Hope a friend helps him
 

Couple of weeks ago did a MS game with a 3 year vet. Before the game he was telling me he was frustrated at the "good old boy" system and that he couldn't get any HS games of any level. I though to myself n his city and surrounding small towns he could be turning away FR and JV Games galore. Before game I noticed he had a 99 cent whistle, dress pants with cuffs, a stretched V neck that showed way too much white T-shirt, and dress loafers with rubber soles to officiate in. During the game, he tossed it with the whistle in his mouth, let several rolls and crawls on the floor go without a travel, missed a bunch of fouls on the shooter, and was out of position so many times he just couldn't have seen the right call. I caught some of these, but couldn't and shouldn't call the whole floor. Coach was on him so much I finally whacked him to shut him up and get him off his back... the chirping wasn't helping him or the game any at all.
At half he asked me what the T was for. I said, "That one was for you Bud. He was out of line" He thanked me.
I gave him a few pointers afterwards to try to help, but didn't know him well enough to say too much. The guy loves the game. I hope some of his friends will step up and help him out. I think there's a guy who could become a good official....he just hasn't had any mentoring.

Did you refer him to this board? A lot of newbies learn not only rules and management, but also attitude and frame of mind here. That might be just the thing.

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Mentioned it to him, but he's not a big fan of the Internet. I say this with fear and trembling... but since he is a large, athletic black guy, some of the really good.... and I mean really, really good! African American guys in this area could work with him. The AA guys with lots of experience that I know in this area seem to really hold thmeselves and their partners, regardless of ethnicity to a very high standard in every aspect of the game. I learn much from them every game.

You might ask one of them specifically to take him under their wing, especially if you think he'd be more opent to their advice than yours. Or are they the "old boys network" that he thinks is holding him back?

Or maybe it's the the "old girls network" too.

Empathy is my middle name.

Uh, hello? Jurrasic.... the point of the ol' BOYS network is that they don't let anyone else in... get it? don't let anyone in???

How do you know? Have you been to any of their meetings? Have you read their by-laws?

How could she? :confused: They wouldn't let her in.

Then what is the point of the "old girls network"? The same? And if it is the same, how would he then know whether he was a victim of the "old boys network" or the "old girls network" if neither lets anybody in?:confused: :confused:

Yeahbut why would she join any club that would have her as a member?

I was wondering, 'cause I haven't been able to find the meetings.

...eeerrrr....there are meetings....? :confused:

Probably because you flunked the medical......

That's what Juulie told me.

I turned and coughed just like everyone else. At least Dan told me that everyone else was doing it.

As one of the relative "newbies", I certainly appreciate when a senior official helps "in the right way." I have one guy who I just love working with as he gives great pointers and critiques.

I have also worked with several Sr Refs, who "think they're all that" who have no idea how to give constructive criticism, coach, and mentor jr officials......and no one has ever mentored them on their numeorus bad habits or game knowledge - I certainly don't......yet.

As GEN Colin Powell once said after the first Gulf War, "Even Saddam Hussien has value.....he can always be used as a bad example."

I certainly point "new officials" to this Forum. Even for those of us who don't write in much, there is lots to learn here.

cough cough

sorry, what again?

Funny you mention that, we have a woman in our association that was getting FR/JV games. She was never on high visibilty games or varsity games. She was starting to feel "is there something wrong with my officiating complex".

she went to some camps that year she was selected to do D3 games and this year she has contract for D2 and D1 womens side. We'll see what they give this year as games.

Funny that you mention camps, because that was going to be my advice for you to give this other official. Try to get him to go to some local, HS level camps in your area. That way he can get lots of feedback without getting ripped by the "college" guys who want him to be ready for that level...at a camp like that he will meet people who can and will take him under their tutelage and help him out quite a bit, plus he will see what he really should be doing.

Another idea is to invite him to go and watch some of the high-level varsity games in your area and sit and watch the officials with him..

And as for that "good old boys" club mentality, while we all know that it can and does exist, the best way to break it is to be so damn good that they just can't ignore you anymore. Unless you're Snaqs, than you might as well just give up cause they don't want any coughers in the club anyway...

But Dan said....

refnrev,

It sounds to me like he has no understanding of what he is suppose to look like and what he is actually supposed to do from an officiating point of view. You cannot claim "old boy network" when people can look at you and see that you are out of place.

