How far would you go for the playoffs
 

Aauuugh....playoff time in Montana. According to the article below only 4 schools will travel less than 200 miles as all 5 classes of playoffs begin this weekend. The longest traveller is 679 miles....one way....I think they started travelling yesterday :).

Football teams hitting the road for playoff games

And in NC the superintendents pushed through a "pod system" to save travel cost. It regionalizes the first two rounds of an already subdivided classification system that virtually makes many of our games just another conference game. It also ignores the statewide seeds and re-seeds in the pod. Some pods are loaded with 2-3 prospective state champs that won't make it out of the region.

The coaches despise it but they've been told its out of their hands and here to stay.

That being said, I've got relatives in the Helena area and have visited them about 3 times in the late 80's to mid 90's. I've never been there during football season.
Maybe one day I'll give it a try.

Quick trip to Wal*Mart
 

Everything is far away in MT. We moved from Dillon to Washington State a few years ago. In Montana you didn't think twice about running to to store 2 hours away - where 2 hours meant 150 miles.

On a side note - I see from the article that the Dillon Beavers are back to their old tricks of playing great football and threatening another State title. The Dillon association of officials is the best I have ever been a part of.

Hey I fished Big Sheep Creek(?) near Dillon. Cousin worked at a red angus ranch near there. The gravel road in was like a 20 min. drive. The small creek behind his place had cutthroats jumping on basically empty hooks. Agressive little fishies. Never been fishing where I've been warned to stay away if a moose shows up though.

Down along the main creek, I found a hole where the trout just went mad for about 20 minutes about 5 pm. Best fishing experience I ever had, and I'm not much of a fisherman by any means.

Amen
 

I haven't fished here in Washington in the three years we've been here for that very reason. The fishing in Dillon was fantastic. Cuttthroats are a fun fish to catch. I used to go into a mountain lake that had 18 inch cutts and you would cast a big may fly out and then watch the fish swim up from the depth and take your fly. It was awesome! Throw in a bunch or 24 inch browns and rainbows on the Beaverhead river and you can see where one would get spoiled.

Our brackets will come out this weekend not 600 mile trips but there will probably be some in the 400+ range. NM (#5) right behind Montana (#4) in size

I would go anywhere in my state to work a game. But it is very unlikely any of us would go nearly that far to work as we have to have some regional representation in the post season. So there are plenty of schools in our area to cover a playoff game. Also the state has to pay mileage after a certain number of miles, so I doubt they want to give us more money to work a game completely out of the area.

Peace

WI pays mileage at 40¢ a mile in the playoffs. They try to get crews to ride together, but that doesn't always work out and the schools pay and the state reimburses.

We've traveled far, we've traveled near. Last week we had a second round game only 15 miles from my house. Because of the location, we met at the school and had mileage on all 5 checks.

Last week I traveled 110 miles from my house. This week I'm 5 miles from my office. The check will be smaller (we get 20 cents/mile in playoffs) but I prefer this week.

We are in the same boat in Wyoming as Montana is for traveling. Last week our crew went 120 miles for the 1st round of play-offs, this week it's about the same but crossing the Big Horn Mtns tonight. Next week we go to Laramie for the State Championship game and it will be 375 miles one way. We get .55/mile and $60 per diem for 2 days.

I have a Minnesota state tournament game next week in the Twin Cities, which is about 125 miles each way. We get one mileage check for the group. Frankly, I would go about anywhere to work a state tournament. You only get so many chances. :D

MILEAGE, MEAL AND RIDER FEE PAYMENTS FOR ALL CONTESTS

Officials’ expenses for regular season and play-off games/matches in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling:

(1) Reimbursement of an official’s expenses (meal or per diem) is based on one-way mileage intended to reach the site of a game/match/event is as follows:

51 miles to 150 miles=one meal @ $10
Over 150 miles=two meals = $15

(2) Per diem (where applicable) is $75 per day providing the official spends the night.

(3) Mileage is paid at the rate of $.405 per mile round trip from the official’s hometown.


a) EXCEPTION: If an official chooses to affiliate him/herself with a group from outside of his/her hometown where a local group exists, they will not be paid mileage from their home town. For example, if an official lives in Alamogordo but chooses to officiate with the Las Cruces association rather than the Alamogordo association, he/she would NOT be paid mileage from Alamogordo to Las Cruces for the game because he/she has made the choice to officiate outside of his/her home town, where a local group exists.

b) Only ONE driver will be paid for each contest.

(4) A rider fee of $10 is paid to officials who are riding (non-drivers only) on trips of 51miles or more one-way.

In Texas, we could be sent anywhere, including another state. Several years ago, the Austin chapter worked a game between 2 West Texas schools in New Mexico! That site was closer than any comparable site in Texas.

Our chapter, in North Texas, will work 3-4 games a year during the regular season on the Gulf Coast. San Antonio and Houston are fairly routine, Amarillo/Lubbock happens every so often, and Corpus Christi isn't out of the question. Heck, I've been in courtrooms in every corner of Texas, roughly half the basketball gyms in the eastern half of the state, so a football game 500 miles away wouldn't be anything new for me.

We also have a state quarterfinal this weekend in the Twin Cities but luckily we are a Twin Cities based crew. One of my crew members only has to go about 2 miles to our game site. In MN you have to travel at least 50 miles to get mileage reimbursement in the state tournament.

Can't imagine what travel must be like for your guys in large states. The farthest I've ever driven is 3 hours one way.

But for me, that's what the playoffs are all about. Getting off work early, hittin' the road with the guys, going to a new school, seeing a couple of new teams. It's one of my most favorite things about officiating.