Partner with different philosophy

[cdaref]

I think Joe is right on, though he perhaps expressed himself poorly and came across as that ref that tells others how to call their game. I dont think that is what he is saying.

Back to the Original Poster:

Two things for you:

1. Your big problem is that you arent having a good pregame. Just because it is JV is no excuse to not have a good pregame. Get there an hour to 45 minutes ahead of time. Contact your partner a day or more ahead of time and make sure they will be there ahead of time too. If there is some reason they cant be (which there shouldnt be or they shouldnt have taken the game) then email each other or talk through things on the phone. You are cheating yourself and the players if you dont pregame as a crew. It is one of the most important things you can do. Do not tolerate partners that wont pregame or that skip pregames or that show up late. The pregame is the perfect time to "get on the same page" about fouls and philosophy.

2. Consistency is key. You'll find that the more experienced officials develop constiency and a flow to the games they work. Good officials seem to adjust a bit to their partners to make sure their whistles are the same as their partners. This isnt telling others how to call a game, it is making sure the crew is consistent. Becuase you arent out there to call your game, you are there as part of a crew that is repsonsible for calling the game. While you may only be able to control what you do, you need to work together as a crew.

It all starts in the pregame. Discuss with your partner how to handle press, and handchecks on the perimeter and talk through how each sees some common situations. Talk through contact in the post and displacement and rebounding position. You should have agreement. You guys should settle on that in your pregame. That is what it is for.

If you and your partner have the same whistle for things it really improves the flow of the game, it makes it easier for players to adjust and the whole feel of the crew is improved.

Being on the same page does not mean going out and looking for cheesy calls that arent there. Dont go find a lame keyhole call just to balance out your partner. BUT you should have pregamed how you handle kids in the key--we will talk to them, tell them to get out, if they dont listen, we whistle it. Just because that happened on your partner's end doesnt mean that you should make a call. But you should both be applying the same philosophy on both ends.

As you get more experienced you will get better at knowing what your partner is up to even though you are concentrating on your area and your responsibilites. Abnd you both will start to adjust ever so slightly to each other. That is, in my opinion, a hallmark of real good crews.

But bottom line is this--pregame this stuff and simply dont permit your partner to skip pregame. Particularly for a young official, pregames are crucial. Funny, but it always seems to be the awesome senior officials I work with who want to pregame and the lazy JV officials who dont. Gee, I wonder why each is where they are?

Good luck!