"Unqualified" Partner or official

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by TigerBball
If you would just read my comment, that you even copied and added to your comment, in it there is the line, "it has been my experience". Nowhere did I say, " I think this should be a rule". All we have is our experiences and that is what we relate here in an effort to gain better understanding.

However, since you seem to know it all and have discounted my point on all counts, I will relate why I made this comment.

In 14 years of attending team camps with my 7th grade boys teams, many of the schools have used members of the mens and ladies basketball teams as the refs for the camps. At this one camp that I have been to almost every one of these 14 years about 25% of the refs were female. I can say without an exception that the ladies "give a damn" a whole hell of a lot more than the men do.

We are talking about unqualified refs for summer team camps. So what I would like to convey to assignors is not to ignore the ladies that are willing to ref in boys camps. It has been my experience that everyone that I have run across has put forth the kind of effort that I expect out of an inexperienced college student trying to ref middle school games.

It has not been my experince that the guys do.

I attribute this to the ladies trying to prove themselves in a male dominated situation.

As I stated, this is my experience, and I think it has merit. I do not think it is a steadfast rule nor did I ever lead on that it was.

I understood your entire post and just wanted to make it clear that not all of us have had that experience. I have seen bad female and male officials. Some officials regardless of what their background or gender are just getting how to call the game and others that do not. That really was all I was trying to say. Even if someone is trying hard does not mean they are going to do a good job or call the game consistently.

No matter who an official is, some will be working games they are not used to. I know many female officials that get a chance to work boy's games they never get a change to work during the regular season (not my choice, just reality). I had to step up my game when I first moved here because I was consistently working teams and talent I was not used to seeing on a regular basis. Now I must have done alright because more and more opportunities came my way based on what I did during the summer. Unfortunately, many officials do not do very well. That is just the nature of the beast called summer basketball.

I also want to slightly disagree with Chris for a second. Sometimes Referee camp games can be the worst officiated games all summer. I guess it depends on what kind of camp is being run. I worked a two day camp last year and the clinicians were so upset about the first day (I did not officiate that day) they made sure when the second day officials came to the camp that they actually went of their way to talk about how bad the first day was and officials need to "blow their whistle." Unfortunately many officials that work camp games are just learning very basic things. Camps are a way to teach officials very basic concepts and philosophies. The officials that are the most accomplished might not be anywhere to be found. At least that is what I see when I attend camp.

Peace