The assignor and games assigned
 

I know the good 'ol' boys club is in effect in almost all associations, is it in yours also?

How long has the assigner had that job in your association?

Is he/she voted in?

Or just given the job by those he gives the best games to, including him/herself?

How many terms / years is your assignor’s term before having to either be re-elected or appointed?

Is the system fair in your area?

If you don’t feel the system is fair, is it because you aren’t given an opportunity?

Or is it because he/she just gives them self and their close friends the best games?

Shouldn’t the assignor ONLY be working basic games, be given a strict 1-2 terms, and be required to evaluate all officials, so that they TRULELY know who to assign what games to?

While NOT being partial !!!!

Did someone po-po in your Wheaties? :rolleyes:

He's in his third year and no one has given him any D1 games yet......and he's just not going to take it!

I've had three assigners in three metro areas in two different states. Never had a problem.

Had one commissioner for my first 9 HS seasons. Wasn't totally happy with him so I voted for a new commissioner last year. New commissioner isn't perfect but I feel he did a better job of spreading the wealth across the board.

No, 1st year, expecting D1 and pro ball!

This is just a general bunch of questions to see if there are good and bad areas, how the role is handled, is it a "forever" job as long as you are taking care of those who keep you in your position, etc.

Should an assigner be able to assign themselves top games?

Sounds like you might be doing some assigning yourself. :-)

@badnewsref. Sounds like in your assoc you vote for the assigner, you are lucky!

Here we vote, in my first association, we did not. I don't have a problem with him assigning himself top level games, as he's likely one of your top level officials.

I work for 6 different assignors at the HS level & I feel as though they all treat me fair. I'm a Black official, they are all white, 5 men & 1 woman.
Out of those 6 only 3 of them still work games (2 HS & 1 DI) they dont assign themselves to any high profile games.

We dont vote in assignors here, many of them were assigning games before I even got into officiating.

There comes a time when we have to stop looking for excuses as to why we arent moving up & look in the mirror.

Do you attend quality camps in the summer?
Is your weight under control?
Have you watched yourself officiate on film?
Do you give back by volunteering for committees?
Do the people in power even know who you are?
Do you send in a resume a couple weeks prior to games being assigned?

Overall, my association is very fair if one takes care of business & asserts themselves!

^^^^ This ^^^^

We also vote for our assignor. He was asked to stop assigning himself varsity games and to his credit, he understood. My chief complaint is that he will assign someone who lives South a game 5 miles from me and assign me 50 miles South and 5 miles from the other guy. We list our travel limits and time we are available but sometimes driving 50 miles in 45 minutes, three times a week is maddening. Overall, I am very pleased.

Good notes:

Do you attend quality camps in the summer? yes
Is your weight under control? yes
Have you watched yourself officiate on film? yes
Do you give back by volunteering for committees? yes
Do the people in power even know who you are? yes
Do you send in a resume a couple weeks prior to games being assigned? no

Are all evaluations good or well above average? yes
Do you hang out or are a part of the BC? not really

I have always worked for the same Assignor(s).

While there is some cronyism and a good ole boy network going on here, as there is in many Associations, I have been treated well and fairly. The best officials get assigned the best games IMO (and often it's the Assignors and Training Committee - which I'm OK with, but, there is always whining). I know where I stand in reference to my peers, accept my place, and continue to work hard to get better.

I go to meetings, training sessions, scrimmages, and make myself available as often as I can be. They have always been fair to me.

I wasnt getting any quality games either before I started sending out a resume/w video.
Someone told me that is how to have your name fresh in their minds prior to games being assigned.
I was also told to send a "thank you" note at the end of the season. Think about it, everybody WANTS games, but how many say THANKS for the games they received???
Finding ways to seperate ourselves from the pack (in a positive manner) is what its all about.


Whats the BC??

How long have you been officiating at the varsity level?

Boys Club?

I do this too.

I also provide my unsolicited comments (to all three Assignors (one HS and Two Rec)) as to what I believe we did well and areas I believe there could be improvement - training, communications, scheduling, equipt, uniforms, registration, interpretations and rules, websites, etc. They can take it or leave it.

While I'm not big time or been at it as long as many here, I try to give back where I can. If I can help improve my Associations, make things better, and bring young officials on board, I try.

If you're not part of the solution - don't be part of the problem. Help out!


Off soap box. Carry on!

Ahhhh thanks Snaqs! I dont run with cliques either.
But I do have a circle... "the circle of success" as I try to surround myself quality, positive officials who work at a level I'd like to reach.

+1

I have four different rec league assignors. I always let them know how much I appreciate their making assignments because I did it for so many years and I know how "hard" it is to cover the games and still keep all the officials happy. I've found it's a good thing to tell them since it shows a "common area" which we can share. I would recommend that if you've ever done any assigning, be sure to point that out to an assignor. Misery loves company.

Yes

[/QUOTE]How long has the assigner had that job in your association?[/QUOTE] Don't know, I just moved in here last year.

[/QUOTE]Is he/she voted in?[/QUOTE] Yes

[/QUOTE]Or just given the job by those he gives the best games to, including him/herself?[/QUOTE] No

[/QUOTE]How many terms / years is your assignor’s term before having to either be re-elected or appointed?[/QUOTE] Don't know

[/QUOTE]Is the system fair in your area?[/QUOTE] Yes, we get a chance to work in front of the assigning committee and ratings committee.

