Subsitute Ref When Partner Doesn't Show Up?
 

Oddball situation last night at a GJV tourney. I had 4 games in the main gym - 2 person game. There were also 4 games in the aux gym working the freshman games. One of the 2 guys working the freshman games did not show up. Evidently one of the home school's coaches decided to fill in and work with the guy in the aux gym for the first 2 freshman games. Here's where it gets interesting for me. The home team is playing in the third game in the aux gym, so the coach decides he shouldn't ref that game. So they pull my partner from the JV game and send the coach to the main gym to work with me. I tell the person running the tourney that I would rather work alone that with someone who is not a state certified official. They are adamant that I need to let this coach officiate the game.

At this point the guy who hadn't shown up, shows up. So crisis averted. My original partner comes back and we finish the night.

My question is - would your state/association allow anyone, who is not a certified official, fill-in if your partner doesn't show up? Clearly for a Varsity game, it would not be allowed. But for sub-varsity? In Oregon, I know they would not allow anyone not certified by the state officiate any state sanctioned game. But here in Texas, I wasn't sure what the rules are.

What would you do?

Not allowable in Utah...liability for one thing....

I assume you belong to an association in TX. That is where you should pose the question.

I've never understood the liability concern, but enough people bring it up I suppose perhaps it's real. That said, it's about the state rules, but the responsibility falls on the school. I know in Iowa, using an unlicensed official could result in a forfeif for the home team. I'm not sure what the punishment would be in the case of a tournament where the scheduling school isn't participating in the game.

Here in CO, I'd work the game and be on the phone with my assigner right after the game.

Here's a question, how do you really know the guy you're working with is properly licensed in your state? Especially when you have a last minute replacement?

Duh. Already did that. Was curious about how other places would handle it.

With this association, I would be told who my partner was when I was called for the last minute assignment, so I know at that point that the guy I should be working with was also assigned by my assigner, and therefore would have to be certified. However if, for some reason, someone else was there other than the guy my assigner mentioned, then I would probably have to take his word. I am new in Texas, so I don't know anyone - that makes it difficult to recognize if someone is in the association based on meetings and past games.

This would likely never be an issue with a Varsity game. I would think my partners would wonder more about me since I am new to the state - they likely know each other.

We are told to make sure we communicate with our partners as well, so I would likely call the person I am working with on a last minute assignment as well. That way they know to expect me as their partner instead of the guy they likely saw on Arbiter.

Duh. What happens in other areas of the country has no bearing on what your state or association requirements are. We don't blow whistles when entering the playing area, for example.

In my part of Rome, we are not assigned games by an assigner. The host school contracts officials for their games. I would work with whomever they schedule. The AD's evaluation of officials also determine our post season success. I leave it up to the host school's administration to follow State Association rules.

I know my situation does not reflect yours, but you asked how other places would handle it. Because of our system, I can't think of a situation where I would tell the host school that I would not work with their chosen partner(s).

That's easy...if the official has a patch, on their shirt as opposed to their eye, they are good to go!;)

Besides, that is the table crew's responsibility to make sure each official is properly patched...if it is deemed that the official has no patch, then the head table person can ask for a qualified replacement....right, chseagle?;)

(I may have created a monster @ Connell H.S. Eagles):D

Yeah, I was thinking that with situations like ours, we can be relatively confident any partner we get is appropriately certified and qualified (two different things). Our assigners are careful enough. But we put a lot of trust in our assigners on this issue.

As Scratch notes, however, that's not always the case.

I personally wouldn't think twice about it.

Apparently the first thing to go is your reading comprehension skills. :rolleyes: I was CURIOUS how people in other parts of the country would handle this. You can feel free to ignore this thread...

As far as patches go, they just this year are requiring patches in Texas, and they just this week "sold" us the mandatory patches ($5 each - complete ripoff), so not everyone has their patches on their shirts yet. Next year it should be easier to tell who is patched, but for now lots of people, including myself, don't have their patches on yet.

As RookieDude's apparent sarcasm notes, patches mean nothing. I'll bet I could go online and buy an Illinois patch right now if I wanted one. Here, it's IAABO patches, and they're always worn for varsity games. JV games, we wear them 99.9% of the time. Not sure on MS games.

5 BUCKS? Our Assignor sells them for a buck each...sometimes he just gives them to an official.

Yep. And they are about 1" x 2" in size. Someone is making some cash.

I totally missed the sarcasm - I guess my reading comprehension needs some work, too. :o

But since they charge $5 per patch here, that should eliminate most of the people who want to mimic a high school official for the fun of it. :)

Yes...I was being facetious.

In fact, around these parts, many times we will have a crew where some of the officials have patches and others do not. (I use to carry along a patched shirt and a non-patched shirt so we could match...heck, at state tournaments I have brought pleated pants and non-pleated pants so the crew would even have the same pants if possible)

Some are to lazy to put the patch on or are to cheap to buy another shirt...so they use their black and white college shirt with no patch.

On another note...we have the option, in our association, to use gray shirts or black/white. (As long as the whole crew use the same of course)

Our insurance coverage specifically states that it's void if we work with an "unlicenced" official.

