I'm a 16 yr. old baskeball junkie. I play, watch, ref and coach. This year I've signed up with my local officiating association so that I can become certified. Tonight I ran into a serious problem with one of the senior officials. Seven of us took turns officiating a junior-high level intra-squad game. As we moved up and down the court a senior official would shadow us and critique our performance as we went. As you might imagine it was a rather nerve-wracking experience. I've been refereeing relatively high level ball for the past four years (high school JV and under) but have received little formal instruction so my mechanics leave something to be desired. Anyways, the senior official that was shadowing me also happens to hold an executive post in the association. He’s also a bit of a jerk. He’d mentioned a couple times that I was bending at the waist to see plays instead of moving my feet. He called me on it for a third time when I thought I was doing a good job of avoiding it. When I said that I thought I had been doing it properly he went ballistic. “SHUT UP. I think you have an attitude. You’re too cocky. If you don’t want to listen to me than I shouldn’t even bother to come out. I’ve done this a lot longer than you have and I don’t come here to have some kid disagree with me.” Me: “No, sir” Him: “SHUT UP. If you think we’re wrong don’t say anything.” Now ordinarily I’d just take the reprimand and live with it but I feel he was way out of line. I’ve written him a letter that first apologizes, secondly explains why I was having difficulty changing my deeply ingrained habit and thirdly states that I feel he also acted improperly. We’re taught to never tell a coach to shut up- regardless of any insinuations about your honesty or ancestry. Why is it okay for him to show me up in front of my fellow officials, the players and the coaches? My question is should I mail the letter?

ewie--

Anybody that can ref JV at the age of 14, and write as well as you do, and spell everything correctly (except, "anyways") should be running for President! But there is a reason that the President has to be at least 35, rather than just a well-educated 16. The most important difference between you and any presidential candidate or senator, is the willingness to compromise.

I speak here from the vast, and very wise age of 46. I was the most idealistic and self-righteous 16 year old that ever walked the face of the earth. I knew how everyone ought to behave, and I never hesitated to tell them. The worst part about it was that I was usually right, and that drove everyone the craziest, including a teacher who committed suicide shortly after I humiliated him in front of the entire senior class. I was completely right in my psychoanalysis of him, and dead wrong in pointing it out so adamantly. At 46, I realize how horrible I really was acting.

You are, unfortunately, in a similar situation, although I hope with less serious consequences. Of course, you were probably right in saying that you thought you didn't do that bending thing. And of course you were absolutely right that he shouldn't have yelled at you, shouldn't have said shut up, and shouldn't have tried to deliberately belittled you.

But you need to also realize that pointing it out to him, yet again, will accomplish absolutely nothing positive. It would be so nice if people like this would receive a letter like this, and respond, "Wow, I never realized how people saw me. I appreciate your pointing it out. Is there anything else I need to work on?" It just doesn't happen. All you'll do is make him madder, and hurt your career. If he's really that much of a jerk, and I don't doubt that he is, others see it too, and his outburst will not really affect how they think of you. You might just gain some standing if you simply ignore the incident, and never, ever say anything bad about him. Other refs will like you more if they think you never say anything bad about anyone.

Well if it went exactly as you said it did, I'd say you both left a few things to be desired.

You had a veteran official volunteering his time to help you out. Regardless of how he came across, his intent was to make you better and help you learn mechanics that will help you in the long run. If he said you were bending at the waist, rest assured that you were (it's easier to see than to feel). Why you had to argue with him (wouldn't it have been easier to just say, "ok, I'm working on it?") instead of just accepting his critique is the question. For him to go off on you like that, I'd have to venture that your response was pretty cocky and he probably thought, "why am i wasting my time that I could be home with the family on this kid?" People with quick triggers and quick smart-*** answers sometimes don't make the best officials.

If he went off on you like you said he did, he needs to learn a little tact. Maybe he was having a really bad day (no excuse, just a possible explanation) and went a little "over the top." Most veteran refs have become pretty good at dealing with angry or sarcastic coaches and it surprises me that he didn't just walk away and quietly say, "ok, you know it all so you don't need my help" or just say nothing at all.

