Critique and comments on a new mentoring program for implementation next year

[WyMike]

During the season I brought up the topic of a 'Mentoring Program' on a number of occasions to a couple of our guys whom work college level games and to our Assoc. Pres.. We are a small association by comparison to many of which you may belong to, but we do have our share of top flight veteran officials.

I've actively sought out these mentoring relationships and was fortunate enough to get to work with a couple of vets during some lower level tournaments, but still believe a structured mentoring program would be beneficial to our association for lower-level officials desiring to move up. And most importantly - to become better officials - and to not just work the "better games".

It's the end of our season and the Assoc. Pres. has notified me he is is wanting to visit about a mentoring program (I did offer to do the leg work in an earlier email to him).

Here is a brief outline of what I have come up with after utilizing the search function here and reading a buh-zillion posts on mentoring. Some post only mentioned mentoring but had nothing of real value. Look these over and offer up some input, areas I might have missed, comments on what worked and hasn't worked in your experience, etc.

A) Association Mentoring Program

a) Officers and Mentors have the right to choose participants
* Physically fit, appearance, attitude, long term potential, etc.
b) Can limit the number of participants in program
c) Mentors must freely volunteer
d) Optional - Assoc. Mini-Camps for participants
* A Saturday morning mechanics/rule meeting. Combining a "mini-camp" with a youth tournament.
e) Officers/Mentor retain the right to drop participant for legitimate reasons or concerns

B) Sr. Official/Mentor

a) Rookie has access for questions or game sitch questions
b) Mentor makes occasional phone calls to check on participants and how their games are coming along
c) Rookie travels with Mentor and his partner to 1 or 2 games
* Observes pre-game, captains, coaches,halftime and post game meeting. Discuss game sitch's which may have arisen.
d) Mentor attends 1-2 games participant works.
* Evaluate and attend pre-game, captains, coaches, halftime and post game meeting as observer. Discuss observations with participant afterwards.
e) Work a few youth level tournament games together

C) 1st Year Official

a) Desire to move up and improve overall officiating skills
b) When working a lower game, stay for the next higher level game to observe officials if there is one
c) Work on rules knowledge and application
d) Willingness to work games which are assigned or offered, to improve game management skills and overall mechanics
e) Willingness to travel to observe Mentor and act as possible backup if needed (carry their own gear in case they're needed to possibly work for emergencies)

D) 2nd Year Official

a) same as 1st year official requirements
b) Work towards taking certification test by the 3rd year
c) Establish and focus on personal POE's.
d) Willing to work with newer officials within their capacity

This is a brief working first draft and will no doubt be massaged as needed. Your input and help would be greatly appreciated. If it ever gets to a final draft I would offer it up as a PDF file for others to use as well if they found it to be helpful.

Thanks.

[blindzebra]

I have problems with limiting who may partcipate and the numbers that may.

While a one-on-one approach is okay, a game or two is too limited in scope, and it is much better to have more officials envolved in the process.

I prefer not assigning one mentor and one mentee. Take all those interested in the program and have the process there for as many games as possible.

In Phoenix, Arizona we have an online evaluation process and the frosh/JV officials get evaluated by different varsity officials every JV game they work.

The varsity officials are required to observe at least a half of the JV game, and the sub-varsity officials are required to watch our first half and come in at halftime.

The web site is at http://www.gpboac.com

They may be able to give you some suggestions.

[WyMike]

Thanks BZ.

We only have 12-15 in our association and maybe 4-5 1st/2nd year officials. And I would think only the few who've taken a serious approach to the craft and have worked their way to college levels would be interested in mentoring. And it should be given freely by them, so they should have a say in whom they would be investing their time in.

Plus it seems you always have the person who wants to go gung-ho in everything they do and it would be pointless to have a mentor/mentee relationship started only to have the person quit the following year.

As with anything, change is sometimes frowned upon and many are most likely happy with where they're at, what they're doing and with regular day job workloads, may not want to take on an 'apprentice'.

