Moving up the ladder

[pizanno]

Best Advice I got:

Whenever someone in position of assigning-power gives you advice, swallow your pride, just nod, and agree whole-heartedly with their assessment -- ESPECIALLY if you think you were right anyway.

Assignors can accept mistakes, but more importantly, you have to demonstrate to them you are willing to learn from your mistakes and possess a willingness to improve. ALWAYS THANK THEM for their advice!

Nothing turns-off assignors more than an official with potential who doesn't seem open to advice, or debates its merit. You don't want to seem like a know-it-all. Yeah, its called brown-nosing, but that's the way it is unless you're a fast-track, soon-to-be D1 stud, doing the JV game a favor.

Having said that, you must realize that not everyone is, or will be, a varsity official (as your neighbor can certainly attest to). Assess your game, determine attainable goals, and how you will acheive them.

If you want to eventually work at the BV level, you'd better first focus on these goals:

1. Getting through this season of Boys JV ball.
2. Next year, getting more JV assignments, maybe even a playoff assignment
3. The following year, becoming an R on JV assignments, working one Boys Varsity preseason game or several scrimmages.
4. The following year, maybe get a JV championship assignment.

These are acheivable goals as long as you strive to improve your game every year.

Also, during this time, you should be working Girls Varsity to get a taste of the crowds, the physicality of the game, and the voracity of coaches; which all get more intense on the boys side.