[/QUOTE]If you don’t feel the system is fair, is it because you aren’t given an opportunity?

Or is it because he/she just gives them self and their close friends the best games?

Shouldn’t the assignor ONLY be working basic games, be given a strict 1-2 terms, and be required to evaluate all officials, so that they TRULELY know who to assign what games to?

While NOT being partial !!!![/QUOTE]
How about developing a system that rates each game based on team's strength and level of play and other factors, have a ratings, assigning, and evaluating committee serving officials to rank and qualify officials to work rated games. The higher the rated officials, the more qualifed the official to work the highly rated games. Other factors include but not limited to times worked highly rated games, highly rated teams, availability, and the such.

And now I need to learn how to quote parts and answer those parts and not have my answer part of the quote........

I understand a lot of shrt lingo, but not this

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

We've all gotta start somewhere! Good luck ;)

Try it, you'll like it!

Thats exactly how we do it here. Games & officials are rated 1-5, 1 being the best. You must be rated a 1 to work 1 rated games. One particular assignor only uses 1 rated officials for all their boys conference games.

I have no problem with the assignor working some games but I would have a problem with the commissioner not being available to take phone calls on your busy nights to resolve last minute issues.

Yeah, I can see how this would be a problem. I'll leave it at that.

I have multiple assignors. I am good.

Peace

I forgot to include the word "would" in my original post.

We know "you're good" JRut, but how are your Assignors! ;)

It has nothing to do with being good. Every conference has a different assignor in this area (or state in general). If you want to work more than 10 games you better work for different people here as a general rule. And our associations do not assign anything (as a rule as well) so we get games from all different sources. That includes high school and college.

We do not operate like other places obviously.

Peace

In my association, the varsity and jv assignors are both appointed by our board of directors. I have never had an issue with either one of them. But then again, I went out of my way to get to know them and make myself available to them. Like others have said, take a look at yourself before you blame the assignors.

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.......

The reason for no fee is historical, plus we don't get paid as much per game as you guys do so (D1 pays a max of £45 and some games are as low as £15) so people are unwilling to slice off a percentage of each fee.

Another thing to note is that we cannot get a tax break on professional fees, kit, etc. as we have to pay it all and that gets covered by the fees we are paid per game - when you are spending £'s on kit each year (even buying on the web is expensive when you get hot by import tax at 20% plus shipping) - so people don't want to cut out yet more by paying for the assignments as well.

There are differences with how things happen here, only one of the leagues I work requires us to pay to join, most do not and are run by volunteers, we do not have the infrastruture here for basketball so we make do as best we can.

It takes me about an hour to sort out changes each week plus about half a day twice a season doing the 'master' assignments list. To be honest, maybe it keeps me straight and clear on assignments by not getting paid. That said, I do get my returns through other things, I get to travel to places and see other officials as part of their (and my) development and that gets covered.

Whilst it would be nice to get paid, and it would certainly encourage other people to volunteer to do it, it is also an honour to be asked. There are others who may find it easier to do as they are retired, etc. but I see it as as part of my role in developing younger (and older) officials - I have got a lot out of basketball and now I can give it back.

Finally, if I was paid to do it then HMRC (think IRS) would tax me through the roof as they would slice every game fee paid and tax me on that - as a third job (main job, refereeing , and assigning) I would be losing half of it (my main job pays very well) so it saves me a lot of arguments with the tax man this way.

I know that most of you guys will think it mad, but it is the system we use and it works well - i don't ever pay for drinks and food when I meet other ref's and I enjoy the challenge (and I don't ever have to work really bad games in the league either).

That being said, although I would be selective in assigning myself to games, I wouldn't let the complainers affect me one bit. You're qualified for the top games.... work em! I respect you doing it for free too!

BTW - the answer to your "signature" is: the guards on the other team. :)

I took Latin in HS and college. Unfortunately, I remember very little of it. :(

We went to a crew system similar to football this past season. As one of the crew chiefs, I assigned the officials on my crew, including myself. Officials were given opportunities earlier in the season and everyone worked every level - 9th grade to varsity and games out of town. Almost everyone who could get off work early enough worked middle school games too.

I had a class on Wednesdays that automatically decreased my schedule, but I was always conscience about how much and what games I worked. I also made it a point to pay attention and follow the instruction of our Instructional Chair (I'm very close to him).

One thing I did was make it perfectly clear to my crew that years in the association doesn't mean much to me. If someone can officiate, they can officiate. Everyone was judged on how they perform on the court, how they handle business off the court, communication and professionalism. It worked for our crew, but YMMV.

I have had no complaints with assignors. Especially, since I moved to a new state and was a complete unknown. But, I have helped them out in a pinch, have worked off season ball for them, given names of others in different nearby associations to help cover games, and accepted my schedule. I have also been diligent in attending meetings and trainings. A new assignor in my primary association for next year. I have worked with him this past season, and I am not worried about problems with assignments for next season. I have worked with many of the top officials and have had quite a variety of game assignments.