two man chop?

[BillyMac]

Splitting two checks three ways? I can't speak for the other local boards here in the Constitution State, but in my little corner of Connecticut we wouldn't have enough varsity officials to cover all busy night (Tuesday, Friday) games.

We're already having some trouble covering all these games with crews of two. Illnesses, injuries, and changing snow dates often present a major challenge to our assigning commissioner. Last season, after a major snowstorm, he actually sent us an email asking us to unblock a few dates, if possible, on our Arbiter schedule. We've asked leagues, and conferences, to move some of their games to other nights. We've also asked leagues, and conferences, to split their games by gender (one gender on Monday and Thursday, the other gender on Tuesday and Friday). Nobody wants to change. Especially that Friday night one gender at home, the other gender on the road, mentality.

And if we were to promote qualified subvarsity officials to varsity, that would leave us with a severe shortage of subvarsity officials to cover afternoon, and early evening, middle school, freshman, and junior varsity games.

I know that many of you non-Connecticuters work boy/girl varsity doubleheaders. For some reason, working two varsity games in one day is frowned upon here in Connecticut. The most common doubleheaders we see here are the middle school/junior varsity, or the freshman/junior varsity, doubleheaders, and those are few, and far between, only assigned when absolutely necessary, usually due to a shortage of officials available in the late afternoon, as well as a shortage of subvarsity officials in general, especially on those busy Friday afternoons, and evenings.

Recruiting basketball officials has become a major challenge here. $88.28 for varsity, and $57.25 for subvarsity, doesn't seem to cut it in a state where the median household income is around $54,000. Connecticut unemployment hovering around 9% hasn't seemed to help.

We will always be the "Land of Steady Habits". Unfortunately, it also appears that we may always, at least in the foreseeable future, be the "Land of the Two Person Game".