Short Notice Cancellation

[The_Rookie]

Recently had a game cancelled 3 hours before tip off and prior to arriving at the game. Game was cancelled because other team did not have enough players to play.

Under this scenario, in your local areas, do you get a half a game fee or whole game fee for short notice cancellation?

If you bug out on a hotel room or dentist appointment you would be charged!

[Rich]

Originally Posted by The_Rookie

Recently had a game cancelled 3 hours before tip off and prior to arriving at the game. Game was cancelled because other team did not have enough players to play.



Under this scenario, in your local areas, do you get a half a game fee or whole game fee for short notice cancellation?



If you bug out on a hotel room or dentist appointment you would be charged!

I would pay my officials. As an official I would be asking for payment since I couldn't accept any other game at that time.


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[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

It use to be in the OhioHSAA contracts that if the game was canceled after the officials left for the game they were to be paid the entire game fee. But without telling anyone the OhioHSAA changed its contracts about five years ago such that only if the game was canceled after the officials arrived were they to get paid. Mark, Jr., and I learned about the contract language change the hard way: We were 45 minutes into a 90 minute drive to officiate a girls' JV basketball game on a Saturday afternoon when we were called by the Home AD. The Visitors, were only a 20 minute drive from the Home school, canceled the game because the parents of the Visitors thought it was too cold, , to travel in a school bus.

MTD, Sr.

[WhistlesAndStripes]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

It use to be in the OhioHSAA contracts that if the game was canceled after the officials left for the game they were to be paid the entire game fee. But without telling anyone the OhioHSAA changed its contracts about five years ago such that only if the game was canceled after the officials arrived were they to get paid. Mark, Jr., and I learned about the contract language change the hard way: We were 45 minutes into a 90 minute drive to officiate a girls' JV basketball game on a Saturday afternoon when we were called by the Home AD. The Visitors, were only a 20 minute drive from the Home school, canceled the game because the parents of the Visitors thought it was too cold, , to travel in a school bus.



MTD, Sr.

As an official in Alaska, I’d be curious to know what the “too cold” temperature was.


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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by WhistlesAndStripes

As an official in Alaska, I’d be curious to know what the “too cold” temperature was.

Why? So that you can make fun of us?

(It was the dreaded Polar Vortex.)

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. has had schools in Ohio close due to "cold", we've had the same thing here in Connecticut.

It's the latest dance craze.

And to think, when I was a kid in ancient times, I walked several miles to school in several feet of snow, and back home in the afternoon, uphill both ways.

I drive by the bus stop on the corner on the coldest day of the winter and the kids have on a sweatshirts, shorts, sneakers, and baseball caps.

On cold days, my Mom dressed up my bother and me like the Michelin Man.



Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way? What's the matter with kids today? (Bye Bye Birdie, 1960)

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Why? So that you can make fun of us?

(It was the dreaded Polar Vortex.)

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. has had schools in Ohio close due to "cold", we've had the same thing here in Connecticut.

It's the latest dance craze.

And to think, when I was a kid in ancient times, I walked several miles to school in several feet of snow, and back home in the afternoon, uphill both ways.

I drive by the bus stop on the corner on the coldest day of the winter and the kids have on a sweatshirts, shorts, sneakers, and baseball caps.

On cold days, my Mom dressed up my bother and me like the Michelin Man.



Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way? What's the matter with kids today? (Bye Bye Birdie, 1960)

I lost a bunch of assignments during the polar vortex year a few years ago. The weather closed the schools and most schools have a rule that if the school day is cancelled, so are the athletic events for that day.

I think the biggest issue is schools don't want to be held liable because the parents don't know how to dress their snowflakes. I think we missed 1 or 2 days total due to cold when I was in school, and one of those was due to it being too cold for the busses to start (it was like 20 below that morning).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by The_Rookie

Recently had a game canceled 3 hours before tip off and prior to arriving at the game. Game was canceled because other team did not have enough players to play. Under this scenario, in your local areas, do you get a half a game fee or whole game fee for short notice cancellation?

If we show up at the site, we get the full fee. Canceled before we get there, no fee.

Almost forty years ago I had a freshman assignment, got to the site, home team was there, my partner was there, got dressed, and waited. Some snow showers came through the state and the visiting team decided not to make the bus ride. Both of us got full fees. Since the home team was dressed and ready to go, I asked the head varsity coach if he wanted me to hang around and officiate a couple of intrasquad scrimmage periods. For years after that he never gave me any problems, even though he was known as a hothead. A little good will goes a long way.

Also in ancient times, before cell phones were invented, I had a junior varsity assignment on a Saturday night. Started snowing in mid afternoon. I called the school and, of course, on a Saturday, there's nobody there. I called my assigner, nobody home (Christmas shopping). Figuring (correctly) bad road conditions, I leave about forty-five minutes earlier than I normally would for this site. I get there, no game, but the junior varsity cheerleading coach is there, and the police officer (who stands in the corner) is there, they hadn't been contacted. I get home hours later (the ride home was really treacherous) and my wife tells me that the school called to cancel about thirty minutes after I had left home. I called my assigner, told me he would get back to me early the next week. He did, telling me that because the school called me (they said that I had left home too early) they weren't going to pay me. My assigner said that it was out of his hands, the one and only time that he ever disappointed me.

