Help Wanted (article on recruiting new officials)

[jTheUmp]

From the local paper.
Help wanted: High school refs and umps - StarTribune.com

Full disclosure: I know basically everyone interviewed for this piece.

[Sturno]

Interesting, and not a shock whatsoever.

There are schools in WI here that pay as little as $50 (I think bumped to $52 this year) for a varsity football game and some others within an hour away that are at $70. Games in the Milwaukee city conference they have to pay the chain crew just to get people down there. I wouldn't do a game there for $250...and no, I'm not joking.

I have 24 years in and don't do this for the money, but $52 to work a varsity contest with all that is entailed these days is ridiculous, IMO.

"Sportsmanship issues”? I'm embarrassed for some of the kids the way their parents and coaches act, and it isn't trending the way you'd like to see it either.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by Sturno

"Sportsmanship issues”? I'm embarrassed for some of the kids the way their parents and coaches act, and it isn't trending the way you'd like to see it either.

SAD, and oh so true.

[JRutledge]

It sounds like a typical situation across the country.

Peace

[whitehat]

I hear Ya. In Colorado we just got a token (i.e. insult) $1 per game raise. Now we get $57 for a varsity contest...obviously we are not in it for the $$

[HLin NC]

The issue to me is at the youth level, which is where new, aspiring officials are going to go get their start and where their first impressions are formed. This is where things go off the rails. I am not against volunteer coaches. I have coached myself.

Any organization who fails to take swift and decisive action against a coach who speaks or acts inappropriately is doing all of us a disservice. Its not the arguing/griping, its the not knowing when to stop arguing/griping.

The vast majority of scholastic coaches, most of whom here are paid staff, have much more to lose if they conduct themselves inappropriately. Sure there may be the occasional "brush fire" but all in all, I feel like I have, at least, a decent relationship with the coaches in our area.

[Forksref]

Originally Posted by whitehat

I hear Ya. In Colorado we just got a token (i.e. insult) $1 per game raise. Now we get $57 for a varsity contest...obviously we are not in it for the $$

In ND we get 77 for a varsity.

In SD, for varsity, they raised it to $100 to make it more attractive. I'd be interested to see if it works.