And yet there will be people whose jaws will drop when I say I'm working 30+ varsity games with only two different partners this season.

It is an advantage as long as you treat every game as a new day. We have a pregame every night and we arrive early to watch some of the JV game and get in a basketball frame of mind. I also know my partners' idiosyncracies quite well. One of my regular partners MUST have popcorn before a game, for example. But he is also an outstanding official -- and I *know* where he's going to be and I *know* how we work together as a team.

Mechanically, we try to be as by-the-book as possible, too. We switch on every foul, for example. I'm ready to work with any other official (cause I do get called to work with other officials that need a partner) on any given night because we don't alter our mechanics or take anything for granted.

I still wish there would be three in the car instead of two, though. That won't happen anytime soon, I'm afraid.

Rich

Being that rookie...
 

Hi rainmaker! I'm not sure if you saw my thread yet about my first official game, but I can empathize on how you feel, just from the other POV, being that rookie.

My partner (veteran) was great at keeping me in the game. During timeouts/intermissions we'd have a really quick discussion, and I would honestly tell him, "the only things I see in my area is even less than ticky-tacky stuff...if on a scale of 1(ticktack) to 5(flagrant), everything in my area was like 0.2...definitely not worth prolonging a game with those kind of fouls." He then told me, "good, just call 'em like you see 'em" He also askedme questions on how I think the game is going. That helped me out, since nothing was happening in my area, I could have just slept the whole game.

But I think rockyroad summed it up in his advice. So I will just add this lil tid bit. My martial arts teacher taught me a valuable lesson many years ago..."always remember when you were a white belt" and "a school is only as strong as its weakest student." Us rookies do need your help, and since you have reached your new personal level plateau, using the same lessons my master taught me in 'officiating' terms..."always remember your first game" and "an officials' team 'lives or dies' together."

I really appreciate your advice for me everytime I had a question on this forum, hope my advice here helps you! :)

Hey Rich-- How do you get to work games in the Big 8 when you are only a Level-3?

Re: Being that rookie...
 

This is good advice, as has been all this thread. I wish it had been a rookie. But I'm not going to complain on and on about him. I don't want my assignor (who reads this board regularly) to think I'm a whiner.

My main concern is about how I handled it. I guess it's the next thing to work on, although I can see by my sechedule that I won't get an awfully lot of practice, there are a couple here and there this season. I need to find a way to separate myself emotionally, and not get dragged down. I need to make suggestions that might actually help, and skip the stuff that won't. I need to keep PLENTY of eye contact, to see what needs covering (like when I'm working with someone who never watches off-ball.) I can't take calls that are right in front of P unless I really think P got screened out. Practice communicating with the coaches.

My advice...

If you get a chance, (TO, QTR, 1/2 etc,) talk about things you are missing, or doing...

Work your butt off, make great calls, and work the best game you can... If your partner is weak, everyone will know it... Dont slide back to their level. Give 110%. Coaches will know when you hustle and you are officiating right...If they dont make the OMG call, you may have to step up and make it. If it is travels or those kinds of things, call your own game.

I had a game a couple of years ago with a partner who was from out of town ( just moved to the area) My pre-game was miserable because he did not do anything the way we do it in our association and wanted to argue about it( nor was it any way close that anyone had ever done it with the camps I had been too)

A college guy (working a later game) came in and asked why we had so many double whistles....My partner was calling out of his area, something fierce--- Coaches know this and everybody else does to...The college guys opinion carried some weight and we only had two the second half...Glad he came in, if I had mentioned my partner would not have listened... I would have continued calling my game, and he would be the one looking foolish...

If they have stock in ATT let them make the calls, you do what you need to do... You are only one person. Of course the coach will complain to you because she knows it is hopless to even talk to your partner...

Have fun... I just wanna ref!

I'm a new official in our chapter, not new to basketball though, and I worked with a girl one week and this was her first game E-V-E-R. Her mentor was also there and she was nervous as all get out. I stood behind her 100% even when i questioned a call, because I still stayed in my primary. I kept plenty of eye contact with her and gave her a little wink or thumbs up when she was looking at me. WE got thorugh the game. We worked together a few weeks later and she had made a VAST improvement. I was totally shocked. I told her in pregame I had had a rough day... me and my gf had a big fight and stuff and it was really kinna funny that when i kicked a call she was winking and giving me the thumbs up LOL. But yeah. I just try to encourage. We pregrammed that if a wierd play happened that we'd point to our heads very discretly and as in "rembeer that play" and during the next t/o or quarter or half time we'd talk about it and figure it out so that if we see it again to know what to do. Thats just some of the things I do. If the fouls are lopsided I'll meet em at half court at half or to real quick and say - ok - fouls are lopsided lets talk about htat and we try to figure it out.... One partner (1st year) said ima call everything i see on red... he did... they're were only 2 fouls in the first 3 min. That showed me right there that some times with lopsisded counts or violations that some teams just do it more than others.

Rich: I'm wondering why your state doesn't require certified (trained) officials for subvarsity. Is your geographical area too large to expect new candidates to attend a clinic and meetings? Who will be the next generation of varsity officials? Have you ever considered inviting these "local, small-town officials" to attend the referee classes and become certified? They are doing the most difficult task; refereeing without any formal training. It's hard enough WITH training. And, why would they have a proper uniform? Since they aren't in an association they probably don't even know about Honigs or similar vendors, or what is acceptable attire today.

Part of being a good official is helping to recruit and develop new people. All veteran varsity and college officials were once brand new, and most will admit they were pretty bad those first few years. I have umpired baseball for 9 years and reffed basketball for 7years. I guess that puts me in the advanced rookie/pre-veteran category. In any case, I hope I never appear pompous and consider myself above the newer guys coming up.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by

[B]nine01c.
Rich did not say that. Did he?
Maybe you should reread, ... or I should.
mick

Mick: I took the comment about these officials not being required to be in an association to mean that they are not certified. Perhaps I am wrong about that. Maybe they ARE certified (trained) but do not belong to an association. Then I wonder who certified them, and why they aren't in proper uniform, etc. How do they get continuing education(rules/mechanics changes)?

nine01c,
In Michigan, for example, there is no training or rules meetings required to work the state tournament.
Being an approved assiociation member is not required at this time.
Just pay your registration. Fill out a take home test and blow the whistle.
Fact.
mick

In Louisiana, anyone can work subvarsity games. The coach can call his brother to do his home games, ask for volunteers from the stands, whatever. (these are extreme, hypothetical examples)