staying sharp
 

Just seeing if anyone here has been through something similar and getting some thoughts. I'm in my 8th year of officiating. This is the first season that I didn't take many (4 I think) lower than varsity games. Up until this season, I worked every night but Wednesday and Sunday for the most part. I know my shortened schedule will pay off for me late in the season, but it is almost the holiday break and I just don't feel like I've worked enough to get into mid-season form. In some ways I felt more into the season and sharp when I was working more, although those games were usually the most frustrating as far as quality of play and sportsmanship. Any thoughts?

maybe take more right at the beginning, and then slack off (in numbers not in form!) as "mid-season" rolls around? Perhaps you could pick up a few extra over the holidays to get yourself into full swing? Maybe a few more JV games would help?

Take a scheduled 10 minutes a day to whip out one of your books and visualize the case, the mechanic, the situation.

I work with a regular partner for 2 man and we also have a regular third for 3 man. We usually schedule a bunch of MS, Frosh, JV earlier in the season - up to about now (just before Christmas) to get our legs under us and get into that "mid season form". I think we only have one more JV after the holiday. We have enough Varsity/Juco games to work 3-4 nights a week and still turn down some. That keeps us going until the MS tournys at end of March and in April.

Also you changed your routine. So you feel different. It will take more concetration, but you will get use to it.