Finding a Crew

[Stripes33]

Gentlemen,

This is my seventh year offiating and I was wondering if anybody had any good advice on finding a crew to work with. I consider myself a decent official and would have gotten my first sectional last year barring an injury. I live in northeast Indiana and my association has very slim pickings at this point. I'm having problems breaking into some of the "clicks" and getting games. I pick up a lot of games on my own but to get the varsity schedule I want I need to get on a crew. Most AD's are really stressing having a whole crew. If anybody knows somebody that is looking please contact me.

[Jimgolf]

I think that after 7 years you must have made friends with some of the officials you've partnered with. Networking is the answer to getting through cliques. Create your own clique.

Now if you haven't made any friends in your 7 years, I think it's time to start buying the beer after some of the games you work.

[eyezen]

Unlike football having a regular "crew" in my area for basketball is a foreign concept.

I believe that the ADs in your area are stressing it for one reason only, simplicity for them in filling games.

I personally feel that having regular crews is not a good thing for the game of basketball.

I also feel that AD's shouldn't be assigning games but that it a topic for another thread. I am lucky that the majority of games of mine are assigned by an assignor.

[JRutledge]

In Illinois and outside the Chicago area most of the state that I am aware of uses partners. I do not think there is a trick to doing that other than finding people that you will get along with and that have similar philosophies. In most cases you do not find partners, they tend to find you based on many factors.

This is usually not something you put and ad in the paper and you interview prospective partners and you choose one after going over each resume. Usually your potential partner is someone you know or have worked with many times and you decide to work together.

Peace

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

In Illinois and outside the Chicago area most of the state that I am aware of uses partners.

I thought that was legal only in Vermont.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I thought that was legal only in Vermont.

But recognized civilly in several other states...

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I thought that was legal only in Vermont.

Watch it. I didn't vote for that screamer. Not even once.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by eyezen

Unlike football having a regular "crew" in my area for basketball is a foreign concept.

I believe that the ADs in your area are stressing it for one reason only, simplicity for them in filling games.

I personally feel that having regular crews is not a good thing for the game of basketball.

I also feel that AD's shouldn't be assigning games but that it a topic for another thread. I am lucky that the majority of games of mine are assigned by an assignor.

Speak for yourself. I have a regular partner in Wisconsin and we fill our schedule by negotiating with leagues and ADs directly. My integrity is not for sale and I've lost a conference because of a couple of well-timed and deserved technicals (they did me a favor -- the closest school in that conference is 70 miles away).

Even with a few schools I won't deal with (and they with me) I work 35-40 varsity dates from the second week of December until the third week of February. It's enough for me (I work football and baseball, too). I work nothing else -- no rec, no AAU, no underclass games, nothing after my final playoff game. After my season ends in early March, I won't work basketball again until early December. I do already have games scheduled for 2010, though.

[eyezen]

Originally Posted by eyezen

Unlike football having a regular "crew" in my area for basketball is a foreign concept.

I believe that the ADs in your area are stressing it for one reason only, simplicity for them in filling games.

I personally feel that having regular crews is not a good thing for the game of basketball.

I also feel that AD's shouldn't be assigning games but that it a topic for another thread. I am lucky that the majority of games of mine are assigned by an assignor.

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Speak for yourself.

I could be mistaken but I think I did speak for myself.

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I have a regular partner in Wisconsin and we fill our schedule by negotiating with leagues and ADs directly. My integrity is not for sale and I've lost a conference because of a couple of well-timed and deserved technicals

I didn't mean to hijack the thread but I must be misunderstanding your point here, isn't this one of the exact things that working for an assignor avoids, the repercussions of calling a T on future assignments?

I worked in both systems, and to a point I still do, and IMVHO working with an an assignor far outwieghs any perceived advantage to working directly with the AD's. You can have all that paperwork and phones calls and positioning for dates and faxing contracts etc etc etc. I have to sign one piece of paper.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by eyezen

I worked in both systems, and to a point I still do, and IMVHO working with an an assignor far outwieghs any perceived advantage to working directly with the AD's. You can have all that paperwork and phones calls and positioning for dates and faxing contracts etc etc etc. I have to sign one piece of paper.

I have worked in both systems and still work in both systems currently. The thing that seems to be mostly true of AD assignments, are the fact that ADs are mostly looking to fill their games. They are not looking to always hire the best people or to have set standards that bring the best official to the table. Assignors on the other hand have standards. You might not agree with their standards, but they usually are trying to hire people that they feel are qualified (which are very subjective) to work those games and will not just fill a game to just fill a game. At least that is the case at the varsity level. IN my opinion this is why ADs tend to assign years in advance and assignors will give out their games on a year to year basis.

Each system has their flaws. ADs give many of us some security that we know when and where we will be working for many years in the future. Assignors might not hire you years in advance, but if you are not a bad official, chances are they will continue to use you over and over again.

Peace

[eyezen]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The thing that seems to be mostly true of AD assignments, are the fact that ADs are mostly looking to fill their games.

This brings to point my original statement regarding the OP's complaint. In his area not only are they mostly looking to fill games, but only having to do it once per game as opposed to 3 times, by stressing a "whole crew".

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by eyezen

Unlike football having a regular "crew" in my area for basketball is a foreign concept.

I believe that the ADs in your area are stressing it for one reason only, simplicity for them in filling games.

I personally feel that having regular crews is not a good thing for the game of basketball.

I also feel that AD's shouldn't be assigning games but that it a topic for another thread. I am lucky that the majority of games of mine are assigned by an assignor.

I'm curious why you feel having a crew is not good for the game?

[eyezen]

Originally Posted by fullor30

I'm curious why you feel having a crew is not good for the game?

I work with a crew every night I work. My two partners and me are my "crew", we work together and I trust them and they trust me.

Then the next night I get to work with a new crew.

I have by quirks of scheduling worked with the same people more than two games in a row, i personally don't like it.

I feel working with new people keeps me sharp and focused and makes me take care of my own business. My opinion.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by eyezen

I work with a crew every night I work. My two partners and me are my "crew", we work together and I trust them and they trust me.

Then the next night I get to work with a new crew.

I have by quirks of scheduling worked with the same people more than two games in a row, i personally don't like it.

I feel working with new people keeps me sharp and focused and makes me take care of my own business. My opinion.

I'm not a loner and I like the company I keep. *We* take care of business. My partners and I are a team.

So be it. It works for me, but I could just as easily go back to having a single assignor, although I would have less ability to turn down games that way.

[eyezen]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I'm not a loner and I like the company I keep. *We* take care of business. My partners and I are a team.

Good debate, some more questions I have...

If you do have a bad game can you really have a fresh start the next night?

What would happen to your friendship(s) if something went awry?

If someone gets sick or hurt is the whole crew done?

What about the issue of advancement? Do you take that into consideration? Is it a "as the crew goes" mentality? Do you fear that a partner(s) could hold you back because you're now viewed as a single crew? Are you trying to advance only as a crew?

If this is the best way, then why isn't it this way in College/NBA?