Teamwork between partners

[BlitzkriegBob]

Within the last few weeks I've encountered the following:

Working with a partner who, while I'm refereeing, blows his whistle simultaneously with mine at each dead ball. He also made an illegal hit call that happened within my clear view in the center of the court and that I was making at the same time. When we switched places for the next match, I had to signal a fourth hit to him which he failed to recognize. I signalled but did not blow my whistle, expecting him to do it, while the opposing teach coach jumped off the bench yelling "That's four!!!" This official has 33 years experience.

Witnessed two partners (while my partner and I waited for our first match to start on the same court) who in consecutive matches, both followed the flight of the ball while umpiring, never watching the net or moving from side to side. I had just been taking a mental note of this when my partner verbalized the same thought to me...who's watching the net?

Working with yet another partner who while I'm refereeing, calls a foot fault. My vision was blocked by the CB and I could not see the server's foot when she was serving, and the line judge (both were given instructions which included watching for foot faults but both were also young, disinterested girls) did not signal foot fault, but my partner blew the ball dead and called it. This official has 30 years experience.

I've read (over and over) about the responsibilities of each official during the match and have found myself wondering lately if those responsibilities have changed over the years. I've been finding that I seem to work better with other officials who have five or fewer years experience since those are the ones who still pull out rule books and are willing to have post match discussions. They're also the ones who make eye contact and mirror signals, while experienced officials never look my way and give conflicting signals throughout the match. I'm sure my experiences are not the norm, but what can...or should...I do in these instances? Do I have any right to inquire of an official who has 30 years more experience than me why they do what they do?

[MCBear]

Bob, from what you are saying, I can only offer my sympathies to you for having to endure these yo-yo's who think they know what they are doing but, in all actuality, don't have a freakin' clue! I am wondering how they have survived this long without the coaches ganging up and lynching them or they partners that they have left high and dry not taking them to task for their ineptitude.

The responsibilities have changed very little over the years except to become more organized as to who has primary responsibility for certain calls. The referee is responsible for all ball handling calls (it has only been in the last 12 years that the umpire has been restricted to calling only those ball handling errors that are clearly out of view of the referee.). The umpire's focus is to be between the attack lines concentrating on the net and centerline. If you want to break your umpire of the habit of following the ball and not focusing on the net/centerline, tell them that you want their check to be returned to the school since they are not doing the job that they were hired to do and are trying to do your job instead. I guarantee that will get their attention. Another option is to call them over to the stand at the earliest opportunity and tell them to quit trying to do my job and to focus on their duties. There are certain expectations that are implicit in officiating volleyball and one of them is that each official does the job that they are assigned to do without infringing upon the partner's area. In addition, as the Referee, you have the right and responsibility to over-rule any other member of the officiating team who makes an obviously incorrect call or is not paying attention to their specific duties.

If an umpire makes a ball handling call and, in my estimation, it was not warranted, I WILL issue a replay and flat out tell the umpire that ball handling is NOT their responsibility. Following the match, I will file a written report & evaluation on that individual with the assigner so that corrective action can begin.

In addition, I will bring these types of situations to the attention of the local association's trainers and evaluators so that appropriate action can be taken to get the members trained properly (and if the individuals do not want to change what they are doing, avoid working with them like the plague!!!).

Hopefully, you are encountering the last of the dinosaurs who are undoubtedly multi-sport officials who have never played the game of volleyball and don't have a clue about what the game is about. Within a few years, like all dinosaurs, they will die out. Just be sure that you are working with the younger officials so that they DO NOT develop any of these curmudgeon's atrocious habits.

[BigToe]

I have had similar situations that Bob has run into. Unfortuantely, in my area of Illinois, we don't really have assignors. ADs schedule their own officials. In most cases, I don't know who I am working with until we both show up to the game site. Since I am not a certified official, I cannot evaluate other officials.

I have been officiating volleyball for 5 years now and I have really struggled this year working with partners that don't know the rules well or don't pay attention. As the referee, I tend to make most of the calls in these situations (center line, net, etc.) because I know my partner either doesn't know a violation has happened or is not paying attention. My problem comes when I am the umpire. Ball handling calls are just not being called, the line calls are bad (we don't use line judges), etc. The coaches are on me and don't feel I can really do anything because those are not my calls. I indicate to my partner but I am ignored. I have received some bad ratings by coaches when in my opinion, as the umpire, I can't make the calls they want called but I have been knocked anyway.

[refnrev]

I can sympathize. I just hope that some of my partners don't think that I'm as big a "yo-yo" as I have thought some of them were. Let me state that I've worked with some very very good officials. And then, there were the other ones. I worked with one guy who makes good calls, but he literally scares the girls to death before the game. He blows everything from the floor, will beat you (R) to a whistle every point. He screams out the numbers for substitutions loud enough that everyone can hear him all over the gym and he has a personality as stiff as a 2X4. I had another partner one night who must have just been there to get a check and go home. Like Big Toe, we work direct with the ADs in both states where I officiate, so often you may meet someone for the first time when you get to the gym. But on those nights when you get a good combination and things are really clicking and everyone watches his/her area and when the players have great digs, long rallies, pretty sets, big kills... oooh on those nights it is sooooooooooo much fun!

