Arbiter and the Over-riding of Blocks.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by LRZ

... it's another manifestation of arbiter's hierarchy, where officials are an afterthought, a necessary evil.

I understand the difference between block and a firm block from the assigner's side, one provides more flexibility, but for an official, what's the difference? Why would I have a need for both?

If I have a doctor's appointment, family event, church event, vacation, tickets to a sports event, or a concert, etc., I block for those reasons. As far as I'm concerned those are firm blocks.

Why would I have a need for something less than a firm block?

Come to think of it, I've also had a few experiences with less than firm blocks being assigned to me. Our Arbiter assignments build in a ninety minute travel "delay". Back when I was working, I indicated that I would not be able to leave work before 5:00 p.m., yet I often received assignments at 6:00 p.m. or 6:15 p.m. Once I even got an assignment at 5:30 p.m. (ten minutes from work). No big deal, I tried to sneak out a few minutes early, but maybe that's the reason for the "flexible" blocks.