Newb Post

[Poosh]

Just a warning this may be long I tend to ramble.

But first I want to say Hi to everyone! I am new to the board been reading for a while but haven't posted yet so I wanted to introduce myself to everyone. I am also an aspiring/new official. I plan on making next season my first season officiating football. I live in Oklahoma and this summer will attain my OSSAA certification. I have downloaded the NCAA rules and am studying them. Other then that and looking to start a workout schedule I don't know a lot. So I'm looking to get my rules knowledge up and all knowledge about officiating football up before then. That is why I am here. If anyone could offer me some advice I would be very grateful. Also is anyone on the board from Oklahoma and can give me more info on what I should do here locally to get into officiating. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.

The second part of my post is that. I am 27 and wrestled for 12 years played football for 6 and did many other sports when I was younger. After high school I got into martial arts and competed in that for a while. But the last 4 years I haven't really done much working out at all. I have two little kids so that keeps me busy but I am a computer technician and so spend most of my time sitting on my butt in front of a computer. And have got pretty out of shape. What kind of work out routine would guys suggest for me to get geared back up and in shape. But that would also be directed more towards being in shape for officiating football next season.

Thanks for any all advice. And I hope to get to know you guys and learn as much as I can and hopefully I can ad something to the board.

Larry

[EdT]

http://www.ossaa.com/ is the web site for Oklahoma high school athletics. I'm sure that you could find someone to point you to your local association. By the way, doesn't Oklahoma use NF rules, not NCAA? If so, http://www.NFHS.org is the national federation site. There you can find out how to order the NF rule book and football officials mechanics book (very important). Good luck

[Ed Hickland]

First of all get your hands on the NFHS Football Rule Book which is what high schools use in all states except Texas and Massachusetts. I recommend spending $25 for the ARS Rules Study http://www.rules-study.com.

As for workout. A good part of every football game is running. A good cardiovascular routine using bicycles or aerobics. Personally, it is step aerobics during the winter and on to the bicycle for the summer. And, an anerobic workout with weights primarily building lower body strength. My workout for most of the year is leg extensions, leg curls and leg presses. Then about a month before the season I lower the weight and focus more one strengthening the muscles for running.

Good luck!

[Sleeper]

I was last year what you are doing today. Some free advice that helped me:
1. Read this and other boards. Most (not all) veteran officials love to help the new guys.
1a. Ask questions and try to answer when one is posted. It helps the learning process.
2. Learn the rules. The game moves fast enough without having to go through a long thinking process
3. Develop a thick skin. Coaches can be a pain, especially if you let them get to you.
4. Have fun. This doesn't pay enough to do it just for the money.

My off-season consisted of calling basketball, which I am almost done with. My summer program is running and weights, especially shoulders, knees, ankles. Running is wind sprints, not distance.

[HighSchoolWhiteHat]

Hello Poosh,

first join an association that officiates youth leagues. Do this for at least 2 years, unless you really catch on great in your first year. Whatever association you join will help you moving up.

PS> anything posted by the NAME Derock, be careful of, he uses his own rules most of the time.

Good Luck and wecome to officiating.

[Poosh]

Thanks for all the info guys. I've done some more work on this allready. I contacted OSSAA again and yes they do use NHFS they guy in charge of Officials also forwarded my e-mail on to the guy who is in charge of officials in my area and is also the secretary of the local association. We emailed a few times and talked and he has allready put me on the roster and has explained a lot. There is a large refinery here (conoco) and they merged with Phillips. So there are a lot of people getting redistributed around to different areas of the state and country. so he is losing a few Officials and is happy and excited about me joining. he said they have 4 5man crews working out of here and afew fill ins. so I should get a lot of time this next year because the few he is losing. he said he likes to start his newbies on Middle school and JV to get more experience but sounded like I would do some varsity to if needed bad enough. So I guess we will see. I have ordered my rule books and am ready to study. Thanks for all the great info guys and encouragement. Does anyone have suggestions on places or websites to get your gear? and a weird question. As far as shoes from the sites I have seen they show just spot bilt and riddell. DO you have to stay with the all black with nothing or can you get black Nikes or something that may have a logo but mostly black? I know weird question but I want to know just to make sure.

[Sleeper]

HSWH, I have to disagree with you about starting with the youth leagues. I called 125 games this year from youth to varsity. I learned the most in the Jr High and JV games while working with veteran officials who had time to help. The guys out at the youth games were great guys, but I had to really work at not picking up the "youth" mechanics. Two years of pure youth league would create a lot of habits that would have to be broken later on. Maybe in your area you have a surplus of officials and can do this, but in our area, we can't. JMHO.

