HS Varsity

[refman1964]

I live and work in southeast Missouri.. I began calling ball back in 1996 local kwanis leagues for elementary age kids. I moved up to Jr. Hi in 99. Had to stop for awhile because of an injury in 2000. I started again 02 and didn't begin working at the Varsity level until 04. 06 was my first season with what I would call a full Varsity level schedule

[Rich]

I've been knocking this around since 1987 now.

Back then I was in college and didn't work any varsity games - was happy to work JV and FR and Jr. High games. Moved to Tennessee for graduate school and worked a season-and-a-half before being promoted to the varsity group.

Have moved a few times since then, but I've worked mainly varsity games and now that's all I do. I'd rather stay home with my family than add subvarsity games to my already sagging schedule. I blew my knee out in January and my first game back is tomorrow night.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I blew my knee out in January and my first game back is tomorrow night.

Good luck with the game, Rich. Let us know how it goes.

I'm one of those guys everybody figured would be least likely to succeed at this. But I just wouldn't go away and kept working my tail off. I got my first varsity games in my fourth year. I've had a few more this year. At this point I want to just keep my head down and get comfortable working small school varsity before I worry about trying to move up.

[Chess Ref]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Good luck with the game, Rich. Let us know how it goes.

I'm one of those guys everybody figured would be least likely to succeed at this. But I just wouldn't go away and kept working my tail off. I got my first varsity games in my fourth year. I've had a few more this year. At this point I want to just keep my head down and get comfortable working small school varsity before I worry about trying to move up.

Hey BITS that about sums up my experience too. One of my trainers in my first on court training deal asked me if I was sure this was something I wanted to do. Also managed to get myself into an argument with another trainer that same day. Not the greatest of starts but just like you wouldn't go away and here I am.

Tonight is my first Varsity assignment. Small school boys. I am working with the Head Assigner-so its kinda double duty tonight.

I am also a believer in the keeping my head down and working hard....

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Good luck with the game, Rich. Let us know how it goes.

I've worked a full baseball and football season since, so I think the knee will be OK.

I've dropped 30 pounds so far and 2 pants sizes. It was time to get myself in a shape other than round and take some pressure off the knees. I still have a ways to go, but I feel like I'm better prepared for the season than I've been in quite some time.

It's 3-person girls tonight (Illinois), so I'm not sure how much hard running I'll actually do. But Thursday is 2-person boys (Wisconsin), and the teams like to run. It will be a much better test. Even in good (better is a more appropriate word, according to my results on the elliptical machine) shape, I'd much prefer moving fully to 3-person here -- it makes for better officiating, without a doubt.

I'm not sure how many more years I have on the court. I'm fully scheduled for this season and next right now and mainly I didn't want to go out on someone else's terms, but I'm not sure how much I'm loving basketball anymore. Tomorrow will be very important for me in many ways.

[PIAA REF]

I am from Pennsylvania, in a rural area. I started with a handful of varsity games during my third year. I did however stayed and did the varsity during my second year when an official didn't show up. After my third year I recieved a decent schedule since, with a slight increase in games and quality of games.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by dan74

Just curious from something mentioned in a different thread where a second year official stated working predominately HS varsity and JV games. What year did y'all begin to work HS varsity games...please also include whether you're in a rural vs. metro area, as it seems officials may be called upon to work varsity contests a bit sooner in rural areas.

I worked varsity ball my first year. I only worked about 3 or 4 games. These were for mostly last minute assignments and one or two 3 Person games when it was originally a 2 Person game. And yes I lived in a rural area and that did make a huge difference in those opportunities. I moved shortly to a metropolitan area in the same state and I was given varsity games right off the bat because I had previous varsity experience and I went to assignors camps to prove I could officiate. Ever since my second year I have worked what I would call a full varsity schedule. I did mostly girl's basketball in the beginning and it took some time to get more boy's games. It was just the reality that they did not have the same requirements to work girl's games as they do to work boy's games. I likely was not "ready" but I had to get ready pretty quickly. Also many of the games early on were with a partner that had more experience and I benefited from his experience to get that opportunity and to maintain those opportunities. When I moved to the larger area, it was all what I could do. Then again I had a few years of varsity under my belt and I was much more seasoned at that time.

Peace

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

What does "full varsity" mean? Does that mean exclusively varsity? Because almost no one in Portland gets that. Even tournament refs do at least a few JV or freshman games each year. The only exception would be refs who do mostly college and hs varsity is their "slummin", but we don't have a lot of those.

