Career No-nos.

[Altor]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

We believe that it's more professional to sit in the bleachers, surrounded by fans, parents, school staff, etc., in business casual street clothes rather than in uniform.

Another "Roman" difference.

The schools in my area usually have chairs set up away from the bleachers/crowd for the school administrators and the officials for the other game.

Of course, many of these schools are small enough that they do not have bleachers behind the goals, so there is usually room along one or both of these walls for a short row of chairs near the corner.

[APG]

To people that say you may not be afforded an area to dress...where do y'all usually hold a pregame? Where do y'all go at halftime? Where do you go after the game is finished? Or should I assume this usually isn't provided at these type of schools?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by APG

To people that say you may not be afforded an area to dress...where do y'all usually hold a pregame? Where do y'all go at halftime? Where do you go after the game is finished? Or should I assume this usually isn't provided at these type of schools?

All of our high schools have changing facilities, we show up in business casual, change into uniform, shower after the game, dress back into business casual, and head to a local adult beverage emporium (especially on a Friday night).

But when working with a female official in a high school game (no, we don't get dressed, undressed, and shower together), our pregame is usually held in a hall outside the gymnasium, halftime conference in the same place, and post game conference, also, in the same place. Then we each head back to our own locker rooms.

Public middle schools (assigned by our high school assigner). Most come dressed in uniform due to the early starting times (3:30 p.m.), and usual lack of changing facilities. I don't work public middle schools, but I'm guessing that storage of referee property, and conferences, take place in the physical education office, which, at least in these parts, usually doesn't have a usable shower. The shower, if there is one, is where the physical education teacher usually stores equipment for the classes, and most of these teachers don't appreciate it when you toss their dodge balls out of the shower to use it.

Catholic middle school games. Almost all of us come in uniform. Jackets, street shoes, etc., are usually stored in a locked classroom nearest to the gymnasium. Conferences are held there. In a few cases all of this takes place at, or behind, the table. Less formal pre, intermission, and post game conferences, not really mandatory in our Catholic school games. We get there about ten minutes before the prayer before the start the first game, shoot the breeze with each other, work our games (usually multiple games), wait around long enough to make sure that everything is copacetic, grab our bags, grab our checks, and hit the road.