Playoff's
 

With post season about to start I just wanted to see how your state picks officials to work these games.

It is almost impossible to answer directly as many of those answers apply. And the most important element is not even a choice.

You might want to redo your poll.

Peace

I can sure add some, what would you like to see?

You can add as many things as you like, it will not change the fact that many of these things apply to me and I am sure others based on what I have read. For example we are observed by our state office and we have a rating system where coaches/schools have input.

Peace

In Indiana, the coaches/AD's have the sole vote as to who works and how many games a crew works in the tournament. Each school can rate a crew that they have had work one of their games in the last 3 years. Those ratings 1-5 (5 being best) are averaged to calculate a crews rating. Then the crews are ranked and that determines what you work along with the level of playoff the crew worked the previous year.

Basketball is done exactly the same way except for individual officials.

In Texas, the coaches get to choose their crews. If there is disagreement, they can ask the UIL to assign a chapter to pick a crew.

Our state both grades officials and has observers. Coaches have no direct input; however, they can "scratch" a certain (small) number of officials state-wide.

The state assigns games to one of our eight officiating districts. Individual assignments are made by District Directors.

Washington: Each association is assigned X number of positions for the Semis and Finals. The associations then assign officials to those positions. There are a number of ways the various associations assign those officials. Our asso. (PNFOA) uses a complilation of test scores and peer rankings. We're getting an good observer crew in place and hopefully starting next year these ratings will also be included.
Non state (semis & final) playoff games are assinged as follows. If both teams are from the area that a single association serves that association works all positions. If the teams are from diffeent areas. The "home" team association provides the R, L & BJ (I think I got that right, it might be the LJ), and the "visiting" team asso. supplies the U and the other side guy.
As an umpire it means I travel a lot for those games.....

Where's "Four of the above"?

+1

Peace

NC sub-divides 4 classifications into 8 playoff divisions based on school size. A first round game is not hard to get, and with the cost saving measures instituted over the last few years, is little more than another conference game for some schools.

NC officials are rated Class 1-4 based on a formula of experience, state clinic attendance, NFHS test score, and local meeting attendance. Only Class 1 and 2 are eligible for state playoffs.

Some areas have observers. I imagine coaches complaints are weighed but they have no official role in selection. After the first two rounds, the area booking agents submit their qualified lists to the state office and the state selects the officials.

I've had first round only, second round only, first and second round, and one year I went rounds 1-3. Round 4 here is the Regionals (state semi's) and the 5ht round is State Championships. Those two have eluded me so far but we endeavor to persevere.

In Nebraska, Officials are classified in 3 tiers.

Highest tier is at least 4 years of varsity experience (4+ games a season) open book test over 95% and closed book test over 85 at least once every 3 years.

Middle tier is at least 2 years of varsity experience, open book test over 90 and closed book test over 80 at least once every 5 years.

Lowest tier is everybody else who can manage an 80 on the open book test and a 65 or better once every 5 years on the closed book test.

We are told that preference is given to crews with more officials at the highest tier, and that crews are observed and evaluated, but our crew hasn't been observed in 3+ years and as a crew chief for 2 years I have never been observed (even though we worked 1st round of playoffs last 2 seasons)

The second consideration we are told is the geographic locations and availablity.

In reality...it appears to be assumed that officials in Lincoln and Omaha know more about officiating than most of the rest of us. Two years ago our local team hosted a 2nd round playoff game in 8-man and though there were 3 crews around us with good experience and plenty of 8-man experience they sent a crew from Omaha that had not worked an 8-man game since they went to 5-man crews. (I worked chains and spoke quite a bit with the linesman)

Frustrating thing is, that up until this year if anyone wanted to attend a clinic or anything in our state they had to drive to Lincoln (with people in Lincoln complaining about driving to Grand Island for the state fair) Of the 6 classes and 6 state finals, 1 crew comes from Omaha, 1 from Omaha suburbs, 1 or 2 from Lincoln and another 1 from the eastern area. Usually only 1 crew every other year comes from the western 2/3 of the state.

And yet schools and the NSAA can't figure out why officials in the western part of the state don't stick around very long, and the ones that do, generally don't care enough to work at it and improve.

None of the above.

Sure about that? Not here.

Our booking agent books the all his local schools the first two rounds. 3rd and 4th rounds, booking agent is assigned games from the state and he then assigns officials for those games. The state isn't involved in the selection.

Worst possible system in the country. There appears to be a change on the horizon however.