State Power Ratings?

[Curtis C]

The state of Illinois has issued it's criterea for post season assignments. Here is how the IHSA will select post season officials from now on. Each official will recieve a power rating (max 30 pts):
1)Promotional level
certified official 5pts
recognized official 3
registered official 1
2)Part one exam
97-100 5
92-96 4
87-91 3
84-86 2
80-83 1
3)Previous Tournement Experience
state final 5
semi's 4
quarters 3
second round 2
first round 1
4)Coaches and officials rating for two years
90th percentile 5
80-89 4
70-79 3
60-69 2
50-59 1
5)Number of varsity games worked-based on the maxium allowed by the state.
50% 5
40-49 4
30-39 3
20-29 2
10-19 1
6)Recognized in the top 15 list from officials associations,schools, and assignors.
90th percentile 5
80-89 4
70-79 3
60-69 2
50-59 1
I have no problem with the 4 of these subjects, but two of them rubs me the wrong way. Previous tournement experience is one.Once this system is in place, getting a post season game will next to impossible. Once the official gets a playoff game, that official will contiue to get playoff games the only way an official will get a post season game is some one dies or retires? The numbers will continue in his favor for eternity. This really kills officials that move in from out of state and are at the certified level. I was talking to a crew mate on our football crew last night and he made the statement that if there is now goal to reached, then why do this every Friday night?
the other problem I have is number 6. Look out for the good old boy system to be at work for this one. I can't wait for the politics to start flying. And on note that is my-our problem, in my area, we don't have an assignor and our association is not set-up to judge who is the 15 best officials in any given sport. Now our association has to jump through hoops to put this system in place and who is going to do the ratings.
Change is some thing I hate and yet I have been yelling about for years and I got what I wanted, but there are going to changing pains over the next few years. Please give me your thoughts

Curtis

[Brian Watson]

Previous experience is just a a possible 16%(closer to 17%) of the total pie. If you do what your supposed to, and excel in the other areas, then this category won't matter. My guess, good old boys and all ( and really, will the top 15 be any different than what the coaches think?), that this will cause very little change in assignments. There will be a few "tweeners" who get in and and few who are dumped, but I think the status quo will prevail. It looks to me like the IHSA is just launching a pre-emptive strike against a lawsuit. Keep your head up, you'll get there, if/when you earn it.

[Dave King]

6)Recognized in the top 15 list from officials associations,schools, and assignors.
90th percentile 5
80-89 4
70-79 3
60-69 2
50-59 1

Curits, On the lighter side, start your own officials association and limit membership to 15 people...

[JRutledge]

Unless he is a Certified official, he cannot start his own associciation.

[walter]

A problem that I have with the system is allowing coaches and state association/assignors rating people that they may never have seen you work vote. The vote is potentially based upon word-of-mouth, hearsay rather than actual game observations. As for coaches, I am one who believes that most, not all, coaches have no idea what goes into officiating a ball game (training, rules interpretation meetings, camps, etc.). They base their ratings more on win-loss than on positioning, hustle, knowledge of rules, game management techniques and abilities, mechanics, etc. Also, how can a coach from a school you've never officiated possibly rate you as an official. When coaches are allowed to be part of the selection process for game assignments you run the risk of problems. I work in a state where games are assigned by our board's assignor during the regular season. The coaches have no say in who can officiate their games. They can attempt to red-line an official but the red-line must be upheld by our board's executive committee to be put into effect. This makes a coach give very specific reasons/examples as to why they do not want an official to work their games. In the post season, however, our state association allows coaches to vote on officials for the state tournament and let me tell you that our board's vote/rankings and the coaches vote/rankings as to who the top officials are varies tremendously. Because of this, we are currently attempting to eliminate the coaches vote from consideration in state tournament assignments. This has not happened to me but I have witnessed situations where an official ranks in the top three on our list finishes in the twenties on coaches lists and vice-versa. That's why, in my opinion, only your peers who have knowledge of your work should have any say in ranking you as an official.

[joselirizarry]

I think that if you have SOME kind of system in place is better then nothing or a system that is there just for show i am from a small location and the OLD boys have it just the way they want it no one is evaluated and the top 12 as they put have an all varsity schedule
the rest of us some 28 or so get whats left over.
last year i got 1 post season game and was very happy for that.
i think that if there where some evaluation that showed me why these "top 12" are there ( like they have higher marks on test ,better mechanics,game managemet ect, something) i just would have to work on getting better marks.
but as it stands i have nothing to go on but what i see them do on the floor.


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Allways trying to get better!