New Official!

[dumbref]

DON’T DO IT MIKE!!! You will never be able to watch a football game as a specter again. You will begin to hate sports announcers. You will start yelling at the TV during games because they do not know the rules. You have to conduct rule clinics every Monday morning at work. You will have to listen to all the horror stories of how your co-work’s son team got screwed by an official Friday night.

You will learn that coaches learn the rules from announcers. And you will learn to ignore them more than you wife. She knows more about the rules than the coaches (see yelling at the TV above). I repeat - DON’T DO IT MIKE!!!

But if you choose ignore my advise, you will make friendships that will last a life time. Good luck!!

[waltjp]

Dumbref isn't so dumb. This man speaks the truth!

[Bob M.]

REPLY: Welcome Mike. I also saw your post on the NFHS board. These boards can be a great resource when used wisely. Read everything. Eventually, you'll learn which posters bring value to a thread and which don't. Also, don't be discouraged if you don't see a whole lot out there now. There are a few 'knuckleheads' (including yours truly) who keep up with this even during the off-season. But many go into hibernation, only to reappear in August when we begin gearing up for the next season. That's when you'll see a whole lot of activity.

[mikesears]

My advice is to keep coming back here. Of all the places to learn the rules, this is one of the best. Sometimes, the other posters on this site use the obscure "once-in-a-lifetime play" to illustrate how all the rules fit together.
This and other forums are great places for all involved in the sport.

Learning to deal with coaches is often difficult for a new official. Learn when they are just venting and when they have a legitimate question. Experience helps here.

Work as much football as you can. Nothing beats experience.

If you watch football on television, don't believe the announcers have it right. Very few announcers actually know the rulebook well enough to make informed comments. Also, don't assume that what you see at the NCAA or NFL level applies to Nat Fed. level. There are 400+ differences between Nat Fed and NCAA rules. This is why rules study is so important.

[RMR]

dumbref, my wife wnated to know how I managed to post from your computer when I showed her this:

DON’T DO IT MIKE!!! You will never be able to watch a football game as a specter again. You will begin to hate sports announcers. You will start yelling at the TV during games because they do not know the rules. You have to conduct rule clinics every Monday morning at work. You will have to listen to all the horror stories of how your co-work’s son team got screwed by an official Friday night.

You will learn that coaches learn the rules from announcers. And you will learn to ignore them more than you wife. She knows more about the rules than the coaches (see yelling at the TV above). I repeat - DON’T DO IT MIKE!!!

But if you choose ignore my advise, you will make friendships that will last a life time. Good luck!!