Is this a problem or what

[bronco]

Originally Posted by bigdogrunnin

All summer leagues, fall leagues, spring leagues, HS, MS, Little Dribblers, etc. use CERTIFIED and INSURED officials! If you go with anything else, you are BEGGING to get sued and lose your backside! All I can say is NO WAY! I won't even work with a non-certified official. I am not putting my behind on the line for someone who is not even trained appropriately.

Does that mean their officials don't do a good job, NO. I just don't want the liabilities associated with any possible injuries or problems.

But hey, that's just my take.

I've reffed before (never certified) to help out my old HS, to help out other coaches I know, and to help out youth leagues. How are you going to get certified officials for every 9-10 year old youth league in any major city? It is simply never going to happen. If you don't want to do those games, fine, and I know that most officials, as they move up, leave these games behind. But, if there is going to be any youth basketball in this country, I don't see how this idea will work.

[Ref-X]

Originally Posted by bronco

How are you going to get certified officials for every 9-10 year old youth league in any major city? It is simply never going to happen. If you don't want to do those games, fine,.

It’s quite easy, you call them. I have lived in and around major cities all my life and there is no problem getting Certified Officials to work these games. So what your saying is not true.

[/QUOTE]and I know that most officials, as they move up, leave these games behind. But, if there is going to be any youth basketball in this country, I don't see how this idea will work.[/QUOTE]

That is true, but there are new Officials coming in every year to fill the void, and they will work these games. There are many Certified Officials that prefer working youth basketball and do not want to move up. So youth basketball in this country will not suffer because of a lack of Officials.

[Ignats75]

In Cleveland there are, off the top of my head, at least 5 referee schools. (I'm sure there are more that I don't know about) These five schoolsaverage about 20-25 students in them, meaning that there are over 100 new referees every year. I dare some of them would love to work that younger rec stuff.

There is a significant athletic organization about an hour from where I live that does not use certified referees. Two years ago it made the paper here that a coach of a 6th grade team was charged with assaulting a referee in the parking lot. I never heard the final resolution of his court case, but like everything else, there are two sides to the story.

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way condoning the behavior of the coach.

Two brothers aged 16 and 14 were the referees. Apparently this coach was complaining about their calls during the game and in response the older one, "If you don't like the last one, wait until you see the next one." Nice Huh? (Of course, we've all fantasized about saying something like that ) Seriously though, after the game the two young officials were at their car cleaning off the snow when the coach came out. As he walked by he said to the referees something about it not being right that the game was officiated in that manner. The younger 14 year old went off spewing F-Bomb after F-Bomb at the guy. As you can imagine, that set the guy off and he ended up assaulting him.

All could've been avoided if this high profile organization would just use certified referees.

[crazy voyager]

or if that 14 yo boy would have been smart enough to keep his mouth shut (and his older brother smart enough to make sure his little brother kept quiet)