My first 'official' game!

[showbo]

Ok, so I finally get to ref my first official game for the schools. I am first year, first REAL game so I am a bit nervous to say the least. It was a 8th grade boys game, very sloppy play but they are 13-14 years old, so I expected that. My experience is reading my official’s manual and 4 summer scrimmages, which did not follow the set rules at all.

I will be honest, I hesitated quite a few times, so I missed 3 or 4 calls, but all in all I had a good time. The other official that was working with me said that was a great first game for me and told me to work on positioning and voicing out my calls. My next game is Tuesday, JV girls at the varsity arena. That will be interesting.

Well, I thought I would share my experience and I will be looking through posts for questions I have, and to gain more knowledge. Don't worry everyone; I know how to use a search button!



Oscar

[Nevadaref]

We're here to help. Ask whatever you need.

Of course, a few of us will give you a hard time if you don't use the search button for our mostly commonly asked questions.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

A few of us will give you a hard time if you don't use the search button for our mostly commonly asked questions.

Yeah. Tell me about it.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Yeah. Tell me about it.

Actually, in your case, a certain poster harasses you about not searching the Past Interps Archive for rulings already made by the NFHS to some of the questions that you pose.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

Past Interps Archive

Still one of my favorite sticky threads. Unlike some posters, I haven't committed the "Nevadaref Archives" to memory. Why bother? At my age I forget more stuff than I remember. Now where are my car keys?

[Mark Padgett]

But - do you know the "first rule of officiating"?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Do you know the "first rule of officiating"?

showbo: I beg you, please just answer, "Yes", and let's move on.

[refnrev]

No, Showbo, I think you should ask him. Go ahead and ask.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

showbo: I beg you, please just answer, "Yes", and let's move on.

Originally Posted by refnrev

No, Showbo, I think you should ask him. Go ahead and ask.

Now what will he do? The anticipation is so great that I just might wet myself.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by showbo

...all in all I had a good time.

Welcome! This is the key! Good luck with your next game.

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

But - do you know the "first rule of officiating"?

I'm not getting involved here......

[ref3808]

Congratulations on completing your first game. I started this year as well. The new shirt arrived two days ago and I'm still waiting for the first assignment.

[Back In The Saddle]

Welcome to the fraternity. Yes, there will be some hazing required, but we let the coaches take care of that.

Your experience sounds a lot like mine. The hesitations will disappear over time as you learn to recognize situations in "real time" and response appropriately. I like to tell new officials that the secret to improving is to make mistakes and learn from them. The secret to improving more quickly is to make mistakes more quickly.

Your partner's advice is intended to set you up for success in your coming games. It's not possible to work on "everything" at once. So pick one or two things to work on each game and you'll steadily improve.

One thing that helped me is to keep a game journal. After every assignment spend a few minutes recording your thoughts, questions, unusual situations, things to work on, etc. Then go to work finding answers to your questions, looking up the rules you weren't sure of, etc. The process of setting goals (e.g., picking 1-2 things to work on before each game) before the game and reviewing your performance (e.g., how did you do with those items) afterward will help you improve more quickly. And that makes it more fun.

[Vinski]

Congratulations and welcome. The more experience you get and the more you improve, the more fun it is.

It’s easy to be nervous, but just relax and don’t second guess yourself during the game. You know what a foul looks like. Call ‘em like you see ‘em.

You must be doing pretty darn good to get a JV game so soon. Keep it up.

[JPaco54]

Good for you! It is great to get into the action. Where I am it takes at least two years to get into JV Freshman games and sometimes MS games. We get evaluated at pre-game scrimmages and the requirements are strict. Some guys dont make it and may remain in the younger church or school programs. Some aren't asked to come back. We usually have 30 new refs come out each year and maybe half will make it to a MS game which would be after two months of evaluations. It could take a few years to get a small varsity game. Very competitive here and senority plays a big part which it should. Have fun and stay sharp!

[showbo]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

showbo: I beg you, please just answer, "Yes", and let's move on.

Why yes, yes I do.