[Sleeper]

For equipment there are a couple of places to go that I like. Honigs.com is my first choice, as they have the best selection. Stripes Plus is also good, just a smaller company. You may want to wait on your gear until closer to season. In Texas, the vendors come to the meetings, rules clinics and State Meeting. They normally have pretty good deals and you don't have to pay the shipping. I would assume that there is some of the same stuff in OK.

[James Neil]

Originally posted by Sleeper

Do you have the book "101 Ways to Start a Fight"? It's by an Irish gentleman whose name eludes me.

No I don't , but if you keep signing off this way , he's going to have to make it 102 ways ;^)



Just ribbing you Sleeper. BTW ...I use Honigs and think their great. I get deliveries next day COD and have never had any problems with them. Poosh might want to look into getting a starter package. You get the whole ball of wax for fewer than 200 bucks. Waiting until you go to your first meeting is probably the best idea and will save you some money , but if Pooch is like me he'll want to get his out-fit right now so he can ware it while posting on the internet , checking the mail , shopping , doing the dishes , walking the dog, sleeping , making love , mowing the grass ...etc

[Sleeper]

LOL! It is a quote from the Monty Python "Book Shop" sketch. I liked it and have been using it for awhile. I need to get another one.

[Poosh]

Funny. I will say my wife is allready getting tired of hearing me talk about officiating all the time. and she probably thinks the same thing that if I get a uni now that I will be wearing all the time till the season. So you pretty close to being right on with that one.

I have found one place that had a starter kit for 135 thats everything including two shirts short and long sleeve and shoes besides the other stuff which sounds good. But the shirts are all poly I think I may want the cotton ones so I'm not sure if I get things seperate or what. and I kinda don't like to order shoes rather try them on. and want to break the shoes in for a while. that is one thing why I was wondering if you guys think it is a big deal to have just plain all black no logo shoes or it's ok to have just black nikes or something like that you can get at footlocker or something. But I will check out that other site to. Thanks for the info guys!

[AndrewMcCarthy]

All black is generally the rule. At least until your crew gets a shoe contract. "Blacking- out" the logos doesn't tend to work all that great.

I have the spot-bilt ones and I like them. Some guys I know prefer Converse.

Definitely try before you buy.

[JMN]

Poosh,

Welcome!

A couple of thoughts to consider. Check to see if your association has someone that's designated to work with new officials. If so, get in contact with them and ask them what you can do to prepare for the season and what the training plan includes. This will vary by association.

Also, during your first year, availability is second only to proficiency. Make yourself available to your assignor whenever he needs you and you will have more games than you ever expected, especially when he's in a pinch. More importantly, you gain the reputation of being wide open to take assignments and will get the 1st call.

Along with this, having a wife and 2 kids is a balancing act. I can't tell you how many officials gripe about having to go home to their wives and "face the music" after taking an assignment. Deal with this up-front. Come to an agreement on your schedule (for the 1st year, it's pretty much any assignment you can get) and buy lots of flowers when she doesn't see you from Thursday to Sunday. Seriously, it's a team effort and home is more important than any game. Don't neglect it. The two of you need to agree on your level of participation.

You'll probably start on the wings (officials on the sidelines on the line of scrimmage). If you don't get Varsity assignments at first, go to a game and watch the veterans work. Sometimes you if you ask the R, you can get on the sidelines during the game and shadow the Head Linesman. This is invaluable. Also, contacting the Referee will show your interest and help with the political process of your association.

Hope this helps.

[Poosh]

Thanks for all the info. I contacted the Secretary of the Assoc. that is the person who initially contacted me and put me on the roster, to see if there was someone who helps out the newbs. And thanks for the advice about the wife and kids. I think i will tlak to her more about it tonight :-). But I think she understands but I better make sure. One thing is I have my own business on the side so she understands that and I do some night and weekend work with that sometimes a lot. But we have agreed that if I'm going to do this then I will have to scale back my business during the season. SO hopefully she will understand and we can work it out. And I never even considered thinking of asking about shadowing. Thanks for all the advice.

Another concern I have though that you brought up is politics. This assoc. only has 29 members from what I see on the roster including myself. Is that a smaller group? and do you normally have more politics in a smaller or larger group and also is it just really depend on the people and area. Or am I just getting ahead of myself and should wait to worry about those things till I get more into the assoc?

Thanks again for all your great advice!

[ABoselli]

Demand varsity assignments right away and threaten to quit if you don't get them. As long as you've watched football on TV before, it should be good enough for them.

If you're tall, get the extra long socks as the regular ones are made to fit Mini-Me.

OK, don't demand that stuff right off the bat (unless you think they'll cave).