Wow...that was eaisier than I thought.
 

I had another great camp this last weekend. Had a lot of good things said to me by several of my chapter officials and 75-80% of the evaluator comments were good. They mainly only gave me pointers about positioning and rotations (three whistle camp...and I have no experience in that during the regular season).

Yesterday there was an official that did not show for his game (didn't know about a schedule change). Two of the better 5A boys teams in our area were playing...a match up I wouldn't even sniff for a couple of years during the real season. Camp director told me to change and get in there. After a little hesitation (and questioning him if he was talking to me) I threw on my shirt, grabbed my whistle and took the floor.

I was really surprised how easy a game between two really good teams can be to call. I had to really stay focused and they were tougher to keep up with toward the end, but the game was fairly easy to officiate. I was a little concerned about the evaluator comments when it was over becuase I was concentrating on what I had been told and trying not to look really bad when put on the floor with good teams...you know, focusing on other stuff so much you forget to call fouls. But in all, a good evaluation.

That is two camps in a row where I got good evaluations. Its getting kind of hard not to get my hopes up for the coming season.


Hope this didn't come across as bragging...but I am ready for the season to start.

Congrats on two great camps! I don't know about the other folks here, but camps are the highlight of my off season and keep me excited for the regular season to start.

You must be doing what I've been doing - carrying one these in your pocket:

http://www.staples.com/sbd/img/ico/i...easybutton.jpg

You did find out one of the little secrets of officiating - the better the game, the easier it is to officiate. The hard part is dealing with the expectation of coaches and players at the higher levels. But it is a good feeling to know you really can do it, if need be. Good luck on the upcoming season!

That's definitely been my experience. Two good teams, playing at a high level, make a game so much easier to officiate. Most the calls call themselves. You get the obvious stuff and don't interject any sh!t into the game. Usually in these types of games, it isn't the calls you miss that bite you, it's calls you should have let go that stand out.

To expand on this thought: My experience was that I thought I was ready to move up to a higher level much sooner than I actually was ready just because the games (mostly summer camp) were somewhat easier to ref. I found that though the game can be easier to call at higher levels, the game can be much harder to manage. Coaches at this level seem to know every trick in the book to cause you to loose concentration or to make you question yourself. There are so many ways for an experienced coach to get an advantage. Things that come to mind are: Causing small delays with questions about who the proper free throw shooter is, if the clock properly started or stopped,the correct position of the pocession arrow, the application of a particular rule, or to try to get a player re-entered into the game when he is not eligible. Calling the same play the same way on both ends of the floor gets to be a real art. You have definitely got to be on your toes and able to multi-task in some of these games. I also find that the players at higher levels are a little more sneaky in their ability to foul without being noticeable. Sorry about the rambling - Just trying to pass on some of my experiences.

Yep, just calling the fouls and violations is defintitely easier at higher levels. However, managing the game can be a little more challenging at times.

Z

I am glad you had fun Larry.

Just remember this was the off-season. Things will change when the seasons actually starts. It took me half a season to get comfortable when working a lot of higher level varsity ball. When I moved to Chicago I was mostly experienced in Class A ball. When I finally had a lot of Class AA games, it took me a little while to adjust mentally. Of course calling fouls were a lot easier, but my mind was a couple of seconds behind the speed and I did not look completely sharp. I compare the jump to what they say happens in the NFL. The play you could make in college has a much shorter span to make in the NFL. Remember officiating is much more than calling plays. It is also about handling situations that do get much harder when the intensity is present. Coaches at this time a of year are more concerned with getting their team ready.

Peace

Um, no, a coach can't really gain any kind of an advantage in those situations if an official knows the rules and how to apply them. If a coach wants to stop the game to ask those questions, then just charge 'em with a time-out in each instance, as the rules provide. They'll quit that nonsense in a hurry.

Rule 5-8-4 and case book plays 5.8.4SitA&B covers any timing,scoring and AP questions, and in the other situation you just deny entrance to the sub. There's no real reason <b>not</b> to keep the game flowing.

I'll just echo what others are saying. The "better" the level of play, the "easier" it is to officiate the game. I even find game management "easier." What I think many others are referring to in reference to the difficulty of managing the game is the fact that you have to be truly prepared to handle *any* circumstances, including unusual situations, arcane rules, difficult coaches, etc. Confront any of these things without being fully prepared and things could quickly spiral downward.

Most of us, as we improve and advance, have an inflated sense of how prepared we are. Wisdom often comes from experience. And the best experience -- even better than reading on these forums -- is to be on the court.

Best wishes.

Fortunately for me, since this was camp and the real coaches can't be on the bench yet (they just sit a row back and yell :) ), all I really had to worry about was the foul calls and the mechanics. I fully understand that I have a way to go before I get that type of match-up on my regular season schedule.

Maybe I am being niave, but based on my two person experience in varsity games (which is not extensive), the coaches are not that much more difficult to deal with. That may very well change when I start getting the bigger games, but so far what I see is that they expect a consistently well officiated game, they want to be heard when they feel they have a legitamate gripe, they expect a higher level of performance (physical) on your part, that you can explain a situation should there be a need and that you conduct yourself professionally.

All those are things I want out of me as well.

Dang M&M... I thought I had everything in my gear bag. You found something I need though..... where do you get them?! :D

Ok, you asked for it:

Staples. And I actually have one. You hit the button, and a voice says, "That was easy." This isn't meant to be a commercial for Staples, but they had them a while back in the store, and proceeds went to some charity. I got it just to use at my poker games when I rake in a pot after getting everyone else to fold. The other players hate it. :D

Larry, it sounds like you get it. I think many younger officials see the bigger games, see they really are easier to call, and think, "That was easy!" But what they don't realize is they don't have the experience to handle the difficult situations that may arise, whether it's handling problem coaches and players, or acting professionally on and off the court. You still need to have those experiences under your belt before you can say you're ready. I used to think I was ready after a few years, but now the more I know, the more
I know I really wasn't ready then.

I agree that coaches, generally, are NOT more difficult to deal with at the varsity level. If anything, the coaches generally are more knowledgeable. I find that varsity coaches spend a greater percentage of their time/effort on coaching (v. whining about the officiating) than do sub-varsity coaches. Again, generally speaking, varsity coaches are more professional.

And I agree with you Larry that much of what is expected by varsity coaches ought to be, and is, expected by us.

Where do you live because we have just as many whacko coaches at the varsity level as we do at the lower levels. Dealing with coaches in hostile environments is just one more aspect of the game that is more difficult at the varsity level and higher.