I'm Trail.
A1 in front court gets ball batted away by B1.
Ball bounced in FC near division line.
A2 gets to FC ball with a batt, ball bounces in back court and A2 picks it up.
Fox blows O/B.
I give the spot and head the other way passing Bench A.
Coach A: "What? it was tipped!
I quickly explain to Coach A about team conrol. She didn't understand but nodded.

Well into Front court, waiting for throw-in, my young partner walked 30 feet.
He said: "It was tipped!"
I said "I know. B ball."
Gym was dead silent. Players were waiting.
Partner said: "But, it was tipped!"
I said : "We're not gonna talk about it. Throw it in."
<HR>
I'm Lead.
Baseline after basket.
A1 throws to A2 behind end line.
A2 throws to A3 inbounds.
A3 throws to A4.
A4 dribbles twice.
But, A4 remembered she was supposed to throw it in.
A4 picks up ball and backs up 8 feet for a do-over.
[<small>Waiting, waiting, waiting</small>]
My Fox blows travel from division line.
<HR>
I'm Lead.
Jump ball tableside division line. B ball.
I jog toward endline.
Teams A and B line up at other end.
I'm all alone.
(<I>Trick Play?</I>)
Partner starts administering ball to A1.
My Fox blows a "Check the arrow."
<HR>
I'm Trail.
B scores with 10.6 seconds left. [Score: A-24; B-25]
I turn to Coach A. (She's coaching her second game, 4 timeouts in the book.)
I turn back to see partner bouncing ball to A1. (B1 had bounced "scored" ball to partner.)
A1 studies clock [<small>Tick, tick, tick</small>]
Throw-in.
Buzzzzz.

:)

Yikes!! I guess everybody starts somewhere. Glad you there to get what had to be got.

You owed that over-worked Fox an extra beverage of choice that evening!

My favorite..

6th grade girls.

A1 has ball for throw-in. She's being guarded by B1.

A1 gets nervous and tosses the ball to B1.

B1 now has this total WTF? look on her face. She looks around confused and tosses it back to A1.

A1 is still out of bounds, so it's now B's ball for throw-in.

Then Team A coach gets upset and argues with me for several minutes about how there must some provision in the rules guaranteeing his player a chance to get back in bounds.

I had to chuckle after the throw-in debacle but I was trying real hard not to laugh at the coach...

6th grade girls basketball....aaagggggggggggggggggg!

Won't take a game or a set of games if it will include a girls 6th grade game. I know somebody's gotta do it but I can't punish myself with: Bad basketball + future D1 coaches + overzealous parents who are convinced their kid will get a scholarship = whew-wey!

...and heaven forbid little suzie gets fouled and you don't call it. Her parents will sue you for allowing chiild abuse.

I feel your pain Mick...a few brown-pops and some Advil and it all goes away!!

One of my favorites from these games.......I'm trail, A1 has the ball. B1 checks in before the ball is in play and goes to the frontcourt. She realizes she's supposed to be guarding A1 in the backcourt . She runs full speed to A1 and makes a hit that would make John Lynch proud. B1 gets up from the floor yelling at me that she must have been fouled! She was elbowed in the mouth! I just turned and reported the foul on B1. Middle School Girls Basketball is FAANNNTASTIC!

"TRAVELING, SHE'S TRAVELING AND DOUBLE DRIBBLING, HEY REF CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SHE'S TRAVELING?" Turnover, going the other way, her little Suzie gets the ball. tweet-> traveling. Look at Mom and smile.

How bout the overweight mother who has never played the game crying out; "fowwll, isn't that a fowl?". They all add the w and use that same pitch in their voice.

Prejudice lives!
 

About 34 percent of U.S. adults age 20 and older are overweight, and about 30 percent -- or 59 million people - are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which sets measures based on an individual's body weight in relation to height, known as body mass index. In two academic studies, obesity is identified as the second-leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. And the bulge once associated with middle age now afflicts an increasing number of youngsters; the CDC found that 15 percent of children age 6 to 19 are overweight, about triple the proportion 20 years ago.

My favorite jr. H.S. story happened just last year.

First game of the boys' jr. H.S. season and I am at Team A against Team B. Team A gets ripped by Team B in both the 7th and 8th grade games and the Team A fans were just brutal. Through great scheduling on my part, I am at Team C the next day for a jr. H.S. DH with Team A. Team B rips Team C in both games. After the games are over a father from Team A who was at the games both days, comes up to me and tells me I did a good job, not like the lousy officials they had at home the previous night. Don't you just love jr. H.S. basketball.

MTD, Sr.

I think many of you are missing the good parts about working these games.

You are benefitting the kids, coaches, and inexperienced officials with your efforts. Sure weird stuff happens and the play, coaching and fans may be less than great, but wouldn't you rather have that once in a lifetime play happen in a 7th grade girls game, than in a state championship game?

For me the best part is seeing theses kids grow as players. I've built relationships with players over the years where I've officiated them from youth league to HS varsity. I'm not willing to trade that, just because these games are worse than HS varsity.

Is that a serious question? A once in a lifetime play in a JH game, or the best play you'll ever see in one of the best games you'll ever do. . . :confused:

This is, as far as I can tell, the only good thing about working these games.

Oh, mercy!
Did the rain make you grumpy?
...Makes me sleepy.
mick

No! Well, yes, actually. But that's not the reason for my answer. Given the ability to work a HS game or a similar JH game, I would choose the HS game every time. But I agree that I enjoyed watching those 5th/6th graders as they made their to varsity at the same time I did.