Wanted, Reward, Dead Or Alive ...

[BillyMac]

Is this a problem in your area, local, or state?

Lori Riley: Recruiting, Retaining High School Athletics Officals In Connecticut Can Be A Challenge - Hartford Courant

[SC Official]

My district has some trouble with subvarsity games. Not to the extent that the assigner has to get ADs involved, but to the extent that he asks for people to open up dates or we have to get someone from a neighboring district. I'm sure the problem will become more dire in the future.

Subvarsity DHs never start before 5:30 around here, so guys getting off work normally isn't the issue (even if it means showing up at 5:15). Varsity DHs start at 6:00, and varsity assignments are state-controlled here; the booking office will go as far down the ranking list as it has to in order to fill all the varsity slots. It's extremely rare that there are conflicts between subvarsity and varsity games; varsity games are primarily Tuesday/Friday nights, and subvarsity games on the other days. Almost all assignments are doubleheaders, a girls game followed by a boys game.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

... the assigner ... asks for people to open up dates ...

Happens here about three, or four, times a season. Usually when "snowed out" games get rescheduled to already busy nights (Tuesday, Friday) during influenza season when we're already "down" several officials.



Of course things get much worse if it snows on a Tuesday, or a Friday, meaning tons of games to make up.

And this past season, Connecticut schools were closing due to "excessive cold", yeah, you heard me right, not for snow, but for cold.

Spoiled kids today. I had to walk to school, no shoes, in my bare feet, in several feet of snow, uphill both ways, wearing only a moth eaten sweater.

Guys around here like to go on three day ski weekends up north, making for another set of problems.

I had to work a junior varsity/varsity doubleheader a few years ago, not the norm here in my little corner of Connecticut. Coaches, and athletic directors, don't like these doubleheaders, they think that the officials get too tired in the junior varsity game to do a good job in the varsity game.

Freshman/junior varsity doubleheaders are fairly common around here.

Boys/girls varsity doubleheaders here? No such animal.

When in Rome ...

[Stat-Man]

A combination of 3:30, 4:00, and 4:30 starting times for sub-varsity games and the opening of charter schools in previously-closed buildings appear to be the main reasons for a a crunch in filling game assignments here. Anyone who is available for the early games inevitably becomes an assignor's best friend. It's also meant the number of freshman/JV doubleheader assignments has increased. Last year, I think I had more such doubleheaders than the previous five years combined. I even had a doubleheader where the freshman boys played at home followed by the JV girls (with the varsity girls playing after we finished our doubleheader).

At last month's statewide officiating day meeting, it was announced that every association has been asked to add a position to its board with the purpose of recruiting and retaining officials. I'm not sure how this position will work in my association, but - I suppose like everyone else in the state - we'll see what happens.

[Raymond]

The problem will only continue to get worse, no matter how many cheesy signs get posted throughout the nation.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Raymond

The problem will only continue to get worse, no matter how many cheesy signs get posted throughout the nation.

That is true.

Until they figure out a way to reduce the toxicity of the environment that officials are subjected to, there will always be a problem. Unfortunately, society likes to treat us like villains and that is probably not going to change.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Stat-Man

... the opening of charter schools ... reasons for a a crunch in filling game assignments here.

Same here, both charter schools, and magnet schools. They open up so fast it's hard to keep track. They multiply like rabbits.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

The problem will only continue to get worse, no matter how many cheesy signs get posted throughout the nation.

From the article, "And boards are becoming creative: one offered a gift card to a restaurant as incentive to apply".

Yeah. Right. A gift card to a restaurant will certainly entice many to give up time with their family, spend hours on ice, and snow covered, winter roads, and, as an extra added bonus, one gets to be yelled at by fans, and coaches. Yeah, that will do it.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

From the article, "And boards are becoming creative: one offered a gift card to a restaurant as incentive to apply".

Yeah. Right. A gift card to a restaurant will certainly entice many to give up time with their family, spend hours on ice, and snow covered, winter roads, and, as an extra added bonus, one gets to be yelled at by fans, and coaches. Yeah, that will do it.

