Small Mechanics tips

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

People in Chicagoland? People in the rest of the nation? People in the rest of the world? Yes. Yes. Yes. Agree. Agree. Agree. But there is one exception, here in my little corner of Connecticut. The people that I care about most, those that rate, and rank, me, are not opposed to wearing a belt. Our rookie officials are neither encouraged, nor discouraged, from wearing a belt, as long as it's black. I know, I served on that training committee. Since I don't plan on moving away from my little corner of Connecticut, and since I don't plan on moving up to the NCAA, I really don't care about all those other "people", other than for the sake of discussion here on the Forum. I do realize that if I was planning on moving away from Connecticut, let's say to Chicagoland, that I would be expected to conform to mores of that culture, and I would most certainly have to wear beltless slacks, or face failure to "fit in".

Billy I have been to camps across the Midwest and other parts of the country on a regular basis. Not a single time do I remember anyone wearing a belt at a camp game. And the officials have been from all over the country. Even one guy was from Canada and he did not wear a belt. And the camp supervisors never tell us what kind of pants to wear, just tells us that we are to wear full uniforms. Somehow others seem to get the memo.

Oh and I work games across my state, not just in one part. I have not worked with a single partner that has a belt. The only officials I see wearing a belt are those old guys that for some reason never go far as officials or a rookie that has not worked varsity contests. I did not see any State Final officials wearing a belt in the last couple of years and cannot remember when the last time I saw any varsity official on the boys side wearing them.

Expand your view Billy.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Expand your view Billy.

I have. I agree that belts are an official faux pas just about everywhere except my little corner of Connecticut (not sure about the rest of our beautiful state). Even here, belts are going the way of the dinosaur. I'm going to guess that less than 5% of us wear them, and almost no young officials wear them. I did see a colleague, a grizzled veteran, wear one in a state quarterfinal game last week. When I first started thirty-three years ago, going beltless was seen as a braggart college thing ("Look at me, I'm a college official"), and almost all of us strictly high school officials wore a belt. Over the years, the young whipper snappers who get onto our local board like to emulate the college guys that they see on television, and almost none choose to go with a belt, even though they can.

Bottom line. I've been wearing one for thirty-three years, and I like it. It has absolutely no effect on my rating, ranking, or the number, or level, of games that I am assigned. It has never been mentioned to me as a problem either verbally, or in writing, by my peers, by my interpreter, by my assigner, or at local, and state, high school (not college, I don't attend those) camps. I don't plan on officiating in any other part of the state, or anywhere else, for that matter, and I don't plan moving up to the college ranks. And finally, most importantly, I can. Black belts are allowed here. Belts, or beltless, are a non-issue here. We can no longer wear long sleeved striped shirts, with a bow tie, but we can wear black belts.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I have. I agree that belts are an official faux pas just about everywhere except my little corner of Connecticut (not sure about the rest of our beautiful state). Even here, belts are going the way of the dinosaur. I'm going to guess that less than 5% of us wear them, and almost no young officials wear them. I did see a colleague, a grizzled veteran, wear one in a state quarterfinal game last week. When I first started thirty-three years ago, going beltless was seen as a braggart college thing ("Look at me, I'm a college official"), and almost all of us strictly high school officials wore a belt. Over the years, the young whipper snappers who get onto our local board like to emulate the college guys that they see on television, and almost none choose to go with a belt, even though they can.

Bottom line. I've been wearing one for thirty-three years, and I like it. It has absolutely no effect on my rating, ranking, or the number, or level, of games that I am assigned. It has never been mentioned to me as a problem either verbally, or in writing, by my peers, by my interpreter, by my assigner, or at local, and state, high school (not college, I don't attend those) camps. I don't plan on officiating in any other part of the state, or anywhere else, for that matter, and I don't plan moving up to the college ranks. And finally, most importantly, I can. Black belts are allowed here. Belts, or beltless, are a non-issue here. We can no longer wear long sleeved striped shirts, with a bow tie, but we can wear black belts.

Didn't you say you never worked the playoffs? It would be one thing if you were the most accomplished official in your area, but according to what you have said here, you have not reached the top level in your area or state. And you are not a college guy that is turning down high school playoffs just to work at a higher level.

Also no one tells people you are not going to wear a black belt or else here. But when you are the only one and you stand out looking like a goof, that is not going to help you if all things are equal. It is simply not encouraged. There is no ban or prohibition as I have stated before. It is like showing up to a game dressed. You might be able to get away with that in certain situations, but it will hurt you if you do it to at the wrong setting.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Didn't you say you never worked the playoffs? It would be one thing if you were the most accomplished official in your area, but according to what you have said here, you have not reached the top level in your area or state. And you are not a college guy that is turning down high school playoffs just to work at a higher level.

Also no one tells people you are not going to wear a black belt or else here. But when you are the only one and you stand out looking like a goof, that is not going to help you if all things are equal. It is simply not encouraged. There is no ban or prohibition as I have stated before. It is like showing up to a game dressed. You might be able to get away with that in certain situations, but it will hurt you if you do it to at the wrong setting.

Peace

I see plenty of officials wearing belts here working JV and freshman games -- and even the odd varsity game. I also know a letter I received recently from the state office reminded me that the proper dress for a game I was going to work included pleated beltless pants, no side panel shirts, all black shoes, and flags were a crew decision (but everyone had to go flag or no-flag).

I just can't imagine why anyone would choose to wear belted pants over pants made specifically for basketball officiating. In 2014 those pants are beltless, pleated, and do not have western style pockets.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Rich

I see plenty of officials wearing belts here working JV and freshman games -- and even the odd varsity game. I also know a letter I received recently from the state office reminded me that the proper dress for a game I was going to work included pleated beltless pants, no side panel shirts, all black shoes, and flags were a crew decision (but everyone had to go flag or no-flag).

