As you may or may not know I am a teacher. I have been off work since the 20th, and do not return til the 4th. It is a great opportunity to see a lot of wrestling, and take care of business. I did a little of each.
As a teacher I get paid once a month. My wife is also a teacher. We both got paid on the 20th of December, and will not get paid again til the end of January. That makes January the longest month of the year every year. My wife and I were smart this year. We refinanced our house with a credit union, and right after the closing, I refinanced both of our cars. Not only will we save thousands in the long run, but I will have no car, or house payments in December. Why did I include this in a Blog about officiating? Although officiating is a hobbie, a way to see wrestling close up, and by far my favorite sport it is a paying job.
I had some good dates booked for the break, and looked to earn some extra cash. I was scheduled to work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday right at the start of the break. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I got moved from my Friday night assignment, my Sunday assignment was canceled, Tuesday was compressed into Mondays event, and I donated my time on Monday. So I went from 5 days of work down to one. Second week I was assigned Dixie Nationals, and A Varsity Dual Tournament at Monroe Area High School. I noticed that no one was assigned to work the Minion Duals, so I got on the phone, and made sure everyone involved got it together. I was offered the tournament, but I was busy closing loans that day.
I got to see plenty of wrestling, and got a chance to talk to some coaches, parents, and wrestlers. I watched the first night of the Gwinnett County Championships, a youth tournament, the Kyle Maynard Duals, and a Varsity Dual Tournament at Archer. I had lots of great moments from these two weeks, but here are some of my favorites.
Talking with parents of wrestlers I coached in youth clubs.
Watching kids that my son works with wrestling well.
Talking about officiating with other officials.
Not wearing my Collins Hill hoodie to Collins Hill.
Mistakenly wearing the hoodie to Archer.
No irate coaches/dads at Dixie.
One of my highlights that really stand out was at Archer. I got some time with my old friend, and recruit Craig Bently. I had some good conversation with Ronnie Milhoff(We lived in the same neighborhood, and graduated from the same high school). I talked with some of the officials between duals as well. I was watching some boys I know from West Forsyth wrestle while talking with Dalas Brown. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a hard takedown, and noticed that the official called it a slam. I walked over to the score table because the wrestler was taking recovery time. I was checking to see if the table understood that it was two minutes for recovery not a minute and a half. The official was by the table and told me he got it right, that he actually knew some of the rules. While I was at the table, I heard the coach of the wrestler who had been slammed say that his wrestler could not continue. The official called the wrestlers to the center of the mat, and raised the hand of the injured wrestler. The coach of the wrestler who lost came to the table and said so my wrestler looses because the other guy does not know how to wrestle. The official said no it was a slam. The coach said it wasn't a slam. Before I could keep from saying it out loud, I said that's coaches misconduct. The official laughed and started to walk away. He did not call misconduct. The coach looked up at me and told me to go away, and change my shirt(Collins Hill Hoodie). I smiled and started to say that's rude, but that's unsportsmanlike came out of my mouth. Honestly, I should not have gone to the table, should not have made any comments, and I hope the coach has no hard feelings. None of it was meant in harm, and I apologize if it came across that way.
I was kind of hoping that I would be assigned to one of the Area Duals. I will be working a youth tournament instead. Don't get me wrong, we have some of the best youth wrestlers in the Nation right here in Georgia, and the youth tournament could have better wrestling then a Dual I could have been assigned to. It is nice to see the high emotional involvement of the High school teams and fans at Area Duals though. If you go to Macon for State I will be there volunteering my time again. I think I will be helping with NWCA's online scoring system. I can't believe it is only a couple of weeks away.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Bloody bad call.
I had a lite week this week. I had no events during the week, and because of some scheduling conflicts, I ended up being off Friday night as well.
Wednesday one of the wrestlers at my school asked if I was working. Since I wasn't he asked me to come watch at Flowery Branch. Apalachee was in tri with Flowery Branch and Jefferson. It was a good chance to see some talented wrestlers, and catch up with old acquaintances. Jefferson was dominant and the duals were not competitive. There were two mats with Varsity on one mat, and JV/MS wrestling match ups on the other. I was looking at the JV mat when action on the varsity match caught my eye. The Apalachee wrestler had a figure four on the Jefferson wrestler's head with his shin bone crossing the Jefferson wrestlers throat. The official stopped the match, and I thought he signaled illegal, and awarded the Jefferson wrestler one point. The Apalachee wrestler's mom asked me what he called. I asked her if they were neutral when it happened and she said they weren't. In between duals I went to ask the official about it. I know him, but we are not well acquainted. He got a little defensive as he explained the call so I walked away quickly after I got an explanation. He said that it was a neutral position making it a technical violation. I said so you called technical violation. He said it is a technical violation. I walked off. I did not tell him that he showed the signal for illegal hold. I may be mistaken so I just let it be. The point is he did not like me asking him about the call, and I was not there to critique him, I was just getting an answer for a confused parent. Officials can be sensitive.
Friday night I was able to watch Gwinnett County Championships at Peachtree Ridge. I really like this tournament because I coached youth in Gwinnett for a few years, and there are always a ton of wrestlers I know in the tournament. There was a good mix of kids I have coached as well as kids my son currently works with, and talks about all the time. There was some good solid wrestling with only a couple of surprises. I ended the night talking with another official that was there watching his son. He had started up a youth program in Gwinnett this year so we have a lot in common. We were watching one of my favorite young officials and ended up critiquing him. He never missed a call, but he did a poor job of using signals to communicate what he was calling. We knew what he was calling, but a random fan would likely be confused. As I was driving away, I saw the young official leaving. I rolled down my window and said ref you suck. To my surprise he turned around to see who said it. He smiled, and made fun of my car.
