When should an official chose a regular partner?

[williebfree]

I am entering my third season of officiating basketball and have found that I enjoy working with some officials more than others.

My question is posted to generate discussions of the pros and cons of having a regular partner. It also looks for consideration with regards to the timing of selecting a "regular" partner. Additionally, does "partnering" impact the likelihood of getting contracts?

Your feedback is valuable.

[Doug]

Well Wilie, there is a lot to this. on one hand you could stick solo and get a "taste of everyone", or you could "partner" up with one person. i am currently considering doing this also, and i was told by some other officials that you do recieve more games, but you don't get to wk w/ others to observe their style and skills. and also, you must be very sure that you won't kill this person on long car rides to tourneys, or vise versa, because i hear that you are quite difficult to put up w/. but. when i think about this matter, my biggest concern is already have gotton asked b4, and i don't want to hurt the person but you have to do what YOU want to do. you have to look out for yourself and if this is what you want, go for it. you also have to consider the level of games that you will recieve w/ this person, are you willing to make this sacrifice and lastly, do you like this person, i was told that that is the biggest thing. Talk and consider it and then make a decision


-Keep your eye on the prize and good luck

Doug

[BigDave]

I've known some associations that do this with a lot of positive results. The biggest downfall seems to be complacency. Seeing only one other official work is not good for your own personal growth. After working half the season with the same person, how are pregames gonna be affected in the second half? You've worked with this person for a while now, then they screw something up. Can you tell them? Will it affect the "partnership"?

I've never been in an association that uses partners, but these are just a few of the drawbacks I've heard about.

good luck with your decision

[mick]

Originally posted by BigDave
I've known some associations that do this with a lot of positive results. The biggest downfall seems to be complacency. Seeing only one other official work is not good for your own personal growth. After working half the season with the same person, how are pregames gonna be affected in the second half? You've worked with this person for a while now, then they screw something up. Can you tell them? Will it affect the "partnership"?

I've never been in an association that uses partners, but these are just a few of the drawbacks I've heard about.

good luck with your decision

My most regular partner (approx. 1/2 my games in the last 6 years, or so) and I have some quality windshield time going to the games, and we always pregame for higher levels to just help get our heads a little more into the game. Whoever is to be R that night runs the pre-game.
mick

[ChuckElias]

You have a "problem" that is totally foreign to officials in my neck of the woods (western MA). I never ever get to choose my partner for any game at the high school level or above. All officials are assigned by a central "booking agent". This includes assignments for boys and girls high school games, as well as men's college (Div 2 and 3) and junior college games. I don't have any experience with women's college games, so I can't speak to that. In fact, now that I think about it, it's also true for almost all of the kids' leagues in the area as well. When I take one of those games, I show up at the right time, and whoever has the other striped shirt is who I work with. (Although for a HS or college game, I know who my partner will be ahead of time.)

Are you talking about high school games? I know that in some areas of the country officials get their own game assignments. In a situation like that, do you go into the "contract" knowing that your chosen partner will be the other official?

Just curious.

Chuck

[Brian Watson]

It is great to have a main partner but the "problem" comes when you do work with others. YOu get in such a groove and you two will know each others tendincies, that you can seem lost on the floor with someone else. This is why I try to partner with many and not a few.

[mick]

Originally posted by Brian Watson
It is great to have a main partner but the "problem" comes when you do work with others. YOu get in such a groove and you two will know each others tendincies, that you can seem lost on the floor with someone else. This is why I try to partner with many and not a few.

Brian,
It's hard to get lost on the floor (with whomever you work), if you both, or all three, are working from the same manual.

I really dislike partners that report the fouls that I call in order to save me a switch, or some steps; partners that call shooting fouls on clean blocks; partners that call blocking fouls on PC's; partners that visit with fans; partners that walk around during time-outs.

If you like working with those boys, more power to you.
You must be a Saint.
mick

[JRutledge]

This has more to do with your area you live. In the Chicago area, many assignors are not going to assign you with a regular partner. There are a couple of assignors that I work for that do have partners, but most do not. But I started officiating in West Central Illinois, where ADs and coaches did the assigning for their games. You could not get varsity games in that part of Illinois without a partner.

But if you live in an area where having a partner is acceptable or necessary, any time is good. I do many games outside of the Chicagoland area, I need a partner or partners for those games. Having a partner has great advantages. If you have a partner, you know what to expect from them. You know what not to expect from them. And because you know what your partner is like on the court, you can officiate your area or if an unusual situation comes up, you can handle it better. And usually a partner will give you an opportunity to have a smoother game. Not because they officiate just like you, because you can go over many problems that happen over a season. So that weird play that happen in the first couple of games, your partner can discuss that situation over and over again.

The problem with not having a partner, you have to deal with different personalities and different officiating philosophies. Just on this board alone, you have guys with all kinds of attitudes about rules and mechanics. Well not having a partner or doing games without one, you have to eventually officiate with people that you do not agree with or share the same philosophy with.