You never know. Getting them to even consider the idea is often the hurdle. That gift card may even be all it takes to get some to give it a shot.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

You never know.

If it works, great.

Here in the Constitution State we're in dire need of officials in many sports, especially sports that traditionally play in the afternoon. I saw a basketball colleague of mine over the weekend who told me he took, and passed, the volleyball exam over the summer, and he's doing high level varsity volleyball games (state ranked teams) in his first year.

Of course, being the basketball official that I am, I kidded him that the hardest part of officiating volleyball was going up the ladder. He disagreed with me and said that hardest part of officiating volleyball was going down the ladder, one goes down backwards, and one can fall.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

This photo reminds me of a scene (it was either the opening scene, or the closing scene) in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)

Great movie. You young'uns should go down to your local Blockbuster Video and rent the videotape.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

The number of officials in all sports at all levels is dropping.

Mark, Jr. and I belong to two H.S. baseball/softball umpiring associations. The two association run a combined umpiring class, one for baseball and one for softball, because we have one assignor that uses all of the members combines to cover all baseball and softball in three counties.

We had total of 8 umpires take and pass either the baseball or softball class and 6 of the new umpires blocked the entire Spring on Arbiter, !

Special Olympics Ohio requires only OhioHSAA registered basketball officials officiate S.O. Basketball. There are over 875 schools that sponsor both both and girls basketball programs from 7th grade through VAR: that is 10 teams per school. Add to that need: All 88 counties plus the 6 largest city school districts sponsor S.O. Basketball meaning there are 94 S.O. Basketball programs sponsoring at least two and sometimes as many as four teams. Each team plays as many as 12 games during the regular season.

Last year I added 2 more counties that I assign for S.O. to the 2 for which I already assign. I had 6 different dates for which I had no officials to officiate S.O. games, and I am sure that there were JrHS games on those dates that were probably not covered.

I have already told the 2 counties that I added last year that I will not be able assign their games because I just do not have the officials to cover all of the games.

Many of you know that Mark, Jr., was promoted to Div. I college softball last year besides the Div. II and III conferences. In all of the college games that Mark has umpired in the last four years, he has worked one DH with an umpire in his age group. In the over 80 college games he has worked all but one of his partners have been at least 25 years older than him.

The officiating shortage is creeping up into the college ranks now. Mark umpired in a softball college show case and I talked with some of the college coaches that were there evaluating players and they all said that they were concerned about a shortage of umpires in college softball and the lack of young umpires moving up to college softball.

I do not know what the answer is. Mark and I and have tried to his younger brother (my younger son) to give officiating and/or umpiring a try and his answer is: "Dad, I have watched you officiate and umpire since I was a young boy and both of you officiate and umpire since Mark started, and there is not enough money to pay me to put up with crap you guys deal with. I do not know how you do it." Out of the mouths of babes.

MTD, Sr.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

This photo reminds me of a scene (it was either the opening scene, or the closing scene) in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)

Great movie. You young'uns should go down to your local Blockbuster Video and rent the videotape.

MTD, Sr.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

I do not know what the answer is.

Haven't you been reading the thread?

Restaurant gift cards, the be all, and end all answer to all or our problems. They will get rid of warts, and are great for cleaning the white wall tires on your car.

The will even core a apple (with apologies to Ralph Kramden, a.k.a., Jackie Gleason).

https://youtu.be/22oCaiccz3w

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

If it works, great.

Here in the Constitution State we're in dire need of officials in many sports, especially sports that traditionally play in the afternoon. I saw a basketball colleague of mine over the weekend who told me he took, and passed, the volleyball exam over the summer, and he's doing high level varsity volleyball games (state ranked teams) in his first year.
....

There is a small group of basketball officials here who started doing volleyball, and they were all working play-offs matches by their 2nd season.

If I were to do another sport, it would be either field hockey or lacrosse. I need to be active and engaged while officiating, who I'll lose my concentration.