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Old Tue Jan 17, 2006, 08:11pm
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I have just been asked to ref 4 games of the 7th and 8th grade level. The problem with these games is that I am going to be officiating with an unpatched ref, whos only experience comes from the local cyc league( this is a 2 man crew by the way). I do know that all of these teams have talent, and are very quick. I also know myself well enough to know that I am not going to be able to treat him like all of the new refs I coach in the rec league because I am not skilled enough to look outside of my coverage and cover him at this level. What can I do to help myself and him. I have asked him to show up a little earlier so we can have a little longer pregame. What all should I bring up in the pregame. Is their a way in the pregame that I can nicly bring up that he is going to probably struggle, also to tell him that his zone is enough to worry about and to forget mine( cyc officials love to watch the whole court) I openly admited to the AD when he confronted me with these games that I am only a Junior in highschool, and am relativily new to officiating and that just me getting through these games with an experienced official is tough. Is their anything I can do to get this idea that something bad is going to happen out of my mind before the game.
Thank you
P.S. sorry this is so long and their are so many questions but any help I can get I'd appreciate.

[Edited by fonzzy07 on Jan 17th, 2006 at 11:15 PM]
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 12:01am
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I am not skilled enough to look outside of my coverage and cover him at this level. (you do not have too).

What can I do to help myself and him. I have asked him to show up a little earlier so we can have a little longer pregame. ( This is the correct approach).

What all should I bring up in the pregame? (the basic stuff i.e. Communication after whistles, double whistles, switch on all fouls, press situation, end of quarter shots just to name a few).

Is their a way in the pregame that I can nicly bring up that he is going to probably struggle, also to tell him that his zone is enough to worry about and to forget mine( cyc officials love to watch the whole court)

No, you will put him on the defensive. I will encourage you to K-I-S (Keep Is Simple)no pun intended it is just an acronym. This should get you through the night. If all else fails GET IN! GET DONE! GET OUT!
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 01:48am
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This is a great opportunity for you to learn some game management and control the game when your partner cannot. If you are both young and not that great yet then I am sure coaches are going to be crazy over some calls. Be willing to talk to them but if they even think of stepping over the line or do something that embarasses you do not hesitate to stick him/her, that is the only thing that they respect. Go out and ref the game the way you know how. Exude confidence through signals and communications. Make it look like you have been doing it for years.

Good luck and make sure you tell us how it went.
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 01:49am
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Quote:
Originally posted by fonzzy07
I have just been asked to ref 4 games of the 7th and 8th grade level. The problem with these games is that I am going to be officiating with an unpatched ref, whos only experience comes from the local cyc league( this is a 2 man crew by the way). I do know that all of these teams have talent, and are very quick. I also know myself well enough to know that I am not going to be able to treat him like all of the new refs I coach in the rec league because I am not skilled enough to look outside of my coverage and cover him at this level. What can I do to help myself and him. I have asked him to show up a little earlier so we can have a little longer pregame. What all should I bring up in the pregame. Is their a way in the pregame that I can nicly bring up that he is going to probably struggle, also to tell him that his zone is enough to worry about and to forget mine( cyc officials love to watch the whole court) I openly admited to the AD when he confronted me with these games that I am only a Junior in highschool, and am relativily new to officiating and that just me getting through these games with an experienced official is tough. Is their anything I can do to get this idea that something bad is going to happen out of my mind before the game.
Thank you
P.S. sorry this is so long and their are so many questions but any help I can get I'd appreciate.

[Edited by fonzzy07 on Jan 17th, 2006 at 11:15 PM]
"These games are different from cyc. You'll need to concentrate on your primary, and trust me to handle my primary. I'll do the same for you. In the gray area, we make eye contact, and see how to handle it."

If you'll be the "head ref", which I'm guessing from what you've said, stand up and take charge, but do it warmly and in a friendly way. Be the senior official, but don't big-time him.

Call the obvious. Protect the shooter. Lots of partner eye contact. Chat briefly at every opportunity. Relax and have fun.

