Staying Excited

[Grail]

Have you joined an association? Do you attend all the meetings? Do you actively participate in those meetings? Do you attend any of the social outings? Have you done anything that gets you noticed by the assignors or other respected officials in your area?

None of those things relate to whether or not you are a good official, but they all relate to how games are assigned. I am a 5th year official in IL, and hopefully passed my test for the top level last night. I am just beginning be assigned to Varsity contests. I did many of the same things you did, attending camps, asking people about my game, etc..

The one thing I have also worked at is getting my name out there. I always participate in the meetings. I do my best to attend every one. We have 3 scheduled nights out (usually on Fridays after the games). I always attend, even if I didn't have a game that night. Attending meetings has value in improving my knowledge and thus my officiating. The rest is just getting known. Now that people know who I am, when they need a sub, they can mention my name. Hopefully they are acknowledging my skills as well, but as you mentioned, skill alone does not seem to be enough.