bet barely even bat an eye.

And in the event I work non-interscholastic ball, I show up in uniform and the only thing I put on at the gym is shoes. None of the powers-that-be at church/wreck leagues or AAU-type tournaments could care less.

Why do you need to act as if you have changed, if you don't have access to a locker room? If I do get a locker room, I change there, even if I just remove my regular sweater/dress shirt and put on my uniform shirt. When I don't, I might dress in a bathroom stall or come already in uniform.

Re: "hide it well". How does an official do that?

At least in my neck of the woods, it is acceptable to show up to a varsity game dressed if you have finished working the JV game, or another game elsewhere (Sometimes, an official may be assigned to both a JV and varsity game on the same day. This usually happens for DC public school games.). Is this the same everywhere?

Maybe the people who create the ads don't know NFHS rules (I wouldn't be surprised, as most fans don't know the difference between high school and NBA basketball as presented by "expert" announcers, who are likely to complain about "over the back" and "reach" fouls, which do not exist, even in the NBA). I suggest that you educate them :p.

Water Color Memories ...
 

Even with our strict local dress code, both of these situations (above) would be totally acceptable.

And to think, thirty-seven years ago we were expected to show up in a dress shirt, and tie (a dress shirt, tie, and a sports jacket, for a private prep school game).

Well if it is an HS game, coming dressed can and will get you fired. And I am talking about the heavy traffic area that 15 miles can take over an hour to get to.

Officiating is local, like politics.

Peace

Which is why my post specifically addressed subvarsity games and also included the qualifier "down here."

And the standards can be different. I just know what happens here when you show up dressed to work games. And it is often stated in the emails by the assignors as their "terms."

Peace

All Politics Is Local (Tip O'Neill) ...
 

Great post, they can be, and often are. And it's the single most important fact that I have learned since I joined the Forum.

Previous to joining the Forum, I was officiating in a vacuum, in a bubble, stuck here in my little corner of Connecticut. Participating in the Forum has opened up my eyes to a whole new world of officiating out there. And I've discovered that different doesn't necessarily mean better, or worse, most times different is just different, no more, no less.

I'll defend what we do, warts (black belts) and all, but I'm also open to the idea that something done in a different manner may also be great for those who officiate someplace else.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavor. (William Cowper)

Also, "When in Rome, yada yada ...".

I'm not defending what we do if I think what we do is not right. There are some things I like and there are some things I don't like.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Work To Change ...
 

Work to change what is not right. My local board had two major divisive issues this past year, one involving a lack of transparency. Some members on one side of the lack of transparency issue decided to form a coalition and run for the executive board. Phone calls were made, and text messages were sent. Flyers were distributed before a meeting. There were three openings, and all three were filled by members of this pro-transparency coalition. We've already seen changes. For the first time ever, an agenda for the first meeting of the new executive committee was sent to all members, and we were encouraged to contact executive board members if we had anything to say about any of the agenda items. Plans are being made for next year to add amendments to our constitution to insure that all future decisions made by the executive committee are done with a high degree of transparency.

While I was pretty ambivalent about the two issues, one I was on the fence (members voted by coaches into the state tournament are now forced to select either boys, or girls, no longer can work both, this issue seemed to involve some lack of transparency), the other wasn't a big deal to me (put down a $20.00 deposit if you're planning to attend the end of the year banquet, get the twenty bucks back when you attend)), I am pleased that decisions will now be made with more open communication to let members know what issues and decisions are on the table, so that final decisions are not sprung upon us in a surprising manner. Last year's executive committee didn't do anything wrong, they technically went by the book, but more communication before decisions were made would have been welcomed, and now things will be a little better because a few guys stepped up to the table.