Men's vs. Women's

[Junker]

Thanks for the thoughts. I agree that it's a personal decision, but over the years I've been around the board I've developed (lord help me) respect for your opinions. I'm just kind of compiling ideas right now and someday I'll have to make a decision. Thanks.

[GoodwillRef]

Originally Posted by Junker

Thanks for the thoughts. I agree that it's a personal decision, but over the years I've been around the board I've developed (lord help me) respect for your opinions. I'm just kind of compiling ideas right now and someday I'll have to make a decision. Thanks.

Junker,

Keep in mind if you choose women's ball it doesn't mean you are any less of an official than if you would have picked men's ball.

[mick]

Originally Posted by GoodwillRef

Junker,

Keep in mind if you choose women's ball it doesn't mean you are any less of an official than if you would have picked men's ball.

Ouch !
That thought could leave a mark.

[ChuckElias]

Originally Posted by mick

Ouch !
That thought could leave a mark.

I don't think it was meant in a derogatory fashion, Mick. I think he's saying that officiating Women's basketball is just as important and just as much of an accomplishment as working Men's ball; even if some Men's officials might not agree with that.

[GoodwillRef]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

I don't think it was meant in a derogatory fashion, Mick. I think he's saying that officiating Women's basketball is just as important and just as much of an accomplishment as working Men's ball; even if some Men's officials might not agree with that.

That is exactly what I meant by that statement. Some men's officials look down at women's officials as second rate and being a women's official I take offense to that. I have worked very hard and attended numerous camps to climb up the college officiating ladder. The women's side can also be quite competitive to get hired, the camps I attend have anywhere from 150-175 officials in attendance. If you choose men’s or women’s basketball just be proud that you are a college basketball official, some officials never get work a varsity game let alone a NCAA D3, D2, or D1 game.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by GoodwillRef

That is exactly what I meant by that statement. Some men's officials look down at women's officials as second rate and being a women's official I take offense to that. I have worked very hard and attended numerous camps to climb up the college officiating ladder. The women's side can also be quite competitive to get hired, the camps I attend have anywhere from 150-175 officials in attendance. If you choose men’s or women’s basketball just be proud that you are a college basketball official, some officials never get work a varsity game let alone a NCAA D3, D2, or D1 game.

If you are that concerned with what people think about you, then that is a problem all by itself. You are never going to change how people view one side or the other. I worked a tournament that happened to be associated with a Women's D1 camp. I was working games for pay next to games that were apart of the camp. I heard officials get so defensive when you I told them I did not work Women's basketball. I heard comments like, "Women's basketball is the real basketball the way Naismith wanted the game to be called." Or comments like, "We use the NBA mechanics and you are still living in the past." No matter what you say officials are very territorial about which side they work. I will say this, most the Women's officials that I know as a whole tend to be less experienced then their Men's official’s counterparts. I know female officials that worked college within their 2 and 3 years of overall officiating that have D3 experience. I have been working 10 years and I have yet to get a shot at the D3 level along with many other officials I have worked with. And the JUCO conference I work, I am by far one of the least experienced officials around. You have to be confident in your own ability and your own choice. This is why this is completely a personal choice and you cannot officiate one side or the other based on what others are thinking.

Peace

[GoodwillRef]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

If you are that concerned with what people think about you, then that is a problem all by itself. You are never going to change how people view one side or the other. I worked a tournament that happened to be associated with a Women's D1 camp. I was working games for pay next to games that were apart of the camp. I heard officials get so defensive when you I told them I did not work Women's basketball. I heard comments like, "Women's basketball is the real basketball the way Naismith wanted the game to be called." Or comments like, "We use the NBA mechanics and you are still living in the past." No matter what you say officials are very territorial about which side they work. I will say this, most the Women's officials that I know as a whole tend to be less experienced then their Men's official’s counterparts. I know female officials that worked college within their 2 and 3 years of overall officiating that have D3 experience. I have been working 10 years and I have yet to get a shot at the D3 level along with many other officials I have worked with. And the JUCO conference I work, I am by far one of the least experienced officials around. You have to be confident in your own ability and your own choice. This is why this is completely a personal choice and you cannot officiate one side or the other based on what others are thinking.

Peace

JRut,

So you were at the ABOC Camp in Elgin, IL?

[TerpZebra]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I will say this, most the Women's officials that I know as a whole tend to be less experienced then their Men's official’s counterparts. I know female officials that worked college within their 2 and 3 years of overall officiating that have D3 experience. I have been working 10 years and I have yet to get a shot at the D3 level along with many other officials I have worked with. And the JUCO conference I work, I am by far one of the least experienced officials around.

As a young women's official (27 year old male, been doing DII, JUCO, NAIA for 3 years), I have to agree that the women's side in my area tends to hire referees with less experience than the men's counterparts. Although, I must emphasize that it is 100% based on their ability to officiate women's basketball. They don't care if you've been ref'ing for 3 months, 3 years, or 30 years, if you can do the job the way they ask you to do it, you will be hired. I agree with this philosophy completely. When I am ref'ing with a crew, I don't care how long they have officiated, I just want to make sure they handle their business for the entire 40 minutes we are on the court.

Of course, the lack of experience can cause an issue. There are certain situations I have never seen before that I really need to handle before I'm put into the wrong situation. I'm working on seeing as many plays as possible!

I chose to referee college women's basketball because the 2 other young guys in my high school association were in D-I women's. I liked their mechanics and gave it a try. Since I've been in, I have not regretted one minute of it. I am fortunate enough to live in an area with a lot of great college women's officials who are there for support and encouragement. Also, the JUCO women's basketball here in the panhandle of Florida is probably the best in the nation. There have been times where 5 of the 6 teams in the league have been ranked in the top 25 in the nation (including #1 and #3). Conference games are wars and you have to work your a$$ off. From other D-I officials, I have heard that it is as good, if not better than most of the lower level D-I games.

[JRutledge]

My point Junker is you are the person that is going to have to live with your decision. If you do it for reasons that are not your own, you will be the one that will have to live with that decision even if it is not working out. It sounds like you are being pulled in a direction based on the words in your OP. This is why you have to make this decision with your pros and cons and not the ones you read here.

Peace