We have the same option for sub-varsity, although gray shirts are mandatory for Varsity. Which makes me also remember that patches are also only mandatory for the gray shirts, so sub-varsity games will often have guys in stripes with no patches, so I guess I'll just work with anyone who shows up. ;)

By the way, I was instructed by my association that they would have backed me either way if I chose to work with the coach or not, but they said it would have been perfectly fine to let the coach ref.

Shhhhhhhhhh......

I just sold chseagle one for $114. Even as we speak, he's having it sewn on his arm. Not his sleeve, his arm.

I thought I'd remembered that, but how do you determine 'unlicensed.' Is that universal?

Kinda serves as a place setting too for those long double headers.

You're killing me JR...:D

...actually, I was thinking about having one tattooed on my arm...and then I could go sleeveless.;)

Geesh, by definition it should be 'uniform'. In Illinois, no patch and you really stand out. In fact I can't remember not seeing an unpatched shirt in a HS game at any level. Sloppy.

Now the worst part is this coach can forever claim he was an official.

Is that for UIL or TASO - or has the dust not settled yet? I know a couple of Texas first year officials who were given the UIL patches after their training was over.

I agree...

but, not all officials have our appreciation for decorum.;)

The person has to be registered either as a member of our association or as a member of our governing body (through whom we buy our insurance coverage). In my area, that's the norm. The bottom line though imo is that you should know what your own insurance coverage is before you get into situations like this. We post that info on our web site.

Opposite in Wisconsin - If you have a patch other than an American Flag and you stand out. We've been "clean" shirt for years.

The patch is a UIL patch. And even though they are in a tug of war at the moment, we haven't been told NOT to put the patches on. However, my assignor did tell me today that if UIL was the governing body, it would NOT have been ok for the coach to ref the game. Since there is no governing body at the moment, that's why he said it would be ok.

I would never allow someone that was not a certified ref to officiate a real game, if it was a scrimmage ok. In my district in PA (this may not be the same for all in PA) You are not permitted to ref a varsity game with less than 3 officials. You may finish with 2 if one gets hurt. For sub-varsity you MAY NOT start or finish a game with only one ref. For years if a ref didn't show we would do it solo and get double paid. By rule we are not suppose to do this anymore. We must tell them the game is not permitted to be played. I know that some just ref it by themselves but by rule we are not suppose to.

So if someone doesn't show up to ref for whatever reason, they cancel the game? Wow...I would assume the penalty for no-showing a game is pretty harsh in your neck of the woods?

And if an official gets injured during a JV game?

That is not true for Freshman games. The OSAA only requires OSAA officials for JV and Varsity games. Most schools use OSAA officials for Freshman games but it is not required.

Varsity
 

Hopefully one of the Varsity officials are there and get dressed fast. I know if it happens most will just do it solo, but by district rule it is not suppose happen.

In WI, no game at any HS level is started with less than 2 officials. If an official doesn't show up and a licensed one isn't available, the game isn't started. Period.

CT Ink ...
 

We've got a guy with an IAABO logo tattooed on his upper arm. Really.

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbn...e178feeaa465a9

One Person Mechanics ...
 

Here, in the Land of Steady Habits, we are instructed to only work with IAABO officials. We even have some suggested one person mechanics for those rare times when only one official is assigned, or for some reason, only one official shows up.

I know you'll be shocked, but I used to work at least 6 games a year in Illinois sans patch. We all came down from WI and none of us wore a patch. Nobody ever said a word about it.

Hey, you never see how grown men dress in Milwaukee? They figured they'd give a pass to you cheese heads:).

I know your stance on patches, believe me, people noticed you weren't 'patched' but you were uniform which is all that really counts.

Don't know about that. If I remember correctly (and I should since I'm a resident), the IHSA stopped making the patches altogether. Some guys now have the logo embroidered on the shirts, either on the sleeve or the left breast area.

Haven't Heard This In a While.....
 

We're not directed to watch the post game handshakes.....

Say Kids, What Time Is It ???
 

Agree. Here, in my little corner of the Constitution State, newbies, even though they have passed both the written test, and the floor exam, don't get their patches until the end of the season at our season wrap up business meeting. I've been sitting in the bleachers observing junior varsity games and have heard, on several occasions, "He doesn't even have a patch", from the peanut gallery.

You Do The Math ...
 

By contract, 150% game fee here in the Land of Steady habits. On our local board we only have 300 officials and cover 70 high schools, most with six programs, boys, and girls, varsity, junior varsity, and freshman. We also cover many middle school programs for these school systems. On a busy Friday, when we have a few injured, or sick officials, and several have college games, and others may have blocked out the afternoon, or night, for personal, or business reasons, we may not be able to assign two officials to every single game. Officials, especially subvarsity officials, are assigned doubleheaders, freshman game and the junior varsity game, or middle school game, and junior varsity game, sometimes in different towns.

It's comforting to be on this side of the Law of Supply and Demand.

And No, I Told The Site Director To Send Him The Check ...
 

Same here in my little corner of Connecticut. Varsity officials are required to be at the junior varsity game to observe the subvarsity officials, most of us are there at tipoff. Last season an official became ill in the junior varsity game, in the first period. I got dressed and finished the game for him.