Has anyone ever been on the Bench!!
 

Just wondering how many of you guys have been on the flip side of officiating. Yes, Coaching. If so, boys/girls, JV/Varsity.

I've never coached, but in my experience, refs that used to be coaches tend to be pretty good refs to work with. But coaches that used to be refs are awful to ref for.

I have coached little league ball (JR Jazz) and church ball.

I remember when I was coaching one night and the refs blew the whistle and called backcourt on the other team. I told the ref that it was not back court and to give the ball back to the other team. He was dumbfounded.. He had the deer in the headlights look and I told him again to give the ball back to the other team that it was not a BC violation. I finally comvinced him, to give the ball to the other team when I started telling my guard that would have brought the ball in to pass the ball to the other team down near our endline ( didnt want them to get easy fast break)

I've coached youth soccer for 8 years (currently middle school) and have officiated basketball for 13 years. Seeing things from a coaches view (even in a different sport) does provide an interesting view points. There are one or two of my coaching peers that are embarrassing them selves on a regular basis but for the most part, they're great guys.

During and after college I coached at the Freshman Boys and Junior Varsity Boys level before having to go out and get a real job (according to my parents). When I moved from PA to NJ, the district I moved to had a rule that one needed to be a teacher to coach at the public school level. Therefore, in order to stay with the game, I became an official. I've been at it now 16 years and I love it.

I was an assistant coach at the V level for a year. That made me head coach of the Freshman team. I was terrible, plain and simple. I'd rather be a terrible ref than a terrible coach. :)

LOL

I coach our local hacky-sack team. The referees are all penguins who use air-raid sirens instead of whistles. Last week, we had a call go against us that was a backcourt sticky wicket during a penalty box timeout while not in team control after coming in from OOB with just one foot on the pitcher's rubber.

First time I've seen that.

Damn - where's those meds?

I started working our YMCA Youth League, 12 years ago as a biddy-Coach. The guy that ran Program was great. He sent quite a few of us fathers to Ref School so we could do the Games. I started reffing all the age Group Games and coaching my son's team from 4th Grade to 12th Grade. I stayed with it after my son graduated as they are always short on Coaches in the YMCA high school bracket.

We are suppose to set a good example for the kids. (Easy in Theory.) When you Coach....you want your kids to win, it's hard not to get frisky sometimes.

I remember once when one of the father's (HE HAD ATTENDED REF SCHOOL TOO) called 3 seconds on my son on an out of bounds play. I didn't say anything. I just got up and walked behind the bench and stated to bang my head on the mat on the wall.

Having played HS ball and 2 years of what became Div. 3 ball, I thought I knew the Rules intil I attended School. I'm convinced that many Coaches short change their kids by not being able to teach them "specifics" of the Rules.

Yelling, "Don't TRAVEL!" isn't teaching unless the kid knows what exactly he did wrong.

I coached boys JV basketball many moons ago...I currently am an assistant coach on a Varsity football team...gives you a much different perspective on how important good communication skills are to an official...

I coached youth basketball for a few years . I loved working with the kids. I do think it helped me to deal with coaches better. Because I understand there point of view. And I try to have good communication with them.

Ima varsity girls' coach. I understand Smitty's assertion that coaches who have officiated are terrible (for reasons most of us have experienced), but I would like to think that officiating has helped teach me to be a better coach than I used to be. Again, I like to think that I am more reasonable in what I expect out of the officials. Biggest lesson: spend my time coaching and not observing/critiquing/reacting/begging the officials.

I was an assistant coach for both a men's junior college team and a girl's junior college team before I started reffing (that was 5 years before I started officiating). It's too bad that I can't ref myself from a few years ago so I could throw my own butt out of the gym. :( I whined too much.

My theory is that reffing is my pennance for being such a nitwit.

Z

Roger that on whining too much, Z. Wasted a lot of time and didn't enjoy the game. Deserved the boot, but maybe the officials wanted to continue their entertainment...

Coached HS aged boys in a church league. Played in HS and College. One of the refs from a championship game I coached in was 'impressed ' with my knowledge of the game, and suckered me into becoming a ref. Haven't been on the bench since.

I have coached Jr. High boys soccer, JV girls basketball, and varsity field hockey (I didn't know anything about it, but I was willing to do it.) for one year each. I coached JV boys basketball for three years and was then elevated to the varsity position where I coached for about eight years. I coached varsity softball for seven years. I also was an unpaid assistant for the varsity baseball team for or three years, and for the varsity basketball team for one year. These positions were all in a fairly small school in New Hampshire. I was also assistant coach for two boys AAU teams, 16-and-under and 17-and-under, that participated in the national tournament.

