IAABO? If not, why not? If you are, why?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Brian,

I am one of the addicts I guess. Since I live on the Ohio/Michigan state line I am registered in both Ohio and Michigan. That means my 2001-02 season starts in less that two weeks because Michigan plays its girls' H.S. season in the Fall, and I work every level from jr. H.S. thru varsity.

Then comes the normal season for boys' in Michigan and boys' and girls' in Ohio, and once again i will officiate every level from jr. H.S. thru varsity as well as mens' and womens' college jr. varsity. I will also officiate CYO on Sunday afternoon.

When Spring comes I will officiate in the Ohio Special Olympics State Tournament and a AAU type tournament just about every weekend. When June comes it will be summer leagues just about every night. And when July comes I will go to Florida for the YBOA Boys' and Girls' National Tournaments.

And when the end of next August comes the cycle will start all over again.

And I also forgot to add the time I spend teaching an OhioHSAA certified basketball officiating course, attending local meetings as a rules interpreter, and attending IAABO national meetings.

Yes, you could say that I officate a lot of games because I love to officiate basketball. I am and addict and I admit.

[mick]

Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
Brian,

[snip]Yes, you could say that I officate a lot of games because I love to officiate basketball. I am and addict and I admit.

Mark,
Belonging to three officials associations in Michigan, and with all those hoops games, how do you have time for Soccer and Softball?
Udaman!
mick

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Brian Watson
I still fail to see why wanting to work more games makes one a bad person. If you do not want to work as many games as possible, that is your choice, I respect that. On the same note, I would hope people would respect those that want to work as many games as possible, and use the tools at their disposal to do so. One common tool is local associations. I do not see where it is an issue for someone to use the association to get as many games as they can. I feel this is why most of us ref, to work games.

I know guys that only do one to two games a week to keep in shape, and I know addicts that do it 7 days a week for most of the year. I would never tell or suggest someone should hang up the whistle, unless they were in it just for money. You do it for thr love of the game, and that love varies, but wanting to work games is not a bad thing. It still shows the fire burns.

Brian you are missing the point. I do not think anyone has said that getting more games is wrong. All I said and that I read anyone else say was that IAABO or belonging to IAABO is not going to further the number of games that anyone gets. At least in my area that is the case. As I stated before, belonging to any organization does not get you games around here. And belong to IAABO hardly does anything for education or training in my area, let alone not seeing any games from that organization. Most of the assignors that I work with, association or organization affiliations almost have nothing to do with them handing out games.

So if you want to work 8 days a week (Beetles reference), that is your choice. But speaking for myself, I have more than enough games. And because I have more than enough games, joining IAABO really has no purpose to me. I already get education and training from the organizations that I belong. So why would I or anyone else join a group that does not affect our areas.

I think this depends on the area you live and the influence IAABO might have in your territory.

Peace

[BktBallRef]

Jeff, I believe Brian was directing his post to Mark, not you. Mark had made several comments to the effect that if you're in this avocation to get a lot of games, then you were in it for the wrong reasons. I believe he was implying that the only reason to want more games, is to make more money. Brian was just pointing out that many of us just love to work for the love of the game.

[Peter Devana]

I'mmmm Baaack ready for a new season. Re IAABO.
I joined IAABO in 1963 and retained my membership until about 1988 when in my area it didnt seem like it was of any further use as we in BC were so FIBA oriented. However we have finally seen the light and have reverted back to the REAL game! In my opinion IAABO is the greatest official's organization in the world. The support they showed us in Canada was better than any Org. I have ever belonged to. Their clinitians were the greatest and I was personally trained By DR. Phil Fox and Norman Van Arsdalen 2 of the worlds best!
Since most organizations in Canada are now reverting back to the real game we should all think of joining IAABO again and forget the rest. That's my opinion.
Pistol
PS I'm probably inviting some "heat" on this one but so be it!

[Brian Watson]

Originally posted by BktBallRef
Jeff, I believe Brian was directing his post to Mark, not you. Mark had made several comments to the effect that if you're in this avocation to get a lot of games, then you were in it for the wrong reasons. I believe he was implying that the only reason to want more games, is to make more money. Brian was just pointing out that many of us just love to work for the love of the game.

Yes, my comments were in reply to Mark's take that officials who join associations to get games is bad.

I think he assumes if your looking for games you just want $$$, while I think it might be because you really want to work. Me, I would rather work games than sit around the house so I try to do as many as possible.

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by Brian Watson

Yes, my comments were in reply to Mark's take that officials who join associations to get games is bad.

I think he assumes if your looking for games you just want $$$, while I think it might be because you really want to work. Me, I would rather work games than sit around the house so I try to do as many as possible.

Which is why I still do rec league games. There are a lot of officials who won't work them but these kids desire a chance to play too.

I certainly don't work them for the money.

[Just Curious]

Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
Engineers are people who use mathematics and science to design and construct/manufacture of all manner of products and structures utilizing natural and man-made materials. Engineers do not drive trains. Train drivers drive trains.

