On the wane....
 

So my third season of football is almost over, I have one more junior high game on Monday afternoon and then I'm done for the year.

I'm beat. I know most of you would think that 26 games in a year is nothing, but it's more than twice as many as I've ever done in a season, and I'm just worn down and have to re-assess if I want to do this again.

I've gotten a ton of reps this year, and that's great. I've learned a lot (mostly by getting stuff wrong or nearly getting it wrong). This year has been a terrific learning experience.

Maybe it's just the nightmare from last night, but I'm really sick of coaches and I don't know if I have the temperament to deal with them at higher levels if I eventually move up.

Does anybody else get like this? Am I just cranky because it's the end of the season and I'll be fine after some time off?

You've got to change the way you think, or you'll need to get out. You can't take this stuff home with you and worry about it. Its got to be left on the field, or at worst, be gone by the next morning. The coach(es) on the team you had a problem with is/are (an) idiot(s) and likely (a) very poor coach(es). They were blaming you for their problems. At some point, you've got to shut things down by saying something like, "coach, we are done talking; I'm not going to listen to this silly nonsense and calls for phantom penalties." Then, shutup and ignore what they say. I promise you that after a while if you ignore them, they will go away and focus on other things. If they get worse, you have tools at your disposal for dealing with it.

A lot of people don't understand that it isn't an argument people like this don't like, its being ignored.

I had a jr. high game similar to this a few weeks ago. Both coaches (at different times) were raising their voice, and I shut that down immediately. Then, I made careful and calm responses to their questions, and when they ceased being questions, I said, "OK, coach, we're playing ball." I guess one coach felt like he got in the last word when he expressed his displeasure at the end of the game, but by then, it didn't matter. I'm leaving the field and going home, knowing that we worked a solid game.

Remember this: the guy you had last night has a chip on his shoulder about officials. It wasn't you; it could have been me or any number of guys out there and he would have responded the same way. He is a little man in the truest sense of the term, and he doesn't come close to deserving your attention. Feel sorry his players have to have him as their coach and move on.

I'm actually more concerned about you thinking 26 games is a long season. I had that many less than halfway through our season, which we have 3 weeks left on the regular portion of it.

I agree totally with Aggy. I will add that it is important to decompress after a game. Thats why god made crews and friends and "adult beverage establishments" close to game sites. In addition, if you are concerned about the number of games you are doing, schedule a day off. You need a little time just to do something else. If for no other reason than to stay sane. The other thing is talking about your experiences with veteran officials or crew members. In all my pregames, I start off by asking if there is anything that anyone wants to get off their minds. That little time I spend with the crew to "clear the air" can often times be the difference between an official keeping a clear head on the sidelines....or going off the deep end on a coach or player.

So hang in there. Remember---take one game at a time. Deal with the game. Deal with the Post Game and then let it go. Learning from mistakes and occurrences does not mean thinking about it for a long time.

Remember, this is only my third season at this, I'm 41, and this isn't my only extracurricular activity. For me, 26 games is a lot. For someone who just has one job and just officiates on the side, that might not be a lot (I know guys who have done over 100 games in a season). For me, it feels like a lot, so whether that feels like a lot or a little to someone else isn't a big concern to me.

I'm just tired and haven't gotten to the point yet where I can blow off what coaches say.

Maybe I should just move in from the wing and be an umpire. :)

Also remember, there are a lot of coaches out there who recognize a good job when they see one. Let me give you two examples.

Last weekend, I had a Mitey Mite game (8-9 years old, I think). Coach of one team had EVERY possible break and call go against him - they end up being shut out. But they had a great attitude - the only thing I got from the sideline all game was a very calm "May I ask a question, sir?" from time to time - with one exception. On a punt by his team the ball landed, bounced off of his player, an opponent, and was recovered by his player. My bean bag is already down, I stop the clock and signal first touching and receivers' ball. Coach says, "Hey, that should be our ball!" I say, "Coach, your player touched it first." He stands there for a second, and then says in this very 'angry' tone of voice, "Well, you know what? ... I'm wrong!" I was doubled over laughing. After the game, I complimented the staff on setting the right example for the kids.

Last night, we had a varsity game we knew would be ugly from the opening kickoff. Visiting team has been chippy all season, and the home team is pissed at being 4-3 and out of the playoffs in favor of a 3-4 team because overall record is not a selection criteria for wild-card teams. (Long story behind that one.) Coaches of both teams before the game say that they'll do everything they can to keep things under control, and they made valiant efforts. We still had a number of PFs and USCs, and one incident that nearly escalated into a bench-clearing brawl. (Note to players: Deep in the opponents' bench area is NOT a smart place to lay a late hit on someone.) But we didn't have to toss anyone, mostly because we were talking to kids constantly and hustling to stand between them whenever things started getting a bit chippy. And after the game, both coaches said that they thought all the flags were warranted and that they appreciated our hard work in keeping the game under control.

