Getting ready for the Game
 

Just wondering how others get ready for a game. I have BJV/GV/BV games tonight (we are short officials tonight) and I like to start thinking about them at least an hour prior to arriving at the gym. Anyone else have a routine? I don't wait until an hour but if I'm busy that day I try to set aside at least an hour prior to arriving to the gym to get in "Officials mode". LOL Some fans and coaches might say I don't get into that mode until the second half but .....whatever!

What type of information are you looking for? Are you asking what we do in the locker room or are you asking what we do during the day?

If I must, I could be ready to go as soon as I put on the uniform. At the other end of the spectrum, I have a game tomorrow in Mobile. I'm taking my wife to lunch, a little shopping and then to the game. I don't have to go into a corner a hour before I get there to meditate. :)

I usually arrive an hour to hour and half early depending if it is a high school or college game and I just relax. Not necessarily thinking about my game but not thinking about what happen at work or on the drive to the game, just relaxing.

Just a question. I don't like to just step on the court coming from work without thinking basketball. Maybe it's just me but to me it's like a kid getting ready to play the game. When I played I got mentally ready to play. Of course I could jump on the court and call after just walking out of work or just waking up but I don't like to.

Thanks this is what I was asking about.

This is like a sickness. We are thinking basketball now. I have a game in approximately 5 hours and I've already been thinking about the game. My buddy called me to talk about where and who I was working with tonight. I'm just hooked so I think about it, among other things, a lot.

good point, Tomegun. Most of us are hooked, why else would we put up with the crap.

Thanks TG that's the info I was asking about

My basic "routine"
 

1. 2 days before game - look up where game location is and how to get there
2. 2 days before game - contact partner(s)
3. Night before game - Pack gear bag
4. Early, game day - look up, again, where game location is and how to get there
5. Game day - look up both team's records, league standings, etc., online
6. (at least, preferably) 3 hours before game time - eat
7. 2 hours before game time - light stretch, get dressed
8. 1 hour before game time - arrive on-site, pre-game (if I can get partners there that early - not always easy), stretch
9. Half hour before game time - 800mg ibuprophen

Also, depending on how I'm feeling on game day, I may sometimes decide to get off the Forum, and not look at my materials anymore - but there are also days where I feel like I want something to help get my brain into the right gear with some quick mental exercise (like reading the Forum, going through the book(s) for something in particular), right before #7.

I think that's about it.:)

Because of a job change, its usually an hour car ride to where I'm working this season. I don't listen to sports talk like I usually do in the car, but instead put music on. That usually helps me get work out of my mind.

I'm usually the first one at the site, so that gives me some quiet time in the locker room. Believe it or not, I always say a prayer before I leave the locker room asking for some extra serenity and wisdom. Fans and coaches probably want me to ask for talent.:D

I agree. :D

I have a huge rivalry tomorrow and I was called by one of my partners today. I have been thinking about this game since I got the game in the late summer/early fall. I have not worked a game since December 30. I went to California for 4 days and I was thinking about it on the plane and at the hotel. I was thinking about it before my partner called me. This is what I do. The day of the game is a formality.

Peace

I agree. I spend a lot of time on Fridays thinking about the night ahead. I get the same thing on Tuesdays, but just not as bad for some reason. Things I do to get ready are pack me gear bag (rechecking to make sure I have everything about 487 times, I'm totally paraniod of showing on site without something), have a small snack and a revive Vitamin Water (I'm hooked on this stuff) and then jump in the car. If my crew is riding together we start talking pregame on the way. If I'm solo, I'm usually on the phone with other friends that are officials (I seem to think my car won't run correctly if I'm not on the phone while driving during the season). If I'm not talking, I listen to some music and think about an area to focus on for the game (something my crew does as part of pregame). Lastly (and I'm just putting this in here because I might have set a record for most parenthesis in a post) and most importantly on Friday, I find out what local watering hole will be frequented by officials after the game. :D

Yup. I start when I wake up that day -- first, do I have a babysitter and plans made for dinner? Second, will I have a car? Third, have I connected with my partner? Four, when do I need to leave, Five is my uniform ready? That's before breakfast.

The rest of the day is, How's my mood, am I tired or anxious? How's my attitude that day, cheerful or irritable? Will I need to pump up some energy? What do I need to work on?

In the car going to the game, Did I remember my shoes and my whistle? Who's playing and what can we expect? Did I remember my shoes and my whistle? What kind of gym will I be in, and what is the floor like? Did I remember my shoes and my whistle?

Juulie - don't forget your shoes and whistle.

This is kind of enlightening to me, because I thought I was one of the few with this "sickness". I usually pack my bag in the morning, before I leave for work. Sometime during the day, I'm contacting partners for the game coming up in a few days. I've been checking MapQuest quite a bit this year, because it seems like I'm going to a bunch of new schools. I check this place daily for the latest in smart-a$$ comments. Most of the time I leave right from work to go to the game site, so I'm meeting a partner or two for the ride, or I'll turn on my XM in the car. (This may seem like a commercial, but to me satellite radio is the greatest invention sinced sliced bread. No matter what I'm in the mood to listen to, they have it. And I don't have to keep finding the local stations in the area I'm in.) If I have a partner with me, we'll go over some the ordinary "life" topics, but at some point it turns to basketball. We'll go over strange plays, quiz questions, etc. Then when I/we get to the game site, there's usually enought time to relax, catch our breath, get dressed, and have a decent pre-game. I try to stretch some during pre-game, so I'm ready to go when we get out there. Depending on the game and partners, the pre-game could be just discussing plays and situations for familiar partners, to a full-blown, item-by-item pre-game if I haven't worked with my partners before.

Basketball does kinda become consuming, doesn't it?

oh, yea! This time of year, it seems acceptable, but come mid- to late-March, we'll need to get the WA meetings going again. I know my spouse will sponsor the first one!