Interesting evaluation
 

Being the Rules Interpreter for our PIAA chapter I get many calls throughout the season concerning rules and officials mechanics. I received a call today about some information that one of the officials in our chapter received following a playoff match that he worked on Monday.

We use certified officials as line judges during the playoffs. After the match, the evaluator told this official that he followed the ball too much. He was R1! He said that he didn't understand what she meant by "following the ball too much". She told him that on a spike attempt, he shouldn't follow the ball but instead stay focused on the net for a second or two to catch net violations. She said that the R2 called a few net violations that he should have caught.

He told her that he had always been taught to follow the ball as R1 (he has been officiating for over 20 years and works many college matches during the fall) so that was different than he had been instructed. The evaluator told him that since he had "stripes" on the lines, he should let them make the line/touch call and he should keep his focus on the net.

He called me to make sure that there wasn't some change in technique that he wasn't aware of. I told him that the evaluator was WAY out in left field and that there was no change in technique. After I got off the phone, I just shook my head :(.

why is this person evaluating? :eek:
The only thing worse than no information is BAD information.

Has the evaluator ever officiated volleyball??? The information given was worse than useless...it was dead wrong. The R1 is responsible for the ball, the R2 has the net and center line. What happens if the LJ's and R2 are screened on a spike and the only one who could make a call because (s)he was following the ball was the R1? By the evaluator's reasoning. the play would be missed since the R1 did not follow the ball. In that case, not following the ball would be a cardinal sin.

IMLHO, retire this person from evaluating immediately if not sooner.

Would the LJ's also be responsible for any potential illegal contact calls as well? :rolleyes:

The line judge, when they see a handling call, should run toward the center of the court to give a informal signal, since the R1 may not see them from their normal position. :cool::cool:

Maybe this information is where the evaluator was coming from???


NCAA/USAV rules comparison:

1. First/Second referee duties



NCAA

�. First referee controls player conduct during the pre-match warm-ups. Second referee times the warm-ups.

�. Either referee should call net faults; first referee hesitates briefly to avoid double whistles on net faults.

�. Second referee calls (whistles) antenna faults on either antenna

�. Referees do not check scoresheet for accuracy after the match is completed.



USAV

�. First referee controls player conduct during the pre-match warm-ups. First referee also times the warm-ups.

�. First referee has primary responsibility for net faults on the upper part of the net, but can whistle any net fault. Second referee can whistle any net fault.

�. Second referee calls (whistles) antenna faults on his/her side of the court.

�. Referees review the scoresheet for accuracy at the end of the match, and the first referee signs the scoresheet.




Developed by: Marcia L. Alterman, NCAA Rules Interpreter July, 2009

with the assistance of Steve Thorpe, USAV Rules Interpreter

The evaluator is primarily a coach but is a registered NFHS official. I really doubt that she has ever officiated a USAV or NCAA match.

Each district in Pa has a person in charge of finding evalators for district championship and inter-district matches. Many districts use the same person(s) year after year. It really doesn't matter if they are competent, it just matters if they are available.

THAT explains everything!