Tale of a Drafted Clock Operator.....
 

Went to watch my son’s first Freshman HS game tonight. About 3 minutes before the game starts the Asst Varsity Coach comes into the stands and asks if I can keep the clock. Sure, why not……

First thing I notice is this is a REAL clock (not the like the Rec League gym clocks I’m used to). I mean this has like 30 buttons on it. Second thing I notice is that I don’t have my glasses with me and I can barely read what’s on the buttons! Uh oh!! I can't even figure out how to put time on the clock to start the game!

Game starts and the usual I forget to start/stop it every now and again as hey – this has a START and a STOP button. So, continually pressing the START button where I leave my finger doesn’t shut it off. Sheesh. :rolleyes:

Two minutes into the game the H score keeper (maybe 15) turns to me and says, “Is a violation the same as a foul?” Gonna be a long game……. Who was that foul on? Who scored that basket? What do you mean I have to count total fouls? What's one-and-one mean? Hey, the scoreboard doesn’t match what I have…….

Four minutes to go in the game….bzzzz. Scoreboard goes blank. Yep, V score keeper has kicked the plug out…..

The game mercifully ends in a blowout for H.

They ask me to stay and do clock for JV game too. I couldn't have been that bad.....or maybe, there were no other "volunteers."

New H scored keeper introduces herself and announces she has 32 years of experience. Bless her heart. What a breeze…..”Foul is on white 2, that’s his first, team 3rd.” "Don't forget to change the posession arrow."

I give myself a B-. What a learning experience! But, now I'm a veteran - no reason not to step forward next time.....

Anyone else been "unexpectedly drafted?"

Did they pay you more for the JV game? ;)

You're all over it Mark! The veteran score keeper actually got me my $5 entry fee to watch the games back!

I've kept the book and clock for our state tournament. It is definitely an eye-opening experience. Every official should have to do it.
It gives you a much deeper appreciation of your table crew.
It also impresses upon you how important it is to give clear and crisp signals to the table.

Completely concur Nevada! It ain't easy at "the big time" and I've done a lot of Rec games! It was more hectic than I thought as there was many four and five man substitutions. I was ok by the end of game two but need to concenrate more on my job.

I noticed the two handed college mechanics used sometime. Specific ways the refs chopped the clock. Different angles. Making eye contact with the officials/scorer while inbounding the ball. Those kids run onto the floor before the buzzer or a whistle. "Hey son, tuck that shirt in" (hey, I can help). But most importantly, reporting to the scorer so they can see/hear. "Foul, 0, hold". Buzzzz! "There is no 0!" "Oh, ok, that's 10!" :p

Perfect!
I timed a varsity game, once..., maybe 12 years ago.
The game would still be going if the fans weren't constantly yelling, "CLOCK!!!"

I Know Who To Get Tickets From ...
 

One of our local board members was recently hired to keep score at the University of Connecticut Womens Basketball Team home games. I know that it doesn't sound like much, but since the Whalers skipped town, the only big league sports team we have is the Connecticut Sun (WNBA), and the UCONN women are ranked number one in the country.

I was the timer and scoreboard operator at the local high school for ~4 years. This is what got me the itch to try refereeing. Looked like fun :eek: at the time. Its all about attention to detail.

I am also still the clock guy at home football games. When the school first installed play clocks they hired a guy to just run them (at the same pay of course) That first year was the only year we had two of us. My elbow was raw from all the nudging to start the damn thing. Guy just couldn't pay attention :rolleyes:

So I practiced doing all three (clock, play clock, down/distance/LOS) during lower level games. The next year and ever since I've been by myself. The PA guy does his job by himself sans spotters and does a mighty fine job as well.

At my old high school in Maine, the JV officials were scorer & timer for the varsity game. I cannot remember if the varsity officials did duty for the JV game, but I don't think so. We got paid extra to do it. I liked being scorer more than I liked being timer. Mostly because your goof-ups could be easily fixed without the whole crowd noticing. But we used to have the foul towers at the table, so if someone fouled out, we got to be very dramatic as we lit them all up one by one.

I've sneaked a peek at the book when I've gone to my alma mater's D1 games. I gotta give the scorer credit--that's a ton of stuff to keep track of.

Most baseball umpires, unfortunately, do not even read the scoring rule in the back of the rulebook and could care less how to keep score. :( (But I have--I keep score for fun at the pro games I go to.)

I've done the clock a few times and I'm horrible at it. I suppose that if I finally learned to watch off-ball, which I did, I could learn to concentrate on the game from the clock perspective. But it would definitely take some learning!!

One of the side-effects of being born into an officiating family is that I was keeping score and running clock at church basketball games since I was about 10 years old. But I don't do it very often any more. And when I do, it's a lot more challenging now that it was at 10.

Another benefit of keeping the clock was my ability to watch and listen to the coaches from up close - in the box, out of the box, trying to get a call, asking questions, chatting, etc. and then watch how the refs handled it.

At one point H JV Coach yells all the way across the floor - "Five seconds, five seconds!" Tweet. Ref calls it! Coach turns to his bench and mutters under his breath, "Man, am I going to have to call the whole game?"

Interesting perspective sitting right there......

That's why I refuse to make any call that a coach is clamoring about. :eek:

Coaches can "think" what they want, but many are too smug and think because they yell out an uncalled violation, then the official "wakes up" and calls it--when its mainly a timing of the whistle issue.....