Association Culture ...
 

I have been asked to write an article for our local association newsletter on the "culture" of our local association. Over the past few years there have been many changes in our association. Our long time assignment commissioner/secretary/treasurer passed away, and our long time interpreter retired. They both held a tremendous amount of power, and it wasn't very democratic, it was either their way, or the highway. More recently we merged with a non-IAABO board that was known for mostly assigning a few girls high school games in our geographic area, so we suddenly acquired a large number of "new" veteran members. On top of all that, our recent cadet training classes have been filled to capacity, maybe due to the poor economy. So we find ourselves in a position where we have lots, and lots, of new members, that really don't have a sense of what is expected of them in terms of "unwritten rules" regarding local expectations. These new members, even the new "veteran" members, are moving through their association officiating career like a "ship without a rudder", or "like the blind leading the blind".

I've posted my article below. The purpose of my post is to satisfy my own curiosity regarding what many of you expect of your local association members, not in terms of rules knowledge, and mechanics, but in terms of the "little things" that make your guys not only good basketball officials, but also good association members. I'm looking forward to hearing about what is expected in other associations. Of course, in my post, below, some references have been redacted to protect the innocent.

“The Best” – The Board XXX Culture
By BillyMac

Much is expected of Board XXX officials, expectations that go beyond the rule book, case book, and mechanics manual. Outlined below are some of the “unwritten rules’ that have been developed over the years by Board XXX officials that, when adhered to, make Board XXX “The Best”.

Board XXX officials are expected to confirm their games. Email addresses for athletic directors, faculty managers, or site directors, as well as your partners, are on the Arbiter website. The email should state the gender, level, site, day, date, and time of the game, along with one’s contact information, sent to both the school, and to one’s partner. A confirmation, emailed in this manner, looks professional, and assures everyone that the officials have been properly assigned for the game.

Officials can check if other games are scheduled at their site by looking on the CIAC website. It can be very frustrating for varsity officials to show up ninety minutes early to observe a junior varsity game, when, for some reason, there was no junior varsity game scheduled. Private prep schools are notorious for “odd” game schedules. Private prep school games do not appear on the CIAC website. These games can be viewed on the host private prep school’s website.

When you arrive at a game site, people immediately judge you by your appearance. Make a good first impression by coming to game sites dressed professionally in business casual attire. Consider purchasing a sweater, pullover, or vest, with an IAABO logo, or a Board XXX logo. Common sense dictates that some afternoon assignments may require officials to arrive in uniform, or in work clothes. Middle school sites may lack secure dressing areas, and may not have shower facilities available.

For most high school games, where secure dressing areas, and showers, are available, do not come dressed in uniform, and do not come dressed in sneakers, work boots, jeans, T-shirts, etc. It looks bad, and reflects poorly on Board XXX. On court, your uniform should be clean, pants pressed, all black shoes shined, jacket unwrinkled, and you should be well groomed. Officials should shower after the game and not leave wearing a uniform. Doing so could give the impression that the official wants to “get in, get out, and get paid”, which is not the impression that Board XXX officials want to present. Officials should leave the game site together. Even in this day in age when everyone has a cell phone, and many have some type of “road assistance”, it’s not fun sitting in a cold car, in a lonely parking lot, with a dead battery, or a flat tire, waiting for help to arrive.

The four officials at a high school game site should work together as a team. Varsity officials should arrive at the game site no later than the beginning of the second period of the junior varsity game. Junior varsity officials should stay and observe the varsity game until at least halftime of the varsity game in order to learn by watching experienced officials. Many varsity officials try to show up for the beginning of the junior varsity game, and many junior varsity officials will often stay to observe the entire varsity game. The overlap will insure that an official is available if one of the officials at the site becomes ill, or injured. Board XXX expects veteran officials to observe and offer constructive appraisals, with specific suggestions, to less experienced officials. Board XXX expects less experienced officials to seek out, and ask for input, from the more experienced officials. Partners are expected to offer constructive appraisals to each other. “What did you see?” is an easy way to start a post-game conversation.

Always show hustle, and enthusiasm, in every Board XXX game that you have been assigned to work. Treat every game as the most important game of the season. Work every game as if it was your last game, and the most important game, of your career. That game is the most important game being played that night for the players, coaches, and fans, at that site. Officiating in this manner will solidify the reputation of Board XXX as “The Best”.

I approve

Nice article, certainly reasonable expectations except...

Really???

Neat If It's Done by All
 

Wow. If only . . .

Is this an expectation, customary practice, or a goal and a vision toward which your association is working?

Why not?

It is recommended that we arrive about 1 hour before game time....which would would usually be somewhere between time the JV 2nd Q starts to somewhere in the middle of the 2nd Q.

Not everyone does that (some cut it to less than 30 minutes), but it is the expectation for varsity games.

Because leaving 2-3 hours early for a 6pm game is excessive.

Here, JV games start at 4 or 430, varsity at 6. To arrive before the beginning of the second quarter, we would need to arrive no later than 15 minutes after the game starts. I travel anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes for a game.

