Q from 1st Year: Coaches who call you by name...

[JRutledge]

I could not care less if coaches call me by name. As long as they are mainly talking directly to me I do not get bent out of shape over this. When they start calling my name all over the court, that is when this could be a problem. Not so much because I hate them to use my name, but more because they should not be yelling at me or any of my partners.

Peace

[johnnyrao]

I don't particularly like it when the coaches call me "John". I know there is no doubt who they are talking to. But, there's nothing we can do about it and, in the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal. In our state our association is contracted directly by the schools so we will see the same coaches multiple times a year. Also, as a board member I would often have off court contact with the coaches to work payments and schedule changes, etc, so I tend to know them. Since the entire state works this way, visiting coaches know that home coaches know most of the officials who work in their gyms.

The question I have is, do any of you as officials, address the coaches you work for by their first names? Do you do this only if you know both coach's names?

[Rich]

This question gets thrown around from time to time.

I get the coaches names off the Internet (wishoops.net has all the state's teams and schedules and coach names) and I introduce myself that way. Hi Bill, nice to see you.

Before the game, if I'm the U (or U1) I'll ensure the coaches are ready to go: Bill, ready? John, ready?

When I get a timeout request from one coach, I'll turn to the other coach with: "Mike, it's a 30."

I would find it insulting TO be called "coach" if I was a varsity coach and I gave you my name before the game started! I'll remember your names, you can't remember mine?

[Nevadaref]

I call the coaches by their names and most of the players by theirs. I also don't have a problem with these people calling me by mine. My father gave it to me and I'm proud of it.

In my area it is quite common for the officials and coaches to address each other by name.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

I call the coaches by their names and most of the players by theirs. I also don't have a problem with these people calling me by mine. My father gave it to me and I'm proud of it.

In my area it is quite common for the officials and coaches to address each other by name.

Just my two cents............ I'd never call players, especially, by their first names as a habit. There is that distance I believe an official should have in officiating a game, with a focus of remaining impartial. Any perception thereof could lead to problems real or otherwise.

I tend to call players by their numbers if I need to gain their attention. I also mostly address coaches as coach especially if in earshot of his/her players.

This is not etched in stone and of course, but it has served me well.

[Mark Padgett]

Virtually every coach (over 100 of them) in our local kids rec league knows my name. I really don't mind at that level if they call me by name. It's a friendly league. In other games, if a coach asks me my name, I tell him - it's "Sir".

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Virtually every coach in our local kids rec league knows my name. I really don't mind at that level if they call me by name. It's a friendly league. In other games, if a coach asks me my name, I tell him - it's "Sir".

http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/To-...C10126169.jpeg

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by fullor30

Just my two cents............ I'd never call players, especially, by their first names as a habit. There is that distance I believe an official should have in officiating a game, with a focus of remaining impartial. Any perception thereof could lead to problems real or otherwise.

I tend to call players by their numbers if I need to gain their attention. I also mostly address coaches as coach especially if in earshot of his/her players.

This is not etched in stone and of course, but it has served me well.

See post #17.

Calling coaches by name.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

See post #17.

Calling coaches by name.

Well, believe as you wish. It works for you, and we have to be comfortable in our own skin or stripes as the case may be. I find it contrived and disingenuos, and would be extremely uncomfortable. How do your partners react? If they don't follow suit, do they look like crabby appleton?

If I were a player, I'd find it odd that some stranger wants to memorize my entire team's first names.

Hey, what do I know, the soccer guy mentioned in the thread swears by it.

A little tough with the soccer names "Helmut or Olga fetch me the ball please"

"Klaus, swearing at me is verboten"

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I could not care less if coaches call me by name. As long as they are mainly talking directly to me I do not get bent out of shape over this. When they start calling my name all over the court, that is when this could be a problem. Not so much because I hate them to use my name, but more because they should not be yelling at me or any of my partners.

Peace

Agreed............ had a Soph boys game a few weeks ago and have had the same coach a few times who remembers my name. As you referenced, he will yell my name across court to whine about a play, which I don't care for. I received a DVD of the game to see what I looked like( not bad, thank you)
and despite a nice crowd and a loud gym I can hear him yelling my name a few times along with "my guy got hammered."

I had him again this weekend and as I'm running by him, he asks my partner's name..........I give it to him, and two seconds later......"Steve, Steve, he got hammered across court."

Not a big fan of this.

I'm happy to say the DVD said otherwise.