High school basketball season is in full swing and I put in a full week's worth of officiating last week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday). The majority of the games were high school except for a youth tournament on Sunday.
Overall, despite being very tired, I enjoyed myself. Basketball officiating can be tough but I'm focused on keeping relaxed and being much more aware of game situations. I think I did a fairly good job overall in all of my games and one of my partners noted that he saw that I enjoyed officiating. In fact, I like being on the floor and I am not focused on the type of game (Frosh, JV, Varsity, etc). I hope this translates to better performance on the floor.
There may be a few technical things that I learned form last week that I post about, but that's for another time!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball
I had a chance to work a boys & girls varsity basketball double header this weekend. It was great to get back onto the court for an official game. I had worked an alumni girls game on Wednesday so I had already started getting back into the flow. It helped that the alumni game was competitive so I had to stay focused. With the double header, it was a sign that the high school season was in full swing.
Overall, the double header went well. Both games were competitive with solid players and coaching on both sides. However, the one thing that both my partner and I had to adjust to was the difference between the girls and boys game.
It may not be always true. However, for this past weekend, my partner and I felt the intensity of the game and the overall speed of the girls were a tad lower than the boys. It felt a little easier to keep up and get into the proper position to officiate the game.
The boys game was intense affair with a lot of man to man defense and uptempo play on both sides. My partner and I were in pretty good shape so keeping up with the teams wasn't a big problem. However, there were a lot of turnovers which sometimes made my partner and I scramble to get into better positions on the court.
Indeed, that is something I want to work on. I pride myself on keeping up with the teams while they run up and down the court. However, I sometimes focus on running too much instead of focusing on the game situations. I think if I see the play, I can better anticipate whether I should sprint down the court or pace myself in case the play suddenly heads back the other way.
I feel my judgement on the court is pretty good if I get a good look at the play. Indeed, positioning on the basketball court is one thing that separates the average official from the above average officials. This is something I'll have to continue to work on this season and beyond.
Overall, the double header went well. Both games were competitive with solid players and coaching on both sides. However, the one thing that both my partner and I had to adjust to was the difference between the girls and boys game.
It may not be always true. However, for this past weekend, my partner and I felt the intensity of the game and the overall speed of the girls were a tad lower than the boys. It felt a little easier to keep up and get into the proper position to officiate the game.
The boys game was intense affair with a lot of man to man defense and uptempo play on both sides. My partner and I were in pretty good shape so keeping up with the teams wasn't a big problem. However, there were a lot of turnovers which sometimes made my partner and I scramble to get into better positions on the court.
Indeed, that is something I want to work on. I pride myself on keeping up with the teams while they run up and down the court. However, I sometimes focus on running too much instead of focusing on the game situations. I think if I see the play, I can better anticipate whether I should sprint down the court or pace myself in case the play suddenly heads back the other way.
I feel my judgement on the court is pretty good if I get a good look at the play. Indeed, positioning on the basketball court is one thing that separates the average official from the above average officials. This is something I'll have to continue to work on this season and beyond.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Back to Work
It's been a while since I officiated in a "real" basketball game. I officiate in an adult basketball league I play in but the intensity level is pretty low. Tonight I officiated a girls varsity alumni game for my former high school. I got a chance to work with a relatively new official and I worked with her a little bit.
The intensity level of the game wasn't at playoff level but both the varsity team and the alumni team played hard. While the alumni led most of the way, the varsity girls battled back and ultimately lost by 2 points.
Despite being a little tired the past few days due to some personal things, it was great to get on the court. I admit to be a little tired of officiating in recent months. It's a natural thing as I've officiated basketball since 1993 (high school since 2002). However, I am trying to take a more fresh and confident perspective onto the court this year. The reason for this is I think it's time to step up my officiating level and not be content to be an average official.
At the same time, I'm not pressuring myself to perform well on the court. I feel that if I just have confidence in myself and stay focused, I know I can handle any situations that will occur. I'll be back to work for a double header in a few days and will keep everyone update on my feelings throughout the upcoming high school basketball season.
The intensity level of the game wasn't at playoff level but both the varsity team and the alumni team played hard. While the alumni led most of the way, the varsity girls battled back and ultimately lost by 2 points.
