Coaches Biggest Problem With New Rules ...

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by johnny d

You guys were and continue to be fools.

I see your point johnny d, but fool is a pretty strong word.

Free scrimmages always had a positive effect on relations between the officials and the coaches, athletic directors, and principals.

We all viewed it as volunteering a service to the high schools in our area, in many cases, in our hometowns, and an opportunity to get ready for the season, without having to travel very far (if it's too far, don't volunteer), it was never viewed as a burden.

You want to work free scrimmages, you work free scrimmages. You don't want to work free scrimmages, you don't volunteer for them, nobody's holding a gun to your head.

There was never a problem with getting officials to volunteer for these free scrimmages. I would volunteer for three or four, all close to home or work, all at convenient times for me. When the season started, I was fully prepared after a nine month layoff.

Since the change to assigned paid scrimmages, I often get fewer than I need to prepare myself for the season. A few years ago, I only had one assigned paid scrimmage, a small school girls scrimmage, and then had boys regular season opener between two competitive teams that I wasn't fully prepared for.

Like I said, it was never seen as a burden, it was more of an opportunity. The players needed to get ready, we needed to get ready.

I would never work a full season for free, now that would be quite foolish, but a few games, in a relaxed atmosphere, close to home, at convenient times, with grateful coaches, athletic directors, and principals, no problem, as long as it's strictly voluntary on my part.

I volunteer to work Special Olympics Unified Games every year for free, does that also make me a fool?