Anyone get worse after the first few years?

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by afsst

Don't get discouraged. Lower level games are often more difficult to officiate and present tougher calls (because the kids are more out of control). Also, there are only 4 eyeballs on the court instead of 6, so we'll miss more.

I've thought about this a bunch and think it's true. I still yo-yo from varsity 3-man to JV/MS 2-man and always found the switch to be jarring. I knew I was missing stuff and felt compelled to press, reach, and basically screw myself into the ground trying to be perfect to make up for everything you're just not going to see when you're "down" an official.

Flash forward to this season and, for some reason, things are a lot more calm whether in 3- or 2-man games. There's a recognition there that stuff gets missed, and even that mistakes are made, but it's not bugging me like it used to (yes, I still evaluate marginal/missed calls, still have discussions, but not in a beat-myself-up way, but more analytical).

What changed? Well, this is year 6 into the officiating odyssey and that may have something to do with it. Maybe I've matured (Nah!) and stopped caring so much what folks (fans, coaches, players) say about me while still listening to what they're saying (yes, nuggets of wisdom can come from the strangest places). Maybe it's that I don't do anything but MS/HS (i.e., no wreck) and so am "fresh" for games. Maybe it's because I came off my second round of camps this summer. In any case, you're asking the right questions and seem to be doing the right things. Hang in there and, if it's what you want to do, I'm confident you'll get there eventually.