Great post, as usual.

Mark,

Isn't this an evaluation process?

It wasn't about getting an apology out of you, but since you offer it I'll accept it for the rest of the forum. There are a lot of damn good officials in every part of the country and there are also some really bad ones. No one area holds the keys to this game. I think we agree on that.

I have never paid more than a $150 to attend a HS only camp. And the camp where I paid $150, I was seen by multiple assignors for both college and high school leagues. And I was evaluated by D1 officials and I get another chance to work 3 Person and see more plays, very worth it to me. I make enough money during the season I have no problem investing in myself to see where I have come while officiating.

Most HS camps are in the $50 to $60 dollar range in my area. And you are paying for some extra power points in our over all playoff system.

Some people like going out to eat after every game. I use my money that I make during the season to attend camps and to pick up other officiating related expenses. Not a big deal as far as I am concerned.

Peace

Dan:

No it isn't. Before an official can get a varsity game from a league assigner, that official must have his name given to the assigner by a coach in the league. If no official will recommend the official that official will not get games. And all it takes is one coach to tell an assigner that he doesn't want him in the league and that official is out. There is not evaluation process.

MTD, Sr.

I'm sorry Mark, but this is an evaluation process. Official X recommends or does not recommend official Y for varsity games. Official X has evaluated official Y and he decides either Y is or isn't ready. If Y gets enough positive evaluations he's in, otherwise he's not.

Blacklisting is a way for coaches to evaluate officials that has an immediate impact for that coach.

You may not like it, but evaluation is exactly what this is.

Welcome to the real world of officiating. That is a very common occurrence at the local level and at the college level to make you go to camps. Look, when people assign you games they have a right to require some things. Just because it is not something we like does not mean it is an unfair request.


Rut, I'm not disagreeing with you. Once, again I'm trying to point out at the local association level they put additional requirements on officials after they have agreed to join them. These additional requirments are not covered in their operating procedures (constitution and by-laws). Like working five(5) games for free.

I have a couple points on these issues.

- Rut is right regarding politics, he hit it dead on. Politics are going to exist in some form everywhere and a lot of it is a matter of perception. If you are one of the "good ol' boys" you probably don't see things the same way as the guy who feels held back. The key is to understand the situation and work within the situation rather than complain about it or even try to change it. A situation usually exists because most of the people accept it.

- Control what you can control. If you recognize that certain people don't like you or your game (which happens to everyone), find someone who thinks differently and work for that person. If you are in a situation where you can't find anyone who will give you any sort of a shot, you need to either move somewhere else or make changes in yourself. The only people who I have seen in this business who have been unable to get a shot from absolutely anyone are people who need to look in the mirror rather than at politics.

- One of the reasons the good old boys continually get big assignments is that they've proven dependable in the past to the assignor and are known to the coaches. An assignor can get himself in a lot of heat for putting someone who's not ready on a big game if something happens in that game, whereas his backside is covered if something happens in the game with the vets. One of the values of experience is proven reliability, which is a huge attribute to an assignor.

- As someone who's moved up fairly quickly, there's great advice on here about not rushing up the ladder. I was very eager to break into college quickly as it is somewhat competitive now with younger officials, and thought I was ready a year before I got in. I am glad that I took that year and my coordinator is breaking me in slowly because it means that I will be ready and able to handle things better. Coaches have long memories, as do assignors, and I've seen careers fizzle from rushing up too early.

- Don't take all praise literally. An easy way to think you're getting politicked out of games is if you go to a camp and they tell you you're the greatest thing since sliced bread and you hear all the talk about higher levels, then you go back to your small school V schedule or a mixed JV/V schedule in your association. The best thing about camp is the criticism and learning how to self evaluate to improve, but it's easy to start seeing stars and losing perspective. The easiest way to fail as an official IMO is to start being jealous of fellow refs and comparing yourself to them rather than focusing on improving yourself.

Sorry for the ramble, but this is my take on politics.

No need to apologize, that's all good stuff. I think JRut & yourself nailed it!
Although I'm just a young official, hearing the "political" excuse is already old to me. Most cases are people who think they are better than they really are or people whose time has come & gone...

Does politics in officiating assigning/advancement exist? Of course, but no more than the politics in our everyday lives ie: work, relationships, etc.

Camps to me are the cost of doing business and the business happens to be officiating. Foremost, I enjoy camps, they act as a barometer to gauge my improvement. As you mentioned , and I think you're refering to the same camp, you have the opportunity to be seen by some of the best D1 guys around. How can you top that? You're also being seen by assignors and that leads to more and better games. I don't go to hear that I did a good job, I want the light bulb to go off, when an evaluator gives me a little nuance or philosophy that he uses. I have a favorite guy at the camp who never fails to give me an insight on how he manages a game. It's invaluable.

I just know every year I'm spending a few bucks on camps. One weekend during the season doing kids games more than pays the tab for two or three of them.

And to tag onto the discussion, I don't compare myself to other officials there, I only want to improve my game.

Dan:

I hate to disagree with you but the OhioHSAA does not have an evaluation process. There are not forms for coaches to fill out (even though I doubt a coach could complete one, :D ), coaches recommend officials who they like based upon whether they agree with the officials' calls or not. It is a giant popularity contest.

MTD, Sr.

If you are expecting every policy to be in the constitution or by-laws, then that is a very unrealistic request. When people hire you, they do not tell you all the little things you have to do. I do not see working 5 games to be evaluated as unreasonable. And I certainly do not feel that has to be spelled out for you. If you do not want to do it, then you suffer the consequences. And if you cannot work 5 games to get a chance at real games in the season, then I would not want you on the real games as an assignor.

Peace

Well, I'm pretty much retired now from active officiating due to a combination of age and bad knees. I do try to keep a little bit involved though by both training and evaluating officials, as well as also assigning all area games- in both football and basketball.

The play team sports in Hell?

This is the key to the "college-ready in 3 years" statement.

This is not just true in basketball, but several other sports as well. If an official shows any talent or potential, the college assignors will snap them up in a hurry. They have so many games to cover, they need the bodies. New college officials will start at the JC/NAIA/D3 level for a few years, if they show that they can handle that, they move up to D2. It is still not easy to make it to D1, but at least the D1 assignors know that they are getting an official that has had a good amount of college level work.

Personally, I have seen and worked with SoCal officials in the two sports I have been involved in that I wouldn't trust on a girls JV game. I have also seen some very good officials from SoCal. SoCal is just like anywhere else..there are good officials and bad officials....you can't just measure quality by what level of ball you work.