I started off with a very good partner in my first year. Having one made me a better official because he shared a philosophy with me. And his desire to get better was on par with my attitudes about improvement. Actually, he was much more experienced than me and had to mold me a bit, but having him as a partner in Basketball and Baseball made me a better all around official. And to this day I would not be the official I was if I did not have my partner as a mentor and a friend when things got rough and out of hand.

Now the partners that I have today are very similar. My original partner moved out of state, but the guys that I work with now are very simular. They want to improve and be as good as I want to be at the level that we officiate at. Going to camps and talking basketball.

And if you are good partners, these people can be like a brother or sister or even a spouse or girlfriend. Many because if you have a good partner and you have been working with them for years, you can have a trust on and off the court that is unlike any other type of relationship. Some of my best friends in this world are officials that have been my partners. And that bond and friendship extends to the court and field.

Peace

[mick]

Originally posted by JRutledge

[snip]....
And if you are good partners, these people can be like a brother or sister or even a spouse or girlfriend. Many because if you have a good partner and you have been working with them for years, you can have a trust on and off the court that is unlike any other type of relationship. Some of my best friends in this world are officials that have been my partners. And that bond and friendship extends to the court and field.

Peace

Well said, Rut.
With regard to a regular/semi-regular partner, it is easier to spent a lot more "have-some-fun-time" with him than with anyone else.

mick

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by Doug
The person that i'm referring to is a very nice and talented individual who i have a lot of respect for and like him as a person and as an official, i enjoy wking w/ him more than most other people and i was curious what your advice would be, should i do it or not, and what are your reasons to support this?

I think you should ask his father for his hand before someone else grabs him up!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

I can't speak with any experience on this. I've never been involved in a system where you get to choose your partner.

[williebfree]

Willie is married to a "saintly" woman.

FYI: Doug is a young official who is learning the ropes of officiating; and life in general.

[Brian Watson]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mick

Originally posted by Brian Watson
Brian,
It's hard to get lost on the floor (with whomever you work), if you both, or all three, are working from the same manual.

I really dislike partners that report the fouls that I call in order to save me a switch, or some steps; partners that call shooting fouls on clean blocks; partners that call blocking fouls on PC's; partners that visit with fans; partners that walk around during time-outs.



If you like working with those boys, more power to you.
You must be a Saint.
mick

These are not the types of guys I am talking about, guys like this drive me nuts as well. I mean that when you travel to and from games and work with the same person or persons over and over in the winter and summer you develop habits that you won't have with other people.

I worked with a good friend for my first 5 years. After awhile I took certain things for granted. How to handle double whistles, how much help he needed on press situations, his level of tolerance before he drops a T (when I needed to get him away from the benches). Just a lot of things that you go over in a pregame that we didn't have to because they were second nature to us.

I now work with many different people, but I do work better with some, and these are who I try to schedule the majority of may games with. I guess I now have 8 or 9 partners rather than just one.

[mick]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Brian Watson

Originally posted by mick

These are not the types of guys I am talking about, guys like this drive me nuts as well. I mean that when you travel to and from games and work with the same person or persons over and over in the winter and summer you develop habits that you won't have with other people.

I worked with a good friend for my first 5 years. After awhile I took certain things for granted. How to handle double whistles, how much help he needed on press situations, his level of tolerance before he drops a T (when I needed to get him away from the benches). Just a lot of things that you go over in a pregame that we didn't have to because they were second nature to us.

I now work with many different people, but I do work better with some, and these are who I try to schedule the majority of may games with. I guess I now have 8 or 9 partners rather than just one.

Brian,
I can enjoy working with any the mechanically perfect official... even Bob Jenkins.
I guess the question is are they enjoying my game?

(Actual partners need not reply)

mick

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by williebfree
Willie is married to a "saintly" woman.

From what I've read, she would have to be!

FYI: Doug is a young official who is learning the ropes of officiating; and life in general.

Aren't we all?

[dblref]

In my association (northern Virginia), all games are assigned by either a scholastic assignor or rec assignor. We do not get to choose our partners (except rec ball) and we cannot obtain games on our own -- at least sanctioned games. For JV officials, we do have what we call a "mentoring program" where you can request a mentor and indicate to the scholastic assignor that you would like to be assigned to the freshman/jv game ahead of your mentor. It is common for us to work either a freshman/jv double header (if a jv official), or work a freshman game at one location and a varsity game at another location if you are swing/varsity official. For scholastic games, we usually recieve a monthly/6 week schedule showing all games, times, locations, and partners. I ALWAYS call my partner a couple of days before a game to confirm because schedules often get changed because of turn-backs. For rec games, our web site is set up to where we can go in and "click" on the games we want (with partners we like) and we know immediately if we have the games. The site does not allow you to "click" on a game you are not qualified for (i.e. applicants/jv officials cannot "click" on varsity level games). Swing and varsity officals can "click" on any level game. There are times when I wish we had long term partners, but then again, it is often good to work with someone new.