Doubling up
 

For some unknown reason I was looking through my old schedule books. In looking through these books it reminded me of the way I used to schedule games. In my younger days I used to subscribe to the more is better theory when it came to scheduling games. I wasn’t happy unless I worked two games on a Saturday. If it meant racing from one site to another, so be it. If possible I was going to work two games. As I have matured (gotten older) I look back in amusement at some of the scheduling decisions I have made.

I will share one of my more memorable (boneheaded) experiences and then hopefully everyone will chime in with theirs.

I got the opportunity to work a 7:00 game at a school I had never worked before. I already had a 3:00 game but really wanted to work at the new school. This was before Map Quest so I got the road map out to see if it was doable. Well in my zest to work at the new school I made some overly aggressive assumptions and committed to work the game.

Well you can guess what happened. My 3:00 game started late due to the preceding women’s game being a hack fest. So I got a late start on my trip to the 7:00 game and then reality hit. In my planning I had anticipated an hour and fifteen minute drive to game two. Well it turns out that it was closer to an hour and forty five minutes. As I walk into the gym I can hear the National Anthem being played, never a good thing. It ended up okay, game was a blow out, partners were cool about it, but the lesson was learned. It was the last multi venue double header I worked.

So let’s hear them, I am sure that I can’t be the only one that has done this.

What the heck ya mean?

Nope, I've never worked multiple sites in the same day.

That is a common occurrence around here with some people. Usually there it is on a Saturday morning with a JV or freshman game in the morning and a varsity or college game in the afternoon or evening. I do not do this as much as I used to do but it is something people commonly do around here when the games are far apart. I have done one game in the afternoon and another game in the evening on rare occasions. Usually you have to be offered two assignments relatively close or far apart in time where it can work. I did have one Saturday that was like this. I worked a Varsity Shootout in the early afternoon and we had a varsity game that evening. I have about 2 Saturday dates next year that have similar situation. But for me these are usually special happenings with similar level games. Most of the time when it is offered it does not work out because of distance and time.

Peace

I often officiate 4 games on a Saturday, in high school tournaments, or club basketball.

I would say that much more often than not, the 2 sets of double headers are at different venues. My assignor and I almost have it down to an art how the assignments go. Two games on, 2 games off, 2 games on, 2 games off (so I can go home and party LOL).

In the towns that I have officiated, venues are no more than 30 minutes apart. With a game slot being 90 minutes, even if traffic caused travel to be doubled, I still arrive 30 minutes before tip-off to the next game. I would "never" take two assignments at different venues with no break in between.

I think one thing for young'uns to take home is that when travelling between assignments, if you're at all rushed, it isn't worth it. Likely you've mentally prepared for the game(s) during the week, and to have to drive a bit faster, maybe commit a different type of traffic violation, you're taking away from the fun aspect of the game. Just my 2 cents.

Edit: fixed typos

I've done it a few times, usually for the same assignor and if not made sure both assignors know. And the schools are usually a short drive from each other. The only exception was a ncaa game/HS charity tourney (freebie) double that was separated by a 2 hr drive. Because my HS game was near the end of the day I made it there in plenty of time.

I had a Saturday once when I worked 8 kids rec games at three different venues. Of course, they were within about 20 minutes of each other. I started at 8:00 in the morning and finished the last game at 10:15 at night. Oh yeah, I had time for lunch and dinner breaks, too.

If I remember correctly, I earned $22 ea. for three of them, $27.50 ea. for two and $30.00 ea. for the last three for a total of $211.00. After paying for two meals and gas I netted about five bucks. :p

It never ceases to amaze me how a guy will go work a HS game and then show up at a JC or 4 year college game and it just so happened that the 4 year coach was scouting the early HS game. I try to make sure I don't work a lower level game before just for perception's sake. If the games are the same level, I don't see a problem as long as you are up to the physical challenge and can still arrive at the game site in ample time.

Funny how that happens. I had one time where I was working a noon game and then was to work a 3:00 game at another school. Of course who shows up to scout the noon game? None other than the coach of the team I was working at 3:00.

He commented that it was good to see you again during introductions of the 3:00 game but didn't make any other mention of the earlier game. The game was uneventful so nothing esle was said but I was a little concerned about the preception.

Yep. I've done it a few times. I've done double headers at the same school, and those are fine. But the different venue thing usually just stresses me out. If the drive is tight, I don't always arrive mentally ready to work the game.

My worst case: I was helping the assigner out, and we both knew it would be a stretch to make tip-off of the second game. Of course, the inevitable happened (first games went long, traffic was bad, etc.) and I didn't arrive at the second assignment until just after the second half began. My partner was a ref who was so bad that he was asked not to return the following season.

It was just such a bad experience. And it made no difference knowing that my assigner knew this was a very real possibility, or that if I had not bailed him out my partner would have had to work it alone. All anybody there cared about was that I was very, very late. I could hardly look the coaches or players in the eye.

But at least I got to relive the feeling all over again a week later when the game check arrived in the mail -- for 1/2 a game. :(

What difference does it make? Honestly, most coaches at the college level know that officials are HS officials on some level. And if they see me working a game before them, then so be it. And if I am not in shape to work two games during the regular season, when many coaches are going to see me work multiple games during the off season. In that case I do not need to be taking any games in the first place.

Peace

Well I agree that at the DIII, NAIA and Juco level the coaches know that officials working there games also work high school, I am not so sure that feeling is shared by DII coaches.

At least in the area I work in it is somewhat frowned upon by the DII assigners. They would prefer that their officials limit their high school assignments especially on the night before one of their DII assigments. The reason I have been given is that it creates the perception in the coaches mind that you are a high school official if they see you working high school games. Since the assigners either directly or indirectly work for the coaches I understand them wanting to keep the coaches happy.

However I am not so sure I agree with it. I think if an official is capable of working in the DII league they are capable of working in the league regardless of the game they worked the night before.

I do not know how they cannot know. If they recruit on a night they are not playing, they are likely to see people they will see later at a college game. This is a major "who cares" as far as I am concerned.

Peace