Saturday was here, and it was time to work. I was at Oconee, and the coach that told me I needed a protractor was there as well. I was the head official and it was my turn to talk to the coaches. I told all of the coaches that even though i made it look as if I could not hear what they were saying, that i took everything that they said to heart. I asked the protractor coach if he had brought the present that he had promised me. He looked totally confused and said I don't know what you are talking about. I pulled a protractor out of my pocket and told him that I had been practicing.
During one of the more competitive duals, in a very close match, there was a blood stoppage. One of the wrestlers had a bloody nose. We got everything cleaned up and restarted. The match was tied in the third period, and there was a pinning situation. The wrestler with the bloody nose was giving up back points. I already had a two count when his nose plug came out, and he began to bleed. I continued with the situation till I was sure there would not be a fall. Because I was stopping for blood in a pinning combination I awarded an extra point. I held up 4 points near fall. The coach of the bleeding wrestler asked if what I had done was correct, and honestly it wasn't. I got caught up in the heat of the match, and I allowed it to lead to a bad call. I talked to the coach latter, and told him I should have stopped it the second the nose plug came out. It would have been a three point near fall instead of four.
There was some close exciting Duals which made the tournament fun to work. One of the other officials requested to work the finals, so I said OK. I worked the 7th place match. Honestly, I think it is more difficult to call a seventh palace match than a first place match. The better the wrestlers are, the easier it is for me to predict what they are going to do next. This allows me more time to get into position to make my calls. the difference in the seventh place match and the first place match was like the grand canyon. I finished fairly quickly, and was able to watch a lot of the first place match, and observe all of the other officials.
Wednesday one of the wrestlers at my school asked if I was working. Since I wasn't he asked me to come watch at Flowery Branch. Apalachee was in tri with Flowery Branch and Jefferson. It was a good chance to see some talented wrestlers, and catch up with old acquaintances. Jefferson was dominant and the duals were not competitive. There were two mats with Varsity on one mat, and JV/MS wrestling match ups on the other. I was looking at the JV mat when action on the varsity match caught my eye. The Apalachee wrestler had a figure four on the Jefferson wrestler's head with his shin bone crossing the Jefferson wrestlers throat. The official stopped the match, and I thought he signaled illegal, and awarded the Jefferson wrestler one point. The Apalachee wrestler's mom asked me what he called. I asked her if they were neutral when it happened and she said they weren't. In between duals I went to ask the official about it. I know him, but we are not well acquainted. He got a little defensive as he explained the call so I walked away quickly after I got an explanation. He said that it was a neutral position making it a technical violation. I said so you called technical violation. He said it is a technical violation. I walked off. I did not tell him that he showed the signal for illegal hold. I may be mistaken so I just let it be. The point is he did not like me asking him about the call, and I was not there to critique him, I was just getting an answer for a confused parent. Officials can be sensitive.
Friday night I was able to watch Gwinnett County Championships at Peachtree Ridge. I really like this tournament because I coached youth in Gwinnett for a few years, and there are always a ton of wrestlers I know in the tournament. There was a good mix of kids I have coached as well as kids my son currently works with, and talks about all the time. There was some good solid wrestling with only a couple of surprises. I ended the night talking with another official that was there watching his son. He had started up a youth program in Gwinnett this year so we have a lot in common. We were watching one of my favorite young officials and ended up critiquing him. He never missed a call, but he did a poor job of using signals to communicate what he was calling. We knew what he was calling, but a random fan would likely be confused. As I was driving away, I saw the young official leaving. I rolled down my window and said ref you suck. To my surprise he turned around to see who said it. He smiled, and made fun of my car.
Saturday was here, and it was time to work. I was at Oconee, and the coach that told me I needed a protractor was there as well. I was the head official and it was my turn to talk to the coaches. I told all of the coaches that even though i made it look as if I could not hear what they were saying, that i took everything that they said to heart. I asked the protractor coach if he had brought the present that he had promised me. He looked totally confused and said I don't know what you are talking about. I pulled a protractor out of my pocket and told him that I had been practicing.
During one of the more competitive duals, in a very close match, there was a blood stoppage. One of the wrestlers had a bloody nose. We got everything cleaned up and restarted. The match was tied in the third period, and there was a pinning situation. The wrestler with the bloody nose was giving up back points. I already had a two count when his nose plug came out, and he began to bleed. I continued with the situation till I was sure there would not be a fall. Because I was stopping for blood in a pinning combination I awarded an extra point. I held up 4 points near fall. The coach of the bleeding wrestler asked if what I had done was correct, and honestly it wasn't. I got caught up in the heat of the match, and I allowed it to lead to a bad call. I talked to the coach latter, and told him I should have stopped it the second the nose plug came out. It would have been a three point near fall instead of four.
There was some close exciting Duals which made the tournament fun to work. One of the other officials requested to work the finals, so I said OK. I worked the 7th place match. Honestly, I think it is more difficult to call a seventh palace match than a first place match. The better the wrestlers are, the easier it is for me to predict what they are going to do next. This allows me more time to get into position to make my calls. the difference in the seventh place match and the first place match was like the grand canyon. I finished fairly quickly, and was able to watch a lot of the first place match, and observe all of the other officials.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Dealing with difficult people.
My schedule was a little lighter this week with a dual on Wednesday, and a tournament on Friday/Saturday. I took the opportunity for some preseason conditioning with my girls Soccer team. It was good to see the girls out working on their fitness in anticipation of the up coming season.