Coaches like these make up for the next 10 obnoxious ones you see. And at the end of the game, all you have to ask yourself is this: Did you do the best job that you know how? Did you learn something new? If the answer to both questions is yes, go home and rest easy.

Why is that a reason to be concerned? OAB works basketball as well. I work baseball and basketball. I worked about 100 baseball games this past season and have about 40 varsity basketball games scheduled starting the week of Thanksgiving.

Not all of us think working football 5-6 days a week is a great gig. I worked a grand total of 2 Saturdays this season -- one varsity reserve game and one afternoon varsity game. I'd rather sit at home and watch college football on TV.

I've worked 11 varsity games (around here they play 99% of the games on Fridays so you can't get 2-3 varsity games in each week) and 12 Thursday subvarsity games. That's 25 games so far, less than OAB. I'm a varsity WH and worked each position (except back judge) at least once this season.

BTW, I could work all the youth ball I want, but that violates 2 of my personal rules: I won't work in less than a 4-man crew anymore. And I won't work youth ball unless they stick cash in my hand before the first game starts. And the local league stopped doing that this season.

I don't work football 5-6 days a week; maybe 4 at the most. I also do basketball and mixed in a hoops camp about 3 weeks ago. I certainly understand what it means to be worn out.

And, of course, I understand there isn't the availability of games everywhere like in Texas. My concern, and that may be too strong a word, stems from the fact that he said he worked 26 games and was ready for the season to be over with. Many around here barely feel the season has started after their first 26 games. Further, I experienced burnout in officiating before (hoops, early '90s) and wanting the season over with, regardless of number of games worked, is one symptom of such. Hence why I said I was concerned. From reading his posts, it appears to me he is a very good official, obviously has a strong interest in improving, and we all need guys like that. I'd hate to see him leave the game.

I think there can be a re-wiring of your brain (so to speak) to overcome some of the stuff he's frustrated with, and that was my intent. It wasn't to make a big deal about the number of games worked. That was just a symptom, as I said, of problems I've had in the past, and I'd simply like to pass on experience so anyone can take it or leave it for what its worth.

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?

I used to feel that way during LL baseball
 

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:eek:

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:(

Guess not.

Sorry to waste your time.

:D 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.

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.

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.

Hang in
 

I'm in my 4th year of football and 2nd of basketball...

A couple of tips to prevent burnout:

1. Control your schedule - In my chapter, we get to see our full season befre it starts. We have the opportunity to turn back games and manage how much we work. If i have openings later, I let my assigner know that I am available as a sub for such-and-such dates. Not sure if you have this in your chapter...

2. Talk - I'm not suggesting a running bannter with the coaches on your sideline, but you need to communicate at certain points. Be open and be neutral - speak with authority on the rules and on what you (or a crew member) saw in explaining why a call was made. It's OK to admit a mistake if one is made (by you, not by a crew mate). It's also OK to state that the other official had a different view and you can't speak to what he saw. If it needs to go further, bring the WH over.

3. Forget - The next play is a new opportunity. Not to atone for the play before, but to ensure that the game is played within the rules. Don't hang onto what happened even 1 play ago. Work what's going on now - what's in front of you now is what's important.

4. Set the example - It's hard to believe sometimes what shennanigans the coaches engage in. Remember that they are setting a bad example for the kids, the parents, and the fans. We're not there to set an equally bad (or worse) example. Work to get your calls correct. Keep calm. Think. Speak clearly, and without emotion. Following the coaches' lead is a downward spiral.

The behavior of coaches, fans, and players can make you want to walk away from officiating. Officials play an important role in demonstrating how things are supposed to be done. It's a great opportunity to be an example for those that need it most - especially when that example is not provided by those from whom it should come.

Just my opinion
 

Let me say this first. I know OverandBack a little bit. He is just like a lot of other newer officials he is trying to find his way. He is rather successful in his career (he might not admit to this) and he seems to be struggling based on his words here. What I would suggest to OB and any other newer official is just take a deep breathe. Officiating is not easy, but it is not as bad as we make it either. Part of the problem is the fact that we really do not know what to expect when we start. I think if OB had a mentor, someone he can talk to on a much more regular basis, then he might figure out how to navigate through this thing we call officiating. He is going through what a lot of us go through early on. We just have to decide whether we like this and what we like about this. If I am not mistaken OB got out of basketball because of what happen to him during a Men's league game. One of the things that kept me officiating is I cut back heavily on those kind of games that had no accountabity. In football I only work HS leagues for the most part. The only league that I do work that is not HS/college is a Catholic Grade School League and it is with two officials that have worked State Finals in the past 2 years. That helps eliminate many bad experiences because my partners are solid and we all have similar expectations while working football. In basketball I pretty much only work HS games and college games and I try to avoid any lower level ball that is not associated with a large governing body (like the Illinois Elementary High School Association). OB, you have to be picky at what you do. My suggestion is to just stick to HS games and try to latch onto a crew that is going to work once or twice a week. You do not live in an area where you "have to work" when you do not want to. Those Pop Warner/Bill George type leagues burn out the best officials around. So stay away from them if you are tired of all the crap that goes along with them. Officiating should be fun, not a drudgery.

