coaches pick varsity officials

[refjef40]

I really felt for Mark DeNucci in Ohio when I read his post on shirttails and he said if you want to move up to varsity you better not anger the coaches because they decide your fate.I know this has been discussed here before but I think that is a horrible situation.Here in my part of California our assoc. assigns all games including playoffs totally independant of the schools.If any wants to reply about their local system i would be interested.

[kevin]

In our association in Alabama, our booking agent assigns games but the coaches do have a certain amount of scratches. By this I mean the if the coach has had a problem with a certain official before he can keep that official from calling any of their games at all. The coach is awarded(if you want to call it that)about 8 names of officials during a particular year. He can add/remove any official thru the year. I personally don't like this but that is how it is done here.

[BktBallRef]

No, the inmates do not run the asylum in NC.

Booking agents assign all games.

Local associations establish their own mark off system.

In our association, a coach is allowed to mark off 3 officials each year. He can't mark an official off after the season starts. Years ago, the booking agent would send a form to every coach prior to the season. We got tons of markoffs. When we changed the policy and stopped sending them the form, markoffs went down 90%. They can still markoff those they don't want but we don't encourage it by sending everyone a form.

[johnfox]

here in IN we the coaches vote decides who works the Tournament and who doesn't. We Have a yes, no system, a no vote counts 2 a yes vote 1. They can also get you bumped from regular season games if they don't like you. Some guys will absolutely not T up a coach when needed, in fear of a NO vote. Sounds really fair doesn't it????????????

[Mlancaster]

A coach should not have that much say. If there are problems with a particualar official over and over, then the booking secretary will know about it and take action. In Georgia, the state (Ga HS Assn) assigns schools to the various officials associations. For example, Atlanta and surrounding counties have some 6 or 7 associations that work the schools of the N Ga area. The state assigns the schools to the association, so its tough for any particular school to "blackball" an official or even an officials' association. If a coach has aproblem once or twice, tough. If it happens repeatedly, then the association will take action...Not the coach!

[williebfree]

I am relatively new to the ranks of officials and based on the excellent input I have recieved here, I decided to attend my first Association meeting last Wednesday. I just happened to see a small notice in the local paper.

It was a real eye-opener. I learned a lot. We had a panel of 5 highly-respected varsity coaches (several State titles among them, one is already in the state "hall of fame") from various divisions; boys and girls.

First, I learned that each conference commissioner assigns officials and politics is involved in this process. As a whole, the coaches do not have a problem with the officials. Yes, the association provides reproach were necessary.

Second, as I was previously aware and confirmed at the meeting, there is no "formal" evaluation of sub-varsity officials. A healthy discussion was had in regards to possible solutions. Unfortunately, from the comments I heard, the state regulator, Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), does not want to spend the money to establish a valid rating system.

Third, because of the lack of priority, the WIAA solicits ratings from the coaches, which are so biased. Just look at which coach lost the game and you will know which coach is going to give a negative rating. To their credit, the coaches on the panel openly admitted that they do not want this "responsibility".

Fourth, there is a sincere shortage of "up and coming" young officials. The general consensus was, "Who wants to put up with the abusive climate?" Any suggestions on how to recruit, develop, and retain young officials? Interestingly, of the 20 members present at the meeting, I was the third youngest (I am nearly 40).

As I see it, these issues are intertwined... the lack of fair rating system and the lack of a clearcut career progression, coupled with a lack of a "mentoring" program really makes it difficult and undesirable to join the ranks of officials.

FYI: No one recruited me to join the association, which, in my view, is an indication of a need for improvement in itself. Nonetheless, I joined the local Association. However, I do not feel I am ready for Varsity level yet. I hope I can be a part of making it a better process.