Referee Shortage Discussion-- 127 unfilled varsity games

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by UNIgiantslayers

I'm not interested in doing 2 man varsity double headers for $90 a night.

I'm on record (I may be the only Forum member to take such stand) as liking the mental and physical challenge of a two person game.

That being said, if I belonged to an association that worked a lot of doubleheaders, I would be the first to jump on the three person bandwagon.



Here in my little corner of Connecticut, coaches and athletic directors frown upon varsity officials working two games. They're afraid that the officials may not be fully prepared to properly (mentally and physically) work that second game.

I've worked exactly one junior varsity/varsity doubleheader in the past twenty-plus years, only due to an overabundance of games and an underabundance of officials after several postponements and reschedules due to snow.

Now that I've retired from my day job I've made myself available to my assigner for afternoon games, including subvarsity games. I've got a freshman/junior varsity doubleheader coming up in a few weeks and I'm not looking forward to it. Not because they're subvarsity games, but because I have to work a doubleheader. And it has nothing to do with time, as a varsity official I'm always there to observe the first three periods of the junior varsity game before mine. In fact, after my doubleheader I can see myself staying for at least half of the varsity game (like our junior varsity officials are supposed to do) just to yank some chains.

[UNIgiantslayers]

Our state does almost exclusively B/G varsity double headers. They have what we call supernights to save on facilities/transportation costs. Freshmen, JV, Varsity Boys and girls will all be played on the same night. So it typically goes

GAME 1: JV girls or boys in main gym (Crew 1), Other JV game in auxiliary gym (Crew 2).

GAME 2: Freshman Boys Aux gym (Crew 2), Varsity Girls main gym (Crew 3).

GAME 3: Freshman Girls Aux Gym (Crew 2 or some combination of crew 1 & 2), Varsity Boys main gym (Crew 3).

Or if you're having trouble envisioning that, the gym schedule looks like this:

Aux gym: Game 1 Freshman girls, Game 2 JV Boys, Game 3 JV Girls

Main gym: Game 1 Freshman Boys, Game 2 Varsity girls, Game 3 Varsity boys

A lot of times those freshman games are 2 man, but for the most part all of those games are 3 person crews in the big conference here. If you go to a small school, you can pretty much count on all sub varsity games being 2 man. Subvarsity officials on those nights will work 1, 2, or 3 games depending on desire and luck of the draw. Varsity officials work the doubleheader.

That schedule allows for sub varsity kids to be available for varsity games. I started out working these nights, and I liked working the triple header because you would make a bit more. As a sub varsity ref, you don't get paid as much per game as the varsity guys but you can make up the difference and more if you're willing to put in some time away from family. I think if we had a glut of officials, they would probably prefer not to have people work 3 games in a night because by the end of that third game, you are wiped.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by UNIgiantslayers

As a sub varsity ref, you don't get paid as much per game as the varsity guys but you can make up the difference and more if you're willing to put in some time away from family.

For my upcoming freshman/junior varsity doubleheader I'll be getting a check for $126.10 (subvarsity Fee: $63.05). If I only did the varsity game that night, it would be $97.17.

Originally Posted by UNIgiantslayers

... because by the end of that third game, you are wiped.

I'm afraid of this for my freshman/junior varsity doubleheader. I'm not the type to give freshman games and junior varsity games any less effort than I would working a varsity game.

It's funny how that while I get older each year the players stay the same age each year.

It's not fair I tell you. It's not fair.