Evaluating Officials
 

I'm getting my feet wet this year as an evaluator. Going from the court to the stands. Thanks, in advance, for any help in making the evaluation process a positive one.

Would you, as an official, prefer to know if there is an evaluator in the stands?

Would you want to meet with him/her before, during half-time, or after the game?

Would you like verbal critiques or a hard copy of the evaluation or both?

Without hard copies, the evaluations means a lot less.

Before hand is good because you can communicate to the evaluator something that you are working on. He will then know the 1 or 2 things that you're looking to solidify in that game.

Half-time is possible, but I think for someone that "adjusts quickly" and could possibly fix something else in the 2nd half.

I do prefer to know before-hand. However, this is because my local association sends evaluators in to watch after the game has started. It's not uncommon for them to miss the at least some of the first quarter.

Good luck with the new challenge!!

Of course we would like to know somebody is watching, but I don't think it's the best idea for us to know. Who's gonna half-a$$ when they know their being watched???
Working every game as if someone were watching is the best practice, IMHO. As you know, some of us like to put on an act when we know we're being evaluated.
For best results & to see the real deal... sneak in.

Half-time or after the game works for me. You can see the way officials change-up their game after meeting the evaluator at half-time. All of a sudden we
are running from T to L :)

Verbal is okay - anybody can say anything
Hard copy is great - for future reference
Video is PRICELESS!

I love half time feedback, frankly. It's like a mini-camp and gives an opportunity to show that you can listen to advice and implement it.
Hard copies are essential, IMO, as it gives you something to go back and look at later after any emotions of the game have died.

Having experienced the evaluation process the last 2 years as a cadet, I have been operating under the standard that I am being evaluated in one way or another in every game I officiate.

As for the formal evaluation process, I don't mind if somebody "sneaks" in to observe or evaluate. We were told that our evaluators may or may not speak to us beforehand (one did and one did not) and we will probably not know which games we would be evaluated (I did not).

I don't and do not mind discussing what's happening at halftime with other officials or evaluators. In fact, if there's something somebody sees that needs discussion, I would hope that it doesn't wait until post game.

If it's a formal evaluation, a halftime chat is welcome to tell us you are here and what you saw. Give us one or two things to work on in the second half and see how we adjust individually and as a team. If you see that somebody (or everybody) is obviously struggling or overly nervous, a brief, quick compliment on anything helps a lot. We know if we are struggling and a halftime dressing-down will most probably send the game down the crapper. (this is obviously dependent on whom you evaluate-newer officials vs. varsity officials)

I appreciate any feedback I can get. I want a written evaluation for my records so I can look back on it, and also so I can remember who suggested what, and so my notes later don't miss something the observer thought was important. This summer I have lugged my video camera and tripod with me all over the place, and it has been great to sit and evaluate myself. Of course, it has also made me cringe as well as confirm some close calls.

Good luck!

As an official, I like knowing ahead of time when an evaluator will be there, so I know I can ask questions and have them watch for certain things. However, as others have mentioned, not knowing whether the evaluator will be there has forced me to officiate every as if I was being watched. That has helped me more in the long run. So, perhaps it's better to let the newer ones know ahead of time, so they think of questions and provide a list of things for you to watch. I'm not sure if newer officials have the ability to "turn it up a notch" simply knowing someone is watching. But for the more experienced officials, it may be better to simply show up, so you can see their normal game.

As for feedback, written is good. As for when, I've found out: it depends. For newer officials, making some quick comments at halftime is a good idea to help correct any obvious issues that came up in the first half. But make it quick, so they still have time to get a drink, cool down a little, and make it back out to the court at their normal time. I've seen an evauator try to include so much once that the crew was late getting back out on the floor, and it put them at a disadvantage starting the 2nd half.

For a more experienced crew, maybe it's best to wait until after the game to provide full feedback. Let them control how the pre-game is handled, and let them handle the halftime talk. That should be part of the evaluation process - seeing how the crew handles communication before and during a game. That can be a part of your critique afterwards. I also had a situation once in a small college game, where the supervisor was able to watch the game over the internet. He then tried to call my partner, the R, at halftime to gives us his critique of the 1st half. My partner purposely ignored the call, saying halftime was the crew's time to go over things. And we did. After the game, the R called the supervisor back, said sorry, saw the missed call, didn't hear the phone ringing in the locker, etc., and got the full critique then. I was a little surprised at that attitude; it wasn't that he was trying to ignore the supervisor or clown around at halftime, it's just he felt we should use the time as a crew to go over whatever issues we had in the first half. I've also had other "big-time" officials tell me that as well.

I've been fortunate to serve on both sides as an official being evaluated and being an evaluator. Of course if I'm working, I want to know they are there. If I'm an evaluator, I sneak in and try to not be seen. Inevitably, the crew will change their style or do things they normally wouldn't in front of someone. I want to see them just as they are, not "putting on a show" for me.