Since your attitude wasn't exactly first-rate, I don't think asking him for an apology would be a good call...your actions have probably already earned you a reputation with several of the "vets" as a smart-*** cocky kid who thinks he knows it all and will never advance past J.V. ball. IMHO, if you really have the desire to ref, suck it up and YOU apologize to him and hope that he's man enough to put it behind him and move on. Maybe he'll remember that he was once a 16-year old who thought he knew more than he really did too. :-)

Z

Before you get too irate about what you were criticized about. Get a video camera and see if you can see what you were doing. The tape doesn't lie as the saying goes. I thought I was the greatest official on the planet until I saw myself on video. I had to have wondered what that ref was doing or thinking the entire game. He(menaing me) stunk.:-)

Now as far as the vet official is concerned. Thank him for his time in helping you. I always love shadowing rookies during scrimmages. It is fun and I learn from it as well as they. Apologize. It is never wrong to be the first to apologize. It is always best to defuse the argument. Then ask him if he has any more pointers that he can give you. Glean everything you can from him and the other vets. You want a reputation for being a learner not an arguer.

I am in shock what I am reading.
 

I would have bet the farm that everyone would have jumped all over this veteran and tried to say how unprofessional he was to this kid. I was thinking the same thing, but would have swore that everyone would have disagreed with what has just been answered. I guess my instinct were not that far off.

ewiar, what Juulie and Z had to say is good advice. Let it go. No matter what you do, you will have mud all over you on this one. You can be right and be wrong at the same time. This is one of those times.


Peace

[Edited by JRutledge on Oct 30th, 2002 at 12:30 AM]

Don't mail the letter.
 

ewiar,
Welcome to your first official's training. I can tell it's your first experience since you seem so surprised. ;)

<li><u>Fact</u>: Most of us pay $200-$300.00 to go an Officials' Camp to obtain a new orifice in our body, and you got one for "Free"!
<li><u>Fact</u>: Being trained is a very humbling experience for most of us, and you have joined the club.
<li><u>Fact</u>: Had you asked this forum for advice before your first training you would have been told to work hard, listen hard and <u>say nothing, ... unless you were specifically asked, "What were you thinking ?!!?" </u>

Continue training, and know that your next trainer could be worse. I will not defend the trainer's actions except to say trainer's techniques will vary.

The next time you see the "Trainer", thank him and tell him you learned a lot. You may even tell him that you learned to "shut up". Humility will take you a long way in this avocation.

Put aside your hurt pride and think about what you have learned; are you better or worse? I am willing to bet you are not "chicken peeping" anymore.

mick
(initially trained and humbled at 48)

First, if you really are 16, you need to be congratulated on your use of the English language and your ability to convey it in the written form. Posters constantly butcher it here, and it's refreshing to see a post that is coherently written.

Second, if you are that meticulous about your posts, my guess is that this continues to other areas in your life, including officiating. Advise: apologize to the clinician, tell him you will continue working on his advise, and ask him to evaluate you in the future to help you gauge your progress. [He could probably use some advise on being tactful and professional, but that's his problem, and we'll help him with that when he posts his message. :o)]

Finally...don't be a "YA, BUT" person. Be a "YES, SIR (MA'AM), I'LL WORK ON THAT" person, and you'll go a long way.

Good luck!

Re: Don't mail the letter.
 

A genuine conversation between me & an observer:

Him: "What were you thinking on that call?!!?"
Me: "Uhmmmm, well I thought...."
Him: "Waddaya mean you thought??? Didn't you know??!!??"
Me: "Oh...yeah"

Of course he smiled & slapped me on the back soon after,
they don't all do that but they almost always mean well.
Even if their delivery needs work.

Quote:

Continue training, and know that your next trainer could be worse.

And much more than likely will be better...:)

BTW, a kid your age who is moving up quickly will have a
horrible time with "credibility" with coaches.
Hang in there, keep at it, keep learning, develop a
professional attitude and demeanor and a very thick skin.

A little off the topic...but I am wondering what state allows a 16 year old to ref JV basketball? In our state, one has to be 18 to take the NFHS (IAABO) exam before he is eligible to referee HS. Maybe someone younger could sit in on the clinic, but no certification until age 18.

This situation is akin to haveing very young people coach kids (especially who aren't that much younger than them).
They are great athletes, know the game, and have a great desire to coach. However, their age (teens, early 20's)
is against them in experience and maturity (I mean dealing with people/confrontations/officials/players/parents/etc).

