Mentor/Mentee Program

[sdoebler]

I will address a couple of points:


1. I understand the organic part but the group that we are addressing are mostly brand new. Some of these individuals don't pass the test and then literally never show up to work a game. They may not understand that they can work lower level games or even know how to sign up for them. If they never even start how can they get a mentor or get engaged? Sometimes just having someone to ask questions outside of a big group and not feeling dumb helps even the smallest hurdles.
2. We survey the mentors and mentees with a few questions to best fit personalities and feedback types.
3. The program is offered and we only pair those who ask.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by sdoebler

I will address a couple of points:
1. I understand the organic part but the group that we are addressing are mostly brand new. Some of these individuals don't pass the test and then literally never show up to work a game. They may not understand that they can work lower level games or even know how to sign up for them. If they never even start how can they get a mentor or get engaged? Sometimes just having someone to ask questions outside of a big group and not feeling dumb helps even the smallest hurdles.

I cannot speak for your area, but in my area, you cannot get a single game until you actually have a license. That means that no assignor is putting you on any game (High School or below) if you do not have passed a test, passed a state background check and watched the rules videos as apart of your application process. Until that is done, you are not working any games. No showing up to a game and not having passed the test.

Secondly, you are not working games if no one knows who you are. At least in the Chicago area or before the IHSA took over the Arbiter system (still some area pockets where the IHSA does not influence this yet), if you were not known to even be hired. The biggest way is to join a Local Officials Association on some level. In basketball, it is almost a requirement that you are a member of an LOA. Even the middle school games are assigned through local associations or an assignor that is a member of those LOA. They send out availability by LOA membership wide emails which if you are not a member you will not likely receive.

Originally Posted by sdoebler

2. We survey the mentors and mentees with a few questions to best fit personalities and feedback types.

OK, nothing wrong with that.

Originally Posted by sdoebler

3. The program is offered and we only pair those who ask.

OK, nothing wrong with this either.

Again, do not miss the point I have been making. I think the position that I was talking about doing this organically, it is better for me to help those that seek advice from me than me going to them on my own. I have been apart of programs where I am put with a person for all kinds of reasons, then when we try to share information, the person does little to nothing to reach out. I also work a lot as an official, so I am not always around. I cannot go watch your games all the time or even often. So if you do not give me updated schedules or do not contact me about things that you need help with, there is only so much I can do. I help those that want help.

Peace

[sdoebler]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I cannot speak for your area, but in my area, you cannot get a single game until you actually have a license. That means that no assignor is putting you on any game (High School or below) if you do not have passed a test, passed a state background check and watched the rules videos as apart of your application process. Until that is done, you are not working any games. No showing up to a game and not having passed the test.

Secondly, you are not working games if no one knows who you are. At least in the Chicago area or before the IHSA took over the Arbiter system (still some area pockets where the IHSA does not influence this yet), if you were not known to even be hired. The biggest way is to join a Local Officials Association on some level. In basketball, it is almost a requirement that you are a member of an LOA. Even the middle school games are assigned through local associations or an assignor that is a member of those LOA. They send out availability by LOA membership wide emails which if you are not a member you will not likely receive.

There is no requirement of test level to work lower level games for our area. New officials are suppose to take a mechanics class but when games are unfilled we take who is available.

We have a mass shortage of officials. 90% of our lower level (Non-Varsity) games are in the system for self-assign, anyone registered can take them. Our assignors have an ever-changing pool of 400-500 officials, they don't know them all.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by sdoebler

There is no requirement of test level to work lower level games for our area. New officials are suppose to take a mechanics class but when games are unfilled we take who is available.

That is why politics is local like officiating. So when asking everyone our thoughts, we are coming from what takes place where we live. Maybe one of the reasons you do not have officials is some of the requirements simply to be an official. So you have to take a class just to work a middle school game?

My very first basketball game was because I worked with a person I knew and he brought me to a game. He sat down with me and went over our mechanics and basic rules. The rest is history.

Peace

[sdoebler]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

That is why politics is local like officiating. So when asking everyone our thoughts, we are coming from what takes place where we live. Maybe one of the reasons you do not have officials is some of the requirements simply to be an official. So you have to take a class just to work a middle school game?

My very first basketball game was because I worked with a person I knew and he brought me to a game. He sat down with me and went over our mechanics and basic rules. The rest is history.

Peace

Well that is part of the point why I was asking about the mentoring program that is in place here and how to better it, not how you assign or become an official.

The shortage of officials is nation wide and I have never heard the reason being the requirements to become an official. I don't know of any pre-requisites to become a middle school official but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by sdoebler

Well that is part of the point why I was asking about the mentoring program that is in place here and how to better it, not how you assign or become an official.

The shortage of officials is nation wide and I have never heard the reason being the requirements to become an official. I don't know of any pre-requisites to become a middle school official but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

At least here, if you are not a licensed official with the state, most schools do not want officials to work their games. We even have an Elementary School Association that works with most of the state, to work their postseason you must be an IHSA licensed official. Again that is partly because you have to take the test, get a background check and even have insurance to work those games. I guess someone could theoretically assign you a game without such requirements, but not likely if you are not listed on the IHSA Directory. That would put you out real quick. And in basketball we have over 5000 officials statewide, someone will do those games regardless of other things. Maybe in a sport like Track or Volleyball, we might not have those requirements, but in basketball, it is so frowned upon that it is not very likely.

Peace