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[pfan1981]

Originally Posted by Terrapins Fan

We make $65 a game for Varsity. But as much as money is important, when you count the number of hours studying, taking test, going to meetings, cost of uniforms, gas, time away from your family, how much is enough?

It's about the love of the game and giving back. It's got to be worth your time, but it's doubtful that you're going to get rich from refereeing.

While I love earning $65 a game, I also referee Church league and make $25 a game there. BTW, I have much more fun over all at Church league....most of the time....just not in the championship games....

I am all about the game and realize the hours behind the scenes that goes into perfecting your craft. It just seems a bit crazy in the situation I described. In my little corner (not Connecticut), I wish they would hire refs that are somewhat near the contest (within 30 minutes?).

Are you folks part of a "crew"? If I was with the same 2 people and we tried our best to car pool, then I wouldn't be as frustrated. If you are with the same guys each time you can learn each others tendencies and could officiate better. What about if you get two random people that don't have a clue?.....there goes your rating. Am I way off here?

pfan

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by pfan1981

Am I way off here?

It all depends upon your current aim, your objective, what you hope to accomplish in your officiating career.
If your aim is to enjoy the least amount of travel and you were afforded that luxury by, for instance, an understanding assigner or a mileage limitation setting on the Arbiter, and you are getting the number of games you desire, then I can understand how distant assignments might cause you frustration. If your objective is to become known or recognized or work with more varied officials or officiate where you're not known well, then distant games where the "net" won't be as near the "gross" would be okay with you.
It all depends upon what you're hoping to accomplish in your pursuit of officiating.
I know of one official who this year accepted a single 65.00 GV game 164 miles one-way (no mileage paid) with certain officials for a certain assigner for a certain purpose. That game will net him 17.07, yet his objective in accepting this game is fulfilled and he is satisfied. Given camps, uniform upgrades, study materials, and gasoline offsetting 39 games @ 65.00 each, he'll net about 2.26 per game, and he's perfectly happy because this is a means whereby his objective is being carried out.
I know of another official who won't accept games farther than 15 miles from home. He has a different aim. He wants to get home early to watch SpongeBob or something. He won't spend 7.20 on a new rulesbook if his life depended on it. And that's fine. He's perfectly content. Hope his ultimate aim is to get only middle school games, cuz at his current pace he'll get there in a year or so.
It all depends on what aim you've chosen for yourself at a given time in your officiating career.
Sound good? Or am I "way off"?

[jTheUmp]

Looking back at last season's schedule, I had 8 games that were over 140+ miles roundtrip. I accepted that... last season was my first year getting varsity games, so as the "new guy", I'm going to end up traveling a bit more than most.

I don't know how many I'll have this season (our assigner hasn't published our schedules yet). I'm hoping for a bit less travel, but I'm still in the "take whatever varsity assignments I can get" stage.

Pay was $73-78 for a single varsity game, and $108-113 for a JV/Varsity doubleheader. If working three-person, pay is about $5 less per game. No mileage. Single $55 payment for dues to the association for assignments. I think we might be getting a $1/game raise this year.

I worked with a couple of partners more than once, but most of the time I was working with a different partner or partners every night. Fine by me, I wanted to work with as many different folks as I could, hopefully I made a good impression on most of them.

[pfan1981]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

I don't know how many I'll have this season (our assigner hasn't published our schedules yet). I'm hoping for a bit less travel, but I'm still in the "take whatever varsity assignments I can get" stage.

I am at that stage as well. I will take all the varsity I can get as well. Just curious when that "stage" will end.

My furthest is not two hours like that guy I know, but one and a half hours. I am working with guys who work state tournament games, so I am looking forward to that aspect. Here is a silly question....."Why are these state tournament caliber guys driving an hour and a half one way for $50?"

pfan

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by pfan1981

I am at that stage as well. I will take all the varsity I can get as well. Just curious when that "stage" will end.

Depends on a lot of factors, I suppose: size of your association, number of schools and games your association covers, quality of play, your performance as an official....

My furthest is not two hours like that guy I know, but one and a half hours. I am working with guys who work state tournament games, so I am looking forward to that aspect. Here is a silly question....."Why are these state tournament caliber guys driving an hour and a half one way for $50?"

pfan

Even the best officials still have to do the occasional 'long travel' game on occasion. It's not good for anyone to have an official work only at the 3 or 4 schools that are closest to his/her house.

Or maybe he's doing it as a favor to the assigner: "Hey, I've got this new guy that I need to get an evaluation on, can you work a game with him and let me know what you think?" I've been in that position a few times in football.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

I think we might be getting a $1/game raise this year.

We get a raise every year equal to the average teacher salary increase in the State of Connecticut. Of course, teacher salaries may decrease in some years.

[The_Rookie]

[QUOTE=Freddy;908299]It all depends upon your current aim, your objective, I know of one official who this year accepted a single 65.00 GV game 164 I know of another official who won't accept games farther than 15 miles from home. He has a different aim. He wants to get home early to watch SpongeBob or something. He won't spend 7.20 on a new rulesbook if his life depended on it.

VERY FUNNY..Like to meet that guy!!

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by pfan1981

Are you folks part of a "crew"?

We don't have ""crews" in our Association. Good or bad, they rotate officials to schools and with partners. I may see the same person or team twice a season. Works for me.

PS - I live in a HUGE mtropolitan area. I probably have 30 schools or more within 15 miles of my house.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by grunewar

We don't have ""crews" in our Association. Good or bad, they rotate officials to schools and with partners. I may see the same person or team twice a season. Works for me.

PS - I live in a HUGE mtropolitan area. I probably have 30 schools or more within 15 miles of my house.

I like it that way. I wouldn't want to work with the same folks every game, my progress would get stagnate.

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

I like it that way. I wouldn't want to work with the same folks every game, my progress would get stagnate.

Or working with the same guys every game would help you to meet your personal, and team officiating goals. Two sides of the same coin I guess.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by AremRed

Or working with the same guys every game would help you to meet your personal, and team officiating goals. Two sides of the same coin I guess.

I like to meet my personal and team officiating goals by showing I can work with any partners and by knowing when I'm the Alpha on the crew and when I'm the young buck. If I were to work with the same crew all the time the dynamics would never change and that wouldn't bode well for my college career where I have to adjust to new partners every time I work.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by pfan1981

Are you folks part of a "crew"?

I know that a lot of you guys work this way, and I'm sure that there are lots of advantages to it.

Here, in my little corner of Connecticut, we don't do it that way. We have 325 officials, about 80 who work varsity games, and about another 25 that work both varsity, and subvarsity, (we call these "split" officials) games.

I seldom work with the same partner in a season, and I like it that way. I get to work with state tournament veterans, first year varsity guys, and everybody in between. Sometimes I'm learning, and sometimes I'm teaching, and I'm always getting to meet new guys. Even if I was working with the best official on my local board, I'm sure that, eventually, I would become bored, or complacent, if I worked forty games a year with him.