To David Rinke

[rainmaker]

David --

I was mostly away from the baord over the weekend, and came home this evening to find all your posts and threads. I understand your position, since I used to hold that position, too, that every ref ought to perform to the peak of the level they're working in every game, and that the rules ought to be held to much more strictly than they are. In theory, I agree with you.

But the fact of the matter is that it just doesn't work that way, and it never will. The only thing you can control is what you do, and how you handle whatever situation you're in. Regardless of how bad your partner is, complaining isn't going to help, and it's not going to change things. When you're coaching, complaining isn't going to help. In fact, it might make things worse.

You're simply going to have to accept the reality as it stands, that there is no happy ending. Bad stuff happens. Bad refs keep getting games. Tournaments keep running low on refs and having to use college students. Your team will keep getting the short end of the stick, every so often. Your partners will, once in a while, be lousy, or worse.

Why do you have to accept it? Because it's a lot easier to function on an on-going basis if you're dealing with what is, rather than what ought to be. ANd you'll be healthier and more peaceful if you can quit demanding perfection, and see the value in "let it be."

I'm speaking from experience here. As a young adult, I was the ultimate perfectionist and couldn't understand why anyone would ever "settle" for less than 100%. Fortunately for me, some very serious mental illness issues set in fairly quickly, and I had to learn in a hurry that good enough was a lot better than good enough, it was fantastic.

I'm still not "there", in terms of accepting myself. There is no "there". But I've learned to live with that about myself, and it makes it easier to accept less from others. It's a freeing and enjoyable process to go through, and I recommend it.

juulie

[bob jenkins]

David --

If you're concerned about the level of the officials, then ask before you (a) enter your team or (b) accept an assignment for one of these tourneys / leagues.

For some, the definition of "qualified official" might be anyone who has ever seen a game. For others, it might be "NCAA regional officials only". If the league wants the former, and you are expecting the latter, then there will be a problem.

[drinkeii]

Well, I myself am not perfect. However, I do expect that people will give their best effort when they do anything. I don't see this as unreasonable. Maybe I will at some point in the future, but I have never been one to accept when there is a right way to do something, and people completely choose to ignore it in favor of cutting corners. It may reduce stress in the end, but I don't believe accepting a lower standard is the best way to go at this time.

It is a well known fact that if you set your expectations low, you will not be disappointed often. I set mine high, and even if I am disappointed occasionally, I feel that is the better way to go. I certainly wouldn't be a very good teacher if I set my standards at my job low.

Thanks for the opinions, however.

[Edited by drinkeii on Jul 6th, 2005 at 11:12 AM]

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by drinkeii
Well, I myself am not perfect. However, I do expect that people will give their best effort when they do anything.

Dave, I debated a long time about whether to reply to any of your recent threads. You've posted on the forum before and I've responded and we've never had a problem, as far as I can recall.

And I don't really understand this campaign you're on over the last couple weeks. Your posts sound like you're taking the officiating personally. They seem overwhelmingly negative in tone, for some reason.

So, as I said, I debated about whether to respond b/c I have a feeling that you're not going to like my comment. But here it is anyway.

You are making an error by expecting officials (even certified officials) to give their best effort in every game of a weekend tournament. There are at least two reasons for this.

1) Most officials are doing multiple games at these tournaments. If an official gave 100% in the first game, he wouldn't be worth a plug nickel in the second and third games.

2) To be honest, I can do a great job on a 7th/8th grade game or a JV level game without giving my best effort. That's not to be snotty, it's just a fact. The level of play doesn't demand my full physical and mental ability. And that's also true for lots of other certified HS officials.

So expecting officials to give their best effort in every game of a weekend tournament is simply unrealistic. You should (and I'm sure you do) expect them to be competent, but as others have pointed out, you don't have any control over that, either. If the tournament hires college kids, you're SOL. And there's exactly nothing to do about it except stay home. Complaining to an official like that will accomplish nothing.

I hope you get good officials at your next tournament, but more than that, I hope you adjust your expectations and your response to the "unqualified" refs.

[JRutledge]

It does not matter what Dave thinks, he is not going to get what he wants anyway. None of us do in many aspects of our daily lives will get our way no matter who we are.

