Girls game blues...

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by zebraman
Rut,

If living in a world where a ref doesn't get held back from progressing in the boys games just because they enjoy doing girls games is fantasy, then I live in a fantasy world. Around here, assignors don't punish someone for choosing to do both. The top refs do both and the assignors work with their schedules to make sure that the top boys and girls games get covered by the best refs available.....period. Many of us give every other Friday night to the boys association and every other Friday night to the girls association. I guess we're just more enlightened around here than in your area. I guess the "good old boys network" seems to take longer to get past in some places.

Preventing someone from doing boys games because they can't handle the speed is one thing. I have no problem with that and that is what a ratings system is for. Preventing them from doing them because they also do girls games (or because they want to go farther in girls whatever that meant) is discriminatory....and stupid. If your assignors are that short-sighted, maybe your area should think about getting assignors that are a little more forward thinking. Do they know that not only do women vote, but a women's vote counts equally to a mans?

My personal experience has been that doing boys games makes me a better girls ref and doing girls games makes me a better boys ref. There are things that happen often in a girls game that rarely happen in a boys game. On those rare times when it does occur in a boys game, it doesn't surprise me.

Sincerely,

Z
Fantasy, U.S.A.

I do not think you live in Fantasy USA, I think you do not live in my local or many other locals that make big distictions between the two. If you were to do both in my state, you would be working 6 days a week. I think that is a little much for most. Especially if you have a spouse and children. And considering that not only the quality is on the court, you also have to jungle with time. The girls playoffs overlap with the boys regular season, and it makes it difficult for assignors to get replacements for officials that have to give back regular season games just because they want to do girls regionals instead of regular season boys games. Especially when they knew they had those games from day one.

And let us face it, many officials do not want to be caught doing a girls game no matter what. This is a male dominated advocation and many officials like myself never got into officiating to even do a girls game. When I started, I wanted to be in the NBA. I have since back off that goal, but there was no WNBA to speak of and when I look at the NCAA Women's Final Four, I see mostly women on the court officiating. I feel like the system is more suited for the women to advance to the top levels rather than the men. So I perfer doing the side I feel that I would have a better chance to truely advance.

When I watch a college basketball game, I make it a habit to watch Men's basketball. Sorry I do not do the same with the Women's side. I did that long before I ever officiated a game, and I will continue to do that long after I stop officiating. So in the end it really comes down to what you want to spend your time doing. I personally want to do boys because of all the extra things that comes along with the games. And that is the same reason I watch. I am not PC in the type of women I date, I will be damned if I am PC in the level I want to officate.

That is life, we all have choices and many of us make them everyday.

Peace