Critical Officiating article from a local news paper.

[JustCallIt]

Well, gee, I guess if being asked to work with people who can't chug up and down the floor, can't see and think points of emphysis is a fairy tale, then I guess I'm bitter. Personally, I'm doing fine, but I see better officials in middle school games than in some varsity contests.

I never suggested that the non-cooperative ought to advance. But when the incompetent are protected, or people don't advance because "son/miss, you just haven't been doing it long enough, like old Fred over there" then it's politics at its worst and people who defend it are defending their comfortable status quo.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JustCallIt

Well, gee, I guess if being asked to work with people who can't chug up and down the floor, can't see and think points of emphysis is a fairy tale, then I guess I'm bitter. Personally, I'm doing fine, but I see better officials in middle school games than in some varsity contests.

I never suggested that the non-cooperative ought to advance. But when the incompetent are protected, or people don't advance because "son/miss, you just haven't been doing it long enough, like old Fred over there" then it's politics at its worst and people who defend it are defending their comfortable status quo.

Get off your high horse. BITS never defended what you're complaining about.

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by JustCallIt

Well, gee, I guess if being asked to work with people who can't chug up and down the floor, can't see and think points of emphysis is a fairy tale, then I guess I'm bitter. Personally, I'm doing fine, but I see better officials in middle school games than in some varsity contests.

I never suggested that the non-cooperative ought to advance. But when the incompetent are protected, or people don't advance because "son/miss, you just haven't been doing it long enough, like old Fred over there" then it's politics at its worst and people who defend it are defending their comfortable status quo.

Get your a$$ out there and seen by the local HS varsity coaches. Do their summer tournamnets and camps - volunteer to do them for free if you have to. Make sure they see how good you are. Then they will start contacting the assignors and asking "Hey, why isn't this stud working our regular season games? He's way better than old Fred you keep sending out."

In other words, quit the freaking whining about politics and do what YOU need to do to move up. Until then, it's all just sour grapes.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by JustCallIt

Well, gee, I guess if being asked to work with people who can't chug up and down the floor, can't see and think points of emphysis is a fairy tale, then I guess I'm bitter. Personally, I'm doing fine, but I see better officials in middle school games than in some varsity contests.

I never suggested that the non-cooperative ought to advance. But when the incompetent are protected, or people don't advance because "son/miss, you just haven't been doing it long enough, like old Fred over there" then it's politics at its worst and people who defend it are defending their comfortable status quo.

Everywhere you go, you will find there is a system of some kind in place. Some are better, some are worse. Some are blatantly protecting officials whose "sell by dates" are long past. Blah blah blah.

So what are you going to do about it? If you work in an area where The Society for the Protection of Fred run the show, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit on the sidelines and whine about it? Or are you going to figure out how to work within that system, flawed though it may be, to advance? Because unless you have the power to change the system, those are really your only two choices.

Life is politics.