Camps this Offseason

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Christ. Again, making stuff up as usual. Nowhere did I say that camps can't make you better.

I was asking for a solution. I did not make anything up. There are benefits to the camp system, but if you do not like how they are run, what is the solution to hire and train officials? Because as a person in an industry, I have to pay for training all the time completely out of pocket for a seminar or presentation. Or my company pays for those opportunities for things that are not cheap. So someone is going to pay for these on some level or we will not have them at all. I just want to hear what the solution is?

If you actually took the time to read my posts in this thread, you would see that I have not called for getting rid of camps (in fact, quite the opposite). I have called out what the camp circuit has evolved into. You act as though camps and the racket they create are one in the same. It doesn't have to be that way. Coordinators could, God forbid, get their leagues to cover the camp expenses, as one idea. After all, why should I have to pay you (an exorbitant amount, at that) for a job interview? That should be your employer's job to cover those costs.[/QUOTE]

I did not say you said anything about getting rid of the camp system. I also feel there needs to be changes as well, but understand why they are what they are compared to other industries. We pride ourselves on being "Independent Contractors" but then act as if we are employees when it comes to training and evaluation. Often you pay for those in other industries when you are not an employee. Because if the league covers the cost of the camps, then you will likely not get fees raised or other things we like as well. Not saying that is right, just stating that it is hard to ask for a raise in fees and then have them pay all the cost of the camps. Or not have us complain when they only take "certain people" as even being interviewed.

Originally Posted by SC Official

That is great that you don't feel the camps you attend are scams. Not everyone has to have the same opinion as you - and there are plenty of people who don't.

I've paid less for camps than I have for professional improvement or materials in my professional life. So I see the camp system in its current form as very similar, because I do not have to attend anything. And I said that this might be an issue of where you live and who you work for as an official. I kind of have a little idea of what Raymond is referencing as I have talked to him off this site about a situation that I was considering attending. So I have realized some time ago what happens in the Midwest might not be the case in other parts of the country. And since most people are not talking about a specific level I think that is also different from what the B1G does to a local high school conference and who they hire for their games. If you read what I said, I have made big distinctions to what camps we are talking about here.

Peace