Usually the ones I see wearing belts for the most part of rather new officials, or they are the old timers that do not care about a lot of things, let alone what they look like. And those that do not care about what they look like, they do not care about their mechanics or other presentations of themselves either.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Didn't you say you never worked the playoffs? It would be one thing if you were the most accomplished official in your area, but according to what you have said here, you have not reached the top level in your area or state. Also no one tells people you are not going to wear a black belt or else here. But when you are the only one and you stand out looking like a goof, that is not going to help you if all things are equal. It is simply not encouraged. There is no ban or prohibition as I have stated before. It is like showing up to a game dressed. You might be able to get away with that in certain situations, but it will hurt you if you do it to at the wrong setting.

1) Correct. I am a journeyman official. Back twenty-five years ago, when belts were very common, I reached the zenith of my career, the top quarter of my local board. Wearing a belt, especially at that time, did not prevent my continued ascension through the ranks. Even today, with belts significantly less common, belts don't prevent a few (very few) of our top officials from working state tournament games.

2) The training committee tells rookies that they can wear a belt, or not wear a belt. Not only is there no belt ban (a negative statement), but the committee informs the rookies that belts are acceptable (a positive statement). That's the difference between where you officiate, and where I officiate. We tell rookies that they can wear a belt. While your training committee doesn't have a belt ban, I doubt that your training committee makes such a positive statement.

3) It sounds like your guidelines regarding proper dress for showing up for a high school game are similar to our cultural mores (no uniform, business casual). Some on this Forum would find that ridiculous. They show up for their games in uniform, and walk out in uniform. If an official did this (show up for a high school game in uniform) here in my little corner of Connecticut, they would be quickly advised, either orally, or in writing (through our rating system), to stop doing that. Yet, I fully understand that this cultural more can be very different in other areas, and I wouldn't question the competency, perceived, or otherwise, of such an official simply because they come to a game dressed in uniform, because I realize that it's an accepted guideline where they work.

JRutledge: My "Rome" isn't the same as your "Rome", or a lot of other "Romes". What's so hard to understand about that? Why do you have such a fascination, or fixation, with my waist? Hey. Eyes up here, please.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

...

2) The training committee tells rookies that they can wear a belt, or not wear a belt. Not only is there no belt ban (a negative statement), but the committee informs the rookies that belts are acceptable (a positive statement). That's the difference between where you officiate, and where I officiate. We tell rookies that they can wear a belt. While your training committee doesn't have a belt ban, I doubt that your training committee makes such a positive statement...

They also should tell rookies that if they go to camps or aspire to be college officials, that belts are frowned upon outside your little corner of Connecticut.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

They also should tell rookies that if they go to camps or aspire to be college officials, that belts are frowned upon outside your little corner of Connecticut.

Our training committee doesn't use the term "frowned up" but it does tell rookie officials that, although belts are allowed, most young officials, especially those that have college aspirations, may wish to choose the beltless option.

Here in my little corner of Connecticut, belts are going the way of the dinosaur. By the way, I was the last basketball official in Connecticut to wear a bow tie while officiating a high school varsity game. It's true. It's true. Maybe I'll take the bow tie out of retirement for my swan song.

[Adam]

"Show them the circles, Grandpa."

[Rich1]

Not dircted directly at any one person in particular, but...

This debate seems to get rehashed very frequently here and there seems to be two camps of thought: the "if its ok with the guy who assigns you then its ok to do it even if thats not what the "official" requirements are" camp, verse the "not going by the book for dress code IS unprofessional because a rule is a rule regardless of what is done, required, allowed by others" camp.

I am guessing that most of us fall into a third group that knows in reality the truth is somewhere in the middle. To get games, you may have to do what an assignor wants even if it wanders over the lines of strict adherence to rules or guidelines BUT for the most part we try do it by the book.

What I find interesting is that in one string there will be multiple comments about how a ref looks is connected to his making a bad call and then in another string to suggest a standard look is more professional brings a wrath upon you, often from the same people. It seems we go from talking about "how a guy is out of shape or wearing white socks or has stripes that are different from the crew" to "how dare you suggest that any of those have any thing to do with how professional someone is". From what I have read here I believe that most of us believe that; 1) how you look does not affect your ability, 2) how you look is a part of how you are judged professionally, and, 3) some sensible flexibilty is necessary.

Billymac is correct to do what he is doing because in Conn. that's what THEY do and JRut is correct that in the rest of the basketball world (where things are done the right way) it is unprofessional, makes you stand out, and should be avoided. I fall more in line with JRut but will also stand behind Billymac and his "when in Rome" flexibility because he might stand out unprofessionally if he didn't and because I work games in different leagues & conferences that have different rules, requirements, and cultures so I occassionally have to adapt how I personally do things. (before some of you jump on that last statement with silly responses asking if I am also willing to kick a rule just to get games, the answer is NO)

In my chapter we are required to wear all black shoes, grey shirts, and beltless pants for all games, with a jacket added during pregame for varsity. There are some who don't always follow this - usually bottom of the barrell guys who get very few games a season or rookies who are quickly corrected by the vets - and it not only affects how you are viewed by others but also your chapter rankings, the number/level of games you get, playoff assignments, etc. In my first year I worked a set of 9th grade & JV games with a very veteran ref. At his insistance, we wore blk/wht the first game and the required grey for the JV because he wanted the JV to feel more special. After the first game, we were met in the locker room by the three guys assigned to varsity and got an ear full about (hemore than I since I was a rooke). He was one of the best refs I worked with and I learned a lot from him that day, including that how you look is important since that guy started getting less games and is no longer with the chapter.