First Games Assigned 2012-13.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich

I just shake my head when I hear of officials not getting paid to work scrimmages.

We started a new scrimmage policy a few years ago. Previous to the change, we either used to sign up for free scrimmages at our preseason local board meetings, or we would get calls from local coaches with whom we previously had some type of relationship, usually hometown coaches. The scrimmages were "free" but we would often walk away with a twenty dollar bill in our pocket, or get a free T-shirt, or get a grinder, or a couple of slices of pizza, and this always had a positive effect on relations between the officials and the school. Under this system, I would often work a half dozen, or more, scrimmages, choosing to work games either near my home, or near my work. These scrimmages really got me prepared for the upcoming season.

Under our new paid scrimmage policy, we are assigned scrimmages, as much as fifty miles away, by our assistant assignment commissioner, through Arbiter, and get paid $33.33, minus the 7% commissioner's fee, for a two hour scrimmage, three officials assigned, two person games, switch on, and off, the court between periods. Now that we get paid, everybody, 325 local board members, wants to get in on the money, so guys that never wanted to work scrimmages in the past, now can't wait to get some cash in their pockets. Since the change, I have never been assigned more than two scrimmages. Last year I was only assigned one scrimmage, a girls scrimmage. My next game, a "real" game, was a boys varsity game, which turned out to be the most competitive game of my season, with two teams who had gone deep into the state tournament the previous year, one team went on to win the state championship at end of last season. I was not ready for that game. It was just too fast for me compared to the girls high school scrimmage that I had worked, as well as a few Catholic middle school games that I had also worked.

This scrimmage policy change was encouraged by our state interscholastic sports governing body. Several sports (field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer) were having problems getting free scrimmage officials, so our state association encouraged all sports officials to charge for scrimmages, assigning games in much the same manner as regular season assignments. Enough free officials showing up for basketball scrimmages was never a problem previous to this policy change. Those of us who wanted to work scrimmages, worked scrimmages, and the problem was never not enough basketball officials working scrimmages, but too many, with four, or five, of us showing up for a two hour scrimmage, only getting to work couple of periods.

Sometimes getting paid isn't always better. There are often unintended consequences.