On the wane....

[Rich]

Originally Posted by OverAndBack

Used to. I started with basketball (hence the username), but gave it up because I realized I would have liked it better without the players, coaches and parents. Which didn't leave much. Too lazy to start all over with a different username.

As for burnout, yeah, but it's not just football burnout. I tend to burn the candle at both ends and in the middle, so I'm just burned out in general and need to find a way to simplify my life.

As for rewiring to not let these things bother me, yes, I'm sure that can be done with experience. I'm not there yet. I still take these things personally because, while I think my biggest improvement in year three has been presence and feeling like I belong out there, I am not yet confident enough in my judgment to feel like I have the courage of conviction behind my calls. I'm hopeful I'll get there sooner rather than later, because I'm still not 100% confident of my rules knowledge or judgment on applying it on things like holding and pass interference and I'm still not where I want to be on sideline demeanor.

But thanks for the other compliments.

You quit hoops after 44 games? And now you feel this way after 47 football games?

Are you sure you're cut out for officiating?

[HLin NC]

district tournament time. We were starting up weekly f.b. meetings about then and I found my mind wandering to football. We had a good local league but some of these district coaches think they're Connie Mack.

I always get a little down as f.b. season winds down and find I miss it for a few weeks. I've been fortunate to work a week or two into the playoffs but there are too many ahead of me to make it past the early rounds.

Barring anything unforseen, this will be the first season that I've worked every Friday night save the opening week when there are just a few games scheduled in our area. I've worked almost every Thursday too. I used to call 3-4 days, maybe even 5 per week. Now 2, maybe 3 is all I get but physically I fear that I'm going to have to cut back soon or come off the wing.

I'm not a fitness buff but do try to work out 3-5 days a week at lunch to be in some semblance of shape to officiate. I'm 43 and have called for the past 13 years. Like most guys my age, I ought to drop a few pounds and actually did lose 10 over the summer. I laugh at what the doctor's chart thinks I [I]should[I] weigh

The cooler weather the last couple of weeks has really gotten to my knees and hips and its difficult to get loose. We come dressed to the game site and pre-game stretching can be minimal. I suffer from plantar faciitis, arthritis and favoring my right foot to keep the pressure off the heel has led to tendonitis in the achilles this season. Its a struggle to take those first few steps out of bed on Friday and Saturday mornings.

I don't really want to be an umpire and I don't know if I can get selected as a WH. I don't want to hang it up but I don't want to get to the point I'm not effective. I've felt at times that I'm not getting downfield fast enough and thanking God that I've got a BJ on Fridays at least.

OK, now I'm depressed

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally Posted by HLin NC

I'm not a fitness buff but do try to work out 3-5 days a week at lunch to be in some semblance of shape to officiate. I'm 43 and have called for the past 13 years. Like most guys my age, I ought to drop a few pounds and actually did lose 10 over the summer. I laugh at what the doctor's chart thinks I [i]should[i] weigh

Yeah, those charts have never done me any good, either. Even when I was fencing in college and in pretty damn good shape, I was still 25-30 pounds "overweight" according to the charts.

[OverAndBack]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

You quit hoops after 44 games? And now you feel this way after 47 football games?

Are you sure you're cut out for officiating?

Guess not.

Sorry to waste your time.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by OverAndBack

Guess not.

Sorry to waste your time.

Hey, this is a serious question.

Your first few years are going to be HARD YEARS. This is why many, many officials pack it in after a year or two. You don't know what you don't know and everyone else sees a rookie (or near rookie) official. It's like blood in the water.

I'm sorry to see you give up basketball, is what I'm saying. It doesn't really get good (in my opinion) until you're super-comfortable (read: almost bored) working a JV game and start working towards varsity. Now I don't get pumped up until I'm in my jacket listening to the band playing the warmup music.

I've brought 2 new officials onto my crew the past 3 seasons in football. Neither official had worked a football game. EVER. Their first games were as my back judge on a varsity field.

The guy with 3 years experience (now) is my umpire and he is one of the best I've ever worked with. The guy with 2 years experience moved to line judge this season and did a great job. They both had extensive experience working other sports and that helped, but they were still willing to make mistakes and accept criticism. Sounds like a mentor would help you a lot.

Is your season almost over? Once it's over, put your gear away for a while and revisit these thoughts in a few months. Someone who cares enough to come here and post should stick with it a while.

[waltjp]

OnB,

Like Rich said, a mentor might be a good idea. You can post anything you'd like here but the bottom line is none of us have seen you work a game. Talk to some of the guys you work with and get their opinions of your work. Ask for their overall impression. Ask what you do well. Ask what you need to improve on.

I'm always asking for feedback. I try to identify a weakness before every season. Then I work to correct it. I expect the same out of my entire crew. We talk frequently about thing we can do to improve individually and as a crew.

I hope you'll stick with it but only you can make that decision.