two man chop?

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

It's a process that has had enormous growing pains for just that reason. Coaches and assignors complain because it seems each crew (that isn't a regular crew) has one "weak" official, so why don't we just work 2-man? And I've never seen a single subvarsity game played with 3 officials here, either.

So, it's trial and learning by fire. People working games that count 3-person when they simply don't have the experience to handle those games properly. And then everyone, including those officials, wish out loud that we'd just work 2-man and be done with it.

If the state would mandate 3 and suggest a pay cut for 3 years from $60 to $50 it would take 3-4 years for everyone to be proficient (and some officials may never catch on, but those guys weren't working a good 2-man game, either) and coaches and sportswriters would have to hold their tongues and let the process happen. But the state office hasn't shown a willingness to advocate three person strongly enough. It's frustrating.

In the meantime, all of the good officials' education being taught now in clinics and camps is 3-person. There are no good intermediate-to-advanced camps being taught 3-person, so officials are pretty much on their own in developing skills on the 2-person side. That shouldn't be developed anymore anyway, but I digress.....

That is too bad. Of course, some are weak officials, and some are learning officials. But as you said, the weak ones are weak in 2 person crews anyway.
One of the ways to develop a 3 crew official is to use Frosh DHs as a training ground IMO. A veteran can partner with two learning officials and split the fees 3 ways. That would also bring better officiating to frosh games from time to time and doing a double with 3 would not be as taxing as a double with two, of course. So, perhaps the smaller game fee would be the price of training and developing. All this is moot, though, if your state doesn't think it is important.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

That is too bad. Of course, some are weak officials, and some are learning officials. But as you said, the weak ones are weak in 2 person crews anyway.
One of the ways to develop a 3 crew official is to use Frosh DHs as a training ground IMO. A veteran can partner with two learning officials and split the fees 3 ways. That would also bring better officiating to frosh games from time to time and doing a double with 3 would not be as taxing as a double with two, of course. So, perhaps the smaller game fee would be the price of training and developing. All this is moot, though, if your state doesn't think it is important.

What's worse is that the officials don't want to split the $160 (a FR DH pays $80 per official here) and many vets wouldn't want to take a night off a varsity game to work a FR DH (quite frankly, I don't, unless it's some kind of organized program).

Matter of fact, some officials prefer working the FR DH because it pays $20 more than working one varsity game. Those are the people you don't really want to see in the varsity games anyway.

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

What's worse is that the officials don't want to split the $160 (a FR DH pays $80 per official here) and many vets wouldn't want to take a night off a varsity game to work a FR DH (quite frankly, I don't, unless it's some kind of organized program).

Matter of fact, some officials prefer working the FR DH because it pays $20 more than working one varsity game. Those are the people you don't really want to see in the varsity games anyway.

The guys in it for the money are not very often your top tier officials. Giving back to the association by working one or two FR DHs a season to help train isn't a bad thing, but I can see that unless it was a mentor type program and came as an association directive, that few would do it. But, everybody got help along the way, and the best help I ever had was actually working with folks with experience who were NOT in it for the money.

[bob jenkins]

We convinced one conference that on one night the prelim games (it's the Soph game, here) across the entire conference would be three person. We put officials on the game who are nearly ready to move to Varsity on the games and assign the V officials to get to the games from the beginning to observe / provide feedback. The three officials split the two fees.

This gives the officials some game experience in three person when they get to Varsity and doesn't cost the schools any more, or put anyone at a disadvantage (since it's done at all schools on that night).

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

We convinced one conference that on one night the prelim games (it's the Soph game, here) across the entire conference would be three person. We put officials on the game who are nearly ready to move to Varsity on the games and assign the V officials to get to the games from the beginning to observe / provide feedback. The three officials split the two fees.

This gives the officials some game experience in three person when they get to Varsity and doesn't cost the schools any more, or put anyone at a disadvantage (since it's done at all schools on that night).

Great idea.