Monthly D1 Assigning?

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Arbiter is also a problem in this respect. All your Arbiter assigners can see whether you have a game or not even if you don’t share your schedule. A lot of them will pass over you even if you show as open but have a lower-level assignment. I know an assigner who doesn’t use Arbiter for this exact reason.

I have at least one supervisor whom I know doesn't look at the notes or the info attached to somebody's name. All they look to see is whether or not they are available.

I am lucky two of my D3 supervisors are really good friends and they work together on their schedules.

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[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Arbiter is also a problem in this respect. All your Arbiter assigners can see whether you have a game or not even if you don’t share your schedule. A lot of them will pass over you even if you show as open but have a lower-level assignment. I know an assigner who doesn’t use Arbiter for this exact reason.

Arbiter is a problem in almost all respects, for officials. I hate it.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

I am lucky two of my D3 supervisors are really good friends and they work together on their schedules.

For over thirty years my high school assigner got along well with my Catholic middle school assigner. Why? My Catholic middle school assigner had a policy that high school games had priority over his Catholic middle school games. No need to block out dates on our high school schedule once we got our Catholic middle school assignments. My Catholic middle school assigner had no problem with a 4:00 p.m. phone call informing him that I picked up a last minute high school game that night (official illness, or injury, last minute weather reschedule) and could not work for him that night. That's why he was successful at attracting, and keeping, the top officials for his games. Many of his Catholic middle school games were officiated by state tournament level officials.

Some low level assigners didn't get along with our high school assigner because these low level assigners would ask their guys to block out their low level assignment dates (if asked, I refused, often quitting) with the high school assigner after the "dust cleared" after initial high school assignments were published (example, block out every Monday and Wednesday not already officiating a high school game to work local mens recreation games). This got to be a big problem as we moved from a boys only board to a boys and and girls board, needing high school officials six days a week.

Still, these are minor, often easily surmountable, problems compared to you college guys, especially those who also still work high school games on your college off nights.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Of course, many of you work for multiple assigners at multiple levels, multiple high school assigners (different leagues, individual schools, different states), and multiple college assigners (multiple levels and multiple leagues at the same level), making for very complex assignments, with lots of "big money' at stake, lots of miles to travel (many by plane), and many assigners to stay on the good side of.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Arbiter is also a problem in this respect. All your Arbiter assigners can see whether you have a game or not even if you don’t share your schedule. A lot of them will pass over you even if you show as open but have a lower-level assignment. I know an assigner who doesn’t use Arbiter for this exact reason.

You can set up Arbiter to not share that information. Now, this is also depending on how your Arbiter accounts are set up. I have over 20 different accounts with Arbiter varying from high school organizations to some college. Most college assignors do not us Arbiter at all. I had multiple that used Blue Zebra. Now a couple of college assignors left Blue Zebra to go to RefQuest Plus (Including the creator of the site). But my point is my high school assignors have no connection to the college assignors and I can literally not show why I have a block. So that makes it much easier to not give out direct information. That certainly is not the case everywhere I am sure.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

... Arbiter assigners can see whether you have a game or not even if you don’t share your schedule.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

You can set up Arbiter to not share that information. Now, this is also depending on how your Arbiter accounts are set up.

I'm certainly no Arbiter expert, but I do know that when my Catholic middle school assigner (who used Arbiter) wanted to "see" my high school assignments (also on Arbiter) to avoid conflicts, I had to "allow" him to do so by making changes in my Arbiter account settings (that did not allow my high school assigner to "see" my Catholic middle school assignments).

Who knows, maybe there's some type of secret "workaround"?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Arbiter is a problem in almost all respects, for officials. I hate it.

That is why many are getting away from it. It was good in practice where you could share calendars to some extent, but if you do not use it right, then people can overwrite blocks or see things you do not want them to see.

Now it feels like I am in the old days, when I get a game on one site, I have to go to 2 more sites to give blocks. Just very interesting how things come full circle and that is what Arbiter was supposed to prevent. But I would rather do it this way to some extent than argue over a blocked date.

Peace

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I'm certainly no Arbiter expert, but I do know that when my Catholic middle school assigner (who used Arbiter) wanted to "see" my high school assignments (also on Arbiter) to avoid conflicts, I had to "allow" him to do so by making changes in my Arbiter account settings (that did not allow my high school assigner to "see" my Catholic middle school assignments).

Who knows, maybe there's some type of secret "workaround"?

