Get in, get done, get out

[One-Whistle]

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I know you have all had this “pleasure” in your officiating career.

Maybe it is end of season burn-out, but I was EXTREMELY frustrated with my "partner" tonight.

(Insert the "I am venting now" animated image here )

I have worked with this individual several times this year. (read: was on the same court in the same game as this veteran official who has unlikely opened a rule book in several years).

The Pre-game This is a Girls JV game.
Pre-Game consisted of him arriving at the officials' locker room approximately 10 minutes prior to the game. He is a teacher in the school of this game. I have taken an hour of personal leave to get to the locker-room 1/2 hour before the game.

As he changes into his Byron collar shirt, he comments, "I probably shouldn't be doing this game, because I strained my calf in the last game I did Tuesday.

The Game
Midway through the 1st qtr, home team player rebounds and starts flailing her elbows to create space. He whistles and raises an open hand. I anticipate he is going to call an excessive elbow violation. Wrongo! JUMP BALL! Visiting coach is perplexed by the call and vocal about it (I too am not happy with his call.) I hustle down to have a brief, low key chat with the partner. I remind him of the option of an excessive elbow violation. He gives me the 1,000 mile stare of confusion. It quickly became clear he had no clue as to the “new” rule, nor did he have any interest in changing his call. Me thinks, “Oooooooh boy, it’s gonna be a long night.”

My assumption proved to be painfully true.

Consistently, he would come out of the lead (after a turnover) on the same side of the court as I was on the trail.
If that was all, I can adjust.

Consistently, he would not make it over half court as trail and would rarely beat any steal and “break away” back to the basket.
This leads to my frustration in several situations.

Situation #1
Break-away situation for home team, opponent hustles back and has a clean pick as she passes the dribbler. In frustration, home team player retaliates with a solid push on the opponent. "Partner" whistles and calls a common foul. I hustle over and politely suggest that he might consider an intentional foul. You guessed it. I get a “Mind your own damn business” glare from him.

Situation #2

Following a missed FT by visiting team, he “broke” from his trail position for the other end of the court. The ball was “outletted” to his side of the court and pushed forward. Just past mid-court, right in front of him, the defender arrived late and we had a train wreck. I hesitated, generously, to let him whistle until it became evident he was not going to make a call. Then I took the call. Both coaches are yelling about how horrendous the no-call/call is. Fortunately, my “partner” did not publicly demonstrate a reaction to me “taking his call”; which he is known to do on frequent occasion.

Additional "salt in the wound"
This was two cross-town rivals playing in this school’s last game EVER in the “old school”. They are moving to a newly-built school next year. I did not want my last game on this court to be so $hitty!

Thanks for tolerating my vent.


Ooooh WAIT! It is Friday the 13th. Could this all be a Nightmare? (Pinches self. Ouch!)

Nope, it REALLY did happen.


[Edited by One-Whistle on Feb 13th, 2004 at 10:14 PM]

[nine01c]

Been there, done that. We have some officials in my area who have been wearing stripes since they had peach baskets, have never picked up a rule book since taking the test, and are mediocre at best. They continue to get games because of their longevity, friendship with the assignor(s), and/or just to get a body assigned to one of the many subvarsity games that day. Do they ever wonder why they were never promoted to varsity? It is frustrating for someone like yourself who is dedicated and strives to work the game properly, with a competent partner. The best you can do in this situation: see the title of your post.

[RecRef]

Originally posted by One-Whistle
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I know you have all had this “pleasure” in your officiating career.

The Pre-game He is a teacher in the school of this game. I have taken an hour of personal leave to get to the locker-room 1/2 hour before the game.

Why is he even allowed to do this game?

[davidw]

Sounds like the kind of partner that would spur one on to do all one can to advance as quickly as possible--to a level so far above them--that you rarely have to worry about being teamed up with a partner you can't trust implicitly.

I think I would be using just such a game to motivate me.

[One-Whistle]

Originally posted by RecRef

Why is he even allowed to do this game?

I could generate a lengthy list of reasons (excuses), but I refuse to do this.
The reality is that the ADs in our area hire the officials for all subvarsity contests (Remember, this is WI) and rarely view any official as having a conflict of interest. Many of the officials I work with are employees of the school that they are officiating.

In this particular case, the AD is on the edge of retirement and has steadily declined in his effort to fullfill the role as it should be done. However, I will not put the blame totally on his "senority" as to why this happens, because the cross-town AD does the same thing (Hiring school employees) and she is in her 3rd year as AD.

[One-Whistle]

Here is the Local Newspaper's story about the closing of the gym I did the abovementioned game:

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdh...43198515.shtml
Hoops history flows at East

[Adam]

Originally posted by RecRef

Why is he even allowed to do this game?

This happens occasionally around here, too. I've had a couple of partners in the past who were employees of the school. Normally, they're last minute replacements. I've never had problems, though.

[Andy]

One-whistle,

I can certainly sympathize with your situation and have been there a few times myself.

One thing that I discovered was that I needed to call my game and let my partner hang on his own. In other words, I would not have approached him in the situations you mentioned, but let him make his calls and go forward.

Specifically regarding sit #2, let him hang with the no-call. You coming in from a distance after a delay just takes a bad situation and makes it worse. He already looks bad for no-calling the crash, now you look bad by coming in late from far away from the play right in front of your partner.

Obviously, you are striving to improve and become a better official. Your intentions are good, but some people (your partner) just aren't going to change. Yes, the officials on the court are a team, but there are times where each official stands (or falls) on his own.