So yes, leaving at 3pm for a 6pm game to arrive arrive 1 3/4 hours early for a JV game I'm not even working would be excessive here. I know very few officials with public jobs who could leave that early from work, even on a semi-regular basis.

"Mr Customs Man" (Arlo Guthrie) ...
 

This is what is presently expected, and up until a few years ago, we were all doing it, however, as I alluded to in my original post, only the grizzled veterans have been doing this the past few years. Many of the the young whippersnappers don't seem to understand the "customs" of our local association. I can't tell you how often junior varsity officials have left the site, without showering, in uniform, before the jump ball of my varsity game. They don't even wave goodbye as they run out the gym door. Years ago, our, now deceased assignment commissioner/secretary/treasurer, or our long time interpreter, now retired, would have ripped these guys a new orifice.

I've been asked to publish this article to give them a clue, in writing, about our previously unwritten customs.

Of course, back in the mid-twentieth century, we didn't use email to confirm our games. Most made a phone call either the day before, or that day. A few of us found it more convenient to use "snail mail" post cards to confirm our games. Individually, we had custom made post cards printed out with our contact information already printed on it, with spaces to print in the day, date, and time of the game.

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. would send his confirmations by Pony Express if there was no telegraph office near the school.

Observations, Evaluations, Ratings, Rankings ...
 

Yes. The way our rating, and ranking, system works, each official rates the other three officials at the site (remember Connecticut is a two person game state). If you don't observe, how can you fairly rate?

Tempus Fugit ...
 

Most junior varsity games, here in my little corner of the Provisions State, start at 5:30 p.m., with varsity games starting at 7:00 p.m. The longest trip that we could have to get to a game in our "little corner" is a little less than an hour, so an average trip is probably about thirty minutes. I'll leave work at 5:00 p.m., get to the game site at 5:30 p.m., observe three quarters of the junior varsity game, head for the dressing room at the beginning of the fourth period, toss the jump ball for my varsity game at 7:00 p.m., end the game around 8:15 p.m., shower, and either head home, or head to one of our local "watering holes", getting there around 8:45 p.m.

$89.76 for four hours of travel, observations, and running up and down a basketball court. Can't beat it.

2-3 hours? just to get there by the 2nd Q? I can leave 2 hours before several of my games and get to the site by the start of the JV game. If I left 3 hours before my game, I'd almost get there in plenty of time to dress for the JV game and be on the court at 15:00, even for games an hour away.

It seems that your JV to Varsity separation may be a bit larger than here. Ours are never more than 1:45 apart and sometimes 1:30.

I consider getting there during the 2nd Q (most of the time) to be my buffer against the random unexpected traffic problems. As soon as I try to get the 30-40 minutes before game time (which would get me there about halftime of the JV game), I'd be certain to hit traffic and arrive late.

Here, V officials are expected to arrive an hour before game time, which typically gets them there in time for the half-time mid-game discussion. HS subvarsity, 45 minutes, but 30 minutes isn't going to get you in trouble (especially in Freshman games). If a JV official wants an evaluation, it's his or her responsibility to contact one of the varsity officials working the following game and ask them to come in time to watch the first half.

JV officials are expected to stick around for the first half of the varsity game, although skipping out out on this a few times a year won't get you in trouble.

You didn't read what I wrote.

"Because leaving 2-3 hours early for a 6pm game is excessive.

Example: My game starts at 6pm and is a 1:15 drive. I would leave at 4:00 as to arrive 45 minutes before game time. Usually we're traveling as a crew so there's plenty of time to talk basketball. I'm not in a metropolitan area, so I don't have traffic concerns.

To arrive before the beginning of the second quarter of the JV game, I would have to leave by 3pm.

JV game starts at 4pm. They typically end around 5:30 but there's always the ocassional long game or OT. At 5:40, 15 minutes goes on the game clock. At 5:55 we have the National Anthem and introdi=uction so we can toss the ball at 6pm.

So yes, leaving 3 hours before MY scheduled game time of 6pm is excessive and I would not do it.

Glad it works there. It wouldn't work here.

We work a GV/BV doubleheader and get $85, no travel. My $85 would be for 8 hours or travel, observations and running up and down a basketball court. No way am I leaving at 3pm to get back home at 10:30-11:00.

We are usually asked to get to a game an hour before our scheduled game time if working a varsity contest. Usually not entirely difficult to accomplish as most games start at 7:30 or even 7:00. It is easier to get to some places than others obviously and we are not assigned by an association. So there are assignors will consider that before making assignments. My personal goal is to try to get to the site when the game before me starts, but not possible based on where I have to go in many cases.

Peace

Pride ???
 

That's the problem. It doesn't work here; anymore. It used to work here, until about five, or ten, years ago, and then all our local customs seemed to "go out the window".

I observed a young official work a game with shoes that were almost as much white, as black. I mentioned it to him after his game. He explained to me that the black and whites were not his regular pair, and that he almost always wore all black shoes. The next time I observed him, he had on the same black and white shoes. I've also observed young officials show up for a game in street clothes consisting of torn sneakers, dirty, beat-up jeans, and a T-shirt, certainly not business casual.