Although the description of the trainer's behavior was unacceptable IMO (yelling SHUT UP), I agree with not sending the letter. Try to smooth things out (hard to do when you feel the guy is wrong), tell him you didn't meant to sound argumentative, and you'd appreciate his help perfecting your mechanics. Trust that (after 4 years of reffing without mechanics training) you have multiple bad habits that will be hard to break. Listen and learn.
Good luck, I hope you stick with it.

Marty,
Here is a link to Michigan's Lagacy program, for students to officiate JV and lower levels.


http://www.mhsaa.com/services/legacy.pdf

mick

I agree with all of the above posts. The guy may be a bit of a jerk but if he holds an executive postion in your association, he must have the respect of his peers. Everyone has a different way of training and he was probably just seeing how you responded.

mj

First of all, I think that if the observer really did yell at you to "SHUT UP" in front of the coaches, players and officials then he was unbelievably unprofessional. Having said that, you probably should have just "SHUT UP" in the situation, especially if he's telling you the same thing for the 3rd time. When you receive an observation/critique, if the advice makes sense to you and you think that you can use it, then put it into practice. If the advice doesn't make sense to you, then just forget about it. Don't try to explain yourself to the observer. You never ever ever want to be perceived as a guy who makes excuses, a "yeah, but. . ." guy. That will KILL you.

Second, I once heard on a radio psychologist's show (Dr. Laura, Dr. Joy, Dr. Ruth -- I can't remember which one :) ) that adults put good things in a letter; but say bad things face-to-face. If you're not brave enough to say something to a person's face, then it's probably not important enough to say at all. That made a lot of sense to me. So. . . if I were in your place, I would not send the letter that you've written.

Third, I'm going to disagree with something a lot of people have suggested. If I were in your place, there is no WAY I would apologize to this guy. He was the jerk; he embarrassed you. He would not get an apology from me. I would, however, thank him for his time. (It was a sacrifice on his part, even if the results weren't the best.) And I do like the idea of saying that I'd learned how to keep quiet. But an apology? Maybe it's just me, but no way.

Finally, since Dan shared a story, I'll share one too. Dan was even there, so he can verify it. I attended camp this summer and was scheduled for whatever game was next. As the crew from the previous game came off the court, the observer made a big deal about positioning in a certain situation. A big deal. A very very big deal. So of course, about 2 minutes into my game, I make the very mistake that he'd talked about. The great thing (so I thought) was that I realized it and slid back to the proper position before the ball was put back in play. At the next time out, the observer says to me, "You. . . you're pretty good. But you're stupid!!!" Now, I could've said "But Edgar, I slid back into position, I fixed it, blah, blah, blah". But I didn't. I kept my mouth shut.

You learned an important lesson, albeit an unpleasant one. Remember it. Have a great season.

Chuck

I read this thread with great interest. I occasionally work as an instructor at camps and teach the class for the new officials in my association, so I get the chance to do a lot of instruction with officials. I found the evaluator's tone (if accurately represented) unfortunate. I think that we all have officials we know that we don't care for or that rub us the wrong way. I think that the response indicate that the evaluator doesn't care for our new friend ewiar and this is reflected in his response. (merely an explanation, not a justification) As evaluators, our job is to teach and help. Personal feeling should be left at the door, just like in a game situation.

That being said, ewiar, I would never again respond the way you did to the evaluator. Like others have pointed out, the evaluator is there to help you and if he said you were bending at the waist, you were. I have a hard time giving advice to someone who denies that he/she is doing what I just watched (reminds me of the kids who clobber someone and try to tell you that they never touched them--they probably believe they didn't). There are generally lots of people who want to hear what I have to say, if you indicate that you don't, I will stop talking, especially if I am volunteering my time. If you don't agree with me, I'm ok with that, but you must realize that talking back will get you a reputation that you don't want. It will squash your reffing career fast.

Don't send the letter, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Keep working hard and good luck.

