Working in Crews

[Kentucky Basketball]

How many of you work in crews? How many work games assinged individually by positon? What are pros and cons of each system?

[SE Minnestoa Re]

We work the same crew every week. Small association. Crews are selected by the white hat.

[Mike L]

Crew for our JV/V double headers. Everything else is individual. All assignments done by the assign secs.
We also have something of an unusual crew system. Each June the crew chiefs meet to draft their crew. Any certified official (a number of requirements for that) is eligible to be drafted. The only restriction on the crew chief is he may not draft anyone who he drafted the year before (or anyone who became a permanent replacement during the year).

[Rich]

I am my crew's chief. I choose who I work with and I am the one who builds our schedule (varsity and non-varsity). I've fired 2 members of the crew (early on), but I've had the same 5 guys now for 6 years.

I wouldn't like to be forced to pick a different crew each year. I officiate with these guys not just because they're officiating colleagues -- they're also some of my best friends.

[JRutledge]

For all varsity night games we work in crews. I do not see why you would want to do it any other way. You know your partners and their tendencies and can work off of previous situations and learn from them. Also we can have a crew philosophy that will help us know what to do when the games get crazy.

Peace

[BktBallRef]

We've worked crews for as long as I've officiated in my local association. Next season, the state supervisor is forcing us to break up our crews. And that's all I've got to say about that.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

We've worked crews for as long as I've officiated in my local association. Next season, the state supervisor is forcing us to break up our crews. And that's all I've got to say about that.

Another administrator who equates good administration with change for change's sake.

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

For all varsity night games we work in crews. I do not see why you would want to do it any other way. You know your partners and their tendencies and can work off of previous situations and learn from them. Also we can have a crew philosophy that will help us know what to do when the games get crazy.

Peace

I agree with this. Most sub-varsity games are worked as individual with various ways of assigning and there tends to be a lot of miscommunication and inconsistency regardless of the experience of the officials. At higher levels with more experienced officials I think individual assigning would work better.

[JasonTX]

My chapter uses individual assignments. It gives me the oppurtunity to work with many different officials and being a small chapter (95 members) there isn't much change amongst each official with the mechanics. I have seen Crews work and you can see that each crew has their own deviations from the prescribed mechanics. Not that its a bad thing but it tends to be inconsistent from one crew to the next. I also work college and that is a crew and I wouldn't change it at all. If we were a larger chapter for high school I would like to be on a crew. On a crew system you have to have a way to get younger guys on the field. The problem with making crews with a small chapter is that you may get stuck with a guy that isn't as dedicated to getting better than others. Right now if I get a game with that guy, I can rest easy because I know next week I will be working with someone else.

[footballref]

We work in crew at the varsity level and we have another crew for sub-varsity. The sub-varisty crew will change throughout the year since people are more apt to turn down or get out of a sub-varsity game.

Personally I like working with the same guys on Fridays week after week. You know what you are in for and that makes things enjoyable. Of course, I may have a different view if I was on a different crew.

[TXMike]

I am in a large chapter (@400 members) where we always did individual assignments until several years ago when we switched to self-forming crews.

If you are recognized as a good official in your chapter, our system is great. It got me on a crew with some dedicated guys who are fun to be with. I always feared a crew system would get me stuck with guys who were not really committed but that did not happen. I know some guys who are not hapopy where they ended up but they have a chance every 2 years to switch crews.

To Jason's point, we did have a system that guaranteed younger officials would get a chance to get on the field but we will be having a chapter meeting tomorrow night and I think that system is about to go away. We will likely end up with a system that puts no restrictions on the crew make-up. That is going to be great for my crew as it will let us keep a guy who is no longer a younger guy. But I am worried of what it will mean for the Chapter as a whole.

Similar discussions on this topic: http://www.refstripes.com/forum/index.php?topic=7294.0

http://www.refstripes.com/forum/index.php?topic=5046.0

[Welpe]

Mike, I have heard about your chapter's crew system before and really like the way it sounds. Here the only restriction is who can be a crew chief (minimum Division 2) and a few requirements for formed crews to stay together in future years such as a minimum number of coaches picks over a couple of years.

[TXMike]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Mike, I have heard about your chapter's crew system before and really like the way it sounds. Here the only restriction is who can be a crew chief (minimum Division 2) and a few requirements for formed crews to stay together in future years such as a minimum number of coaches picks over a couple of years.

I suspect that policy will be changed after the vote tomorrow. This will be the new policy, if it passes

1. Definition:
A Self-Forming Crew is one in which an official, who has been certified as a
Referee (Crew Chief) by the Chapter, forms a football officiating crew of 5 members by recruiting members of the Chapter who are in good standing and secures, in writing, their agreement to participate in said crew.

