Association Culture ...

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I can guarantee that the "custom" of a varsity official showing up for the second period of the junior varsity game will never change (Note: It has never been a requirement to show up for the entire junior varsity game, although many of us do so voluntarily). Varsity officials are expected to evaluate, critique, and rate, subvarsity officials. That's how subvarsity officials improve, and move up the ranks, or in some cases, always remain subvarsity officials, even getting really bad subvarsity schedules. That's the basis of our local rating, and ranking, system, which dictates the level, and number, of games one is assigned.

Don't you guys have trainings, meetings or camps? There are a lot of ways to get better or to be evaluated as officials than the game they are working on a particular night. Heck the officials could stay and watch the varsity game and then ask questions and learn from watching. You have mentioned ratings and I am confused why these ratings matter so much? You mean to say if I were a varsity official and saw someone that I felt could do that job or that I saw work I would gladly work with them in the future, my rating is the only thing that matters? I guess I am not understanding why the ratings are more important than some gut about who has the stuff and who does not.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Heck the (junior varsity) officials could stay and watch the varsity game and then ask questions and learn from watching.

The good ones do, staying for the entire varsity game, and participating in the post varsity game conference, and they often move up faster than the ones that don't. That's one of the reasons (there are others, i.e. ratings, fill in for injured, or sick varsity official, remember, we're a two person state) why we want the junior varsity officials to stay until at least halftime of the varsity game.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

The good ones do, staying for the entire varsity game, and participating in the post varsity game conference, and they often move up faster than the ones that don't. That's one of the reasons (there are others, i.e. ratings, fill in for injured, or sick varsity official, remember, we're a two person state) why we want the junior varsity officials to stay until at least halftime of the varsity game.

Why not come up with some "best practices" that have seemed to work, instead of mandating rules that have holes in actual application.

Peace

[zm1283]

LOL, I wish our longest trip was 30 minutes. I'll be lucky if I get two sub 30-minute trips per week this season. We have some schools really close, and some very far away....up to two hours one way.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Why not come up with some "best practices" that have seemed to work, instead of mandating rules that have holes in actual application.

All of these "customs" worked for over twenty of the thirty-one years that I've officiated. As I said earlier, our recent problems with these customs seems to be related to a sudden influx of new officials unlike anything we've ever seen in the history of our local board, and the "more democratic, less dictatorial" style of recent leadership.

Nothing mentioned in my article is mandated. It's expected, but not mandated. There is no penalty for not following any of these expectations.

We're just trying to be a professional organization, one that we can all be proud of. Many years ago, athletic directors would often comment on how professional we were compared to other sports associations, that we never seemed to act in a "get in, get out, get paid" manner, we arrived professionally in dress clothes (ties, and maybe jackets back then), and that we were always trying to help, and educate each other. We seldom hear comments like those anymore. How sad?

[REFANDUMP]

It seems odd to me that varsity officials would be getting evaluations done by JV officials who in many cases would want to take their jobs.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by REFANDUMP

It seems odd to me that varsity officials would be getting evaluations done by JV officials who in many cases would want to take their jobs.

Which is why there is a proposal on the table that the newer subvarsity officials (first year, second year, maybe third year) not rate varsity officials. The reasoning behind the proposal is that officials with only a few years under their "black belts" may not know how to properly rate varsity officials.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Which is why there is a proposal on the table that the newer subvarsity officials (first year, second year, maybe third year) not rate varsity officials. The reasoning behind the proposal is that officials with only a few years under their "black belts" may not know how to properly rate varsity officials.

I'm more curious about the reasoning behind having JV officials rate varsity officials anyway.

1. Why do you need an evaluation every single game? That seems excessive and overly burdensome.

2. In general, I wouldn't think it's appropriate to have evaluations done by lesser officials actually count towards anything meaningful.

IOW, I agree with the proposal you mention, but I don't think it goes far enough. I don't think officials should be giving evaluations until they're working varsity games, at least not evaluations that carry any weight towards rankings, assignments, or status. Why would a 5 year JV ref have any input to give a 20 year varsity ref? I don't get it.