One of the first words of advice I ever received about officiating camps or evaluations was, "Listen, and keep your mouth shut". The ref who told me this is now in the NBA so I think he knows what he is talking about. I agree with Rut that this evaluator was out of line. However, just as you are learing how to be a better official, he may be learning how to be a better evaluator and trainer.
If his tactic was to see how you would react, then IMO that is wrong. As long as you treated him with respect, (and I don't think telling him you thought you were working hard to not bend at the waist rather than moving to see a play better, indicates disrepect) he should treat you the same way.I have been fortunate to have been taught by some of the best in the business. Never, ever, did I feel disrespected by them. Did they ever have to speak forcefully to get their points across? Yes. But it was always done in a atmosphere of helping to improve.
Chalk it up to experience. Next time you are evaluated, listen, take what you need, and when you get more experience, discard the clutter. If you need to ask a question, do so in a non-confrontational manner. (such as "I understand what you are saying, but I have a question")
Officiating can be extremely rewarding, and a great career.
(Better than slinging Burgers when you're 16)
Keep up the good work.
Drake

At the next time out, the observer says to me, "You. . . you're pretty good. But you're stupid!!!" Now, I could've said "But Edgar, I slid back into position, I fixed it, blah, blah, blah". But I didn't. I kept my mouth shut.

Ahh yes, Edgar. That sounds like him!

SMILE
 

I'm with Chuck E. Thank him but don't appologize unless you did something more out-of-line than what you have shared with us.

Believe me, at 16 years old, you will get far worse reprimands and they will be during a real game with a crowd and the coach for whom you are working rather than a volunteer shadow. Then you will feel like you are on the spot.

Kill'em with kindness. Smile. Even tell him he was right and that you have been working on standing up straight and moving your feet. That will make him feel good and will probably put you back into his good graces.

Forget about the Shut-ups. Move on man. You've got a lot of life and officiating left to do. Based upon what you have said and everyone's responses, we are all expecting great things from you!

Nice of you to share your story seeing as how it's my story also, except I end it by saying "...and the crew after my game made the exact same mistake!" ;)

As someone who has trained youth and adults (just no at officiating), I agree that the instructor's method leaves much to be desired. That said, burn the letter!

I also would not apologize. I would however tell him something along the lines of; "Judging from you reaction the other night, I didn't do a good job of communicating with you. If my comments offended you, I will try to do a better job in the future. Thank you for your help. Hopefully we can chalk that encounter up to youthful inexperience on my part and move on without it damaging what I hope is a benefical relationship. Obviously, I have a lot to learn about officiating and someone with your experience can be a great source when it comes to advice and guidance."

If you really don't care for the guy, you may feel like you need a bath when you get home, but then a hot bath is a great way to relax. :)

Oh...say that in front of others. If they saw the incident, their opinion of you just may skyrocket.

Hey, sharing my stupidity is one thing. . . :D

Update
 

First, I think I should clarify something. I'm sure that I probably was bending at the waist when he called me on it. As I mentioned I've been reffing relatively seriously for four years so it's pretty ingrained in muscle memory. I didn't argue vociferously with him. I just started to say "Really? I thought I was moving my feet." when he cut me off. I haven't reffed official league-sanctioned high-school games but rather JV age (and skill) level tournaments for the local select team. I dont' plan on sending the letter and I don't think I really did when I made the initial post. The cathartic release seems to have quelled my outrage and I think I'll be able to just let it go.
Thanks a lot for your support and advice.

Re: Update
 

As others have suggested...

Try responses like "Really? OK" and leave it. Perhaps ask what you can do to fix it if appropriate. Don't ever say, "Yeah, but....". What you said ("Really, I thought...") was really only a rephrased version of "Yeah, but..."

You will often receive advice from people that will conflict with what others say and is sometimes not just a matter of opinion but flat out wrong. You can always choose to take it or leave it. However, you must use great care in determinining who expects only a "thanks" versus those who actually encourage thinking and discussion...particularly when they can impact your career. Some people have no real interest in helping you even though they appear or state that they are. Some "help" because they are required to, are asked, or think it will help them because their real interest is only their own career.

A favorite saying of mine:

A fool never learns from mistakes.
A smart man learns from his own mistakes.
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

Be the wise man. Observe what others do. See what helps and hurts them. Listen to what others say. Filter out the obvious BS. Consider the rest even if you disagree,they may be right. Apply what works for you.