Despite being a little tired the past few days due to some personal things, it was great to get on the court. I admit to be a little tired of officiating in recent months. It's a natural thing as I've officiated basketball since 1993 (high school since 2002). However, I am trying to take a more fresh and confident perspective onto the court this year. The reason for this is I think it's time to step up my officiating level and not be content to be an average official.
At the same time, I'm not pressuring myself to perform well on the court. I feel that if I just have confidence in myself and stay focused, I know I can handle any situations that will occur. I'll be back to work for a double header in a few days and will keep everyone update on my feelings throughout the upcoming high school basketball season.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Difference between low level volleyball and high level volleyball
Last year, I decided to give youth volleyball officiating a shot. I was unemployed at the time and thought doing something new would be fun. In fact, it was pretty fun. There were some bad games but there were also some competitive games that were fun to officiate.
This season, due to various things, I just haven't been able to officiate as much. However, this past Friday, I officiated the best game I've ever seen in my short career. It was an 8th Grade Division 1 game between two playoff bound teams. One team was definitely the better but the other team was very solid.
The difference between the game this Friday and the others I had previous done? The two teams friday were were very skilled. They kept rallies alive and were doing the bump, set and spike all night long. Plus some of the young ladies were spiking the ball HARD. Most of the youth volleyball I see is the serve and bump the ball around type which makes for a slow moving game.
The slow moving game was what I was used to and officiating those kind of games is not too difficult because you can anticipate where the ball is going and officiate appropriately. With the level of play on Friday, I had to make some adjustments.
I had to watch net play more as girls were trying to save balls, spikes and block spikes. The other change was that I HAD TO RELY on my line judges more. The balls were flying around fast and there was no way I could see everything. Fortunately, I had two great line judges to work with.
One disadvantage I had was there was no stand to work from at the gym. I was ground level and that proved to be difficult see some of the net play. However, I did the best that I could. Overall, the game was quite enjoyable and I'm glad for the opportunity. I've going to brush up more on my volleyball rules as I know I have some knowledge gaps. Perhaps I'll take up the challenge of officiating high school volleyball (time permitting) in the future.
This season, due to various things, I just haven't been able to officiate as much. However, this past Friday, I officiated the best game I've ever seen in my short career. It was an 8th Grade Division 1 game between two playoff bound teams. One team was definitely the better but the other team was very solid.
The difference between the game this Friday and the others I had previous done? The two teams friday were were very skilled. They kept rallies alive and were doing the bump, set and spike all night long. Plus some of the young ladies were spiking the ball HARD. Most of the youth volleyball I see is the serve and bump the ball around type which makes for a slow moving game.
The slow moving game was what I was used to and officiating those kind of games is not too difficult because you can anticipate where the ball is going and officiate appropriately. With the level of play on Friday, I had to make some adjustments.
I had to watch net play more as girls were trying to save balls, spikes and block spikes. The other change was that I HAD TO RELY on my line judges more. The balls were flying around fast and there was no way I could see everything. Fortunately, I had two great line judges to work with.
One disadvantage I had was there was no stand to work from at the gym. I was ground level and that proved to be difficult see some of the net play. However, I did the best that I could. Overall, the game was quite enjoyable and I'm glad for the opportunity. I've going to brush up more on my volleyball rules as I know I have some knowledge gaps. Perhaps I'll take up the challenge of officiating high school volleyball (time permitting) in the future.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Double Dipping
This past Thursday, I got a rare chance to double dip. I officiated an adult league basketball game at around 5:45 PM. The game finished at around 6:45 PM and I proceeded to commute to play in my own adult league basketball game later that evening at 8:45 PM.
I usually wouldn't do this but the scheduling just happened to work out for me. The officiating part was pretty laid back though I got a chance to work with a veteran (who also happens to assign the adult league we were working). I got a chance to talk to the vet and get some insights from him. In addition, I have to say this particular official is one of the friendliest and easy going guys you're going to ever meet. He doesn't mind if you have to get out of games, just as long as you tell him why. As a official, he's one of the best guys around in our group and great to watch as well.
On the flip side, I played in my adult league game. We trailed the whole game, rallied to tie it at 60-60 but lost in overtime 67-62.
I usually wouldn't do this but the scheduling just happened to work out for me. The officiating part was pretty laid back though I got a chance to work with a veteran (who also happens to assign the adult league we were working). I got a chance to talk to the vet and get some insights from him. In addition, I have to say this particular official is one of the friendliest and easy going guys you're going to ever meet. He doesn't mind if you have to get out of games, just as long as you tell him why. As a official, he's one of the best guys around in our group and great to watch as well.
