Assignments vs. Crews

[JMN]

Under another thread, the age old topic of assignments vs. crews surfaced, so I thought I would start a thread to get folks comments on the pros and cons of both methods of assigning officials. I've worked both and liked both.

Currently, we use the assignment method and I sure like to work with different guys. However, those games when you have a weak official on your dance card it's a long day/night! (I stress "weak" vs. "new"; I'll work with a new guy anytime and try to help him/her). Also, we have a pretty good program to train new officials and have a fairly high retention rate for those critical 1st 2-3 years.

With crews, I had a good experience and I was lucky to land on a respected crew early in my officiating career. They took me under their wing and provided excellent counsel and support. Don't know what it would have been like if I had to wait around to be adopted by a crew or God forbid, been chosen by a crew that wasn't respected.

Eager to hear everyone's thoughts and experiences.

p.s. Are there other boards that you guys post on that are as good as this one?