All depends on how and who has an account. The IHSA for example took over an Arbiter account that we do not have to "pay extra for" to use. So all IHSA schools have access to the site and can assign games, which means their assignors have access to the site and can assign games. That does not allow anyone else to be apart of their account or site. So if you work any other level outside of IHSA games, they have to assign through another Arbiter site. So there is no issue with middle school or college games.

The IHSAA (Indiana) went away from Arbiter for the most part and now use a site called Everlink. It is not really made for assigning games, but it is a school scheduling site, but they have changed settings to assign games. No college assignors use this site so it is literally separated from any college assigning. So basically I can keep those issues away as long as I update all the sites when I get a game from other levels or states.

And I do not do middle school and not doing middle school so that conversation is different from me.

Peace

[Raymond]

MultipleSports hopefully will jump into this discussion, but it is my understanding that even if you do not share information it still shows up that there's something going on with your account on that day.



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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... all IHSA schools have access to the site and can assign games ...

All scholastic assignments are supposed to go through our scholastic assignment commissioner, who uses Arbiter. All Connecticut high schools "load" their schedules into Arbiter, and then after they are "loaded", our assignment commissioner assigns all the games, and all changes (often weather related). And of course, about half of the high schools in our local area pay with Arbiter.

Two years ago some athletic directors discovered that they had the ability, on their own, to reschedule assignments (usually weather related) using Arbiter, totally bypassing our assignment commissioner.

I don't know all the details, but mistakes were made, and our scholastic assignment commissioner was pissed.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Raymond

MultipleSports hopefully will jump into this discussion, but it is my understanding that even if you do not share information it still shows up that there's something going on with your account on that day.



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This is my understanding as well and has been confirmed by more than one person. Even if you don’t share any details of your assignments with other assigners they always can see that you have “something” on a particular day.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

This is my understanding as well and has been confirmed by more than one person. Even if you don’t share any details of your assignments with other assigners they always can see that you have “something” on a particular day.

My understanding you can just block the time and not give details about the level or the site. That is what I do but not much of an issue anymore because so many levels now use different platforms.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I have over 20 different accounts with Arbiter varying from high school organizations to some college. Most college assignors do not use Arbiter at all.

Adding those non-Arbiter accounts to the 20 Arbiter accounts, and I have one word to say: Wow.

So many questions can be asked.

Can JRutledge live with officiating (I'm aware that he does multiple sports, and that he does them quite well) as his "full time" job? Does he work a day job, and if so, when does he find the time to do so, and do it well? What does he do with his officiating income? Does he need it to pay bills, or does he use it for "fun stuff", family vacations, expensive hobbies, season tickets to sporting events, casino gambling, poker nights, sports gambling, golf vacations, stock market day trading, collecting art, collecting coins, collecting baseball cards, collecting muscle cars, financing a failing singing career, villa in Tuscany, etc.? Or is he independently wealthy and only officiates as a "hobby"? He must have a very understanding family, right?

JRutledge: I don't expect these questions to be answered, they're too personal. None of my business. But damn, you're certainly one super-busy official.

[JRutledge]

I can tell you do not know how Arbiter works. The different accounts are for the assignors or organizations that have access to their own assigning accounts. It is required for college officials to register for the NCAA and separately the NAIA sites if you work both, which has no assigning capabilities (unless you work the Tournament I believe).

Not that dramatic, but if I work for one organization and they decide to have their own account, that is why there are so many accounts. IT is not so hard when they are all using Arbiter. You can limit what they each see about games you are assigned or have a contract for.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I can tell you do not know how Arbiter works.

Thanks for answering, I really didn't expect you to answer. I was just marveling.

If I may be so bold?

High school and college, multiple levels, multiple sports, multiple states, how many "assigners" do you actually work for? What's the most assigners (multiple sports) you actually worked for in any one year? What's the most basketball assigners you actually worked for in any one season?

[Matt S.]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

My understanding you can just block the time and not give details about the level or the site. That is what I do but not much of an issue anymore because so many levels now use different platforms.

Peace

Correct...but for college leagues that still use Arbiter, some coordinators will simply pass over you if you show that you have 'something.' And in a state where HS assignments are done thru Arbiter well in advance of college assignments, it cost me from getting more college games in the past.

Now, our state cut a deal with rSchool, so all schools use that for their schedules and for emailing officials contracts. All of these software companies are trying to make a buck and the state associations are either making money off the licensing deals or something else. Kinda like NCAA & state associations switching up shirts. The whole thing smells like a giant money-grab to me.