? <!-- -->

Do you think it is better for an officials to work his way up the ladder (D3-D2-D1) or just get thrown into the fire at a level they can't handle (I understand that you aren't going to turn down a higher level if offered to you)...then they get fired in 3 years. There are a lot of educational experiences along the road that make you a better officials, you can learn those at the D3 and D2 levels.

Ron - I would say for the vast majority of us, that would be the case. There is a lot to be learned along the way. However, there are a few people who just have the talent, a feel for the game from the beginning, who can start right near the top. Of course, they still need to just do more games, because there is no substitute for experience, but I believe that's why the NBA has the D-League. I think you can also safely make the statement that working all those junior high games will not help in your NBA game, so it's not necessarily a natural progression from jr. high to high school, to college, to pro sports. There may be smaller progressions within these steps, such as what you suggested - juco, D3, D2, then D1 just at the college level. But even then, some people can start higher than others due to talent, knowledge, etc. In the end, however, it's how well you continue to improve that determines how far you go (or stay), no matter what level you start.

You are making a couple of assumptions that may or may not apply to every situation. Everyone is not around schools that would allow them to work all those levels. Assignors of conferences have likely have no influence over what other conference assignors decide. In my area there is only one D2 Conference likely available to me if I were to get hired. There are more D1 conferences I would likely be hired by if I was deemed good enough. A D1 assignor is going to hire the best people; they are not going to always care where they come from. You are also assuming that the jump from D3 to D2 is a huge and significant jump. Too many that would not be the case at all. One of the college camps I attended the camp director assigned D1-JUCO ball. It would be unlikely from where I live that guys would work his D3 conference, but were much closer to his D2 conference. He uses people largely based on where they live and does not want people going ridiculous miles to work a game for just over $100 (his words not mine). So he might pick a guy up at the D1 level that has never worked D3 in his conference and in some cases might not have worked D2. So it is not always feasible to go in the order you suggest. This is why there are guys who have never worked a single HS varsity game but have worked an NCAA Final Four. It is about talent, not the level you have previously worked. At this same camp the assignor said, "Some officials just get it and many do not." So from this one person's point of view at least it really does not matter what you have done, he feels if you can referee, you can referee. He also felt getting a shot was the key. There are so many factors as to why some people get a shot and others do not get a shot at all.

Peace