Unfortunately, I have learned many of these things the hard way. I believe that I could have advanced more quickly and to a higher level had I been a better listener.


[Edited by Camron Rust on Oct 30th, 2002 at 07:20 PM]

Hey, you're just trying to impress us with the word cathartic.

Seriously. Good luck in your officiating endeavours.

Jay

Ewiar, stick around and you'll go a long ways. Most of the D1 refs you see on TV got their start at your age. It takes a bit of an ego to be a good one. You've got it. We do want to hear about your situations that you come across during the season. I know Rut wants to put his 2 cents in on them. ;) good luck.

Good Luck
 

Hey Kid,
The way you articulate things shows me you probably won't be in "smallsville" forever. You'll run off to college and hopefully continue your career officiating in whatever town you move to. Therefore, don't spend too much time worrying about this veteran dude because he probably won't be officiating in your area.

Be aware that there is a fine line between "kissing up" and being "polite", some officials get this confused!
I've seen some officials at camps following so close to the evaluators that if the guy stopped suddenly the officials nose would have to be surgically removed.

Remember this word so you can articulate even better:

ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the basketball "assigner" rather than working hard.

RD

Re: Good Luck
 

I may be the only one that feels this way but I doubt it. If you view the games at Freshman, JV and Varsity level as "smallsville" I hope like hell I never have the pleasure of working with you. To me that implies you feel the games are not that important. NEWS FLASH: That game just may be the crowning moment in someones athletic career. Very few make it to the college level, and even fewer make it to the pros. Every game should be view as the most important game you will ever call. I worked 7th grade girls last night. From a skill standpoint, both teams left a lot to be desired. However, it was their first ever UIL sanctioned game. Kinda important for them.

As for "kissing up", you need to realize (as my father says) "Ten minutes of successful kissa$$ may be better than twenty years of experience". Many people view helping the assignment sec. or board members (calling an extra game at a camp when there is a no-show, helping them carry things in when they have a trunk full of material/equipment, thanking them for their help, etc.) as kissing up. I view that as being a decent human being. I also realize that these people are human. That means if they have a choice to make when it comes to a game assignment, they are more likely to choose (skill levels being virtually the same) the official that is polite, willing to work hard and help others in any way over an official that has a bad attitude and can be a jerk.

Just my opinions.

Let us not be PC about this.
 

Larry,

Whether you like it or not, whether I like it or not, everyone does not have the same view of every level. JV games might not make one official happy and make another official estatic. I understand that it is PC to think that everyone should treat every game as the State Finals, but that is not true and will never be true. Most kids have dreams of the higher levels, I think officials should not be crucified for the same feeling. Sometimes officials appreciate those varsity and college assignments after doing Freshman games. Some of the reasons an official might not like doing Freshman games, might be all the problems and confusion that happen during them. You get kids at the table that make your job harder. You have coaches that are yelling at you like you cost them the season over one travelling call and the fans might be more rude and cruel. Or at least you can hear them more often. I agree that officials need to work hard and give the game their best effort, but that does not mean they have to like the level they are officiating. I do not like alot of lower level games, simply because I will be doing 2 person mechanics instead of 3. After doing 3 on almost every single varsity and college contest, going back to 2 means more running and working harder to get good angles. I feel like I have to call things I do not always see.

Believe me I understand your point and we should officiate our best at all times. But what officials think about some of those games is not all going to be the same. No reason to critisize the family for what they say to us.

Just my opinion.

Peace

Re: Re: Good Luck
 

Well, I guess I understand the sentiment, but I don't agree with it. I agree that you should view the game as your job and do the best job that you can in that game. View it as the most important game to the kids at that moment. They deserve your undivided attention and your best effort. If you don't feel like being there, then you should be somewhere else and let another official handle the game.

But it's just silly to say that you should view it as the most important game you'll ever do. If I work a JV girls game, I've already worked much bigger, more important games. So it can't possibly be the most important game of my career. And if I view that JV girls' game as the biggest game that I will have from this moment on, then I may as well hang 'em up.

Why? Because I work hard in each game so that I'm ready for that first game at the next level. I work my butt off in my JV games so that I'm sharp for my Varsity games. I work my butt off in my HS Varsity games, so that I'm sharp when I try to impress the observers at camp. I work my butt off at camp so that I'm ready for my first college game of the season. I work my butt off in my college games to improve myself for the chance to crack D1. So even when I am doing a varsity college D2 game, I do not view it as the most important game I'll ever do.