Oooooooh I liked this one. Especially the last part!
Really Mark, I liked your analogy. But in my opinion you committed 2 sins.
1. Never try to teach a pig to sing as it's a waste of time and it only annoys the pig.
2. Keep It Simple Stupid! KISS
Some engineers try to teach multiplication using principles of physics instead of principles of addition.
Lets try it this way..
All hand/power tools, ideas, and organizations (of any kind) are of value. Maybe not today..... But...
I have this common screwdriver.... But dang if all the screws I'm using at the moment are the Phillip's type. Guess I don't need this common screwdriver after all so I'm going to take it from my tool box and throw it in the trash.
(Of course with the flow this thread has taken someone would probably think I have a screw loose.)
I don't belong to the IAABO... But I personally can see the value of having the IAABO in my tool box. There's no doubt in my mind that I could learn something from the IAABO and become better official.
Keep on a preachin it, Mark!

[Richard Ogg]

I'd like some of the IAABO members to return to speak about the benefits of belonging without regard for local activities.

While I could drive to the nearest IAABO, it would be more effort than I really have time. We do not have an IAABO association where I work. We have other clinics and camps available for training (and some are required).

So, ignoring the difficulty of joining remotely, what are the remote benefits? Are there regular publications that help more/better than Referee and this discussion board? What can they offer to officials not physically connected with an IAABO group? (And thanks!)

[ilyazhito]

Every year, IAABO would send its members a mechanics manual combined with the rulebook. That bible, so to speak, is a very useful text, especially because it has pre-game outlines for both a 2 and 3 person crew in there. I don't know if this year's IAABO manual will include the NFHS rules, but I have found it to be very useful in the past. While the main manual describes opposite the table switching (that is the standard IAABO practice), there are also appendices to both the 2-person and 3-person sections that include table-side switches, for those states where you go table-side after reporting.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

Every year, IAABO would send its members a mechanics manual combined with the rulebook ... I don't know if this year's IAABO manual will include the NFHS rules ...

I'm not sure why ilyazhito resurrected a twenty-one year old thread, but I'll play along.

According to our local board secretary/treasurer, no rulebook and no casebook will be included with the IAABO International mechanics manual this coming (2022-23) year (for the past forty-plus years we have always received a combined IAABO mechanics manual, NFHS rulebook, and NFHS casebook, comes with our annual IAABO International dues).

IAABO International is doing this as a cost saving measure.

I am very disappointed in IAABO, finding this decision to be incompatible with the IAABO goal of "education".

Here in Connecticut (100% IAABO state), basketball officials (not other sports) do not belong to the NFHS, thus we do not "automatically" get current rulebooks and current casebooks from the NFHS.

Starting this coming season, my local board will only provide current NFHS rulebooks and current NFHS casebooks to new (rookie) members, and to trainers (interpreters).

The rest to us will have the option to purchase current rulebooks and current casebooks directly from the NFHS, if we so desire (it's not mandatory).

That means that many high school basketball officials in my local board (not sure about the other five Connecticut local basketball boards) may not be carrying a current rulebook or a current casebook in their equipment bag.

I find that to be both incomprehensible and unprofessional.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

... no rulebbok and no casebook will be included with the IAABO International mechanics manual this coming year (for the past forty-plus years we have always received a combined IAABO mechanics manual, NFHS rulebook, and NFHS casebook, comes with our annual IAABO International dues). IAABO International is doing this as a cost saving measure ...

I just checked. Last year IAABO International dues were $38 per member, this coming year IAABO International dues will decrease to $30 per member.

Prices aren't available on the NFHS website until August 1, 2022, but I bet that I will spend more than $8 for a 2022-23 NFHS Rulebook, a 2022-23 NFHS casebook, and postage.

[Bcopas]

Just curious. If a basketball official in an IAABO state pays dues to their local chapter in order to belong and be assigned games, do they pay any other dues? Like state dues.

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I just checked. Last year IAABO International dues were $38 per member, this coming year IAABO International dues will decrease to $30 per member.

Prices aren't available on the NFHS website until August 1, 2022, but I bet that I will spend more than $8 for a 2022-23 NFHS Rulebook, a 2022-23 NFHS casebook, and postage.

The ebooks cost about $7 each. I order electronic rulebooks for basketball, football, volleyball, and soccer.

Bcopas, a portion of the dues to one's local board go up the ladder to the state association and state board, if applicable. Board 12 dues, before Dragonfly came into the picture, would also include MPSSAA dues (formerly $34 per sport; now $40 for the first sport and $20 for each extra sport).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Bcopas

Just curious. If a basketball official in an IAABO state pays dues to their local chapter in order to belong and be assigned games, do they pay any other dues?

I can only speak about my local IAABO board here in my little corner of 100% IAABO Connecticut. There are five other local IAABO boards in Connecticut.

Our annual local IAABO dues are $125 per member.

Of that $125, $30 goes toward our IAABO International annual dues, $5 goes toward our Connecticut State IAABO Board annual dues, and $13 goes toward our CIAC (state interscholastic sports governing body) annual dues.

In addition to our $125 per member local IAABO board annual dues, we also pay an annual assignment fee of 7% of our individual cumulative game fees for the season to our local IAABO board. Our local IAABO board assignment commissioner (that we hire on a year to year contract) gets approximately 5% of that 7%, the remaining 2% of that 7% goes to our local board.

Note that all of these figures were budgeted for; they may have changed since the spring.