Large associations must have their advantages in numbers, but there are probably inherent disadvantages as well. Same as our small associations.

I've worked three frosh/soph games with another 1st year guy, but never have had a Varsity official watch. I and another guy will stay for the next game to observe though. We do what we can, and I'm the new guy whom is trying to make some changes!

Most likely it'll be traveling to camps for me this summer! Anyone ever go to Denver?

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by WyMike
Thanks BZ.

We only have 12-15 in our association and maybe 4-5 1st/2nd year officials. And I would think only the few who've taken a serious approach to the craft and have worked their way to college levels would be interested in mentoring. And it should be given freely by them, so they should have a say in whom they would be investing their time in.

Plus it seems you always have the person who wants to go gung-ho in everything they do and it would be pointless to have a mentor/mentee relationship started only to have the person quit the following year.

As with anything, change is sometimes frowned upon and many are most likely happy with where they're at, what they're doing and with regular day job workloads, may not want to take on an 'apprentice'.

Large associations must have their advantages in numbers, but there are probably inherent disadvantages as well. Same as our small associations.

I've worked three frosh/soph games with another 1st year guy, but never have had a Varsity official watch. I and another guy will stay for the next game to observe though. We do what we can, and I'm the new guy whom is trying to make some changes!

Most likely it'll be traveling to camps for me this summer! Anyone ever go to Denver?

Some may not want to mentor, but I've always felt that the ones worth learning from are willing to give back to the craft.

It sounds like your numbers are too small to put together anything like we have in AZ, but I'd still not be too quick to limit your expectations.

[26 Year Gap]

It can be frustrating to not get seen, but it is good to stay for the varsity games. Ask if you can go in at halftime. And ask what you can work on after your game. If you are serious about learning, then you will get noticed. I had an opportunity to fill in for the 2nd half of a varsity game because I went in at halftime and the other JV guy had taken off. One of the varsity guys took ill and the other guy would have had to fly solo otherwise.

[drothamel]

In my first year, the board that I was in had a mandatory mentoring program for all first-year officials. Every one of us was assigned to a mentor who was a top-level official. The board structured it such that you did some games together, and your mentor would come and observe at least three of your games. It worked very well. After that first year, however close you stayed to your mentor was up to you. I think that it is a very valuable resource for first-year officials if you have the numbers and the motivation. As far as after that, I wouldn't have a structured program as such, but if officials wanted to find mentors for themselves, they are always welcome to do it. I did, and it has been a great relationship.

[cmathews]

Originally posted by WyMike
Thanks BZ.

We only have 12-15 in our association and maybe 4-5 1st/2nd year officials. And I would think only the few who've taken a serious approach to the craft and have worked their way to college levels would be interested in mentoring. And it should be given freely by them, so they should have a say in whom they would be investing their time in.

WyMike,
Don't limit your program to those who have moved up to the college level. We have 40 officials in our association. The best official we have is not a college guy. He could have been, he has been asked but didn't go. If you limit it to just those guys you are missing some very valuable information that is available. Along those lines, the majority of the people that get into this avocation won't make it to the college level, just like most high school athletes. With that being said, the college game is called differently than the high school game, you don't want to not have the institutional knowledge from your best high school guys available for use...

I think all of our Wyoming associations need to implement a program however, we are in the baby step process of doing it down here too, albeit very informally....good luck with the program

[JRutledge]

We have a mentoring program in the AOA as well. We have a one on one relationship. We do not make it that complicated as to who is matched up. We match up an official that is willing to have a mentor with someone that is willing to mentor someone. We match people based the different levels. We have even had some officials that were varsity officials getting mentored by playoff officials. The whole idea with our system is match an official with a mentor that has achieved things the official looking for guidance has not. We also try to match people based on geography and some goals. The goal is to just give guidance to officials that want to accomplish more in their career.

Peace