This doesn't apply to everyone, I realize. Not everyone has D1, or even college, as a goal. I'm just saying that you can't say as a blanket statement that the game you're working should be the most important ever. It's a nice sentiment, but it's just not realistic for a whole lot of people.

Chuck

To keep this from becoming a long debate, how about us just agreeing to disagree. :)

I may be placing too much emphasis on particular words or interpreting them differently. I feel that if someone views the game unimportant they are less likely to give it their best effort (again, just my opinion).

My view may change over time, but not likely. Maybe I will develop the skill of giving 100% effort in a game I don't view as my most important game...in a way, I hope I don't. You see, I view every game as my most important because it is the only game I have at that time, the next game on my shcedule will be the most important when I get to it, and so on. There are no gaurantee that I will make it to the next game.

May be a little too far on the polyanna side for some, I can respect that.

[Edited by LarryS on Nov 1st, 2002 at 03:17 PM]

Definitions
 

I think all I have ever tried to get across, is that everyone does not see things the same way. You might feel the word <b>important</b> means one thing to you, and what is important to me or someone else might be completely different.

When I do a game it is always <b>important</b> for me to do my best. But because I have other goals in life and officiating, doing a Freshman B game is not going to be the biggest prioity on my list. I might actually dread the experience (usually for many other reasons not associatied directly with the game) but put my best foot forward at the very same time.

Peace

JRutledge,

This is apparently a continuation of the week I have been having at work, just can't seem to communicate well. :)

I understand exaclty what you are saying. I even understand how you approach you games. I'm trying to say that for me, given my personal make-up, if I am not fired-up at the prospect of doing something it is not going to get my best effort. That is probably why I have "trained" myself in how I approach projects/games.

I have been doing this a far shorter time than you, and you are doing games at levels I will never reach. If you are putting forth your best effort regardless of how you view the game, great...I want partners like you and always try to be that kind of partner. I may be able to change as time goes by. I know I am better this year than I was last year and am working hard to do better next game than I did last night. I will admit that when necessary I can get myself ready for a game faster this year. I'm not as comfortable when the game starts, but once in the flow I don't find myself struggling or have problems. Maybe that is what you are talking about.

In my limited experience, when I had partners that viewed the game as something that had to do but didn't want to do, it showed in their mechanics, their comments during breaks in the action, etc. Of course, it may also have been their partner dragging them down :D

It is not you.
 

I just wanted you to understand that people look at their games differently and lower levels differently. I see and understand your way of thinking. Actually, I once shared that ideal. I have changed because after doing varsity for awhile I see why everyone wants to be there. The games are so much easier from a calling aspect. But what most do not understand is that the pressure raises significantly. It is totally different to have a game that only the fans in the stands see as important, than have your mistakes all over the Chicago Sun Times or on CLTV(Chicagoland Television) and Channal 2 CBS News (Had a football game that was on all three media outlets. Kind of fresh in the mind). Tommorrow I have my first playoff game in Football at one of the better programs in our state, of course it is fun but the pressure and the scrutiny will be much greater. Also the praise is great if you do well.

I kind of look at it this way, Minor League players stay in the minor leagues to get to "The Show." The same goes for officials. The hotels are better, the locker rooms are better, there are more girls and the praise is greater when you are successful. So just like anything, officials that see officials from the "show" work, that is where many want to be. I love the game like I am sure you or all of us love the game. I love it everytime I show up and blow the whistle. Why do you think I do three sports? I obviously cannot get enough. But I will admit that my pep in my step is a little quicker when I have a good varsity football or basketball game. But when I get there regardless of level I put my best foot forward. If I keep the same enthusiasm for every game that I do for certain games, I might be burned out by the end of the season. But as you can see I am an intense guy. I just rambled on about something that means little to nothing to most reading it. Gotta love officiating.

Just keep loving officiating regardless of what you are doing. That is what is <b>important</b>.