Wednesday was here and it was time for wrestling. I was the second official for a JV/V dual with White and Peachtree Ridge, at Peachtree Ridge. I thought the dual was starting at 5:00pm, but it was not scheduled til 6:00pm. Needles to say I was a little early. In order to expedite the match, we split the JV dual between two mats, so I only called about 9 matches. My matches were uneventful, but had great action. It is funny how you can be in a gym full of voices, and one will catch your attention. I could here a voice coaching from the middle of the stands, and knew it was one of my favorite coaches Gary Fisher. As soon as the match ended I pointed up to him, and he said good call mister official. t was good to see him.
Because of the way we split the JV matches, I was able watch the Varsity dual. Most of the matches were one sided, but some interesting situations arose. In one case one of the coaches went to the table for a conference, and in between matches, the official in charge asked me to get my rule book and show the coach where pressure against the throat was against the rules. I popped my book open to the right page, and quickly showed the coach that it was in fact listed under illegal holds and maneuvers.
There was another unusual situation. During a pinning situation, the defensive wrestler was pushing up towards the defensive wrestlers face. The official stopped the action, and gave the offensive wrestler an extra point for illegal hold. Normally in this situation you would old the call til the pinning situation comes to a conclusion. The official latter told me that he feared that the defensive wrestler was going to gouge the eyes of the offensive wrestler, so he stopped the action for safety. It was to bad that the offensive wrestler's pinning situation was eliminated, but it is hard to argue with an official considering safety first.
Friday was great. The tournament was at my home school, so i didn't even have to drive. I stayed in my classroom, did some paperwork, changed clothes, and walked down to the gym for the tournament. There are still a couple of wrestlers on Apalachee's squad who competed for me as their coach. I do not have a problem being objective in these situations, but I can understand how that would come into question. Out of necessity, I have even officiated my son's matches in the past. The biggest problem I have is how personal the kids take it if I call a penalty, or a fall on them. Non of my calls are personal for me. I am just trying to fallow the intent of the rules, and be as fair as possible.
When I am at work, I spend a lot of time dealing with difficult people. The students I teach have emotional, or behavioral problems that make it difficult for them to be successful in the standard educational settings. When I have a break i spend a lot of time with your standard High School age kids listening to their problems, concerns, and general DRAMA. The challenge of dealing with a difficult coach is a big so what to me. One of the coaches in this tournament is one of those coaches that I think a lot of officials do not want to cross paths with. I have a lot of respect for the coach, and made sure that my son got the chance to roll around with him while he was in High School. In one of my first matches of the tournament this coach was in the corner with one of his wrestlers on my mat. During the match his wrestle was attempting to tilt his opponent. It was close, but not quite to the 45 degree angle yet, so I was not awarding back points. He was coaching his wrestler, and noticed i did not award points for the tilt. He said that's not back points? Come on Mark, I am going to have to bring you a protractor tomorrow. After the match he said you aren't even going to warn me for that one, and I said no, actually I thought it was pretty funny.
One of the best matches I officiated all weekend long ended poorly. The action was fast paced, and both wrestlers worked hard. At the end of the match there was just a 1-0 score and both wrestlers were spent. Unfortunately the losing wrestler dropped the F bomb. I clearly heard it, and I know the table workers heard it as well. I made the unsportsmanlike call, and instructed the table workers to mark it on the bout sheet as a one point team deduction. Latter on i found out that the same wrestler had thrown his headgear at the end of a match for an unsportsmanlike call. That means that when he dropped the F bomb on my mat, he was disqualified from the event. The coach thanked me for making the call, and explained that he now had enough time to get the behaviors corrected, before it was too late.
I will close out my pre-Christmas events with a quartet of events at the same school. I will be at MillCreek for four days in a row calling Gwinnett County JV championships, a Middle School Dual Tournament, and the Walt Hennebaul open. I do not have any assignments for the remainder of the year, but I hope to be assigned to officiate Dixie nationals, and the minion Duals.
Wednesday was here and it was time for wrestling. I was the second official for a JV/V dual with White and Peachtree Ridge, at Peachtree Ridge. I thought the dual was starting at 5:00pm, but it was not scheduled til 6:00pm. Needles to say I was a little early. In order to expedite the match, we split the JV dual between two mats, so I only called about 9 matches. My matches were uneventful, but had great action. It is funny how you can be in a gym full of voices, and one will catch your attention. I could here a voice coaching from the middle of the stands, and knew it was one of my favorite coaches Gary Fisher. As soon as the match ended I pointed up to him, and he said good call mister official. t was good to see him.
Because of the way we split the JV matches, I was able watch the Varsity dual. Most of the matches were one sided, but some interesting situations arose. In one case one of the coaches went to the table for a conference, and in between matches, the official in charge asked me to get my rule book and show the coach where pressure against the throat was against the rules. I popped my book open to the right page, and quickly showed the coach that it was in fact listed under illegal holds and maneuvers.
There was another unusual situation. During a pinning situation, the defensive wrestler was pushing up towards the defensive wrestlers face. The official stopped the action, and gave the offensive wrestler an extra point for illegal hold. Normally in this situation you would old the call til the pinning situation comes to a conclusion. The official latter told me that he feared that the defensive wrestler was going to gouge the eyes of the offensive wrestler, so he stopped the action for safety. It was to bad that the offensive wrestler's pinning situation was eliminated, but it is hard to argue with an official considering safety first.
Friday was great. The tournament was at my home school, so i didn't even have to drive. I stayed in my classroom, did some paperwork, changed clothes, and walked down to the gym for the tournament. There are still a couple of wrestlers on Apalachee's squad who competed for me as their coach. I do not have a problem being objective in these situations, but I can understand how that would come into question. Out of necessity, I have even officiated my son's matches in the past. The biggest problem I have is how personal the kids take it if I call a penalty, or a fall on them. Non of my calls are personal for me. I am just trying to fallow the intent of the rules, and be as fair as possible.
