What's going on in Kentucky?
 

From a recent article on the internet ...

"Kentucky bans postgame handshakes

"While the KHSAA is announcing the ban, it is not administering its enforcement at the time the games end. Rather, opposing teams can still choose to have postgame handshakes but if a fight breaks out, it's not on the KHSAA; it's on the coaches and the officials, if they choose to stay." In fact, the statement posted in the largest, boldest font is this one:


They are going to try to hold officials responsible if a fight breaks out during postgame handshakes ... wow! Sounds like there may an increase in legal actions against officials in Kentucky, if this is accurate.

Here's the article:

http://khsaa.org/10082013-commission...game-activity/

I'm guessing they mean school officials rather than the game officials.

This is a perfect example of why certain people should be banned from reading ANYTHING on the internet. In reading the statement IN ITS ENTIRETY...the exact opposite is true. The article AND the commissioner clearly state that game officials do not, nor have they ever, had juridiction over these activities.

How does somebody take that conclusion away from the KHSAA statement??? :rolleyes:

Now Massachusetts is a whole different matter.

Headline of this article is misleading as well...and from CBS! Amazing. I'm guessing the KHSAA commissioner is probably slamming his head into the wall out of frustration.

Not uncommon with a lot of mainstream media. Headlines (and even the article's contents) are meant to push agendas or draw attention (to increase ad revenue), not convey entirely accurate information.

It is Wednesday literally and figuratively.

Peace

from article:

Unfortunately, the adrenaline and effort required to participate in the sport sometimes seems to deplete the supply of judgement available to participants. And this can be particularly problematic when there is a lack of an appropriate level of adult supervision, or counterproductive actions by the adults involved with the team. After consultation with the Board of Control at its last meeting, the Commissioner is issuing the following directives to officials and recommendations to the schools and officials regarding post game in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling:

Following the contests, officials are to quickly and efficiently leave the playing facility following all rules mandated duties and ensure that the rules book mandated jurisdiction ends promptly. There is no need for officials to secure the game balls, shake hands with the coaches or players, or stick around the playing area for any other reason.
Officials have no role in what goes on in postgame, including handshakes, etc. after jurisdiction has ended. Officials also have NO role in administering this policy. Officials choosing to involve themselves in postgame activities will be penalized appropriately;

Makes far more sense than that nonsense in MA.

I love that they tell officials not to retrieve the game ball. Still have guys I work with who will go out of their way to chase down the ball. :mad:

Education Is the Key To Success ...
 

I hope that you set them straight.

The story was also on the NBC Evening News w/ Brian Williams.......I thought of you guys and knew it would be a discussion topic here. How sad is that?

Guys who have worked longer than I, so not my place.

My pregame includes, "Do not chase the ball. We can't play without the ball. Someone will get the ball. When the game is over, we don't need the ball."

That quote looks familiar. :cool:

With all the other useful things that can be covered in a pre-game, this seems like a waste of time. Can't believe there are officials that actually chase down the ball at ANY point in a game.

It should be a waste of time, but I've found it to be a valuable use of 10 seconds; it saves us 30 seconds at the end of the game.

You must work with a very rarefied group of officials if you don't see someone chase a ball that has gone oob at some point in the game. Or chase the ball at the end of the game to take it back to the table for some reason. Not even once in a season?

I certainly do not see that at the varsity level. I cannot think of the last time I have seen it at that level. You see it more often at the lower levels, but that is not that common either because this is taught to not do this. I am sure it is happening somewhere, but that is what associations are for and what camps are for to teach the proper way to do things.

And when I read this site, my area works so different then other areas. We do not have 100 guys assigned to all the games by one assignor. We have probably a couple thousand spread out amongst many associations and more than 15 assignors or so and I do not see this as a common issue that I can see. I am sure someone does this, but not for very long.

Peace

We've got long time vets who do this, but for the most part, it's the new guys. Some of them are stubborn about it, though.

