Why no help?

[canuckrefguy]

DMRefGal,

First off, WOW. Can't say I've ever been through what you went through.

Secondly, major kudos for doing such a good solo job that both coaches wanted you to continue alone, you must have been really "on" that day!

Now, your situation would seem, at first, like good evidence that an official who starts a game solo should stay that way. But in this case, I think you were lucky the two teams you had came to play ball, the coaches behaved themselves and worked with you, and the game went smoothly. It could have just as easily been the opposite. All it would have taken was a player getting hurt on a hard foul you got blocked out on for the coaches to change their tune about your solo efforts (coaches are funny that way)

I did a solo game once that was a butcher-fest from start to finish, and would have traded my next six game fees for a partner...any partner.

It's a shame the offical who "joined" you late in the game had his head up his you-know-what. But to me, that doesn't change the idea that no official should work alone if there are others available. And I'm willing to bet that 99/100 times the game quality will be the same or better if someone joins you instead of leaving you alone.

Hope your assignor remembers your partner leaving you high and dry...