When I am at work, I spend a lot of time dealing with difficult people. The students I teach have emotional, or behavioral problems that make it difficult for them to be successful in the standard educational settings. When I have a break i spend a lot of time with your standard High School age kids listening to their problems, concerns, and general DRAMA. The challenge of dealing with a difficult coach is a big so what to me. One of the coaches in this tournament is one of those coaches that I think a lot of officials do not want to cross paths with. I have a lot of respect for the coach, and made sure that my son got the chance to roll around with him while he was in High School. In one of my first matches of the tournament this coach was in the corner with one of his wrestlers on my mat. During the match his wrestle was attempting to tilt his opponent. It was close, but not quite to the 45 degree angle yet, so I was not awarding back points. He was coaching his wrestler, and noticed i did not award points for the tilt. He said that's not back points? Come on Mark, I am going to have to bring you a protractor tomorrow. After the match he said you aren't even going to warn me for that one, and I said no, actually I thought it was pretty funny.
One of the best matches I officiated all weekend long ended poorly. The action was fast paced, and both wrestlers worked hard. At the end of the match there was just a 1-0 score and both wrestlers were spent. Unfortunately the losing wrestler dropped the F bomb. I clearly heard it, and I know the table workers heard it as well. I made the unsportsmanlike call, and instructed the table workers to mark it on the bout sheet as a one point team deduction. Latter on i found out that the same wrestler had thrown his headgear at the end of a match for an unsportsmanlike call. That means that when he dropped the F bomb on my mat, he was disqualified from the event. The coach thanked me for making the call, and explained that he now had enough time to get the behaviors corrected, before it was too late.
I will close out my pre-Christmas events with a quartet of events at the same school. I will be at MillCreek for four days in a row calling Gwinnett County JV championships, a Middle School Dual Tournament, and the Walt Hennebaul open. I do not have any assignments for the remainder of the year, but I hope to be assigned to officiate Dixie nationals, and the minion Duals.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Caught red handed.
I am a nerd at heart. I enjoy studying, making A's and am what ever the opposite of a procrastinator is when it comes to school/work related projects. Notice I never said I was smart, I only implied that I tried hard. I get a kick out of debating academics, and rules with other studious people.
I had three assignments this week. Salem for a tri with Walnut grove, and Cedar Shoals. Social Circle for a MS, JV, and Varsity dual with Apalachee, And the Forstyh County JV, and Varsity championships.
Salem had both JV and Varsity. I had the Varsity mat, and managed to call a tri meet in two hours. There were several pins, and forfeits. The girls working the tables were rookies when we started, and pros by the time we finished.
Next was Social Circle. This is where I got caught red handed. What a great gym for a Dual tournament. We were in the auxiliary gym. It had a stage on one end, two mats in the middle, and bleachers on the far side. It was loud and obnoxious, with a close dual to boot. The highlight of the duals was the 189 pound match. Apalachee's tall red headed freshman was wrestling social Circles short black muscular upperclassman. It was a back and forth match that ended up going to overtime. The conditioning of the Apalachee wrestler was suspect, and he had a couple of injury time outs to recover. The wrestlers went scoreless in the tie breaker, so it advanced to the two thirty second periods. The Apalachee wrestler rode out the Social Circle wrestler in the first thirty, and got an escape in the second thirty to win. After the dual I went to talk to some of the parents. One of the more studious parents busted me on my mistake during the dual. Remember I said that the Apalachee wrestler took two injury time outs. I was supposed to give the Social Circle wrestler choice of position on the restart. BUSTED. fortunately it would have only been for four seconds, and was not likely to effect the outcome of the match, but it was a mistake non the less.
The tournament at Lambert was fun. We did what we could to keep the tournament moving, but kept running into the thirty minute rule. We ended up with a good bit of down time. Fortunately I had great company for the down time. Billy Saville, a true living legend when it comes to officials, was the head official of the tournament. He gave me an entertaining history legend of Georgia wrestling. Two people out of the crowd even came over to tell him that they had officiated their matches when they were in High School. It is strange how you do not respect people older than yourself, until you start getting older yourself.
I will be taking the closed book test Sunday. I am overly prepared, just the way I like it. I may even stop by Collins Hill before hand to watch some middle School duals.
Next week I will be at Peachtree Ridge on Wednesday, Apalachee on Friday, and Saturday, followed by Loganville on Sunday for some Middle School Duals.
I had three assignments this week. Salem for a tri with Walnut grove, and Cedar Shoals. Social Circle for a MS, JV, and Varsity dual with Apalachee, And the Forstyh County JV, and Varsity championships.
Salem had both JV and Varsity. I had the Varsity mat, and managed to call a tri meet in two hours. There were several pins, and forfeits. The girls working the tables were rookies when we started, and pros by the time we finished.
Next was Social Circle. This is where I got caught red handed. What a great gym for a Dual tournament. We were in the auxiliary gym. It had a stage on one end, two mats in the middle, and bleachers on the far side. It was loud and obnoxious, with a close dual to boot. The highlight of the duals was the 189 pound match. Apalachee's tall red headed freshman was wrestling social Circles short black muscular upperclassman. It was a back and forth match that ended up going to overtime. The conditioning of the Apalachee wrestler was suspect, and he had a couple of injury time outs to recover. The wrestlers went scoreless in the tie breaker, so it advanced to the two thirty second periods. The Apalachee wrestler rode out the Social Circle wrestler in the first thirty, and got an escape in the second thirty to win. After the dual I went to talk to some of the parents. One of the more studious parents busted me on my mistake during the dual. Remember I said that the Apalachee wrestler took two injury time outs. I was supposed to give the Social Circle wrestler choice of position on the restart. BUSTED. fortunately it would have only been for four seconds, and was not likely to effect the outcome of the match, but it was a mistake non the less.
