Pre-Game Communication
 

I struggle with this because I do not want to step on anyones toes so I wanted to get an opinion from anyone who has one. When I'm the R on a game (HS varsity) I like to send out the standard email/text/phone call (whichever seems appropriate) 24-48 hours before a game to be sure everyones on the same page with time, location, level, etc. However, at what point should the U1 or U2 step up if nothing has been recieved from the R. Maybe I'm over thinking the process, I just don't like to start out on the wrong foot with an unknown R if they're going to feel I'm doing their job.

you need to do what's standard in your area. If the R is supposed to contact you 24-48 hours, then contact the R at 24 hours (just make it a standard confirmation: "Bill -- Confirming that I will be at West HS about 6:00 on Thursday for the 7:00 tip")

Hello
 

Welcome to the forum.....

Thank you, I just discovered this about a week or so ago and I think these topics and responses are great, love what's going on in here!

Here, the R tends to initiate contact, but I'm not afraid to do it if I haven't heard anything the weekend before the game.

Same here, I agree and the two times I've done so this season there has been zero issue. Just wanted to see if anyone else had a different opinion and I think Bob laid out the perfect way to address it above.

Here the R is expected to get ahold of you 48 hours in advance.....if i haven't heard from my R, I'll get ahold of them. I like calling them at 3am. "Hey, we on for saturday? I haven't heard from you..."

We receive game reminders from ARBITER. When I receive mine, I usually just cut and paste my partner's email addresses from the ARBITER msg, and reply to the original msg (the header has the game info). Doesn't matter who's first really or initiates the email (R, U1, or U2). We are directed that if we haven't heard back from ur P's w/i a few hrs, we're supposed to make a call(*). Haven't had a problem and find it very efficient.

* Obvioulsy, this is a lot easier now that there are so many handheld devices in use and you can receive the email and "reply to all" with a simple "acknowledged" or "confirmed."

CVBOA? Mid-South? Tri-Cities?

I hate when an 'R' won't communicate before the game. I once had a D3 game where the R wouldn't return any of my emails. So on the morning of the game I sent a text. His response was "it's on arbiter, isn't it?".

I once had a long-distance college game between non-conference foes. Our supervisor has a policy of the R contacting the school to verify the game and then contacting the crew. Turns out the game was double-booked and the officials were supposed to come from the visiting team's supervisor. If my R hadn't of done his minimum requirements, there would have been 3 extra officials at the game who travelled a long distance for no reason.

Schools and supervisors sometimes make mistakes. If we sit around assuming everytime is automatically correct, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

If I have a game on Friday and I haven't seen anything from the crew, I'm sending out an email before I leave the office on Wednesday. Usually just a quick email:

"Confirming our game on [Date] at [School A] at [Time]. I'll be there no later than [Time]."

My association puts the responsibility on all the officials, not just the R, to make contact with your partner(s) at least 24 hours before.

This is strictly and area thing. At the high school around here it is not always clear who is the Referee and they are not given the same responsibilities as most college supervisors would have for their Referee. This is really what your supervisors and associations want. We can only tell you what we are asked to do and that might be in conflict with your area.

Peace

Wow.

Round here the small college supervisor expects contact by Sunday before the game...if we haven't heard from the R 48 hours before game time, we are supposed to let the supervisor know.

Can't say I have done that...usually if they don't contact me, I get in touch with them so no one gets "in trouble".

This the expectation of one of the MS assigners around here. If you haven't heard from your partner (regardless of who the R is) by the day before, he wants to know.

Please don't tell us your last name is "And-one". ;)

To my knowledge it isn't, but maybe these players know something I don't because they won't stop yelling it at me haha!!