I on the other hand do not care about hurting feelings when I am telling the straight up truth. I know I do not give my best effort when I work multiple games. These kids are the same age and I am a year older. I know we would like to think all games are equal, but they are not. A summer game is not the same as a regular season game. A middle school game is not the same a high school JV game. A girl's game is not the same as a boy's game. A varsity game with a bunch of kids that will never play again after HS is not the same as a game with a bunch of kids that will play at D1 programs and possibly the NBA. A game with 10 people in the gym is different than game with 5000 in the gym. We are all motivated differently and we should motivated by different things. Dave, if you feel that everyone cannot give the effort you give that is your right to feel that way. It is also my right to feel you are crazy for feeling that a summer league game you are going to get everyone that you feel are "qualified" should be working your games or with you as an official. That is never going to happen no matter what any of us feel about the situation.

Dave, your attitude is also the reason many "qualified" officials have no desire to work summer games and tournaments in the first place. After all I do not see records of summer league champions hanging on the banners of schools that participate in these leagues. It is not uncommon that all the players on a team do not even play in a league or tournament from time to time.

I wish you the best and hope you get what you want, I just think you need to be realistic and in my opinion you are being very unreasonable.

Peace

[drothamel]

I can completely understand the expectation of excellence. I expect it of myself all the time. Sometimes I disappoint myself, but that is easily corrected. It is highly unreasonable, however, to expect it of partners, or of officials when you are coaching. You have no control over these people. You do not hire them, you do not coach them, you see them for an hour or two at a time. Flip it around for a second: as a human being, I have certain expectations of coaches. Generally, that is to follow the rules and act in a sportsmanlike manner. This is all I can require of the coaches. Anything more than that is unreasonable. If my child played on a coach's team, however, my expectations would change due to the fact that my child is invovled, and I have a responsibility to that child.

As an official or as a coach, your responsibilities are different, but they do have one thing in common-- you are responsible for the game itself and its participants. Therefore, it is best to handle your responsibilites to the best of your ability, and let the other person do the same. If I worried about coaches that I thought were not giving full effort, or not living up to their responsibilities, I would suffer an anurism. In the same respect, if I worried to much about officials that do not give the level of effort that a particular game may deserve or require, I would also have an anurism. It is the responsiblity of the assignors and athletic directors to worry about those things.

I think the old saying goes something like this: "God Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference!"

[Love this Game]

Originally posted by JRutledge
It does not matter what Dave thinks, he is not going to get what he wants anyway. None of us do in many aspects of our daily lives will get our way no matter who we are.

I on the other hand do not care about hurting feelings when I am telling the straight up truth. I know I do not give my best effort when I work multiple games. These kids are the same age and I am a year older. I know we would like to think all games are equal, but they are not. A summer game is not the same as a regular season game. A middle school game is not the same a high school JV game. A girl's game is not the same as a boy's game. A varsity game with a bunch of kids that will never play again after HS is not the same as a game with a bunch of kids that will play at D1 programs and possibly the NBA. A game with 10 people in the gym is different than game with 5000 in the gym. We are all motivated differently and we should motivated by different things. Dave, if you feel that everyone cannot give the effort you give that is your right to feel that way. It is also my right to feel you are crazy for feeling that a summer league game you are going to get everyone that you feel are "qualified" should be working your games or with you as an official. That is never going to happen no matter what any of us feel about the situation.

Dave, your attitude is also the reason many "qualified" officials have no desire to work summer games and tournaments in the first place. After all I do not see records of summer league champions hanging on the banners of schools that participate in these leagues. It is not uncommon that all the players on a team do not even play in a league or tournament from time to time.

I wish you the best and hope you get what you want, I just think you need to be realistic and in my opinion you are being very unreasonable.

Peace

Rutledge Way To Go!

Dave I will tell you this, the summer is a time when people are either trying to get experience. In which they would never get during the high school season.

You will not see those guys that hve been doing it for 20-25 years alot during the summer time. So you lose a little on the quality side.

I have 15years in and I use every game as a learning experience either mine or my partners.

I believe that the only way younger or less experience people will get better is for us t help them. Best time to help is during the summer time.

I travel all over my state during the summertime to do games because I still have that drive.

And I do agree with Rut, we all officiate differently depending on teh game. If you give me a a game with two top level teams for a championship game my level has just risen.

Now you give me at 7th grade summer game and I just might not be into it.

Not saying that I will let anyone get hurt, but it is just not there.

So instead of complaining try to fix the problem. Work with them not against them. And if the continue to do wh tyou dont like, you will not be able to change them so you jsut wrk your part of the court and hope and pray the gameis over with quick.!!!!