getting in the mood

[mutantducky]

for some... Basketball officiating. After reading the rules again and taking the tests along with the increasing number of raining days I'm getting antsy to get back on the court. Got one more week to go. Maybe I will go out with my whistle and stroll over to a HS football game. time to give out some Techs to the cheerleaders and players. "Pads won't save you suckers!" muhahahahaah

[fiasco]

Candlelight and a little soft jazz usually does it for me.

[Adam]

Bum chicka bow wow.

[mbyron]

I'm in the mood. I've got my first scrimmage in the morning. Varsity girls, way out in the boonies.

[vbzebra]

I have this recurring dream every now and then that I'm working a game and my darn whistle disentigrates (sp?) in my mouth and I can't call a f-ing foul

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by vbzebra

I have this recurring dream every now and then that I'm working a game and my darn whistle disentigrates (sp?) in my mouth and I can't call a f-ing foul

You must not have followed the first rule of officiating.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by vbzebra

I have this recurring dream every now and then that I'm working a game and my darn whistle disintegrates in my mouth and I can't call a foul.

If you officiated here in the Constitution State, you would have a second whistle in your pocket to keep track of the alternating possession arrow.

[Back In The Saddle]

And if that one disintegrates? Then you're *really* hosed.

[nine01c]

Here in South Carolina we have been attending local meetings weekly since the middle of August. Yesterday we had our mandatory (for Varsity) state exam in Columbia. All 600+ referees in the entire state, same test, same location, in classrooms with proctors (no cheating). The annual test score weights heavily on your ranking. Your ranking determines your Varsity schedule, every Varsity game in the state is assigned by the SCHSL (high school athletic asso.) using The Arbiter. No local assignors. It is a great system. We have all been assigned scrimmages locally to get ready for the season which starts November 30.

[justacoach]

Originally Posted by nine01c

Here in South Carolina we have been attending local meetings weekly since the middle of August. Yesterday we had our mandatory (for Varsity) state exam in Columbia. All 600+ referees in the entire state, same test, same location, in classrooms with proctors (no cheating). The annual test score weights heavily on your ranking. Your ranking determines your Varsity schedule, every Varsity game in the state is assigned by the SCHSL (high school athletic asso.) using The Arbiter. No local assignors. It is a great system. We have all been assigned scrimmages locally to get ready for the season which starts November 30.

And what would be your game fees for all this effort??

[Mark Padgett]

I have a friend who gets me in the mood for games. His name is Xanax.

[jdub]

Originally Posted by nine01c

Here in South Carolina we have been attending local meetings weekly since the middle of August. Yesterday we had our mandatory (for Varsity) state exam in Columbia. All 600+ referees in the entire state, same test, same location, in classrooms with proctors (no cheating). The annual test score weights heavily on your ranking. Your ranking determines your Varsity schedule, every Varsity game in the state is assigned by the SCHSL (high school athletic asso.) using The Arbiter. No local assignors. It is a great system. We have all been assigned scrimmages locally to get ready for the season which starts November 30.

That's definitely some coordination. Interesting that the "book knowledge" weighs so heavily on your assignments. For some, it's really easy to take a written rules test, but hard to actually use/apply those rules on the court.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by nine01c

Here in South Carolina we have been attending local meetings weekly since the middle of August. Yesterday we had our mandatory (for Varsity) state exam in Columbia. All 600+ referees in the entire state, same test, same location, in classrooms with proctors (no cheating). The annual test score weights heavily on your ranking. Your ranking determines your Varsity schedule, every Varsity game in the state is assigned by the SCHSL using The Arbiter. No local assignors. It is a great system. We have all been assigned scrimmages locally to get ready for the season which starts November 30.

Originally Posted by jdub

That's definitely some coordination. Interesting that the "book knowledge" weighs so heavily on your assignments. For some, it's really easy to take a written rules test, but hard to actually use/apply those rules on the court.

My local board only counts "book knowledge" as 5% of your total rating, which determines your ranking, and thus the level and number of assignments. 80% of your ranking is based on peer ratings. The remaining 15% is based on attendance at meetings, and your availability to the assignment commissioner.

There is a reason why the written test only counts 5%. It's easy for us. We get the questions at our first meeting. We have about two weeks to answer them with an open book. Our filled in answer sheet is a ticket to get us into a test review meeting, where we go over each question and answer, with the meeting leader having the correct answers to direct our discussion. Take the test, open book, at home, attend the test review meeting, get full credit, no matter how many questions you originally got right, or wrong.

Two questions for our colleague from the Palmetto State:

How can such an important test have its questions, and possibly answers, kept secret from all varsity officials in the entire state? The reason why my local board gave up on any type of "surprise" exam was due to so many people getting access to exam questions and answers before we even had out first meeting. Who said that "cheaters never prosper"?

With every varsity game in the state assigned by the SCHSL, and no local assignors, can officials be assigned anywhere in the entire state? Or is there a mileage limit? I'm only assigned in two counties in Connecticut, the longest trip I take is about 50 miles. I would hate to be assigned a game in the far reaches of my state. South Carolina is a lot bigger than Connecticut.

[nine01c]

Using The Arbiter, there are blocks and limits applied to each referee to contol mileage (usually 60 miles max), block of your home town, high school you attended or work at, high school your kids attend, etc. You can choose to block dates, teams, schools and partners or reduce mileage. Coaches can block referees (there is a limit to blocks allowed).

We officiate the V girls game at 6:00 followed by the boys game on the same night, same 3-man crew. The fee is $63, doesn't sound like much but mileage is added on at 45 cents per mile ($9 minimum). The same is true of JV and Middle School except for 2-man crews and lower game fee paid.

Credit Factors
Written Examination 30%
Seniority Credit (highest at 7 years) 25%
Peer Rating 25%
Clinic and Meetings 15%
Cooperation 5%

The exam does not float around before the test date. A strong rules knowldege doesn't guarantee proficiency on the court, however, I guess they figure it will give you a much better chance than a weak rules knowledge.