In my area having a full varsity schedule means you work every Friday and Saturday of the season. Depending on whether you do a lot of Boy's or a lot of Girl's games, the night during the week when those games are played the most (That night for boy's games is usually Tuesday) of the season. Of course there are many officials that work college games on Saturday and they are not available to work a HS game. And there are so many officials in the current area I live; assignors do not ask many veterans to work freshman and JV games. There are people that might seek those games, but in one conference I was not allowed to work those games because those games were for the younger officials. And the other assignors never ask or require me or others in similar positions to work those games.

Peace

[coach41]

Interesting thread folks.

I'm in my 6th year in my association and I would say I am one of those "split" referees. Most of my GIRLS games this year are varsity games. I do have a few frosh/soph but they are double headers with varsity games. I also have a few JV girls games alone because the varsity contests for those schools (private/catholic) are considered "high caliber" varsity which only for the "best" officials.

For the boys side, I do pretty much all frosh/soph and JV games with a few small school varsity games.

For me, I can't say I've had a logical progression. My schedule's been screwed in the past due to work issues so other officials may have passed me if they have more availability. However, I am generally pretty happy with any games I get.

I feel like I've improved in recent years so I think when I'm able to do more of a full schedule (depends on how my job goes), I will get more chances.

[sfd]

That was me. We are in a rural area and without a lot of experienced officials. That being said, we don't have very many young (new) ppl doing V level games. They are always 3 whistle and I'm with 2 more experienced officials. And I'm good enough not to screw up anymore than the next guy. Which is sometimes often.

[Drizzle]

I started off working some MS games right after I graduated high school. The next year, I joined the local chapter and went through the training course. I actually grew up with the son of one of the guys running the training, so he kinda took me under his wing. After my first year doing Fresh/JV games, my assignor called me and told me the chapter would sponsor me to go to another chapter's 3-person camp. Of course I went, and my evaluators gave me plenty to work on but said I was doing real well. I also went to a free mini-camp held by my chapter and was evaulated by many of the higher ups.

Much to my surprise I've gotten a handful of 3-person girls varsity games this season (my 2nd with the chapter) and some more small school 2-person varsity, both boys and girls.

[JeffRobinson]

I started working varsity with 4 games my first year. I was in Nebraska then. I had a pretty full schedule in year 2 and have been doing varsity games ever since. I moved to MN 3 years ago and was able to start with mostly small school varsity but am now working some of the bigger conferences.

[stripes]

I live in a metro area and I got my first V games in my 4th year. My 5th was a full schedule of V games and my 1st playoff games. I got my 1st state championship in my 7th year. These numbers are a little early for my area, but not unprecedented.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I've worked a full baseball and football season since, so I think the knee will be OK.

I've dropped 30 pounds so far and 2 pants sizes. It was time to get myself in a shape other than round and take some pressure off the knees. I still have a ways to go, but I feel like I'm better prepared for the season than I've been in quite some time.

It's 3-person girls tonight (Illinois), so I'm not sure how much hard running I'll actually do. But Thursday is 2-person boys (Wisconsin), and the teams like to run. It will be a much better test. Even in good (better is a more appropriate word, according to my results on the elliptical machine) shape, I'd much prefer moving fully to 3-person here -- it makes for better officiating, without a doubt.

I'm not sure how many more years I have on the court. I'm fully scheduled for this season and next right now and mainly I didn't want to go out on someone else's terms, but I'm not sure how much I'm loving basketball anymore. Tomorrow will be very important for me in many ways.

I guess it won't be an important day, unless you include moving snow.

Probably for the best. My game was in Rockford, IL and I live just north of Madison, WI and the Rockford Public School website says all after school activities are cancelled. With the belt of freezing rain from here to there, it's probably better to just sit home and watch hockey and Boston Legal on TV. It would've been the first girls game I worked in IL in the six years I've worked down there, too.

First game Thursday, then. What's another 2 days?

[Texas Aggie]

I worked 2 varsity games my first year, but they were due to scheduling mistakes. In my second year, I worked a ~15 game varsity schedule (along with many subvarsity games), but that was in a Texas chapter that served mostly smaller school districts. In the chapter I currently work (and started in; long story), things have changed. Now, few, if any, have a "full" varsity schedule (i.e. no subvarsity unattached to varsity games) before their 10th season, if then.

If you define "full" as having 20-25 varsity games a season, then I'd say 5th year minimum around here (very few exceptions) and some guys closing in on 10 years that don't have such a schedule. The increase of 3 man has certainly moved guys up. We now work *almost* exclusively 3 man for varsity. I would love to go 3 man for all HS, but I'm not sure we could cover that.

There's no rule. We had a similar discussion about playoff assignments in the football board.