I assign another sport.....................................
 

however after being a hs assigner for 10 years an officiating small college basketball for 17 years, here is what I have learned.

Maybe this will help you.

At the high school level, assigners only really care about 10% of the games.

If you live in DC it is the DeMatha/Gonzaga game. In Philly it is most likely

Roamn Catholic / Nueman - Goretti. Otherwise they are just covering games.

An assigner will identify talent and try to move that guy along over the

course of time. There are a % of guys who are in it for the money only.

Most guys on this site don't fit that example. Sometimes an assigner may

be trying to help you with geographics and travel and you get a garbage

game.

If you go to camp, let your assigner know. Remember though, it is

really important that you are LOW MAINTAINANCE. I would never call

a college assigner, the way some of my hs guys call me. Do your job.

If your assigner never calls you, that is a good thing. Accept you games in

a timely fashion. I see guys all the time that "HOLD" games hoping

that something better may come along from another assigner.


Finally as important as you think your schedule may be, remember that he

also has 50 other officials who think that their schedule is the most

important thing going. And don't forget the A.D.'s and coaches. In the big

picture, we are all only a small fish in a HUGE sea.......

[QUOTE=grunewar;751778]Ya got the end part right, but ensure you cut and past this part [QUOTE=socal;751731] for the front of the quote!

Like this?

Got it, I think.

Not quite......keep trying

you need "quote=..." bracketed at the beginning and "/quote" bracketed at the end.

But really, why not just hit the quote button for the post you to which you are replying?

I want to be all fancy and put quotes and responses and quotes again with more responses......

Like this?

If you click on the icon next to the "quote" icon, you'll see it highlight. This allows you to easily quote multiple posts.

Splitting them up individually is just a matter of copying the (quote=xxxx;1234) portion and typing in the (/quote) (with brackets instead of parentheses) at the end of each portion.

Then anything you type in between the portions will show as your own.

My Little Corner Of The Land Of Steady Habits ...
 

How long has the assigner had that job in your association?
Three or four years.

Is he/she voted in?
Executive Committee (elected by members) hires the assigner every year. It's a one year contract. Anyone can apply for the job.

Or just given the job by those he gives the best games to, including him/herself?
Our constitution states that the assigner cannot be an active official.

How many terms / years is your assignor’s term before having to either be re-elected or appointed?
One year contract. The contract can be renewed at the end of each season.

Is the system fair in your area?
Yes.

Or is it because he/she just gives them self and their close friends the best games?
He's not allowed to work games.

Our assigner uses a rating/ranking system where all 300 of us rate our partners, and any other officials on site that night. The assigner has to assign each member games that fall within a range of games for that ranking. This range of games is determined by the Executive Committee, and is checked at the beginning, and again, at the end, of each season to make sure that everybody gets their fair number of games. Our assigner does have a little bit of wiggle room, high end of range, versus low end of range of games, and the quality of games. He bases this on, not only the ratings/rankings, but also on what he observes. He's out observing officials almost every night of the season.

In my association the commissioner is an elected position with the term being for 2 years. Overall in my time on this board, my assignor has been fair to me. I had a couple of "gripes" that I aired with him in a professional and positive manner during this past season. And, we have moved on.

Every Athletic Conference here has its own assignor. I work for four different assignors. They are chosen by the principals of the high schools in each conference.

Unfortunately, I am losing access to one conference. Tell me what you all think.

Assignor A just picked up a second conference due to a retirement. In order to work for him you must attend HIS camp. Every year. He claims its so he can assess the performance of the officials that work for him. However, only about 1 in three games during the camp has anyone assessing the officials.

A friend of mine, who is a 10 plus year veteran doing exclusively varsity work was forced to go out of town on business the weekend of the camp a couple of years ago. After working for this assignor for 7 years, and contacting him to explain why he couldn't attend that year, he was dropped. And yes, he's a good official. The camp is nothing more than a kick back. I have been asked to attend the camp but refuse on principle. I'll get enough games elsewhere. But the guy is an ethical nightmare.

How much is the camp?
Do they use video?
How many games do you work per day?
Any classroom sessions?

You've made your decision. It's their loss, right? Don't compromise your ethics.

As you state, you'll "get enough games elsewhere." Good for you!

Sounds like someone you - and your friend - don't want to work for anyway...shake the dust off your shoes and enjoy the games you get from people you can respect.

I am in a difficult position on this one, I am an assigner for one of our national leagues (I live in the UK) and also hold an international licence. This means that I should get the better games but in order to help others develop I regularly work lower divisions (we don't have the HS/College setup common in the US).

This works for me as I have to think about what I am doing all the time, working with new / old / good / bad officials. That said, it can be a major PITA before finals when teams expect the better refs to work games and see me working D3 and only occasional D1.

This is my first year in the job and I must say it is not easy to keep everyone happy, if I take the games that the teams / most other officials would expect me to work then I am accused of creaming off the good games by some. If I don't then am I being a martyr to maintain the impression of independence and fairness? I must also note that I do not get paid for doing the assignments nor do I get a percentage of fees. I can get phone expenses but that is all.

I should say that for my regional and county leagues where I don’t appoint, I get D1, D2, and playoffs. This works fine and I feel that the assigners play fair based on what they see me do on court and the politics is not as much.

Having had different assigners in the past I would say that, on the whole, they play it fair. It is not easy and yes, sometimes personalities come into it, but that is the same everywhere in life – right or wrong – I will leave that to the philosophers.

Say what???

Why would you not get paid - either by the leagues you are assigning for or by collecting a fee from the officials you assign??

That makes absolutely no sense...it's a LOT of time and work and you should be paid for that.

IRP ............. Why ??????
 

Please tell us why you don't get paid for the position. I spend about 4 hrs a day assigning a hs sport (20 schools). Add a couple bucks a game to the contract, the next time you get a chance if at all possible.......