Peace

I have to piggy back on what Rich said. A few years ago I would work every Friday and Saturday during the football season and I thought that was rather long. I would work 18 varsity dates (mostly double headers) and I would be exhausted after each weekend. The last couple of years I am lucky to work 2 Saturdays and that is just fine for me. Now the playoffs are coming and I have likely only 3 more weeks left (hopefully 1 after that :D) and that is more than enough. I am finally trying to work some college football and I was working about 3 weeks of JV games that was a lot of fun, but the games were very close to my house.

Working football in my opinion takes a lot out of you in one setting (more than my other sports if you ask me). Probably the only thing that rivals this is when you are working the plate during a baseball game in the hot sun. But you do not work the plate every game so working baseball can be not as physically demanding quite a bit of the time. When you work multiple sports you are really trying to pace yourself so that you do not go crazy or drive the people you live with crazy because you are always gone.

Peace

When you work multiple sports.........
 

My wife fixed that problem rather quickly after my son was born when she told me to "pick one and live with it.":eek:

JRutledge, you just hit the nail on the head. Limit the type of ball. I like that, and until my wife put her foot down a few years ago, I couldn't see the forest for the trees. There is nothing like doing a football or baseball game, but doing it in a crappy setting just deflates it all.

O&B,

I'm in my 8th year of officiating. After my third year, I was seriously questioning if I wanted to keep working football (and my wife was pleased I was considering quitting). I was also working basketball and baseball. What helped me is cutting back on my schedule. I now only work football and I work a minimal schedule of underclassman games and rarely work anything that isn't sanctioned by our state association.

I also got away from the sidelines to get away from some of what I consider harrassment. After three years, I wasn't confident in my rules application. Things I heard from coaches also really bothered me. Now after my 8th year, I must be developing some thick skin and some confidence in my rules application because I rarely hear things that bother me and I have to smile at the ignorance of what I hear. I've evened occasionally moved back over to a wing position to work on my people skills. I'm also working D3 college ball at a wing.

Bottom line is that it gets easier with time.

I am available to talk to you about this if you would like to phone me. Send me an email at twinsears AT verizon DOT net if you would like to share your thoughts.

3 weeks to go ... and I still have SEVENTEEN more games. First year - 100 games on the nose. 70-80 each year since then. And I'm only a couple of years younger than you.

And I'd say my workload is pretty typical of the guys I work with.

If 26 is wearing you out, is it physical or mental? If mental, maybe working MORE would actually help. Can't focus on the nonsense from the coach last night (or even last game - 10 minutes ago) - I have 2 more games tonight. The coaches become just background noise after a while.

Who CARES how many games people work? This is an irrelevant yardstick. It's personal choice and personal makeup that are important in choosing how many games people work and someone who works 100 is in no way better than someone who chooses to work 25. I mean, how many games do D-IA officials work in a season?

Dang, Rich. Did I say anything at all about whether I think I'm better than OB or not, or whether that has anything at all to do with the number of games worked each season?

No.

My point was that if his issue was mental, and not physical, that sometimes working MORE games helps alleviate the problem. If you're constantly working, it's easier to let go of bad games or bad coaches, as you really have no choice but to forget it and move on.

As far as how many games is best, I'm sure it varies by person. I found out the hard way that 100 was too many, and included in that is that I learned that for me, 5 days a week is too many. I've cut back to 3-4 days per week, and about 75 in a year is much better for me - both mentally and physically. Everyone has his own sweet spot.

In my chapter our goal is to do all we can to keep everyone past 3 years. Once we get them to stick to it for 3 years, then they pretty much stick around on their own after that. It's just those first 3 years that we have a hard time keeping folks. Their primary reason is Coaches. Early on when I first started I didn't take too much crap from coaches. I'd stand my ground and even respond back. Well, that made things worse. Now, I just let them say what they need to say and don't respond. I hear them, but I'm not listening. I only respond when they have an actual question. 90% of the time they don't have a question, so there is no reason to respond. I just shake my head and tell them I hear them.

Actually, good point. It's easier to forget about yesterday's jerk when you have today's to think about. :D

I am not married but I live with my girlfriend. And I would not tolerate that kind of choice. The girlfriend I have now knew me as an official. If you have to give up things you love, why are you married?

Considering what I have read here, if you (not you but anyone this would apply to) stop working games every single night, maybe you would have time for your family. I do not work a 100 basketball games in a season. How in the hell do you work 100 football games?

Peace

I would never have to be subjected to that choice, either. My wife has said, "You were an official before we met."