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.

[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 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.

[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 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 BillyMac

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.

I almost forgot one of my favorite quotable song lyrics:

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

[SC Official]

As it relates to officials not being able to get off work early enough for early start times, that's the schools' problem as far as I am concerned. Eventually they're going to have to spread out their schedules so that games aren't starting before 5:30-6:00. But of course, that would require administrators to work more and more transportation costs and other logistical challenges that schools don't want. But again, tell me why those should be the officials' problems.

No one should sacrifice his/her real job to work subvarsity basketball like so many of these schools seem to think. Not all positions have flexible hours for employees, and that's not going to change just because there's an officials shortage.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

As it relates to officials not being able to get off work early enough for early start times, that's the schools' problem as far as I am concerned. Eventually they're going to have to spread out their schedules so that games aren't starting before 5:30-6:00. But of course, that would require administrators to work more and more transportation costs and other logistical challenges that schools don't want. But again, tell me why those should be the officials' problems.

No one should sacrifice his/her real job to work subvarsity basketball like so many of these schools seem to think. Not all positions have flexible hours for employees, and that's not going to change just because there's an officials shortage.

I totally agree with this. Later times would help in many situations for officials. It is easier for varsity officials when your game is the main focus.

Peace

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I totally agree with this. Later times would help in many situations for officials. It is easier for varsity officials when your game is the main focus.

Peace

Me too. And we wonder why we lose so many younger officials before they could possibly work varsity games. First, they often get mistreated at the middle school and subvarsity games that they do work. Second, the games they do work can be as early as 2:30 in the afternoon. This can be a problem for people who have jobs, because not everyone can work a job with flexible hours or use leave time to work early games. Students may be able to work early games, depending on class times, but not those who have real jobs.

If we can support newer officials for at least the first 3 years of their careers, give them training and development opportunities to prepare them for the varsity level (with occasional varsity assignments toward the end of the program), and ensure that games are scheduled at realistic times (not earlier than 4:30 PM for a subvarsity game), then we might see more young officials stay, and avert the shortages. And let's not forget the ladies, y'all. If we can have both men and women in stripes, we might go a long way to solving the problem of having enough officials. EBO is almost 1/5 female (7 women for ~55 officials).

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

Me too. And we wonder why we lose so many younger officials before they could possibly work varsity games. First, they often get mistreated at the middle school and subvarsity games that they do work. Second, the games they do work can be as early as 2:30 in the afternoon. This can be a problem for people who have jobs, because not everyone can work a job with flexible hours or use leave time to work early games. Students may be able to work early games, depending on class times, but not those who have real jobs.

Who the hell is starting games at 2:30 PM on a weekday? That's insane. That's before school lets out in most districts. We rarely have games before 5:30 here, and if we do it's more like 5:00 which is still reasonable. But schools are also only playing 2 games/night more often than not.

And I would never use PTO to work anything lower than an NCAA D1 game; I'd give back the game if I had no other choice. Using PTO for a subvarsity game is unthinkable to me.