A. Crew Chief:
The Crew Chief of each crew will be the Referee. They must meet all current TASO requirements to officiate football, and meet all of the Chapter crew chief guidelines listed below:

1) Attend a minimum of 75% of required meetings the previous year.

2) Pass either a chapter basic rules and mechanics test to include all field positions, or a certification process TBD annually by the board of directors.

3) Receive final board approval of recommended crew.

B. Crew Official:
A football official that has met all current TASO requirements to officiate football and is a member in good standing with the Chapter who has signed on with a Crew Chief to officiate football under the crew concept.

C. Independent Official:
A football official that has met all current TASO requirements to officiate football and is a member in good standing with the Chapter who has not agreed to be a part of a crew. Independent Referees must meet the same requirements listed in 1A above.

D. Transfer/Reinstated Official:
An Official who has transferred from another chapter either in state or out of state, or has been inactive from the chapter for one or more years will not be eligible to be a Crew Chief in the current year of transfer.

2. Formation of Crews:
The Crew Chief shall notify the chapter Secretary in writing the names and officiating positions of each member of his/her proposed crew no later than midnight March 31 of the current year. There are no limits on the number of crews that can form. Each crew shall meet the following requirements and have final approval of the board:

A. All members are in good standing with the Chapter.

B. Crew Chief must be certified as previously stated in 1A above.

C. Crews will consist of 5 members only.


3. Crew Rotation (Reformation):
The crews will remain intact for a two-year period. Every odd-year football season, crews will be dissolved and new crews will be established using this same process. Returning crew chiefs may retain any number of members from the previous crew, provided they meet the criteria established in the formation of crews.

A. Formation of Crew during even-year seasons:
A new crew wishing to form during an even-year will be permitted to do so, provided it meets the formation of crew requirements. However, they will still be required to renew the crew at the regular scheduled odd-year football season.

B. Removal of a Crew or Crew Member:

1) If a Crew wants to disband or a Crew member wishes to leave the crew prior to the coach’s picks, then notification to the chapter secretary must be received prior to July 1 of the current year. The Crew chief can pick a replacement for any vacant positions.

2) If a Crew disbands after July 1 but prior to the picks, the crew must petition the
board for approval to resubmit a crew.

3) If a member of a crew wishes to leave after July 1, the crew will remain as is, and replacements will be made on a week-to-week basis. The board will determine if any game cancellation fees are to be assessed.

4) If for any reason prior to the selection process, or after the picks, 3 or more members of a crew are unable to officiate during the current season, the entire crew will be considered disbanded. The board will determine availability of the remaining officials and determine if any game fees will be assessed.

4. Independent and Crew Availability:
All members are required to fill out an availability and Conflict of Interest sheet for the current season and have back to the chapter no later then July 1 of the current year. Failure to do so will withdraw the individual from the coach’s selections.

A. Conflict of Interest (COI):

1) If a Crew Official has a COI as defined by current Chapter & TASO State
Policy, then that COI will apply to the entire Crew. However, coaches may waive any declared COI by mutual agreement.

2) If an Independent Official has COI as defined by current Chapter & TASO
State Policy, the current policy is in place, but may be waived by mutual agreement.

B. Scratches of officials:

1) If a Crew official is scratched by a coach it will apply to the entire Crew (all-or none principle). The scratch may be handled in one of the following manners:

a) Coach may remove the scratch of the Crew official to retain the Crew.

b) Coach may choose another Crew, if available.

c) Coach may choose all officials from the Independent official’s availability list.

2) Independent Official scratches will be handled in the same way as the crew policy but on an individual basis.

C. Blocked Dates:
1) There is no limit to the number of game dates that a Crew of officials may block as long as each member does not block more the 50% of their Friday Varsity availability. However, once the Coach’s Picks have been completed, any blocked dates may not be re-opened without approval of the Board. If approved, then the official will be considered as an Independent Official for that date.

2) A Crew or Independent Official may block out dates as needed to place themselves on a Mentorship Crew. The Board can assign these officials as needed for the purpose of educating and mentoring of other officials for varsity game assignments of division 2A and below schools. Each member can submit a Mentorship crew for those weeks or be assigned as Independent Officials. Crew Chiefs for a mentorship crew are exempt from Crew Chief Standards as outlined in 1A with approval by the Chapter Board of Directors.

3) Crew position vacancies other than the crew chief (Referee) position that are declared prior to July 1, must be recommended by the crew chief by notification to the chapter secretary prior to July 1.