[TravelinMan]

Originally posted by MCBear
Hopefully, you are encountering the last of the dinosaurs who are undoubtedly MULTI-SPORT OFFICIALS who have never played the game of volleyball and don't have a clue about what the game is about. Within a few years, like all dinosaurs, they will die out.

McBear, I read your comments and find them "right on", but I've got to disagree with you on your above statement. I am one of those multisport officials you refer to. I'm a 1st year volleyball official, but have been doing HS basketball for 10 years. I find that many of the skills I've acquired from bball have been valuable in my VB baptism. Specifically, strong whistle, confidence, knowing the rules like the back of my hand, feel for the game, game management and most importantly, refereeing your primary areas. A good basketball official truly appreciates calling your own area and TRUSTING YOUR PARTNERS. They would be the last to violate this principle. By going to matches and watching experienced officials I have developed a better feel for the game of VB. I never played VB in HS or college. They didn't offer it. But that hasn't stopped me from doing my darndest to know the rules and develop a feel for the game. I already have a love for the game. Someday I will be officiating college VB and you can count on that my friend.

[refnrev]

Sorry, MC, but this multi-sport dinosaur is good at volleyball and getting better each season. I really enjoy it very much! Since I went to high school in a rural area of the South in the 70's you can bet there were no boy's volleyball teams. So, no, I never played the game. I never played soccer growing up in a state that worships its football teams, either, but I was a very good soccer coach and I'm a very good soccer ref. Many of the skills that I have honed over the years in basketball on the hardwood and on the soccer pitch have served me very well in VB. Next year I plan to move in the direction of promotion, not extinction! I'll be in the gym, not a museum.

[rainmaker]

I'm with refnrev and TravelMan. It took me a long time to learn to ref basketball, and it's taken a while to learn volleyball, but I am learning and improving. I never played, never coached, never taught, but I can ref -- sooner or later.

[MCBear]

I did not mean to impugn your abilities as multi-sport officials. I understand where you are coming from since I used to be one myself (basketball, baseball/softball, volleyball). In retrospect, I could have been much kinder in my posting. And, I will admit that I was in error.

I should have just let it go that the inept officials are most likely dinosaurs who have not attempted to keep up with the game or thought that refereeing volleyball was an easy way to make easy money.

Mea culpa.

[TravelinMan]

Originally posted by MCBear
I did not mean to impugn your abilities as multi-sport officials. I understand where you are coming from since I used to be one myself (basketball, baseball/softball, volleyball). In retrospect, I could have been much kinder in my posting. And, I will admit that I was in error.

I should have just let it go that the inept officials are most likely dinosaurs who have not attempted to keep up with the game or thought that refereeing volleyball was an easy way to make easy money.

Mea culpa.

All is forgiven.

I hope to learn more about the game and proper officiating from experienced officials such as yourself. As one of our group said "officiating volleyball is easy, but officiating it WELL is VERY difficult". What's important is I have the drive and desire to become a good VB official. It will take a lot of hard work and experience to get there. And help and advice from seasoned officials.

[refnrev]

You're forgiven! But if it would make you feel better you can always send a VERY GENEROUS tax-deductible donation to the Refnrev Evangelistic Association where our funds are dangerously low. Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Debit, Checks, Cash, Stocks, Bonds, Real Estate -- all donations are gladly accepted. Or, you can just keep posting good answers to everyone's VB questions. Whichever is easier for you!

PS. I never heard of Mea Culpa. Is she a setter, hitter, or Libero?(LOL)

[Edited by refnrev on Oct 25th, 2005 at 11:21 PM]

[BlitzkriegBob]

I'm a multi-sport official also, but I understand completely why MCBear said what he did. My only other sport is softball (though I really don't umpire many games since I still coach my daughter's fast pitch team), but I also was signed up to take the basketball exam. As luck would have it I was too busy at my regular job to be able to take the exam, and I don't regret it at all. I feel fortunate that I only have to worry about learning the rules of two sports right now. If I had to be learning basketball that would be taking time away from me becoming a better volleyball official or softball umpire. Once I have a couple of more years under my belt maybe I'll revisit basketball but for now I'm content.

As TravelinMan stated, I also hope to learn more from experienced officials. Maybe my problem is that while I'm paying my dues working middle school matches, the officials I'm partnered with (I also never know who it is that I'll be working with) are the ones doing it just for the money. I wish I could count how often the only advice I've received is "You should work middle school matches because the pay is almost the same and you get home a lot earlier." Another comment I heard at one of my daughter's volleyball matches when I was being a spectator was an official who only did volleyball so he could get in good with AD's and get assignments for basketball games. I never want to be one of those.

On top of all that, again I say thanks for the advice.