The tournament at Lambert was fun. We did what we could to keep the tournament moving, but kept running into the thirty minute rule. We ended up with a good bit of down time. Fortunately I had great company for the down time. Billy Saville, a true living legend when it comes to officials, was the head official of the tournament. He gave me an entertaining history legend of Georgia wrestling. Two people out of the crowd even came over to tell him that they had officiated their matches when they were in High School. It is strange how you do not respect people older than yourself, until you start getting older yourself.
I will be taking the closed book test Sunday. I am overly prepared, just the way I like it. I may even stop by Collins Hill before hand to watch some middle School duals.
Next week I will be at Peachtree Ridge on Wednesday, Apalachee on Friday, and Saturday, followed by Loganville on Sunday for some Middle School Duals.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
What a week off.
As of Friday, I was off school for a week, but I was pretty busy.
11/20 Collins Hill for Jv duals.
11/22 Washed the exterior of my house, and worked in the yard in preparation for home inspection.
11/23 Central Gwinnett Varsity/Jv tri meet.
11/24 Newton County Varsity Duals.
11/25 Two thanksgiving dinners, pinata breaking, and a hoe down.
11/26 Youth tournament at Oconee, and another thanksgiving dinner.
11/27 Varsity Duals at Grayson, and write new blog.
Sunday is my vacation day.
Monday I will be back to work, and I will only have three officiating assignments for the week.
It is hard to get in shape for officiating, so I tend to get sore, tired and worn out by tournaments, but my conditioning is pretty good right now. Nothing I have done gets me in shape for the constant ups and down on the mat. You constantly have to change levels with the wrestlers. I feel good today, I guess my preseason work paid off.
I had plenty of interesting experiences, and enjoyed my busy week.
The Tri at Central ended up being more of a dual and a half. One of the teams showed up late, and one team left early, so Central is the only team that wrestled twice. I officiated all of the jv action, and one half of one of the varsity duals.
The varsity duals at Newton had some exciting matches, and strong wrestlers, but the day started of on a sour note. I arrived early despite the detours I had to take, to find one of the other officials was earlier than me. The bad news is that the other two officials were MIA. I got on the phone, and we managed to wake up a young official that had overslept. He arrived about an hour late. We were not able to contact the fourth official at all. I looked around and found a dad who I knew used to officiate, and he agreed to fill in. We got him a shirt, a whistle, some wristbands, and a flip disc, and we were good to go.
I felt like I did a good job all day long, but you can't make it through a full day of officiating without missing something. One of my other friends who is a big stickler for the rules (even had a rule book in his back pocket) told me I did a good job, but had made a mistake. I told him I missed a call in an out of bounds situation. The offensive wrestler had turned the defensive man. I had a one stroke and the defensive man got out of bounds. The offensive mans' coach asked if there were any back points, and I told him no. The defensive man got out of bounds before the two count. That is where my mistake was. I should have awarded the offensive wrestler a point because the defensive wrestler was fleeing the mat. That is a technical violation. If near fall points have been earned you can get out of bounds without penalty, but if no near fall points have been earned it is fleeing the mat.
Later, I had an offensive wrestler do a trip to a trap armed side. I blew my whistle and called it potential dangerous, but they still hit the mat. The coach argued that it was illegal, and I said not when I stopped the action. I could have called it illegal, but it did not effect the outcome of the match, and gave the coach a story to tell.
Now for the ironic parts of the day. The dad who was officiating (Ronnie Milhoff)was getting pretty tired, so he went to the mat that he thought would finish first, and his sixth dual of the day did finish first, unfortunately there was a seventh dual on that mat. Sorry Ronnie. The young official who woke up late got some karmic retribution as well. He had a keyless entry system on his car so he just locked his keys in. For some reason, when he went to get in his car, the battery was dead. Since his keys were on the inside, he could not even jump the car. He had to call his parents for help.
On a side-note, there was a young coach at the tournament who was constantly coaching his wrestlers while they were on the mat. Unfortunately many coaches spend a lot of time telling the officials how to call the match which does not help their wrestlers at all. I made sure that I let the young coach now what I thought about the job he did, and by the way, his team won the tournament.
Thanksgiving morning, I was called and asked to cover the Oconee youth tournament. I said yes, but had a feeling that I would be called of later. I knew that the number of entries was lower than expected, and they would not need as many officials as they booked. Thursday night I did get called, and was asked to work still. When I showed up, we ended up with one to many officials. I told the other officials that I would stay as a Team Georgia rep, and act as a sounding board for the coaches. The tournament was going Well when one of the officials asked me if his elbow looked swollen. It was huge, and looked deformed. I told him to ice it, and let me know if he could stay. He made the right choice and headed home. I gave the rest of the officials the choice to work through without an extra, and I would give them bathroom breaks, or to put me in rotation. The chose the breaks route. I called one great match. It was all tied up with very little time to go. The defensive wrestle got free, and faced the offensive wrestler as he went out of bounds. The offensive wrestler quickly shot in and grabbed a leg, but finished out of bounds. It was good action, but beyond reaction time so I awarded the escape. No more points were scored, and the escape artist won.
Today I was at Grayson, and everything was smooth as silk. I felt like I was strong as an official today, and enjoyed myself. I am doing a much better job of keeping up with choice, which saves a lot of time, and makes you look more professional. I met some great young men and women today who were wrestling, and working the tables. It was a big reminder of some of the things I love about this sport.
Next week will be kind of light. I will be at Salem on Wednesday, Social Circle on Thursday, and Lambert on Saturday. I am kidding about that being a light week, on top of a full time job, it is very busy. If I wasn't officiating, I would just be going to watch.
