Field Exam is Monday
 

any advice?

dont be late:D

How did you do?

Did working pop warner games help?

Good place to develop a feel for the game. Lots of crazy things happen, can help in understanding the rules

I passed. I am very excitd about it.

I work Pop Warner every sunday. I am lucky enough to be on a crew to work on positioning,mechanics, and rules. I think it was a BIG help for me

I gotta ask. What is Field Exam?

Oh good, I'm not the only one. It sounds like they actually grade you performing mechanics on the field. Is that true or am I reading too much into it? If it is true then I've gotta ask our association why the heck we don't do something like that.

First year you have to get a 80 on the written test.

You have to pass two tests the second year. Have to get a 90 on the written exam, and an 85 on the field test. There is about 15 board members with clipboards walking the sidelines

takes a mimumun of 2 years to make it. took me 3.

Wow! That must be one heck of an association to work for. That kind of oversight and training likely makes for some good officials. It would be wonderful to have had such training when I was a younger official.

Our association scrambles to get enough officials several times during the season. Already this year we've been forced to assign first year guys, with only 5 or 6 less than varsity games, to varsity games. It makes for some spotty officiating, but the coaches understand that we are in a population limited area (farm/ranch country for 200 miles in every direction) and it is tough to get and keep experienced officials.

Our group in NH is very similar. during the first year, you work freshman/JV games while taking classes that leads up to taking the Federation test which you need to get an 80 or better (closed book). the second year you need to take the refresher test that everyone in the association takes and need to get an 90 or better (open book). also in your second year you get assigned ONE varsity game where you are evaluated for mechanics. the only problem with this is, this might be the first time that any of us have worked five-man mechanics. so it is a very stressful time.

Joe

yeah, you are very similar to us. heh,
I wouldn't know what to do with a 5 man crew.


and for JV and Freshman, we have 3 man crew. do you use 3 or 4?

JV and freshman are all 3, the only time we would see 4 is if we get another official and split the fee (I have yet to have someone balk at splitting the fee, no one wants to work 3 man if they can help it). the only time outside of varsity that I would ever see 5 man is on pop warner sundays, which I have not been able to get myself into very heavily, but I'm near the top of the list to get a full time slot on a crew for next season.

I have done two five man games this year, both pop warner (this is my first year). Luckily both of those games were at umpire, so the mechanics are very similar to 4 man. but my gaols for the off season are to memorize the 5 man mechanics as best as I can.

wow, 5 man for Pop Warner?


and only 3 for JV and Freshman...

go figure

I don't know how many of you experience this, but pop warner is so well funded, that almost everything above mighty mites in NH gets 5 guys, all at 60 bucks a pop.

it's also all about who you know if you get in on a crew