On the flip side, I played in my adult league game. We trailed the whole game, rallied to tie it at 60-60 but lost in overtime 67-62.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
There are stupid parents and then there are IDIOTS......
I've officiated youth basketball (8th grade and below in my mind) for 17+ years. I've officiated CYO, AAU and Club basketball circuits. Throughout all those years, you see a little bit of everything. For the most part, you get nice and support parents. Despite the bad raps, most youth coaches are ok too.
On the flip side, there are some parents who seem intent on reliving their lives through their kids OR the parents who think their kid is the superstar and whine about every call to the refs.
Today, I had one of the latter. I'd seen this particular parent before in the previous years. He's always yelling at his kid and then yelling at the referees. Since he was in the stands, my partner and I just ignored him. However, after the game ended (his son's team lost by about 15), came over to us and whined that his son was fouled the whole game. I don't believe he was worried that his son's team had actually lost.
In any case, my partner and I just ignored the parent. However, my partner and I did have to get our payment from the tournament director and the parent was still around. I guess he couldn't stand us and he said to my face that "we should return our money".
I usually don't do this (and not recommended for newer officials) but I basically told the parent he needed to keep his opinion to himself. I'm surprised the team that this parent supports doesn't keep a tighter rein on the guy. After all, the parent is a terrible example for his son. His son is a decent but not particularly great player. Imagine if you're in the son's shoes. Your team lost and your dad is complaining to the referees. What happens when the kid gets to high school and he gets cut or doesn't play much?
In any case, the crazy parent didn't overshadow a good day on the court. There were two solid games and one so-so game. I did alright though I was slowed by my bad left ankle. By the last game, after getting warm, I was doing fine though the ankle is a little sore now.
On the flip side, there are some parents who seem intent on reliving their lives through their kids OR the parents who think their kid is the superstar and whine about every call to the refs.
Today, I had one of the latter. I'd seen this particular parent before in the previous years. He's always yelling at his kid and then yelling at the referees. Since he was in the stands, my partner and I just ignored him. However, after the game ended (his son's team lost by about 15), came over to us and whined that his son was fouled the whole game. I don't believe he was worried that his son's team had actually lost.
In any case, my partner and I just ignored the parent. However, my partner and I did have to get our payment from the tournament director and the parent was still around. I guess he couldn't stand us and he said to my face that "we should return our money".
I usually don't do this (and not recommended for newer officials) but I basically told the parent he needed to keep his opinion to himself. I'm surprised the team that this parent supports doesn't keep a tighter rein on the guy. After all, the parent is a terrible example for his son. His son is a decent but not particularly great player. Imagine if you're in the son's shoes. Your team lost and your dad is complaining to the referees. What happens when the kid gets to high school and he gets cut or doesn't play much?
In any case, the crazy parent didn't overshadow a good day on the court. There were two solid games and one so-so game. I did alright though I was slowed by my bad left ankle. By the last game, after getting warm, I was doing fine though the ankle is a little sore now.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Welcome to Officiating!
I got asked to help out with new referee training for my high school officiating association a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it last week due to work but stopped by the gym tonight to see if I could help out.
There were a ton of experienced officials participating so I didn't talk to the new "recruits" much. However, I got a chance to see some on court work by the new folks and it was interesting to look at the new people work.
With every group of new officials, you'll always get a wide diversity of people. There always seem to be one or two that look comfortable out there despite their lack of experience. On the other end, you'll get people who can't quite blow the whistle and do the right mechanics at the same time yet.
The rest of the people are usually somewhere in between. Some look decent but need some more experience to smooth out their mechanics. Others just need to get into better shape. On the flip side, some are so eager to please that it seems like they are the energizer bunny out there.
It was actually good for me to show up at the training session. I may be a veteran in terms of the number of years that I've officiated but I don't have a lot of big game experience. The reason I started this blog was because I realized I needed to continue to learn and improve. Maybe I won't improve as drastically as some of these new folks will, but I feel I still have a lot of room to grow.
If given a chance, I would say one thing to the new officials. Your learning and training never stop, even after they complete their training over the next few weeks. There are always new situations that will occur from game to game. While the lack of experience may frustrate people, mistakes are the only way you will learn and grow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
