Schedule error. There was no game. I showed up with my kit bag, and head in the game and well-hydrated, and well-rested, and there was no game. That's all!!

Do you feel let-down reading this? Do I feel let down writing it!?!? Oh, well, I know that first is coming soon. I'll be ready when it does...

Same thing happened to me yesterday, the 3rd. We drove 83 miles-one way. Coach said the game was on the 7th. He showed us the schedule he had faxed the secretary. So, we drove home and decided to stop and watch the games in our home town. The Jv game was just over. It had been called solo by a young official. He was frantically wearing out his cell phone trying to find someone to help him do the Varsity game next when we walked in. The AD was glad to see us and after we told him our story he asked the other official if it was okay if we called the V game and he offered to pay the kid double for the game he called by himself. The youngster was glad to get out of the sit and took the offer and ran. We called the game. It was ironic that we drove all over South Texas when we could have driven a half mile. One school had plenty of officials and no games and another school had plenty games and no officials. Need a new assigning secretary.

Our assignor does fine -- has to juggle 95 schools, 350 refs, some of whom do college, about 300 coaches, and 6500 games. he's bound to make a mistake or two, and that's about ALL he makes! It just happened that one of them was my first varsity game. Oh, well, I'll get more time to clean up the kitchen!

Where at in south texas are you Ralph?

Juulie's first game and not a single incorrect call or rule misinterpretation!

Congratulations! :D We knew you could do it!

If your chapter is like ours in NE Texas. The problem is not the chapter it is the schools. They keep changing the schedule faster than the assignment secretary can inform the officials. It is a real problem and needs to be addressed. We are starting by fining officials for turning back games at the last minute. We will follow up by fining schools for changing schedules at the last minute.

PS my first game of the new year was a double overtime thriller won by the visitors by 1 point. How did I know that OSU and M of F would be overtime. I just did. The overtime gods were at work last night.

[Edited by Tim Roden on Jan 4th, 2003 at 08:39 PM]

We are starting by fining officials for turning back games at the last minute. We will follow up by fining schools for changing schedules at the last minute.

Good decision, but my ? is Define last minute

Once officials are assigned to a game, the school is fined a $25 change fee in NC. If the officials show up for a game and the school has not informed the assignor that it's been changed, they must pay all officials the full game fee.

for officials 24 hours before a subvarsity contest, 4 days before a varsity.

You didn't call the school and verify the game? We ask all officials here to do that to avoid this very situation--lots of officials, games and schools. Some mistakes are bound to be made by the scheduler. A quick phone call by the officials as a double check helps a lot.

We don't have very many of these. We aren't required to verify games. Our assignor is enough on top of things that this doesn't happen very often at all. If it had been 6th grade girls, I'd have been relieved that I didn't have to work it. I'd rather be home making dinner with my 12-year-old. But like I said, it wasn't a long drive, and I'll get another varsity game soon, so... oh, well. Getting stood up for a game, isn't as bad as say, the prom!!

I personally have avoided driving half way across the state as well as showing up at the wrong time for a game by giving a courtesy call ahead of time. We also have a very busy assignor who makes very few errors, but wheter it is he or the school, one quick phone call avoids all of that trouble. I believe also the AD at a school definitely likes and is more willing to request an official who is on top of things like that. Who says a little bookkeeping and networking won't help you get more games!!! :D

Tim, you hit the nail on the head. You ask the schools and they "swear" they have informed the assignment secretary, but in reality they haven't.

In our TASO chapter, we pay a "fee" to turn back any games that have been scheduled and aren't on our black out calendar. BUT, we don't penalize the schools for changes after they've sent us their schedules. With no penalty for them, they have no incentive to keep schedules.

Juulie, sorry you missed out on the first one. Man, I know that can be frustrating.

It'll be there soon for you :D Keep on preparing like you described and you will ace it.