Ideally I would like to be evaluated both with and without prior knowledge. Evaluations serve both the purpose of official development and official management (assignment, advancement, discipline etc.).

For development it makes sense to know what the expectations are, have the opportunity to let the evaluator know what you are working on and get critique to make same game adjustments. So meeting before the game, at halftime and after the game is helpful.

For officiating quality, unannounced observations are crucial. Officials should officiate each game as if they were observed.

I prefer a verbal and hard copy evaluation. Hard copy evaluations using standard forms promote consistency. For some sample evaluation forms, you can check out forms .

wanja - thanks for posting the forms site. Interesting to see the variety of eval forms used across the states as they range from fairly basic to very detailed. I downloaded several!

That's the useful post of the week for me!

As an evaluator, I prefer to come into the gym without anyone knowing I am there and then talking to the officials for just a minute at halftime (Just say hi and address any GLARING issues). I then like to see if they referee any differently after they know that I am there. I will spend time with them after the game to talk about whatever needs to be addressed.

Always give a written evaluation...basically a waste of time without it, IMO.

Good luck! We need good evaluators to help us get better.

My recommendations on your questions:

1. DO NOT let the crew know there is an evaluator in the crowd. Some people try to turn it on or off when an evaluator or assigner is in attendance. This is crap and unprofessional. Once you get around to some games, the officials will know when you are in the stands anyway. :)

2. Address the crew after the game. A crew needs to spend their full concentration before the game conducting a solid pregame conference. At halftime, the crew needs to be talking about plays and potential adjustments for the second half. Most officials will kindly listen to an evaluator's thoughts at any time, but the best thing for the sake of the game is to wait until after the game.

3. I think a written critique is a valuable tool for an official to keep. Sometimes, you need to get out of the heat of the moment to really think about something critically. I still enjoy reading evaluations from year's past and monitoring my improvement.

Officials Evaluator
 

First off, let me just say I think that is a great thing to see someone evaluating other officials. Since this is your first time, I am taking from reading past post, I think you will do fine. From the experience that I've had from being evaluated and working as an evaluator a piece of advice I might to you is that no matter what the situation is that you will be learning just like the other officials. I find it easier not knowing if there is an evaluator at the game because like someone posted earlier that can make some people nervous. One thing that I found from evaluating is that I would tuck myself into a corner but don't sit alone becasue if you are recognized by other officials and they see that you have stuff your writting down it can be nerve racking. Best thing to do is bring along another officials especially your first game it will actually calm your nerves down as well. The final piece of advice I will give is know the backgrounds of the officials. Is it Joe Smith's 1st year or his 8th year. That helps when trying to evaluate them and if you are giving them a post game conference on what things to help with. Also, try positive constructive criticism, I've tried and it has worked for me. It works some but not all. That is the advice I can give from being an evaluator for a couple of years now and also being evaluated.

JB

I agree with most of this, although I don't really care if they officiate differently as long as they are doing the right things.

None of these matter to me. I always officiate my games as if I am being watched. And even if I am not being watched that I am aware of, I learned the hard way that you will be watched when you least expect it.

I would prefer a hard copy, but I do not need one during a game. A camp setting is a different story and I would expect more information. In a real game the evaluator could tell me what they observe and I would file it in my mental Rolodex.

Peace

1. I treat every game as if I'm being watched. One assignor I use basically says that any and every game can be evaluated. Sometimes the evaluators are guys who work the game before/after the one we are working. Other times they are sitting with spectators.

2. I would find it necessary to meet after the game. Half time I am ambivalent about. Meeting at halftime could help but if I know I am having a bad game, I know that I would be even harder on myself after hearing what my evaluator has to say, but that is just me striving to be perfect.

3. Verbal is great because I like to have discourse about what I did and why vs what the evaluator saw/thought. A hard copy is crucial, I would file them all and review over the course of the season.

I treat every game as if I'm being watched by aliens. :eek:

I concur here as well.

That's the point.

Watch the first half without notifying them. This will help you catch the slackers and see how people really officiate. By telling your subject they are being observed, you change the very nature of the thing you are observing.

Then, give your observations at halftime and give them a few (no more than 2 or 3) things to work on in the second half. See how they respond to your feedback in the second half.

Disturbing for the aliens.

Randy Quaid will play the part of Padgett in the movie.

"Hello boys, I'm baaaaack!"

Actually, they give me really good feedback. Plus - every time I give a coach a T, they laugh their heads off - literally! And, if a coach gives me any crap, the aliens take off his head! Here's a former coach:

http://www.best-horror-movies.com/im...less-small.jpg

I've never heard probing described as "feedback," but hey, things are different out there in Oregon.

lmao!