11/20 Collins Hill for Jv duals.
11/22 Washed the exterior of my house, and worked in the yard in preparation for home inspection.
11/23 Central Gwinnett Varsity/Jv tri meet.
11/24 Newton County Varsity Duals.
11/25 Two thanksgiving dinners, pinata breaking, and a hoe down.
11/26 Youth tournament at Oconee, and another thanksgiving dinner.
11/27 Varsity Duals at Grayson, and write new blog.
Sunday is my vacation day.
Monday I will be back to work, and I will only have three officiating assignments for the week.
It is hard to get in shape for officiating, so I tend to get sore, tired and worn out by tournaments, but my conditioning is pretty good right now. Nothing I have done gets me in shape for the constant ups and down on the mat. You constantly have to change levels with the wrestlers. I feel good today, I guess my preseason work paid off.
I had plenty of interesting experiences, and enjoyed my busy week.
The Tri at Central ended up being more of a dual and a half. One of the teams showed up late, and one team left early, so Central is the only team that wrestled twice. I officiated all of the jv action, and one half of one of the varsity duals.
The varsity duals at Newton had some exciting matches, and strong wrestlers, but the day started of on a sour note. I arrived early despite the detours I had to take, to find one of the other officials was earlier than me. The bad news is that the other two officials were MIA. I got on the phone, and we managed to wake up a young official that had overslept. He arrived about an hour late. We were not able to contact the fourth official at all. I looked around and found a dad who I knew used to officiate, and he agreed to fill in. We got him a shirt, a whistle, some wristbands, and a flip disc, and we were good to go.
I felt like I did a good job all day long, but you can't make it through a full day of officiating without missing something. One of my other friends who is a big stickler for the rules (even had a rule book in his back pocket) told me I did a good job, but had made a mistake. I told him I missed a call in an out of bounds situation. The offensive wrestler had turned the defensive man. I had a one stroke and the defensive man got out of bounds. The offensive mans' coach asked if there were any back points, and I told him no. The defensive man got out of bounds before the two count. That is where my mistake was. I should have awarded the offensive wrestler a point because the defensive wrestler was fleeing the mat. That is a technical violation. If near fall points have been earned you can get out of bounds without penalty, but if no near fall points have been earned it is fleeing the mat.
Later, I had an offensive wrestler do a trip to a trap armed side. I blew my whistle and called it potential dangerous, but they still hit the mat. The coach argued that it was illegal, and I said not when I stopped the action. I could have called it illegal, but it did not effect the outcome of the match, and gave the coach a story to tell.
Now for the ironic parts of the day. The dad who was officiating (Ronnie Milhoff)was getting pretty tired, so he went to the mat that he thought would finish first, and his sixth dual of the day did finish first, unfortunately there was a seventh dual on that mat. Sorry Ronnie. The young official who woke up late got some karmic retribution as well. He had a keyless entry system on his car so he just locked his keys in. For some reason, when he went to get in his car, the battery was dead. Since his keys were on the inside, he could not even jump the car. He had to call his parents for help.
On a side-note, there was a young coach at the tournament who was constantly coaching his wrestlers while they were on the mat. Unfortunately many coaches spend a lot of time telling the officials how to call the match which does not help their wrestlers at all. I made sure that I let the young coach now what I thought about the job he did, and by the way, his team won the tournament.
Thanksgiving morning, I was called and asked to cover the Oconee youth tournament. I said yes, but had a feeling that I would be called of later. I knew that the number of entries was lower than expected, and they would not need as many officials as they booked. Thursday night I did get called, and was asked to work still. When I showed up, we ended up with one to many officials. I told the other officials that I would stay as a Team Georgia rep, and act as a sounding board for the coaches. The tournament was going Well when one of the officials asked me if his elbow looked swollen. It was huge, and looked deformed. I told him to ice it, and let me know if he could stay. He made the right choice and headed home. I gave the rest of the officials the choice to work through without an extra, and I would give them bathroom breaks, or to put me in rotation. The chose the breaks route. I called one great match. It was all tied up with very little time to go. The defensive wrestle got free, and faced the offensive wrestler as he went out of bounds. The offensive wrestler quickly shot in and grabbed a leg, but finished out of bounds. It was good action, but beyond reaction time so I awarded the escape. No more points were scored, and the escape artist won.
Today I was at Grayson, and everything was smooth as silk. I felt like I was strong as an official today, and enjoyed myself. I am doing a much better job of keeping up with choice, which saves a lot of time, and makes you look more professional. I met some great young men and women today who were wrestling, and working the tables. It was a big reminder of some of the things I love about this sport.
Next week will be kind of light. I will be at Salem on Wednesday, Social Circle on Thursday, and Lambert on Saturday. I am kidding about that being a light week, on top of a full time job, it is very busy. If I wasn't officiating, I would just be going to watch.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
First time readers.
For those of you checking this out for the first time, the intent is to show the perspective of an official. We always here plenty from coaches, and parents (I have been both), but rarely from officials.
It was a long week due to the thanksgiving break approaching, and the kids in school getting a little nutty. I broke up a fight between a couple of girls Tuesday morning, and was calling Eastside's Wrestle-offs by Wednesday night. The week finally came to an end, and Saturday would be my official kick off to the season.
I was at Collins Hill this morning for a Jv meet with four different schools. They ran duals on two mats, and had a third mat for extra match-ups. All three officials worked a dual on all three mats. The matches were well run, and we got a ton of wrestling done in about three and a half hours.
I felt like I did a good job today. I had one scramble that I awarded a reversal for, and the defensive wrestler reversed again fairly quickly. It might have been a nonscoring situation, but no real harm done. Near the end of my third dual, I used a coin toss for choice at the beginning of the second period. Now if you are paying attention you are saying why the heck did you do that. I ended up giving the wrong person choice, and he won by techfall. If the coaches were paying attention, they could have requested bad time, and had the second period rewrestled. They didn't notice, but if they are reading this, they will more than likely notice next time.
