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Improving as a Referee

4/4/2006 12:21:36 PM

Jeannette

176 posts

Improving as a Referee

Hey Doc!

Now that you've had a chance to observe the current referee corps in action from the point of view of an Associate Coach (yes, only 30 years of experience as a coach, so you're only an Associate Coach), what would you say we referees should concentrate on improving?

Jenny

4/4/2006 3:20:32 PM

bckwh

104 posts

Re: Improving as a Referee

Well, Patient Jenny- I must admit that I have been observing referees for a long time, though recently I have had nothing but time to watch and form opinions. I also had the opportunity to observe at this year's US Open as well as at the Rochester Qualifier. Here are some of my thoughts regarading what the Referee Corps as a group needs to improve. 1) No matter what your Referee classification is, when one is sitting as a Corner Judge, the most important thing should be the consistent recognition and scoring of valid points in a timely manner. That is still too inconsistent. I have observed Corner Judges who seem too preoccupied with things other than scoring points. 2) As a Center Referee, each person must work on being consistent with the application of penalties, consistent with the way everyone in that ring is applying them. In my recent stint as a Coach (Associate level), I have experienced people within the same ring applying the rules differently, especially with regards to crossing the boundary line, grabbing/pushing/holding, and falling down. I can state with a certainty that I know that there is no intent to defraud any player/coach. To me, it is obviously a lack of experience. So, in summary, if those two areas are addressed and made better, the entire level of officiating will improve dramatically. I know that individual effort and the desire to do a better job is there, but what is lacking sorely is experience. The follow-up question is this- Where/How do we get experience at the local level (with the demise of State associations and their events) so that premier athletes do not have to suffer through the growing pains of an inexperienced referee at a National event?

~BHarris

4/4/2006 10:06:12 PM

Grant Marlenee

23 posts

Re: Improving as a Referee

The follow-up question is this- Where/How do we get experience at the local level (with the demise of State associations and their events) so that premier athletes do not have to suffer through the growing pains of an inexperienced referee at a National event?

Being in need of much supervised experience myself I had come up with the following idea.

http://www.truereferees.com/DiscussionForum/tabid/288/forumid/1/threadid/80/scope/posts/Default.aspx

Unfortunatley, unless the BOD wrests control back from the ones that want to contract the USAT into an eliteist club for team members only, the whole idea and need for developing referees will be moot.

As for myself, I try to seek out tournaments where I expect there will be more experienced referees and application of standardized rules, but that means multi-day trips in most cases. Around this neck of the woods, I sometimes wind up being the 'authority' on current rules, and that's as a C-1 with limited national experience. If I'm lucky, Ed Jacobson or Kim Miller will turn up and I'll get to absorb a little from them.

Grant

Grant Marlenee

4/4/2006 11:45:37 PM

bckwh

104 posts

Re: Improving as a Referee

Well, Grant, I think that the key is to find others that you can learn from by observation and by asking questions. Many referees today will not (for whatever reasons) do that. A lot of referees, and I hate to generalize, seem content to read the rules and think that they are instant experts. The rules are merely guidelines for officiating. Interpreting how rules are enforced fairly and effectively is the byproduct of experience gained by participating in numerous matches over long periods of time. Unfortunately, I know several referees that ascended to the IR level thinking that they already knew everything and just wanted to be anointed an IR to prove it to the world. Referees of all certification levels have problems with consistent enforcement of the competition rules. One should always be willing (I think) to adopt the attitude of being willing to learn from anyone who has some tidbit of knowledge to share. Finally, there may be an "I" in IR, but there is no "I" in Referee, nor is there room for the "I" complex.

~BHarris

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