The way to get rid of the fear of "something bad happening" is to know that you can handle whatever it may be. You can, can't you?

Okay, maybe not, but you can know that you can't possibly screw it up as badly as I have in the past. Any mistake there is out there, I've done it and bought the T-shirt. Now don't you feel better?
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 02:57am
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Be a great partner.

Control the game without taking over the game.

Realize that it probably won't be as bad as you think it will.

If you do that, don't be surprised if your unpatched partner rises to the occasion.
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 08:46am
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Juulie said pretty much what I was going to say. Very clearly -- without accusing him of anything -- say, "Let's focus on staying in our primaries, ok? If I'm watching your primary, or you're watching mine, then we've got a bunch of kids that nobody's watching."

If you realize during the game that that's not happening, gently remind him during a TO or halftime. "Good half. Let's stay focused on our primaries. . ."

I also agree with BZ that it probably will not be as bad as you expect.
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 10:06am
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I agree with Chuck and Rainmaker. I don't know if you have actual knowledge about this partners abilities. Have a good discussion about primaries and then trust your partner to look after his and you look after yours.

I remember a time I was at a JV game with a fellow who told me this was going to be his 4th time on the court as an official but he had lots of experience as a player. (Yikes, I remember being a player) Well I went over primaries and then when we had breaks in the action that allowed me to go over to him, I reminded him not to ball watch. (he was tending to follow the ball) A couple of other constructive comments to him during the game about some mechanics and we got through the game with no complaints. It was actually a fullfilling experience.

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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 10:44am
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Quote:
Originally posted by blindzebra
If you do that, don't be surprised if your unpatched partner rises to the occasion.
Good point, BZ. I know that when I work with a partner who's much better than me, I do my best. When I work with someone who's brand new, or hasn't been learning things, I might not do as well. OP should have the mindset to be the much better partner and let the newbie rise to the occasion, as you say.
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 10:56am
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Enter with a great attitude

Do your game and take care of your primary area. Don't think that you are going to reach out and cover for your partner, or that you will need to do so. That will mess things up for your own game and for whatever relationship you may establish with your partner.

You have already made some generalizations about your partner that hopefully will be proven wrong. People tend to live up to your expectations - expect the best out of him rather than the worst.

I was never given a patch... but I'm a competent official. Your partner to be, may also be competent. In fact, he may also be having doubts about his ability to work efficiently with you/rookie. Prove all doubts wrong; do your part and expect him to do his.

Good-luck and have a great set of games.
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 12:43pm
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It was not too long ago that I was the brand new referee. I had a fantastic, more experienced ref that I worked with my first few games. Here's what he did that made me feel more comfortable and do a better job.

1. Good, thorough pre-game.
2. Constant communication - if he saw something in my area that he thought I should have called (or shouldn't have called, in one case) he talked about it at the break. This was great for me, as I was learning and already thinking about the things he brought up.
3. Patience - his professional attitude and calmness did a lot to help me stay calm and focused
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 01:42pm
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I do a Saturday morning Y league just to help out in my town. I usually work with HS kids or parents. Before the league started, we had a short meeting and I talked about coverage areas and lines (who's calling oob). Beyond that, I kind of take it piece by piece. Give them a bit of knowledge every once in a while. If you try to tell them a bunch of things all at once, you'll probably confuse them. Other than that, I stay in my area and try to enjoy myself (some of my current and former students are usually on the floor). I also try to encourage some of the helpers to get registered with the state. We're moving toward 3 man and there are areas that will need a lot of new officials. On a funny note, last year I worked with a guy I play league with. He's a good guy, but typical to a men's league player, as soon as the ball is in play, there's a foul, violation, or something that is being missed at all times. I was T, he was lead. A kid takes a shot, misses everything, and runs down the ball. My partner whistles a violation. I smile and shake my head. Him, "That's not a violation?" Me, "Not if the referee sees it as a shot attempt." Him, "You're kidding, I never knew that." At least he learned a little.
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Old Wed Jan 18, 2006, 11:43pm
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Thanks for the help guys.
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