I've been on all sides of the ball. Played high school and college ball, also coached high school ball for three years as an assistant. I really think it has helped me as an official to understand all three sides.

awesome!
 

(now posted on my fridge!)

Re: awesome!
 

Wow, I would love to see your fridge.

:D

Mark, I think tweetz might have some meds you can use...

Re: awesome!
 

Don't forget to send me my royalty check.

I coached at the youth level for several years. Started reffing when official didn't show for a game after mine. Liked it so much I never went back to coaching after that year. BTW, one of the kids I coached went on to play 4 years at ND. He could almost beat me 1 0n 1 when he was 12.

Mregor

23 years of high school coaching. I've coached football, boys basketball, girls basketball, golf, tennis, and currently fast pitch softball. I even served 12 years as a high school athletic director. I am also currently a high school assistant principal. This is my second year as a basketball official and I love it. Many years ago as a younger man, I worked high school baseball for eight consecutive years before becoming a high school basketball head coach.

I've enjoyed every aspect of my career with high school athletics and I believe my varied experiences help me as both a coach and an official.

I think working both sides of the game (coaching and officiating) helps me with communication skills. I think I have a better approach toward officials when I'm coaching and a better approach toward coaches when I'm officiating.

I have been on both sides of the ball. I've coached myself for over thirty years and been reffing three years and I agree with everyone else. It has improved my communication skills with coaches, players and myself. The interpersonal skills I have developed is priceless on and off the court. :D

Middle School Teacher Coach for one year...coached football, basketball and track. Salary---$11,690 (Idaho,1979)

Coached Little League Football, Baseball, Basketball...approx. 7 years total. Salary--$0 (Loved it)

Officiated Basketball since 1988. Salary---(well, you know) and still enjoying it!

Got out of teaching...but love staying connected to the game with officiating.
For the most part, there are good people involved in athletics...and most of us have something in common, we enjoy the competition.

I never coached basketball, but I did ride pine my junior year.

Were you crossing the International Date Line?

No. That would be silly.

???????
 

Huh??? Do you answer back? Previously had a lot of self arguments?

I'm surprised no one else picked up on this.:D

>>refs that used to be coaches tend to be pretty good refs to work with. But coaches that used to be refs are awful to ref for.<<

My experience is almost universally the OPPOSITE.

However, the coach turned administrator turned official would likely fit well in your description (in my experience), as would officials who have worked for a while (3-5+ years).

[Edited by Texas Aggie on Oct 30th, 2005 at 12:14 AM]

I have coached MS girls/boys and HS varsity girls/boys. I gave it up for reffing 4 years ago when my first child was born. We will have a new boys varsity coach at the school this year. Great guy who did a great job with our MS team last year-He has asked me to help out and assistant coach-this year. Not sure if I will find the time.

Coached and played for the last 15 years. Just started officiating this year. Wow - what a challenge. I never paid much attention to refs when I coach. Could count on one hand how many times I yelled about a call. Officiating is a whole new world. It's a bigger challenge than I had originally anticipated. I'm liking it so far, but know I have so much to learn. Coaches have no mercy..... Neither do fans......

Hey, Cheryl, welcome to the dark side! Hope you learn to love it as much as we all do. Keep coming here and asking questions. Everyone here is very supportive and will help steer you along the road to Ref Success!

Umm,...isn't she coming from the dark side?

Cheryl, you'll have to excuse her, she sometimes gets things up mixed.

Not from her point of view!!

Exactly! Since when has a coach ever been right? ;)

It's our job to clear up misconceptions like this.

Tsk. Tsk. http://www.deephousepage.com/smilies...inted_anim.gif

Touche!

Cheryl, having been corrected by the very erudite M$M, I will now re-phrase my greeting to you.

Hey, Cheryl, welcome to the light side! Keep coming to this board to learn a lot of silly little details that no one ever needs -- until the day after the discussion. We won't steer you wrong. At least not collectively. At least not on purpose. Unless we're playing a joke on you. At least not as long as you keep agreeing with us.

Oh, for Pete's sake. This is a real fun place and y'all oughta stick around. Get it?

Careful, don't let Padgett hear you use those French terms.
No one has ever called me that before. Thanks!
(Now I'll go look it up...)
I don't know about some of the other people around here, but I never joke or kid around.
Hmmm...gotta agree on this one.