OT: Working Volleyball

[justacoach]

Originally Posted by Lcubed48

Don't knock it, try it. It is indeed a good gig.
This is my 1st season doing VB. BTW - the toughest call for a VB newbie like me is the double hit.

Dang, L3. What with basketball, volleyball and softball, you'll never have time to enjoy your retirement. Maybe Mark P can hook you up with some croquet or even tiddleywinks if you get underwhelmed!!

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by justacoach

Dang, L3. What with basketball, volleyball and softball.

I hope that he's reporting every single penny to the I.R.S. You don't think that they can track down who Lcubed48 really is? Think again. Wait? I have to get off the internet because I see a black helicopter flying around my neighborhood.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by justacoach

Maybe Mark P can hook you up with some croquet or even tiddleywinks if you get underwhelmed!!

Not tiddlywinks, but possibly balloon volleyball. Here at the assisted living center which is now my home, we actually play this about once a week. We alternate between playing it indoors and outdoors depending on the weather. We use a large balloon, not a ball, because virtually every resident here uses either a wheelchair or a walker. I'm one of about only two or three who can still walk without assistance.

About two months ago, I actually pretended to "officiate" the games while wearing my old referee uniform. I still have it because I wear it as a Halloween costume. BTW - I wear black sweatpants with it because that way, I don't have to wear a belt.

During those games, one guy who is about 85, kept yelling at me to blow my whistle (yes, I use that too). I told him that if he didn't knock it off, I'd sell his teeth on e-bay. He shut up.

BTW - I also call Bingo one night a week and host Trivia Night one night a week. I've hosted that with 60 questions I develop each week for over a year, so I've come up with over 3000 questions so far. I really love doing it and it certainly keeps me from getting bored.

[BktBallRef]

Things that are less boring than officiating volleyball.

Watching grass grow.
Watching cars rust.
Sleeping.
A Baptist sermon.
Everything.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Things that are less boring than officiating volleyball.

You forgot about watching paint dry.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Things that are less boring than officiating volleyball.

How about watching a field hockey game, or a girls lacrosse game? I've watched my nieces play these games and there's a whistle every time one girl comes within six feet of another girl. Absolutely no contact. Whistle after whistle after whistle after whistle. And in field hockey, I believe that you can't strike the ball with the "wrong" side of the stick, or raise the stick more than a few inches off the ground. Whistle after whistle after whistle after whistle. Talk about "game interrupters", the whole damn game is one long interruption.

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Things that are less boring than officiating volleyball.

Watching grass grow.
Watching cars rust.
Sleeping.
A Baptist sermon.
Everything.

Yeah, but. None pay as well.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I wear black sweatpants with it because that way, I don't have to wear a belt.

Shut up.

[ASA/NYSSOBLUE]

OK - I am a softball umpire, and have been for almost 25 years . About 10 years ago my ASA assignor started getting after me to work volleyball - : "Ya gotta do volleyball - modified (middle school) volleyball is EASSY" (imagine Arnold Stang) So, after couple of years of this, I went and took the course. The course itself is a nut buster, as NYS goes by the NCAA book, and the clinician is nuts. My second match ever, I was assigned, by myself, and both coaches wanted to start before the required 4:30 start - you have to be there at 4 for warmups. So we started about 4:20 or so - and I was walking out of there after 3 sets....before 5 p! I felt like Willie Sutton after a bank visit! Our fee at that time was about $60 a match, plus an extra half fee for working alone!

Well, eight years later it has gotten nuts: A couple of years ago, to save on bus trips, the local sports authority that schedules and pays us, decided to have the modified teams play each other once a year, with each meeting being a double match. What is crazy is that now I am up to 15-17 of these a year - at $1.20 a trip (move the decimal point )!

While it is easy, the travel here can be a bit much - we cover three counties in SE NYS, the written test is a b***h, even with it being open book; and those double matches sometimes can last a while. But still, I am never. ever looking to move up! The double matches are kind of long though - almost 2 1/2 hours sometimes...

Our local volleyball group is VERY short, as volleyball suffers from the same problem a lot of 'specialty' sports have - there are just not enough people who live and breathe the sport, who are available afternoons.

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by justacoach

Dang, L3. What with basketball, volleyball and softball, you'll never have time to enjoy your retirement. Maybe Mark P can hook you up with some croquet or even tiddleywinks if you get underwhelmed!!

This is my retirement.

[pfan1981]

Just my .02,

I ref both volleyball and basketball for a couple years. I have attended camps for both. Obviously basketball is more physically demanding and a lot more to keep track of since the players interact physically with one another. Also, the coaches and players get more heated with basketball.

That being said, any officiating is mentally demanding. I dive into the rule and casebook in both sports I officiate to better prepare myself. Additionally, I work on mechanics and professionalism at all times. Volleyball is more straight forward as far as situations and rules. The lineups and alignments can be a beast to keep track of as well as the touches at the net on a hard spike. There are subjective calls in volleyball just like in basketball. One ref could call a lift in volleyball differently each game just like in basketball where a ref might call more hand-checking and less aggressive play.

Volleyball is easier than basketball, but requires work and practice in order to perfect it just like any sport.

I'm rambling now......ugh.........I will tell you what I say to people when they give you a hard time for being a teacher.....

"It's not a private club. Anyone can join. Feel free to sign up. And then we can talk."

pfan

[SCalScoreKeeper]

I am a basketball scorekeeper with 8 years experience & a 1'st year volleyball official after a lengthy (6 yr) tenure as a volleyball scorer.Volleyball is quite the mental exercise-having to keep track of rotations,watch the ball handling,monitoring the net & center-line,and making sure your line judges and table crew are doing their jobs.Basketball is the better physical workout-but the previous poster is right.If you're doing your job correctly at the end of the night you'll be tired.I did three volleyball matches in two days last week & was wiped out.This week I'll work 4 in 4 days (2,off,1,1) and would've been 5 in 4 if my MS match didn't cancel.

[Moosie74]

Based on this I checked into the local VB officials association. Seems like a good way to keep busy for a couple of months after softball and before basketball.

I checked with the president of the officials board, he said there is a very small number of officials and they like to have people who work other sports.

Most days are junior high and JV games or JV/Varsity and the same officials work both matches and he said that most of the competent officials move on to college play after their 2nd or 3rd year, we mostly only have D3 and JUCO schools.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

Moosie74-you'll have a lot of fun.our unit has a former division 1 softball official who is R2 on a lot of high level public school matches out here in her second year.your skills in handling coaches from basketball and softball will come in handy-all you need to do is learn volleyball.I as a first year got a handful of middle school matches on my own and some small school varsity along with a lot of line judging.What state do you work?

[Moosie74]

Originally Posted by SCalScoreKeeper

Moosie74-you'll have a lot of fun.our unit has a former division 1 softball official who is R2 on a lot of high level public school matches out here in her second year.your skills in handling coaches from basketball and softball will come in handy-all you need to do is learn volleyball.I as a first year got a handful of middle school matches on my own and some small school varsity along with a lot of line judging.What state do you work?

I live in Maine, there are a lot of schools with programs here that are either a couple of years old or just starting up in the next couple of years so the quality of play shouldn't be all that intense to start.

I always believe that new officials learning game management and dealing with people is the hardest part so with that out of the way, focusing on the game itself will be easier.

I am looking forward to giving it a shot.