There were several pins with inexperienced wrestlers. Some of the wrestlers did not know what had happened. I even had one ask me, what happened. I said you won by fall. The kid still didn't understand, so I said you pinned him and raised his hand. It was funny.
There were several wrestlers there in their first GHSA event, who I have known since they were preschoolers. Man I felt old.
The most common question asked by officials early in the season came up. For some reason it is very common for us (officials) to pull a brain fart when it comes to back points. The standard confusion comes from a two count being two points. I am not sure why, but it is commonly confused that a three count is two points. I have seen this every year I have been involved with wrestling.
I updated my billing spreadsheet, and will be emailing it a little latter.
Next week I will be at Central Gwinnett, Newton County, and Grayson next Saturday. Somewhere in their I guess I'll eat some turkey, and think about all of the starving wrestlers.
It was a long week due to the thanksgiving break approaching, and the kids in school getting a little nutty. I broke up a fight between a couple of girls Tuesday morning, and was calling Eastside's Wrestle-offs by Wednesday night. The week finally came to an end, and Saturday would be my official kick off to the season.
I was at Collins Hill this morning for a Jv meet with four different schools. They ran duals on two mats, and had a third mat for extra match-ups. All three officials worked a dual on all three mats. The matches were well run, and we got a ton of wrestling done in about three and a half hours.
I felt like I did a good job today. I had one scramble that I awarded a reversal for, and the defensive wrestler reversed again fairly quickly. It might have been a nonscoring situation, but no real harm done. Near the end of my third dual, I used a coin toss for choice at the beginning of the second period. Now if you are paying attention you are saying why the heck did you do that. I ended up giving the wrong person choice, and he won by techfall. If the coaches were paying attention, they could have requested bad time, and had the second period rewrestled. They didn't notice, but if they are reading this, they will more than likely notice next time.
There were several pins with inexperienced wrestlers. Some of the wrestlers did not know what had happened. I even had one ask me, what happened. I said you won by fall. The kid still didn't understand, so I said you pinned him and raised his hand. It was funny.
There were several wrestlers there in their first GHSA event, who I have known since they were preschoolers. Man I felt old.
The most common question asked by officials early in the season came up. For some reason it is very common for us (officials) to pull a brain fart when it comes to back points. The standard confusion comes from a two count being two points. I am not sure why, but it is commonly confused that a three count is two points. I have seen this every year I have been involved with wrestling.
I updated my billing spreadsheet, and will be emailing it a little latter.
Next week I will be at Central Gwinnett, Newton County, and Grayson next Saturday. Somewhere in their I guess I'll eat some turkey, and think about all of the starving wrestlers.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wrestlers are a different breed
I got my wife, son, and his girlfriend to meet me in the parking lot right after school, and we caravaned up to Rome for Shorter's inaugural dual. At 4:00pm we were on our way. After fighting through traffic for two and a half hours we arrived. Before I choose a seat, I had four different wrestlers great me, and explain why they were not wrestling in the dual. It was funny to me that they felt a need to let me know why they weren't wrestling. I was just glad to see them, and have a chance to ask them how their grades were. I shook hands with several other people before I settled into a seat with my family. There was some pomp and circumstance to start the dual including a big check for matching funds presented by Team Georgia. The dual was starting, but it was going to be shortened by several matches due to forfeits. Shorter was looking very good, opening up with two first period falls. One of my favorite wrestling families appeared sitting right beside and behind me. Next thing you now, the dual is over. I walked the floor shaking hands with local coaches, wrestlers, and parents before we leave. My son and his girlfriend were going to Alabama to visit her grandparents so we grabbed a bite to eat before we split paths. A little before midnight and I was home. I had to be up early in the morning, so I got to bed as soon as I could. four plus hours of driving for about an hour of wrestling, and some comradery. I wouldn't have changed a thing.
Morning comes, and I am at Lambert. We have a USA tournament/training session. It is a chance for us to get matches in with other officials critiquing our calls, mechanics, and composure. I enjoy these events because it is something we do not get a chance to do during the season. Before we get started a middle school age wrestler comes up to me and shakes hands. He says that he had to go in for an extra work out last night to make sure he was on weight this morning. As his mom was driving him home they were hit by another car. He said it smashed up the front of their car badly. I asked if everyone was ok, and he said yes, but here is the funny part. As the police officer was writing up the accident report the mom told him that he needed to get her son's wrestling bag out of the car, so that he would not have to miss his match in the morning. That is a wrestling mom.
We had three officials with experience on our mat, and two that had not called any matches yet. I had a bad first match because I kept holding up the wrong color for points. I got it straightened out at the table, and no harm was done. It was not a very professional first match and not a good way to set the tone with the table workers, or the newer officials. The experienced officials did a good job of working with the new guys, but I think they could use some more practice on mechanics before they call any high pressure matches. Everyone on our mat did a good job of making the correct calls, but the newer guys needed practice selling their calls. They needed to make their calls in a crisp forceful manner, and be vocal. That takes practice, and they both improved throughout the day.
I caught a U17 girls soccer game Sunday, and helped scout one of the teams as I watched a young lady who plays for me on the opposing team. I was scouting for a friend of mine who showed up late in the second half. I gave him my report, and we discussed how much different it is being on the parents side of the field for a game. Sitting in the stands for a wrestling meet is similar. Sometimes it is easier to go stand by yourself so that you are not distracted by all of the comments.
