When he cashes that first check and is on TV and can watch himself on SportCenter, I am sure all that frustration would go away. He sure is closer to that opportunity than I am. I would trade places with him in a second. I guess it about what you value. I would not have a problem with it. You seemed to have a problem with it. So yes, it is about my opinion as it relates to this. I am only one person that shared my opinion.

Peace

No, it's not about YOUR opinion (I realize it's hard for you to believe it's not about you) it's about the system.

It is about <b>MY opinion</b> as it relates to how I view this system. If you do not like the system do not participate in it. I am sure you or anyone else does not have to participate in that system if you do not like it. So what I feel about this system is my opinion. I learned a long time ago that officiating is not a democracy. We all do not have a say in the system with have to deal with. Oh well, I guess you cannot say things like that or Dan will get his flag all tied up into knots.

Peace

Sorry jeff, while your opinion is valid I did not ask the question merely to get jeff's opinion. I realize you've been taught that your opinion is all that counts....but sometimes there's more than your opinion.

Anyway, thanks for giving your opinion. I'm sure you'll give it again soon enough.

Wow!! I did not realize my response had much to do with you Dan. Are we full or ourselves there Dan? Do we actually think everyone that makes comments they are thinking about what you have to say. I do not see anyone coming from this development program to answer your questions. I guess you are expecting an official answer from some big wig to tell you why they do things they way they do.

Remind me next time master to get permission to offer a word or two the next time you post on this site.

Peace

I will not talk about the specifics of my situation, but Rut is right about how it feels. It can be described as close, closer and closest; being closer is better than being close.
This IS one subject where not only does your region make a difference, but also leagues in the same region are different. Things are ran differently on the West Coast than they are on the East Coast; each with their own pros and cons.
Also, the higher you go the less you have to pay. The money most JUCO and D2 assigners require isn't there. Most big conferences have money for training and other things. They do not require the "registration" fee.
My number one problem has been, and will be for three more years, I'm in a job situation that forces me to move. My windows of opportunity have been small and this is a business where we often have to be in it for the long haul. I will come clean and say I have probably been the least excited about this season than ever before because of some major let downs. I'm not even talking about on the D1 level either. It is very frustrating to go to a camp, get a great written evaluation and then nothing happens for you although it happens for someone else who wasn't even at the camp! I don't know what the future will hold but I maintain my opinion that I've had from day one: I want to be good. I know I'm not a politician to the extent where I will get somewhere I shouldn't be. I do play the game, but for me what some might call the game is simply manners and respect for other human beings. The bigger payoff is this set of values leaves a trail of friends or at least good associates. We have to face facts, for every one official that makes it, whether they deserve it or not, there is probably 20 guys that are better for that one spot. Sometimes the good guys and best officials just don't make it, frustrating as it may be.
One of my best friends is also one of the best officials I've ever personally met. He works in the CBA and another small D1 conference. He just hasn't got that one break, BUT he can flat out blow the whistle. There is another guy from Vegas that many have considered the most naturally gifted official they have seen. He doesn't have the drive and/or things weren't really right in his life off the court so he didn't make it to the D1 level.
Like I said, this is a funny game. I don't think either side would be right or wrong in this situation.

I had no intention of making this post this long. I guess once I started some things just came out. I'm happy to say, I'm back to where I need to be mentally and I'm ready to go. My goal is the same it always is: perfection. Although I will probably never get there, making it a goal will force my to keep pushing.

I was right.

Thanks for the post Tom. Many of us have been through what you've written about, including the politics.

Just out of curiousity guys, (since I see quite a few young officials on TV reffing D-1 games) what are the guys that are being given full college schedules doing that you aren't doing?

Z

Going to camp when they're 20 years old.

Chuck,

In your opinion, is it what they learn at those camps early in their careers or is it that they "join the club?"

In other words, is it a skill benefit they gain or a social benefit from years of going to the "right camps?"

Z

Here is the down and dirty.

Having a "sponsor" or someone pick up the phone on your behalf is HUGE right now. This goes for getting into a conference and getting an invite to a camp. Let me digress for a minute. If someone invites you to a camp and you have to pay a camp fee - that isn't really an invitation.

I cannot stress enough how being affiliated with the right official is crucial. It can be the difference between building a career and slipping through the cracks.

This process takes years. There are few phenoms; it just doesn't happen very often. Also, I know for a fact that there are major conferences that have no feeder conferences. An official is put into a do or die situation and if you don't cut it after about 5-7 years you are let go. Other conferences have feeder conferences allowing an official to cut their teeth on smaller D1 games.

I know a few officials personally on this board, Chuck being one of them. I know that, like myself, he is waiting for break that unfortunately might never come. In the meantime he is working hard to get better, as am I.

As frustrating as it has been, it is equally rewarding to know where I've come from and where my most recent standing was/is at the camps I've attended. I can leave the game knowing I didn't make it because what I did or didn't do on the court..........but I'm not going anywhere yet! I'm blessed to be in an area where I can work games that will prepare me for what is to come. My biggest concern right now is a bum foot and getting it right by tomorrow night.

It's both. They learn the system early and they are in front of the right people early. And as Tom said, it helps if somebody already in the system speaks up for you. That's actually how I initially got into Nunn-Better; although it didn't help beyond just getting into camp.

Tommy,

I would much rather be in your system than the one we have here. Not to say there is anything really bad with what happens here, but at least you have some connection with the guys at the top. Here we can work JUCO ball and the next year they might have a D1 game or two under the right circumstances. We can go to camps and we never really know when we are on the cusp of getting a real shot. Also getting a shot here might not mean anything. There are a lot of officials that have worked a year or two of D1 games with one or two games schedules to only not work any more when either the assignor changes or the philosophy of who will get picked up changes as well.

The overall problem is that there are so many qualified officials for just a couple of slots. There is also a lot of money on the line so it is very difficult to get a shot when many of the veterans are kept because they have proven they can work. Just watching the Nevada-Kansas game last night, three of the best officials in the country were on the game. No one is going to get rid of these guys to give a shot to an unproven game. It is clear that any game that gets National Television coverage the best of the best officials are on those games.

You will get your shot Tommy, just hang in there. You seemed to be on the right track. As I stated before, you are a heartbeat away. Keep doing what you do.

Peace

Tommy,

In reality, it doesn't seem that much different than the high school system... it's just way more competitive and a much longer process.

In HS, new officials start at the bottom. They slowly work their way up based on improving (rankings) and also they get a boost when a veteran notices them and mentors them and makes a call to the assignor ("they are ready for a varsity game with a strong partner"). Or maybe their first varsity game is a "fill-in" for someone else who got sick or had to cancel at the last minute.

If they go to camps (especially the "right ones") and work hard and show ability, they will eventually "rise to the top." Some of them get frustrated and quit too soon.... especially when they see others get there quicker or when they lose patience. Hang in there! You never know when it might happen.

Z