Now, with Arbiter access to athletic director's email and cell phone numbers, we are advised to call if we think that there may be weather related cancellations, and of course, they have Arbiter access to our email and cell phone numbers.

In my new life as a subvarsity official (thank God that they only shoot horses in my condition), retired from my day job, I did my first ever board assigned middle school mid afternoon game yesterday. Visiting team walked in the gym twenty minutes past game time. My partner, a middle school veteran (he's a high school teacher, gets out of work early) told me that once or twice a season middle school teams just don't show up (not due to bad weather, but scheduling errors, bus issues, etc.) but we always still get paid.

By the way, my first ever board assigned middle school game: very late start, no possession arrow at the table, no scorebook at table, just a clipboard with a sheet of blank paper.

I had a blast. Kids were all enthusiastic, coaches coached. I ran an errand on the way home (bought chicken scratch at a feed store near the site) and still got home before 6:00 p.m. with $63.05 in my Arbiter account.

[Nevadaref]

Nevada pays one game and travel if there is a cancelation after the officials have begun to drive to the game site.
If the school admin can contact the assignor or the officials prior to departure, they won’t be charged anything. Of course, the school needs to have a decent reason for canceling.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by The_Rookie

Recently had a game cancelled 3 hours before tip off and prior to arriving at the game. Game was cancelled because other team did not have enough players to play.

Under this scenario, in your local areas, do you get a half a game fee or whole game fee for short notice cancellation?

If you bug out on a hotel room or dentist appointment you would be charged!

What would the penalty be in your area if the officials had to pull out 3 hour before game time and the game had to be cancelled?

[JRutledge]

There is not standard or one-size-fits-all policy here. Some schools will pay you anyways. Others barely will send you anything. It really depends on what the assignor demands or what the school feels is fair.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

There is not standard or one-size-fits-all policy here. Some schools will pay you anyways. Others barely will send you anything. It really depends on what the assignor demands or what the school feels is fair.



Peace

I've had this happen with conference games that I assign. I pay those officials when the reasoning isn't what one would call "an act of God."

Last spring an AD forgot about an academic event and the schools agreed to move the game to a later date with about 3 days notice. I sent checks.


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[BillyMac]

This thread jinxed me.

As I'm walking into the gym this afternoon (thirty minutes before game time) for a freshman game I get a call from the athletic director canceling the game.

Holiday tournament mix up.

I'm getting paid.

Both teams were there.

I ended up working a four period one person scrimmage.

Was home before 5:00 p.m. and will get a check for $63.05.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

This thread jinxed me.

As I'm walking into the gym this afternoon (thirty minutes before game time) for a freshman game I get a call from the athletic director canceling the game.

Holiday tournament mix up.

I'm getting paid.

Both teams were there.

I ended up working a four period one person scrimmage.

Was home before 5:00 p.m. and will get a check for $63.05.

$63.05 for a H.S. Freshmen game??!!

MTD, Sr.

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by The_Rookie

Recently had a game cancelled 3 hours before tip off and prior to arriving at the game. Game was cancelled because other team did not have enough players to play.

Under this scenario, in your local areas, do you get a half a game fee or whole game fee for short notice cancellation?

If you bug out on a hotel room or dentist appointment you would be charged!

We have a new policy put in place this year in my state.

As always, Act of God cancellations do not obligate a school to pay an official unless the official has already left for the event, at which time a partial payment is due if the event hasn't started.

For example, the official (who lives 30 minutes away) is notified three hours before a game that due to weather conditions, the game is cancelled. No payment is due.

If in the same situation, the official is on the way or has arrived but conditions do not permit the contest to start, the officials are due 1/2 a game fee (IIRC, I have never had this happen). If the contest starts and then it is cancelled, a full game fee is due. (Only a fee for game 1 of a multiple game event is due if cancelled during the first game).

What has changed is with non-Act of God cancellations. Per the state association, any of these cancellations outside of 10 days from the event mean no payment due. Any cancellations within 10 days require the payment of the official if the official does not pick up another assignment for that date (must be that date).

This largely came about by volleyball teams overscheduling officials for tourneys and dropping officials when they realized they had too many officials for the number of teams.

I have a few examples of this from my assigning this season (all within 10 days).

1) Team notifies me the day of a meet that the meet is cancelled due to a band concert that night. I pushed for the official to be paid (until another official was sick and bailed and I was able to use the cancelled official as the replacement.)

2) Team notifies me that the meet is cancelled because of a scheduling conflict with the facility for that date. Guess what, I'm pushing for payment for the official. Your inability to schedule your facility isn't a problem my official should be punished for.

3) The one I'm dealing with now was a school having a water main break, which means they can't use the running water at the facility so they cancelled a meet. (They still have the team practicing in the facility though). To me a water main break is an Act of God so I don't think I will pursue this one.