Mid season slump
 

I have a little break over the holidays which is a good thing as I've turned in two straight mediocre varsity performances.

I'm in the 'Gee, I'll let that pass' syndrome where I've become a spectator, not being sharp. I have the better part of my schedule coming up shortly so I hope I snap out of it.

Last Christmas break I did a very early sophomore tourney game at 9:00 a.m.

Nobody was in the gym. White just scores and blue inbounds with no defenders within 30 feet, every head turned up court. Inbounder has foot maybe one inch over the line..........I see it, and think nobody sees this, just then a Mom, up in the rafters of the balcony with a filterless camel rasp yells "HE WAS OVER THE LINE"

This is the malaise I'm going through now. Red Bull? Mark's Meds? Help!

Anyone else going through a bad 'losing' streak??

By your description of the sitch, some might say why trouble trouble?

Why Not?
 

Next game, get to the officials' locker room a little earlier and give your face a nice shave. If that don't give you focus, I don't know what will.

How Did You Know They Were Camels ???
 

Just then a Mom, up in the rafters of the balcony with a filterless Camel rasp yells, "NINE POINT TWO POINT FIVE".

9.2.5 SITUATION: Thrower A1 inadvertently steps onto the court inbounds. A1 immediately steps back into normal out-of-bounds throw-in position. The contact with the court was during a situation: (a) with; or (b) without defensive pressure on the throw-in team. RULING: A violation in both (a) and (b). COMMENT: Whether or not there was defensive pressure or whether or not stepping on the court was inadvertent, it is a violation and no judgment is required in making the call.

It's difficult to use spirit and purpose of the rules with boundary lines, either stepping on them, or over them, somebody will spot the violation. Seldom will anybody spot an official "slow counting" to ten on a patient free thrower.

By Mennen ...
 

That's how I start all my night games. A splash of the original green Mennen's Skin Bracer, and I'm ready to take on the world.

I've found some time in the throne room helps me focus. :)

BillyMac, this is just screaming for you to end your no-picture days! :D

Hai Karate?
 

Something else that seems to help with focus for a game: the only time I wear contacts is when I officiate. Seems that when I pop those babies in before the game, the whole world takes on a more vivid perspective. That really helps when game time rolls around. Can't read the scorebook without cheaters, but everything else is real crisp and clear.

Not sure if this would apply to others, but it works for me.

(BTW, my aim was to have at least 100 posts by the time my holiday hiatus ends with my next game this Friday night. One more to go. I'm averaging only .275 posts per day since I've joined. By comparison, JugglingReferee averages out to about 2.046 per day since he joined, BillyMac about 2.831. Then again, they have much more to offer than I ever would hope to pass along!)

After All, I Am A Blind Official ...
 

I like to throw away my white cane. It reminds me to focus in on using my other senses, the sound of what is probably a player control foul, the smell of a player probably spending too much time in the lane, the taste of my sweat dripping down as I hustle to guess at the correct call, and the touch of the ball as someone hands it to me after I guess correctly on calling an out of bounds violation. Contacts? I don't need no stinkin' contacts.

Best line from friendly, but funny, parent in a game during a time out:
Parent: Do you want me to walk your dog?
BillyMac: What dog?
Parent: Your seeing eye dog that you left in your car.

I think everyone goes through a midseason slump of some kind. Mine ususally hits towards the end of January. Enjoy the holiday time off and rest up. Get ready to hit the courts with focus and purpose in your first game after the first of the year. I'm in the opposite situation... I was in a groove when the break came up and I didn't pick up any tourneys this year. I have really enjoyed watching from the stands and listening the the stupid comments coming from the people around me. Watching a few games always helps me out!

As for your boundary situation, unlike what Billy Mac said, and our lovely young thing with the raspy voice pointed out, I'm probably not seeing that violation the first time. If it keeps happening, call it, but don't lose sleep over something like that one.

Because you wouldn't want someone to come along and call you a coward for not making this call. :D

Seriously, because in the past five years BOTH the NFHS and the NCAA have issued specific directives for officials to make this call without regard to the presence of defensive pressure. It's an automatic. It needs to be treated just like an OOB call.

Same here and without working tourney games, the break seems like a huge interupter.

I learn so much by watching, but this is where we differ. Give me a spot on the endline wall. I can't sit that close to those people :eek:
Some of the things they say...

Loss Of Focus At The Worst Possible Time ...
 

Mine is a late season slump, mid to late February, not a good time with teams trying to win conferences, or to get the minimum wins necessary (eight) to make the state tournament. I would think that at my age the slump would be a physical one, my body breaking down after doing three, or four, games a week, since early December, but it's not, it's a mental slump, me losing focus. I thought that this would stop after I retired from coaching middle school basketball, and could just concentrate on officiating, but it hasn't. I guess that I will need to just concentrate more. Any advice, or hints?

Yeah, BillyMac (<<<< thank you) pointed 9.2.5 out to me. I guess everything you hear at a camp isn't current & up to date.

I Want To Become An Esteemed Member, But In Time ...
 

I hope that this is just a random example of a post average, and not an example of a high post average. One of my assigners already tells me that I have way too much time on my hands.

I have to log off now. I don't want to be late for my weekly date with Calleigh Duquesne (Emily Procter) on CSI: Miami.