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Sat Dec 11, 2004, 11:11am
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I would like to hear from someone about their first game. Mine was yesterday. I have played the game for over 30 years, coached youth teams and officiated rec games. Yesterday was the worst day of my basketball life. Trying to get the sequence of call was killing me. Arm up, signal direction etc... Tell me it gets better, soon?!
Thanks
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Chris 
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Sat Dec 11, 2004, 11:36am
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Welcome to the forum. It gets better, ... Obviously, the development of an official does not follow an exact time-line. It is dependent upon peers, partners, practice, perfectionism and professionalism. Work diligently and you'll get your reward.  The only things I remember from my first game are: My partner. My confusion. You can do this thing. mick
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Sat Dec 11, 2004, 01:57pm
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Sat Dec 11, 2004, 02:18pm
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If you forget which way the teams are going (I gurantee you will) simply look to the bench where they are sitting this will help remind you. Try not to watch the ball (I gurantee you will want to do this) when it's not your primary area. Be sure to tell your partner that you're a newbie and don't be offended by what they say after the game. If you miss a call (we all do) forget about it and get it right next time. Above all have fun. Good luck and have a great season.
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Sun Dec 12, 2004, 11:18pm
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 Actually, i worked with someone who was doing their first game. He went to a rules and mechanic clinic and was excited and confident with all his calls and even a bit "cocky". I toss and he runs. Ball goes OOB on the endline. He stands there with the "deer in the headlights" look. I'm thinking, blow the whistle, blow the whistle. He didn't get much better that game. The point is, I worked with him again on Sat at a youth t-ment and he was a lot better and you wouldn't have known he had only worked a half dozen games. One word of advice, use your voice. It will make a big difference in how you are perceived.Mregor
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Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
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Sun Dec 12, 2004, 11:50pm
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What I remember about my first game...
Well 3 years ago, I went to reffing school, studied my rulebooks and got a phonecall to go ref an age 9-10 girls rec league game. Well I get there, and who do I see in the stands (there weren't bleachers, just chairs lined up against the wall) the high school assignor. Now I'm so nervous, because I want to do a good job and get noticed. Well I'm never going to forget that nerve-wrecking experience. I was so scared to screw up that I barely made any calls, although the calls I did make were dead on (at least I thought so). Just with that age group its hard to determine what to call and what to let go. It was a tough game to call. But at the end of the game, he came over and gave me some pointers and told me I did a good job. Now I didn't start getting games from this assignor until last month, but I'm blaming that on my age, and hopefully it wasn't based on my performance in my first game .
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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups 
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Mon Dec 13, 2004, 01:53am
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The two things you can always have right off the bat is a strong whistle and voice.
Signals come thru practice, it sounds crazy, but spend a few minutes every day in front of the mirror. Go through every violation...dead ball signal and violation signal. Go through each foul, again with dead ball signal, then report each foul to your mirror/table. On the court don't think about everything you have to do, just see it and react. Also don't bring a laundry list out, pick one or two things each game to work on. Share what you are having trouble getting a handle on with your partners and evaluators, so you can better gauge your improvement. Watch other, more experienced officials work. Try not to get frustrated, be realistic in your goals and expectations, and all should work out well. Good luck.
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Mon Dec 13, 2004, 11:16am
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I remember well my first HS game. I'm working with a veteran. I couldn't sleep the night before I was so excited. Because I had no sleep, I couldn't get a single thing right. I reported the wrong number a couple of times. I think I let somebody shoot free throws from the volleyball court line rather than the free throw line. I must've looked about as bad as I felt because during a timeout another official in the stands prompted me to smile. It was just bad.
After the game my partner, who didn't seem to think I did all that badly, said something interesting. He said, "It won't be the worst game you ever call." I still laugh about that. He was right. Don't let a bad game get you down too much. Learn from it and move on. Welcome to the fraternity. (Apologies to Juulie and the growing number of females that hang out here. But I just can't imagine myself as a member of a sorority!  )
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"It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best." - W. Edwards Deming
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Thu Dec 16, 2004, 12:52am
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On campuses it's called the "Greek Community" but that doesn't seem quite appropriate. The so-called queer community uses initials when they need to be PC, they are GLBT. But the only initial I can think of for us'n's would be R. So let's see... hm... what shall we call our bonds of siblinghood? Family? Quakers use "Friends" which is a gentle and sweet inclusion, but again doesn't seem quite appropos to the ref situation. If we consider ourselves zebras we could call our groups "herds". Let's try that out... Hey, SPRef, welcome to the herd! Not bad. Not bad at all.
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Thu Dec 16, 2004, 04:34am
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After my first day, I thought there was no way on earth I could do this.
Luckily I had to go right back out there the next day and do it again, and halfway through I realized it was fun and I started to feel like I could do it. You're no different than most of us. This can be done, but it's not something most can just jump right out of the box and do well the first time (sometimes the first several times). You can help yourself out a bit by taking care of some little things that you can control and build on: 1-Above all - RELAX. It shows. 2-Look the part (right uniform, looking good, shoes shined, etc.) 3-Be early (it impresses the administrators) 4-At least be in correct position - that's part of the battle right there. Know where you're supposed to be and when and be there. At least they can't say you're out of position. 5-Mechanics - take your time and signal correctly and slowly, you'll look like you've been doing it for longer than you have. The other stuff builds from there. You can read the rule book, but rules sink in when you apply them. They really sink in when you get them wrong. Hey, I've only got 19 more games than you, so I'm no expert. But I know what it took to get in my personal comfort zone. The fact that you care enough to want to improve is a good sign. Above all - have fun. Remember, it's not about you. It's about the kids. Enjoy it. Don't give up.
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"And I'm not just some fan, I've refereed football and basketball in addition to all the baseball I've umpired. I've never made a call that horrible in my life in any sport."---Greatest. Official. Ever.
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