Hello all, I'm 40 yrs old and in 3rd year of officiating. I really enjoy it. I currently work JV, Intermediate & any Park & Rec games I can. My question is, realisticly, how high can I go. Givin my late start and all. All you seasoned officials, please give me some advise.

Thanks

VERY SIMPEL....
all you need to do is to build a time machine and go back 15 years...
in FIBA you must retire when you are 50 years old.
my advice to you is to enjoy now you'r officiating because if we will be realisticlys it's not easy to progress when you started officiat in age 37 enywhere in the world.
David

Rodego, if you enjoy it, do it. Don't let your age be a barrier. Nothing wrong with starting late. From experience thru the years, I have found older referees have better common sense and man management skills.

I work exclusively women's ball. I started at age 37 as well In my 10 years I have worked 4 state tourneys, Juco ball for 4 Years, NCAA DII & DIII for 3. Go to camps in the summer, listen and learn.

I agree with Ron. I started at 43, and am progressing fairly rapidly, although not as fast as he did. If you want to move up as fast as possible, work hard. Study the rules, concentrate on the details, be brutally honest about your own shortcomings, go to all the camps you can, work all the games you can, watch the best refs and keep taping your games and learning from the tapes. I think you will move up faster on the women's side, since there doesnt seem to be quite as much competition. Most of all, have fun! An attitude of cheerful enthusiasm is very contagious and helps everyone see your best qualities.

Thanks for the input gentlemen.

And lady! :)

My bad

Don't sweat it. You're new here, so I'm sure you didn't know that rainmaker is actually Juulie, one of our top female officials (along with oatmealqueen and JAdams). I don't think Juulie will take (much) offense. ;)

In any case, welcome to the board.

Holy cow, Pilo!!! You're 47??? Don't look a day over 25!! And a short Pilo story...at our D-II meeting last fall, one of the other officials leaked word that Ron has an excellent singing voice, so our Supervisor asked him to sing the National Anthem acapella (for Dan and Chuck, that means with no instruments helping out)...he stepped up and did it, and yes he has got himself a tremendous singing voice (on top of being a great ref)!!

Another great way to learn is this forum! You will see a lot of situations. Many you may think that you will never see! But when you do and you will you will have an idea from participating in this forum. This forum will also help you become more thick skinned. Sometimes LADIES and GENTLEMAN here do not hold back. Welcome and continue to post!

AK ref SE

Although I did take offense today at an article in the Oregonian that said this year was one of the lowest for H.S. players with D-1 scholarships. The article was about a boy from Oregon who just signed with some big school and it referred to how little this year's senior class had sent...when it was the highest year ever for D-1 scholarships from Oregon in GIRLS' basketball. Apparently the writer of that article thinks (as many journalists appear to) that Girls' Basketball, and Basketball are two different sports.

Okay, enough rant and rave. Don't worry the author of the article already heard from me (6:05 am to be precise!), so I'll get off my soap box and go feed lunch to my little kid.

DJ, Actually I'm 46............47 end of next week.......goin in for surgery on a bone spur at the achellis attach point...........8-10 weeks in a case...there goes softball season.............gotta be ready for next basketball season......

I hear ya, Juulie. Every year my team gets sweats, t-shirts, whatever, printed up (or they make them themselves in graphic arts class) and they want to get "Lady Braves" instead of "Braves" or "Girls' Basketball" instead of "Basketball". And every year I have to point out that the guys don't go by "Gentlemen Braves". They are just "Braves", why shouldn't we be just "Braves"?

Thanks Rock, I thought it meant without shaving their legs first.

:p

Pennsylvania Coach,
In 99% of the situations I agree with you, but if I were a girl I don't think I'd want to be known as the Braves. And please, no one start with what the alternative to Braves is that's not what I'm getting at. I think in that case they have every right to want to go by a different nickname than the boys. But otherwise when the school mascot/nickname is gender nuetral I think you are correct in your logic.

Sorry about getting off topic.