Also I would not recommend someone like that to this board. I think it is better for people that have some working knowledge of what they are supposed to do or willing to learn. Based on what you described, I do not know that he fits that profile and this place can be not only confusing but brutal if you do not know many of the basics.

All you should do is tell him to attend some camps with the IHSA and I am sure someone can help him out as to what to do. It is not uncommon to have people that have little or no experience and they learn more than they would otherwise.

Peace

Reminds me of a time when I had this varsity official give me a package of M&Ms after my game. I'm not sure, but I think he was trying to say that my performance was equal to or less than the cost of those (peanut) M&Ms. :D:D Of course, I'm kidding...

Bob,

I would suggest inviting him to those clinics. Those sound like a really good idea and sounds like they give you a lot of different things to look at. I certainly wish those were what our clinics were like (classroom part) before we go onto the floor. Always seems to me they lose the interest of most of the people in the class after about 20 or 25 slides.

If you go to their meetings and you can't tell if they're old boys or old girls, then they probably have bi-laws. ;)

Not that there's anything wrong with that. :)

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Unortunately, you're right. I remember my first post. I got jumped on by a rules book superman. Rather than helping people get better sometimes some of the people of this baord just beat them up and run them off. It's kind of sad. he went to a clinic a week or so ago. Hope he got help am not hung.

If I was critiquing your performance, wouldn't I have just opened the package and given you only one? ;) :D

I have found some older officials to have the mentality that helping a younger official is the same as taking away their games. This is probably more true in a rural setting where there are fewer games. That's too bad, because I've found helping other officials actually helps me. None of us want to get stuck working with "that guy" (all genders included!...). So if I can help out "that guy", the next time I have to work with them will be a better experience.

I usually give my partners Ex-lax, especially if they called the game too "tight".:rolleyes:

Sad, but true...in my case, I would love to have someone take some of those games.

Mark:

I will stop taking your meds because you need them more than I do. :D

MTD, Sr.

Second year official here, yes, I'm one of the 30% or so that came back for year two. I found this site around the time I first started pouring through the rules and case books around this same time last year.

I think people search for information when there's enough desire. My guess is many of us found this site because of searching for information to become a good official. Although I have no problem telling him about this site, I guess a part of me wonders if he hasn't found it by now would he utilize the resource? Only one way to find out, I guess.

Best club ever:

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~cheungl/calvin/gross.gif

refnrev, why wait for someone else to mentor this official when you obviously care and you've got a chance to do it? You've clearly got something to offer him, why not talk to him about the situation and how he can improve instead of posting here or waiting for others to mentor him? I have found that observing and helping newer officials helps my game as well. Someone's gotta tell him at the very least that he doesn't look like an official, since he's complaining about good ole boys, he cares enough to be owed that explanation. Where's the board on this guy? How can they not observe enough to pick up on such a simple problem? This is why we lose officials.

In regards to the OP, I think in a game like this, you've got a responsibility to step up your game and call obvious plays that your partner's missing. This will at least ease the pressure on him and give the players a decently officiated game. I don't buy the philosophy of not calling obvious plays that you see because you are "too far away." If it's obvious enough, impactful enough for you to be sure, make the call.

I bet you don't remember all 19 verses of the club's "theme song", which was required for entry to the tree fort! (It was an ode to tigers, of course.)

That's funny. Bet Phil Jackson would be laughing. :)

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1. No, we probably won't cross paths again.
2. The calls weren't that important because it was a total blow out from the get go.
3. We did talk about some "rules review" type things at halves, but I didn;t want to come across like I had all the answers.... I really think he thought he was doing a good job.

Did they ever get through all 19 verses? If so, I can look it up in my complete Calvin & Hobbes collection.

Of course he thought he was doing a good job.:) In a sweeping generalization those officials who need a little self awareness about their abilities have no ability to see their weaknesses. While those who are moving and improving are constantly looking at how they officiate.

Minor rant on : If I have 1 more bad genes, hormone deficient , under active thyroid official with a 45 lb bowling ball under their shirt, talk about my physical fitness I'm gonna go bulemic on their shoes ,thats right throw up right on them. Minor rant off....:p