Question for tonight!

[bard]

I filled in on a 6th grade boys game last night. Home team kids have never won--not as 5th graders and still not as 6th graders. The boys were running out of control, bouncing off the other team, and running a fine-line on unsportsmanlike behavior by comments on how often they were getting fouled...

Here comes the question: As fate would have it, I'm scheduled to have these boys again tonight! Do I talk to the coach or kids ahead of time regarding the player's behavior and what I expect? Right now, I'm thinking a captain's meeting will be required! Honestly, I think I let these boys get away with too much last night, and I really don't think my patience will hold up as well tonight. (Plus I banged my knee after the game last night, and I'm probably going to be in some pain. That always makes me a little more crotchety!)

Any advice on how I should practice preventative officiating on this one would be appreciated!

Tx.

[Danvrapp]

Call two fouls on the jump ball, a technical on the resulting throw in, and toss both coaches when they argue about the AP arrow.

After that, the kids will be so scared, they won't even want to dribble, let alone foul


(moral: Keep it tight from the git-go, and you should have much less problems.)

[Bart Tyson]

Danvrapp, i like your style. At this level i think it is OK to talk to the players and coaches. But, no threats. "coach, captains, please help me with good sportsmanship. If you see a player getting out of control, help out. Its better if YOU take care of it, because if i take care of it you may not like the result". You will have the same result, so just give the T's and play on.

[RecRef]

Originally posted by bard
...Home team kids have never won--not as 5th graders and still not as 6th graders. The boys were running out of control, bouncing off the other team, and running a fine-line on unsportsmanlike behavior by comments on how often they were getting fouled...

...I'm scheduled to have these boys again tonight! .... Do I talk to the coach or kids ahead of time regarding the player's behavior and what I expect? Right now, I'm thinking a captain's meeting will be required! .... Any advice on how I should practice preventative officiating on this one would be appreciated!

Tx.

There is only so much one can do. That being said, in your pre game with captains and "COACHES" give a general statement that you do not want to see hands, pushes, or rough play away from the ball. Call them when you see them.

What you saw is the product of poor coaching and bad refereeing. Bad refereeing as in, “ they are only 10 or 11, or 12 years old so I'll let this or that go.” Take it from someone who runs a rec league; close violations you can overlook in the younger age groups but never, never ever overlook a foul.

[Mark Padgett]

As someone who has been on the Board of a rec league for 14 years, let me give you some advice. It is imperative you have a talk with the coach before the game. And no - you don't need to talk with both coaches as you would at a higher level for appearances. This team has strayed from the purpose of the league, which is(if it's anything like most other leagues of this nature)to have the kids have fun, learn sportsmanship, learn teamwork and respect for others (including authority) and to improve their skills.

Remind the coach that this is the purpose of why they're playing the game in the first place and that you and your partner are going to make sure this is how the game tonight will be viewed by you and him. Tell the coach to inform his players to cut out the taunting of the other team, the whining on the calls and the rough play. Also tell him you will hold him to the standard of leading by example. Impress upon him that if he and his kids can't adhere to the principles of the league, you are going to call the game.

Be authoritative with this guy, because it seems he and his team both need some structure. Then, right from the opening tip, call the game tight and don't hesitate to call a T or two. The kids will either get the message or, if they are really immature, just pout. If the latter is the case, there's not much you could have done anyway.

BTW - how are these teams formed that the same kids are together two years in a row without any improvement? In our league, all teams are drafted every year. We have a pretty good record (although not perfect) of achieving parity among teams. It makes for a much better experience for each kid, and that's the bottom line.

[zebraman]

You can make comments in the coaches mtg. and captains mtg. about good sportsmanship and fair play. However, stay away from referring to any previous games though because someone may interpret that as "pre-judging" a game that has not yet occurred. Start every game w/ a clean slate and then adjust to the level of play.

As a previous poster said, call a tight game and it won't get out of control. If they complain about too many whistles, too bad. Some games involving one (or both) teams of little talent require that the advantage/disadvantage theory gets tossed out the window. Sounds like you have such a case.

Z

[bard]

"how are these teams formed that the same kids are together two years in a row without any improvement"

This isn't a rec league. These guys are from a consolidated school. I believe they have made improvement, but their road is going to be a long one! They also have no "stars" that they can count on to score.

"What you saw is the product of poor coaching and bad refereeing."

Recref--I can't accuse you of pulling punches! ;-) Unfortunately, as I learned last night (see below) you were exactly right about the bad refereeing!

Here's how it went last night:

As luck would have it, I got to work with a very good and experienced official last night. I told him my concerns, and he concurred on the captain's meeting. The coaches didn't want to name any captains, so we had all of the players at the division line for the meeting. (I started by congratulating all of them on being named captains!)

My partner then handled the discussion on sportsmanship, and I learned quite a bit from his style and approach. Quick, no-nonsense, authoritative, and just a little friendly.

I then tried to follow his lead of calling fouls closely. I guess I should then not be surprised that the total foul count was---low! He also talked to the boys more often than I had the night before, and he communicated well with me throughout the game on who to watch, who to give reminders to, etc...

Primary lesson learned:
I need to improve my recognition of fouls!

Thanks for the help, guys. While my ego is humbled, I believe I'm at least getting better!

PS. The boys in question still got the stuffing beat out of them, but they kept it under 30 points AND they kept their cool!