"Originally posted by Dubby "

Dubby? Is that a typo for Dobby? When did we start letting house elves post on this board? :)

I'm not sure if I agree or disagree. I had the same problem at my former school, and I think Spartans is gender-neutral. I always thought some of the female-ized versions of names were amusing. Like when a school with a "Rams" nickname becomes the "Ewes". Even "Lady Rams" sounds silly to me. And here in Amish country we've got a school with the nickname of Little Dutchmen. I don't know if there is an accepted female-ized version of this one, but I've heard Lady Little Dutchmen, Little Dutch Ladies, Little Dutch Girls, Little Dutchwomen, etc.

Do they go by Orangewomen at Syracuse? (I think they do, after looking at their website.) Did they used to be Redwomen at St. John's? What if you are a female on a men's team (wrestling, football)? Do you share the male nickname or use the female version?

I googled and found this interesting list from Illinois: http://www.ihsa.org/school/nickname.htm. One school goes by Bravettes for the girls' teams. Ugh. For another, Purple Riders becomes Lady Riders. They don't even get to keep the Purple! And I never knew the female-ized version of Rajahs was Rajenes! At one school, Tomcats stays Tomcats; at another Bobcats becomes Ladycats! And the one that is just asking for a lawsuit: Pilots becomes Co-Pilots!

Too many questions for me. We are the Braves. We don't need any modifiers because we are a girls' team.

Also, interesting from the Illinois' site: not one, but two schools with the nickname "Pretzels" and the all-time prize-winners, the "Appleknockers"!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by A Pennsylvania Coach

Quote:

Originally posted by Dubby ...And here in Amish country we've got a school with the nickname of Little Dutchmen. I don't know if there is an accepted female-ized version of this one, but I've heard Lady Little Dutchmen, Little Dutch Ladies, Little Dutch Girls, Little Dutchwomen, etc....

Please don't say it...please don't say it...please don't say it...

The mascot thing IS wild and woolly!! Here in Portland one of our public high schools is the Minutemen and... the Minute Maids. (Think orange, think Florida.. how does this relate to John R Marshall? Got me!

How about the Rockford East E-Rabs!

BTW - that site is incomplete. It doesn't list every HS in Illinois for some reason.

Also BTW - note that the nickname for DeKalb HS women is the "Barbs". OK, that sounds fitting. However, the boys team has the same nickname. Weird? Not really. DeKalb is the birthplace of barbed wire and their HS teams are named in honor of that (really!).

[Edited by Mark Padgett on Apr 29th, 2003 at 05:26 PM]

I have you and Juulie both beat. I started basketball at 45 (rec only because my son played HS level) and moved to HS level when he graduated. I officiated soccer for 22 years, up to D3 women -- got burned out. I will be a very young 60 on 30 May.

Here in WA we have a small school from the town of Davenport whose macot is the Gorillas...at one State tourny many moons ago, the girl's team all had t-shirts for warm-ups that called them the "Gorillaettes"...that's going a little too far!!

And I bet you took up surfing while you were in San Diego this winter!! Or maybe it was more like this. . . http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/Gif/homfloat.gif

Happy B-Day Chuck.

Um, thanks. But the b-day in question isn't till May 30. And it isn't even my b-day, let alone my 60th. But hey, thanks anyway! Let's see, I wish for a new pair Sansabelts (no pleats!), a magnetic pre-game board, a D1 game. . .
http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/party3.gif

At 58 I was in the First Year apprentice class this year with 46 year old Ron Pilo assisting in the training. My goal is to participate in one state tournament assignment. I mean - why not?

Yikes.
 

Dikes.

Actually, it was Monterey, but after eating out off and on for several months, my waistline began to resemble Homer's. Tuff to lose those extra pounds! I did snorkle for the first time last week while we were in Maui. It was KEWL!

Actually, it was Monterey, but after eating out off and on for several months, my waistline began to resemble Homer's. Tuff to lose those extra pounds! I did snorkle for the first time last week while we were in Maui. It was KEWL!


Sorry, wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. Or as they say in Deutchland -- Frolig Gebertstag! (Think I spelled it right).

Wait just a cotton-picking minute, ain't no Red Sox fan having a birthday on the 30th. That's my birthday and it will be my 60th.

I know! I even said as much. May 30 is NOT my b-day (and my next will only be my 30-somethingth). But if somebody's gonna wish me happy b-day, I might as well make a wish or two. . .