Biggest rules/mechanics changes of the last 5 years

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

My local board covers approximately 75 public and private high schools. Boys. Girls. Varsity. Junior varsity. Freshmen. Any many boys and girls middle school programs.

It's gonna be a busy season.

I predict lots of doubleheaders for officials (which, over forty-plus years, has not been the norm for my local board).

Note: Connecticut game fees for 2022-2023 season: Varsity fee: $103.41; Subvarsity fee (junior varsity, freshmen, middle school): $67.11.

If 3 officials becomes a thing, then the 2 officials doing the JV game could either be joined by a fresh official, or someone who worked a middle school game earlier (or is coming from another game).

In DC, the schedule often has JV-girls varsity-boys varsity. In that case, a JV official could stay for the girls varsity game. The other two officials show up for the girls varsity game. Then, the other JV official works the boys game with the 2 from the girls varsity game.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I predict lots of doubleheaders for officials (which, over forty-plus years, has not been the norm for my local board).

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

If 3 officials becomes a thing, then the 2 officials doing the JV game could either be joined by a fresh official, or someone who worked a middle school game earlier (or is coming from another game).

Here in official-deficient Connecticut, the push (more of a slight nudge) to go to three officials will probably take a (hopefully temporary) back seat to just getting two officials assigned to games.

Keep in mind that in my little corner of Connecticut we never "mix up" genders on the same afternoon/night, at the same site, it's either all boys, or all girls, typically freshmen (4:00 p.m.), junior varsity (5:30 p.m.), and varsity (7:00 p.m.). While the school's boys team may be at home, the girls team may be on the road, or vice versa.

Recent doubleheader assignments, locally rare before our numbers starting dropping a few years ago, are usually of two types.

One type of doubleheader assignment is for the same two officials to work both the freshmen and junior varsity games, with two "fresh" officials working the varsity game.

Another is for the same two officials to work both the junior varsity and varsity game while a different crew worked the earlier freshmen game.

Last season, between low numbers to begin with, officials opting out due to COVID, illness (COVID, influenza, etc.), injuries, and makeup games due snow, we had a few guys working tripleheaders (freshmen, junior varsity, varsity), both physically and mentally demanding, not a desirable situation, but a nice payday ($230).

Things got so bad last season that our assigner had to tell many schools that he couldn't assign "snow" makeup games on certain dates and that they had to come up with alternate dates. He had to tell two very large city school systems, with several middle schools each, that he could not assign any officials to their middle school games until late February and March, after other school systems middle school game schedules had completed.

[ilyazhito]

With 3 games, it's even easier, at least from a numbers perspective. Assuming JV/varsity are done by the same two people, one freshman official can stay for varsity to make the crew of 3. If there are freshman/JV doubleheaders, then we would need 3 distinct officials for the varsity game.

Either way, a shot clock in CT is good news, and a sign that the CIAC is adapting. Hopefully 3-person will become more common in other parts of IAABO-land (PSAL now does 3-person for its AA (largest school) games). CT is now less out of step with MA and NY.

On a different note, do CT officials cross the state border to work in MA or NY? Border crossing is VERY common in the DC area.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

On a different note, do CT officials cross the state border to work in MA or NY? Border crossing is VERY common in the DC area.

In order to cross a border between IAABO local boards in Connecticut, one has to become a "dual member" (I'm not sure how that works dues-wise). Usual reason is one lives in one local board but works in another local board. A few live in one local board, but usually only belong to that board in "name" only, and only accept game assignments from the board that they work in. We have a gal who belongs to three local boards, and accepts game assignments from three local boards.

Since the adjoining states of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, are all IAABO states, I'm sure that one can cross a state border if one wants to ("dual member"). Even if adjoining states were not IAABO, I don't know what would stop somebody from belonging to and accepting game assignments from a Connecticut local IAABO board and also belonging to and accepting game assignments from another state's non-IAABO local board.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

...
Since the adjoining states of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, are all IAABO states, I'm sure that one can cross a state border if one wants to. Even if adjoining states were not IAABO, I don't know what would stop somebody from belonging to and accepting game assignments from a Connecticut local IAABO board and also belonging to and accepting game assignments from another state's non-IAABO local board.

Nothing, at least ethically. We have plenty of folks in my area and along the NC/Virginia border who belong to HS associations in both states. Most of the HS associations in VA are IAABO certified. I don't know about NC.

I'm sure there are some commissioners who threaten/strong-arm/intimidate members not to do such.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

We have plenty of folks in my area and along the NC/Virginia border who belong to HS associations in both states. Most of the HS associations in VA are IAABO certified. I don't know about NC.

North Carolina appears not to be an IAABO state.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

There are local IAABO boards in Colorado, Connecticut, New York, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Virginia, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Arizona, Delaware, Alaska, California, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, District of Columbia, British Columbia, Ontario, Guam, Japan, and Korea.

Originally Posted by Raymond

I'm sure there are some commissioners who threaten/strong-arm/intimidate members not to do such.

Agree.

We had a recent battle between two local Connecticut IAABO assignment commissioners over an official who worked games in two local IAABO boards without going through any official dual member process (paperwork, dues).

With the official shortage we have here in Connecticut, assignment commissioners don't seem to have the "power" they used to have just a few years ago.

Oh, they still have power, they're just missing a few teeth.

Years ago assignment commissioners could "piss off" anybody they wanted to, there was always a long line of officials ready to step in and be assigned more games.

Now, if an assignment commissioner "pisses off" just a few guys, who decide to block out extra days on Arbiter (or worse, quit) it will be very difficult to fill black shoes and cover all games.