Starting

[rainmaker]

Originally posted by TravelinMan
Gostars - nice to see such initiative and drive. You are bound to be a top-notch official some day real soon.

I agree with Mark about danger of picking up bad habits. Instead of refing rec league, see if you can take in some local AAU games and watch the officials very closely. I did that when I first started years ago. Look at lead for a half, then trail for a half. Watch how they position themselves, watch how they "switch" on fouls. Get as close to the table so that you can see and hear them report fouls. See if you can talk to the officials at halftime.

Also see if you can get your hands on the rulebooks before clinics start in the fall.

Best of luck!

In general, I would agree that rec leagues could be a bad thing. However, if you could find a HS official that would be willing to work with you in some rec games, you'd be miles ahead when you start your formal training in November. I'd contact the association again, and see if the contact person could recommend someone who does well during the season, and also works during the summer. If you work some, and then watch quite a bit too as the Traveller recommends, you can learn tons and be really ready to hit the ground running when the season starts in the fall.