I call BS...not one single time has one of your partners (or you) turned their back on the court to go retrieve a ball bouncing along the wall while players are lining up to shoot free throws?

No way.

I am sorry, I cannot think of any that I work with or have worked with recently. I work with a lot of experienced guys too. Maybe the training is different in your area. But I cannot think of anyone that does this to where I have to say, "Why in the hell are you doing that?" And certainly not guys who chase the ball after the game is over. I do not think I have seen that in years!!!

Peace

Drives me NUTS!

Of course you are going to have "that guy" do that...maybe once or twice a season. It's usually a newer official...or one that just can't stand to leave a good game behind.

They hear about it, with some good natured ribbing, sometimes even before we get to the locker room.

That's The Key Ingredient, Education ...
 

... and boom goes the dynamite.

Which is why I tend to believe this:

Keep Eyes on the Players
 

The newer guys, and yes -- some vets -- do this and need to be corrected. Which is why, around here, this is one of the things we teach at scrimmages and suggest -- however briefly -- for pregames:

DON'T GIVE IN TO "L.G.B.T." . . . that is,
When the ball goes out-of-bounds, resist the inclination to:
LOOK AT THE BALL
GO AFTER THE BALL
BECKON FOR THE BALL
TURN TOWARD THE BALL.
Go to the spot of the subsequent throw-in or free throw, keep all eyes on the players, and the ball will come to you.

And it always does.

Can't recall any in the last few years...but I seldon work sub-varsity any more. I imagine it goes on there more frequently.

The group I work with tend toward the other extreme...they won't usually bend over to pick it up unless it hits them in the feet (even though quite a few would benefit from the additional effort).

I know here, there is at least one varsity official who insists on retrieving the ball after the game and then shaking hands at the table.

I also know that it's done often enough (not in my games) that some ADs are almost expecting us to give it to them after the game is over as they walk us to the locker room.

Maybe in private...but, I don't think it looks very good to be shaking hands, publicly, with the AD...especially after a close or even not so close home win.

Who's Got The Key To The Locker Room ???
 

Agree. Some will often confuse perception with reality.

No, he doesn't shake hands with the AD after the game, he does it with the talbe crew while the teams are doing their post-game ritual, and I and his other partner stand in the corner.

I've had a couple of ADs (or game manager) actually start talking to me about getting them the ball after the game. My response is always, "If I can grab it in stride, I'll do it." Then, after the game, "Sorry."

Adam...I would definitely spend some precious pre-game time, with "this guy", about hanging around the court after the game is over.

C'mon man...nothing good can come out of lingering around the table after a game. Tell the guy if he wants to interact with the table...do it before or during the game.

Not only all that...but, it hangs his crew out as they "stand around" waiting for this dude. That's why I don't appreciated another official going out on his own and chasing a ball after a game. The rest of the crew is standing there waiting for him to do the ball boys' duty.

Also, I don't like to sprint off the court after a game. A nice little jog or quickly paced walk is sufficient...IMO.

I agree, to be honest. He's been around long enough, though, that he's just not having any of it.

As for leaving the court. I agree. I walk, generally. I'll jog if I'm on the other side of the court.

Me neither. At the end of the game I head straight for my area/locker room. I've been told running doesn't look good so I just walk briskly. If the court is being stormed, running is ok. No shaking hands in public, the AD will usually see us in private before we leave.

I do not sprint, but I run fast to get near the exit. It all really depends on the situation in the game or how the game ends. If it is a blowout where everyone is cool that movement my be a lot lower then a game that ended at the buzzer. For one I am just trying to avoid the fans coming onto the court. But once the exit is clear, then I am going to considerable slow down.

Peace

Tastes Great, Less Filling ...
 

Me too. There's a concession stand hot dog there with my name on it. That's a lot more important to me than running down a basketball, or hand shaking everybody like I'm running for mayor. At one of the private schools that we service, there's an ice cold beer with my name on it waiting for me in the locker room.