HS Associations - Training Programs

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

Promotion to Varsity which would be the start of the official's 8th year with your board.

Promotion to "Full" varsity, that is, 100% varsity assignments, if you were rated, and ranked, high enough, would occur in the eighth year. Also, based on ratings, and rankings, you could see some varsity assignments as a "Split" official, in the fourth year.

On the other hand, if you're ratings, and ranking, were low enough, you could be a lifelong subvarsity official.

[KJUmp]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Promotion to "Full" varsity, that is, 100% varsity assignments, if you were rated, and ranked, high enough, would occur in the eighth year. Also, based on ratings, and rankings, you could see some varsity assignments as a "Split" official, in the fourth year.

On the other hand, if you're ratings, and ranking, were low enough, you could be a lifelong subvarsity official.

A demanding system (in terms of years to full V) for a new official to go through, but I think a good system. I like the fact that there is an "up and down" component based on ratings and the other criteria. Reading your reply to Rut, I see that your board places a high premium on education which is great.
With the commitment a new official has to make in terms of years, plus the on going educational aspect, and a rating system that is structured to move guys either up or down, I would imagine you end up with some pretty good first year full varsity officials.
I'd take a system like that anytime over the one I'm stuck in. 2 year "probation" period, but unless you score a minimum of 86 on the written and 90 on the floor exam, you stay at the 2nd year probation level until you do.
Get 86 or better on the exam, but the evaluators mark you lower than a 90 on the floor...you're going back to Q school to steal a pro golf reference. Below 86 on the written? You don't qualify for a floor exam. As such, while we know just how much we missed by on the written, and exactly which questions (allowing us to work on our weaker rules areas for the next year) we have no idea as to where we are with our floor work.
Once you get past all this that and become a V official, you're there for life. Just pay the dues every year. No rating system, so new V guys are solely at the mercy of the assignor as far as moving up.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

Once you get past all this that and become a V official, you're there for life.

Just like a Supreme Court judge, or the pope. How do you avoid having eighty-five year old varsity officials?

[IowaMike]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Just like a Supreme Court judge, or the pope. How do you avoid having eighty-five year old varsity officials?

I would imagine they don't avoid it. I've watched guys working varsity in my area who literally cannot run up and down the floor anymore. I would guess that in most parts of the country, like here, working varsity games can often have a lot more to do with who you know and are friends with than skill.

In my area there is no evaluation process. The local association I belong to is essentially worthless; they have one clinic in the summer that I would call subpar at best. There is no evaluation process and it wouldn't matter if they did because they don't get any games for their members. Conference assigners give you varsity games in the two big conferences here; one of them isn't even a basketball official and in most cases has never even watched guys work a game. He wouldn't know if they did a good job anyway since he knows nothing about working a basketball game. Most of the games go to the same guys every year, or his pals from baseball and football (sports he does work). I work plenty of varsity baseball games in this conference but my crew gets very few basketball games.

You can get varsity games directly through the school AD in some smaller schools and my crew does this. We also get varsity games from another smaller conference with an assigner; we have never met him and he has never seen us work. I also pick up varsity games in yet another conference from an assigner with a different crew of guys. How do you get games, or an in with these assigners? You know someone who is tight with them and they get you games. That is how I got games in the third conference. The smaller schools where the AD assigns his own games you simply contact them and ask for games. I get a lot of varsity basketball and baseball games this way. I think I'm a good official but even if I weren't it wouldn't matter. I would still get my games in certain conferences but not in others. I get plenty of varsity games and am satisfied, but where I am able to get games and where I am not has absolutely no rhyme or reason.

I wish we had a strong association with good training and evaluation. I think being evaluated regularly would make me a better official.