Greetings from SC
 

I have been checking out the forums here for a month or so and found a lot of valuable information. Just registered and wanted to check in.

A little background on me. I am 31 and have been in Law Enforcement for 11 years. I also coached HS 4A ball for 6 years and had to get out of it 3 years ago mainly because I couldn't commit 6 days a week to it any longer with my family growing among other reasons. I have always have been attracted to officiating and see this as a excellent opportunity for a second career. I have been studying the HS rule book to prepare myself for the class that begins in September. I am eagerly looking forward to officiating and attending camps in the future.

I Look forward to learning and interacting with everyone here.

Welcome to the forum. Just curious about this - since you are a former coach, when you read the rule book, were there any surprises? Anything you found that you always thought was "not ruled that way"?

nothing has really stuck out as surprising me yet. I was lucky to be well schooled in the rules of the game as a coach and before that as a player. I have always been a student of the game for for as long as I can remember. I am somewhat surprised by a lot of the technicalities with everything. I am waiting until August to order this years situations guide. Should I go ahead and get last year though ?

I'd wait for the new rule/case books; although having multiple years can be helpful since sometimes they remove a case play without really rescinding it.

I would go ahead and attend a camp this summer.

Welcome Lawman...you will learn a lot from this board.
May I give you some advice....probably similar to what you may tell some of the dudes you throw in the back of your squad car....

"sit down, hold on and shut up." ;)

I thought about that but didn't want to put the cart before the horse.

Where in SC are you from Lawman? I'm in Greenville.

First of all, good to have you around. As far as going to camp. I feel that camp is sometimes overwhelming to brand new officials. Personally I would try to find a summer league to work, hopefully with some veterans, and then go to camp. In my opinion you'll get more out of it that way.

He could always go across the border and attend one of Georgia's high school certification camps. They are geared for HS officials.

I looked at some of the GA camps. Would that be a good place to start this summer ? What are some of the camps you suggest for a brand new official ? Im not certified anywhere yet are there any camps that will fit my needs best in GA ?

Would one of the basic camps on here suit what I am looking for to get started with ?

http://ghsa.net/node/711

Yes, those are the ones. Some of those are held in conjunction with college camps as you may get lucky and get some extra instruction.

I asked this same question to the coordinator for the GA Tech camp and he said it was geared to whatever level of people were there. Rookies are welcome.

It's this coming weekend, so if you choose to go to this one, I'd suggest you get in touch with the coordinator right away and see if there are openings.

JT

I am looking at the one at Mercer Univ. on the second weekend in June. I am going to call Monday to check availability and attempt to register.

HS camps in GA / SC area
 

Lawman - there is a GREAT intro. camp being held at Clemson Univ. in a week or so. Let me know if you would like more information. This camp is where I started my officiating career 10 years ago.

So now we know who to blame. :rolleyes:

Any info you can give for contact for them would be great. That is a lot closer for me. I looked on the web but couldn't find any camps they were holding since 05.

Welcome to the forum Lawman.

Be sure to let us know how your certification clinics/class go and keep us updated throughout the season.

It would probably do many of us, myself included, some good to see to see our profession though the eyes of a beginner once again.

Here is contact information for the camp at Clemson University

GBOA Clemson Camp
June 20-22, 2008
Jim Pepper, Camp Director
Phone: (404) 943-9950
E-mail: [email protected]

I hate coming to a new board and asking some of these questions as I know it isn't the first time a new guy has bugged you here. Thanks for all the info I will def keep you posted. I am working the days of the Clemson camp so the developmental camp at Mercer is my only option that I am off of work for to be able to attend. Since I have such a long drive the camp director is gonna let me arrive the day prior and assign me a room so that I will have a place to stay and don't have to fork out more $ for a hotel room.

As far as officiating I have been studying the rule book pretty intense and just finished up through Rule 4. Nothing has really surprised me but I didn't realize how much I didn't know. From coaching I knew all of the more common calls but didn't realize the depth of rules all together. So I have a ton of learning to do and am glad I came here. Without this thread I probably wouldn't have went to camp this summer at all. So either this camp will do me a ton of good to get started with or you all will have to chip in the reimburse me :D

What do you all suggest I show up for camp most prepared for ? Should I keep studying the rules for the next 2 months or concentrate more on hand signals and where I should be on the court etc. ?

Misunderstood Rules ...
 

Check it out:

http://forum.officiating.com/showthread.php?t=43554

IMO, you need to spend time on all of it. In order to properly call the game you need to know the rules. So finish reading the rules book, realizing that many words and phrases you'll encounter in rules 5-10 have very specific meanings as defined in Rule 4. So get in the habit of flipping back to Rule 4 to look up definitions as you proceed. Read the case book along with the rules, if you can.

But to make calls, you've got to see the plays. That means knowing where to be and what to watch. So spend some time in your mechanics manual and watching games to observe the refs.

Of course, once you blow the whistle, it's show time. How you communicate, as you know all to well from your life as a coach, has a lot to do with how your call is received. So get in front of the mirror and work on your presentation.

If you've got 2 months, then I'd work up a rough schedule to help you balance your preparation time, spending some of it regularly on each aspect.

And keep bringing your questions here.

Just my $0.02

Thanks actually I go next weekend

Ah, somehow I got stuck on 2 months. With only a week or two, do what you can :)

Here is another camp in Tennessee that I just heard about which is TOMORROW :eek:. It looks to be geared towards new officials and its free. I'm not affiliated with this camp (just got a mass email about it) so I can't say if it's good or not. I've copied and pasted the info below:



PRO active 101 Officiating
*A Basic Approach to the Fundamentals of Basketball Officiating!

June 11-13, 2008
Middle Tennessee State University
Camp Director: Phil Robinson (NBA/Former SEC REF)
3308 Tifton Lane
Opelika, Alabama 36804
(334)444-0216
[email protected]

Tuition, room and meals are provided FREE of charge. Campers are onlyresponsible for travel expenses incurred. THIS IS A FREE CAMP AND A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG OR INEXPERIENCED OFFICIALS. PLEASE HELP PHIL FILL HIS CAMP!!!!

******Please contact Phil Robinson if Interested in Attending. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!!!!!

******Identification Camp for Officials who want to be Identified for Possible Higher Level Camps!!

You can't beat a deal like that. That's how the Bob Gibbons Tournament used to be. Phil Robinson is obviously a John Guthrie protege'.