Peace

Chuck, I didn't read Larry as saying that I should see each game as MY most important game ever. Rather, he's asking us to give basic respect to the players of every game, and take THEIR investment seriously. I'd bet my bottom dollar you always do that, because that's the kind of guy you are. In fact, probably Larry's just preaching to the choir, since anyone who reads this board is likely going to be the kind of person who takes this avocation seriously, and wants to do well at everything. Jeff is agreeing with this, when he says that we should "officiate our best at all times." He simply doesn't take the lowerlevel games, since he doesn't want to give the kind of attention and care that these games deserve. That's just another form of respect.

Juulie,

You are no doubt correct. And I'm pretty sure that I agree with Larry 99.99999999%. But his exact words were


My reply reflects your comments, I think, Juules:


The emphasized part above is pretty much what I think you're saying Juulie. I was only taking issue with the "most important game ever" phrasing. The game is important to the kids; but that doesn't make it the most important game I will ever call. The point is miniscule and entirely besides the main -- and truly important -- point that Larry was trying to make. I only made the distinction to comment on how I attack my games.

Chuck

Never completely stopped
 

Juulie, I still do lower level games. I just do not do them very much. I just do not have the time with my travel and not being all the time in one place. And honestly, I am not asked to do very many lower level games. Once you reach a certain level, you have to seek these games. With my college schedules and HS schedules it is difficult to keep doing these games.

Peace

"Smallsville"
 

LarryS,

Whoa...how did you interpret "Smallsville" as meaning I was writing about his game assignments! I was jokingly refering to the AREA he lived in, and went on to state that the "kid" would probably go on to college somewhere else.

However, the discussions that followed your opinions on how an official should feel about his game assignments were very interesting.
I especially liked the honesty that JRutledge displayed in candidly stating his opinion on lower level games.
Of course the game we as officials are doing is the "most important game of the night" to the players...but not necessarily the "most important" to us. We can still display professionalism and give them a well called game without having to believe it will be the greatest game we will ever call.
Ask yourself LarryS...do you or would you look at officiating a 3rd grade girls game at the local YMCA the same as you would a JV boys game at a packed out gym awaiting
the boys Varsity game? I think you would be kidding yourself if you say you would have the same enthusiasm.
Again, of course you are going to call the girls game great...but the adrenaline will be much more for your "bigger" game!! Trust me, you'll see.

RD

Rookie Dude
 

I understood your "Smallsville" comment, mainly because I grew up in a small community. The town I lived in is a college town and all the communities around it are farm communities. So I always have an affection for small communities. I live in a larger area now, but still like the slow pace of those "one stop light" communities.

Peace

Rookie Dude,

Where I grew up, that term was used for meaningless and unimportant. Thus the confusion.

I have worked games between undefeated cross-town rivals in front of standing room only crowds. Also worked those YMCA games for 3rd graders. Believe it or not, I approached them and prepared for them exactly the same way. I can also honestly say that my adrenaline level was the same for both games. Maybe it is because I have a high-pressure real job, but knowing it is a "big-game" and seeing a large crowd didn't phase me. And in both cases I didn't even hear the crowd.

My wife keeps telling me I'm weird and different...maybe she is right (don't tell her I said that :D)

Confused
 

I guess I am the one confused...when you stated you had "limited experience", had been doing this "a far shorter time" and "doing games at levels I will never reach" I wouldn't have dreamed you would be officiating in front of "standing room only crowds" against "cross town rivals"....Thus the analogy of the 3rd graders and the JV boys games.
Sooooo, if you can honestly say you approach each game the same...good for you...but I must say, your wife seems to have pegged you correctly. ;)

RD

RD,
No problem, we don't know each other...confusion is probably inevitable.

limited experience = about 100 games

The cross-town rivals with standing room only crowd - I was supposed to be in the other gym but there was a no-show. I had worked with the other official in that game and one of the coaches had seen me work so I changed gyms. Must have done OK becuase I have that game on my schedule and both teams should be as good as last year (barring injury and problems with No Pass-No Play).

I think JRutledge does college and I have no desire to move to that level, high school varsity is fine with me (besides, my real job won't allow me to take the time for a higher level).

And I prefer to think of myself as special, not weird or different :).



[Edited by LarryS on Nov 2nd, 2002 at 01:25 PM]

Hey, Larry.

For what its worth, you can call any of my games any time. Just don't kick me out until the 2nd half, if possible!