5. Game Selection Process:
Games will continue to be selected as current policy dictates with Coaches mutually selecting games for Division 5A, and 4A, followed by the board assignments of 3A and below games.

A. Coach’s Picks:

1) During the annual Coach’s selection process two separate lists of officials will be made available to the coaches.

a) A crew list inclusive of each members name and position on the crew.

b) An Independent officials list arranged by division and position, with a maximum of 2 positions.

2) During the picks, coaches shall select their game officials from either list.
However, if coaches select a Crew, the Crew must be selected as a unit.

B. Game Assignments:

1) The board may assign both Crews and Independents that are available on these dates.

2) Crew members do not need to be assigned as a crew; it will be up to the discretion of the board in assigning each member representing the chapter.

C. Replacement of Officials after the picks:

1) In the event a vacancy occurs on a Crew after the coach’s picks, the Referee will select at least three available officials from both the Independent availability list and available members from other Crews not working that date, to be recommended to the coaches by the Chapter Secretary as a replacement for the vacant field position within their Crew.

2) If the vacancy in a selected crew happens to be the Referee, then the board will select 3 Referees to be recommended to the Coaches.

3) If the replacement of a Crew or Individual official(s) is because of a coaches scratch, after the assignment or selection of said officials(s) or Crew: If said official(s) or Crew is not selected or assigned to another game, the school is obligated to pay the entire scratched individual(s) or Crew. The aforementioned policies and procedures stated apply to regular season games only.

6. High Profile Game Assignments (Post-Season Playoff, Texas
Football Classic, etc.):
The Chapter Board reserves the right to assign high profile games on an individual basis, based on UIL requirements and request. The best available officials can be assigned to high-profile games whether they are an existing Crew from the regular season, individuals from the Independent officials list, or from a combination of both. When the coaches make specific requests, these will be honored whenever possible.

[Texas Aggie]

Like Mike, I work in a large metro area chapter that works primarily in the crew system. We have a draft that involves the highest 2 classifications of public schools. Each spring, those coaches assemble and draft crews to work their games. After the draft, the rest of the games are assigned to crews, those left in the pool, and a mixture. The mixture could be as simple as someone in the pool filling in on a crew to work a game received via the draft, or it could be an assigned game where those on crews work with those in the pool instead of their crew for that particular game. Really depends on how many games your crew got in the draft and what experience level you are. If your crew got 10+ games, you probably won't get any more, unless you are requested to fill in. Some crews only get 2 or 3 (or fewer) draft games and get more games assigned to them -- both with their crew and the pool. In the last 2 years, I've worked about 25 varsity games with about 2/3rds of them being with my crew. I've filled in a couple of times, and the rest have been with other guys.

With a big chapter, its hard to get noticed to be selected to work on a crew unless you go in knowing someone or work a lot of subvarsity with crew chiefs or other heavy hitters. Last year, they made a big push to get guys the opportunity to be seen and evaluated in subvarsity games so crew chiefs who needed guys could call and get recommendations. I filled one opening on my crew that way.

I like the crew system. I hate being a R in the pool. While I like working with other guys, the administrative tasks of getting everyone there on time, the pregame, etc., are a pain. If I go back into the pool, it will be as a BJ.

We have standards for crew chiefs, but not really any ones for crews, other than they must fit within a total number of division ratings (each official is a division 1-5, with 1 being the most experienced) points. This is to make sure that the crew is experienced enough but also that there is opportunity for new blood to come in. Some guys don't like this because elite crews have been broken up with, for example, all the guys on the crew reach division 1 (there must be at least 2 division 2 officials). I've proposed that we give crews that "grow" into too experienced a crew position a waiver for at least 1 cycle, to allow that crew to (hopefully) reap the benefits of a solid crew that's worked together for several years and could likely be one of the best in the state. In other words, you can't form a solid division 1 crew from scratch, but if a previously "legal" crew became "illegal" due to advancement, they would have a waiver.

The other issues that are being discussed is crew member eligibility. While I think its nice that we have an open system, it has caused problems. There have been guys who worked their first varsity game in a Texas 5A matchup between 2 state powers in front of 20K. This isn't ideal. We work a lot of smaller schools and even many 6 man football games at the varsity level, and there's a proposal that one work a minimum of 4 years at that level -- with their first year being at the 6 man level.

There's no perfect system.

[parepat]

Where I work we do not have guidelines for the formation of crews. That suits me fine. I can't control the people I have to work with Monday thru Friday. However, in my hobby I am thankful that I can work with people whose company I enjoy (aside from the coaches, of course).