I ended my weekend with a conference call for the TGWOA. That's Team Georgia Wrestling Officials Association. Although there were only four people on the call. We got a unique perspective from several viewpoints. I think we could have talked for two hours, but holding to standards, we limited the call to an hour, and opened up several questions/problems to solve during the next call. I am not loving the process, but I think in the end the hard work, will be good for Georgia wrestling.
I will be at Eastside Wednesday evening for wrestle-offs. I did a couple of wrestle-offs for them last year, and they had great action. I am looking forward to it. This will be my last practice session before opening day. I open with a JV quad at Collins Hill. Good luck everyone.
Morning comes, and I am at Lambert. We have a USA tournament/training session. It is a chance for us to get matches in with other officials critiquing our calls, mechanics, and composure. I enjoy these events because it is something we do not get a chance to do during the season. Before we get started a middle school age wrestler comes up to me and shakes hands. He says that he had to go in for an extra work out last night to make sure he was on weight this morning. As his mom was driving him home they were hit by another car. He said it smashed up the front of their car badly. I asked if everyone was ok, and he said yes, but here is the funny part. As the police officer was writing up the accident report the mom told him that he needed to get her son's wrestling bag out of the car, so that he would not have to miss his match in the morning. That is a wrestling mom.
We had three officials with experience on our mat, and two that had not called any matches yet. I had a bad first match because I kept holding up the wrong color for points. I got it straightened out at the table, and no harm was done. It was not a very professional first match and not a good way to set the tone with the table workers, or the newer officials. The experienced officials did a good job of working with the new guys, but I think they could use some more practice on mechanics before they call any high pressure matches. Everyone on our mat did a good job of making the correct calls, but the newer guys needed practice selling their calls. They needed to make their calls in a crisp forceful manner, and be vocal. That takes practice, and they both improved throughout the day.
I caught a U17 girls soccer game Sunday, and helped scout one of the teams as I watched a young lady who plays for me on the opposing team. I was scouting for a friend of mine who showed up late in the second half. I gave him my report, and we discussed how much different it is being on the parents side of the field for a game. Sitting in the stands for a wrestling meet is similar. Sometimes it is easier to go stand by yourself so that you are not distracted by all of the comments.
I ended my weekend with a conference call for the TGWOA. That's Team Georgia Wrestling Officials Association. Although there were only four people on the call. We got a unique perspective from several viewpoints. I think we could have talked for two hours, but holding to standards, we limited the call to an hour, and opened up several questions/problems to solve during the next call. I am not loving the process, but I think in the end the hard work, will be good for Georgia wrestling.
I will be at Eastside Wednesday evening for wrestle-offs. I did a couple of wrestle-offs for them last year, and they had great action. I am looking forward to it. This will be my last practice session before opening day. I open with a JV quad at Collins Hill. Good luck everyone.
Friday, November 12, 2010
It's here.
Earlier this week a Commerce parent asked my son about getting my help to find an official for an inner squad Middle School practice Dual at Commerce. Zak told him he would ask me, and a few minutes latter, I booked myself for a nice practice session at Commerce. They were worried about payment, but what you have to realize is that it is practice for the officials as well, and we are happy to do such events for free.
Now this next story proves I am a wrestling guy. When I got to the gym, Chance, and Chip McClure were in the parking lot. Chip takes a second to comment on the Smart car that I bought from Tom Mitchell. Next Chip says no wrestling for another week. I asked why. He said we are still playing football. Now a normal person would have congratulated the Dad, and football player for making the playoffs, but the first thing that came out of my mouth was, that's too bad. I didn't even think about it til latter. Congratulations Chance.
On to the matches. The dual had a combination of very experienced, and new wrestlers. I gave the boys a typical pre meet talk, and wished them luck. The boys wrestled very hard, so stalling calls were not a consideration. There was good hard nosed wrestling, with no cheap shots, so I had no unnecessary roughness, or flagrant misconduct calls. There were some illegal holds, and a couple of boys that were to upset to follow end of match procedures that lead to unsportsmanlike conduct calls.
I had one situation where the defensive man was working hard for a reversal, and the offensive man locked hands. I signaled locked hands, and delayed the call because the defensive man was about to score. Before I could stop the action, the offensive man unlocked, and relocked his hands. Once the offensive man stopped the initial move of the defensive man, I stopped the action, and awarded one point technical violation locked hands, then another. I had to explain to the table that it was two different locked hand calls.
Before I left, I talked to the group about the importance of the post match ritual, and preventing the possibility of costing your team a point. I thanked them for having me, and talked to the parent who contacted me. It was a good night, but it was about to get better.
When I got home, I grabbed the clippers, went upstairs, shaved my head, and took a shower. It's always better to do this in the winter, or fall so that you don't look like a qtip. I walked around the house for 30 minutes before my wife or son even noticed. Right before I headed up for bed, I checked my email, and the most anticipated email for officials was there. The first half schedule. I gave it a quick glance, and was happy with the number of bookings, and variety of locations I had. I have a good mix of MS, JV, and Varsity matches. I didn't notice til this morning that I was double booked on one date. Ilet our booking agent know, and it is being handled. I sent a confirmation of bookings to all of the head coaches this morning, and most of them have already replied. now it feels like wrestling season.
I am off to Rome tonight to watch the Shorter inaugural dual. i am excited about seeing so many of the kids I know wrestling in their first college Dual. My wife, my son Zak, and his girlfriend are all going to watch. I will be at Lambert in the morning for a USA event. Hope to see you at both.
Now this next story proves I am a wrestling guy. When I got to the gym, Chance, and Chip McClure were in the parking lot. Chip takes a second to comment on the Smart car that I bought from Tom Mitchell. Next Chip says no wrestling for another week. I asked why. He said we are still playing football. Now a normal person would have congratulated the Dad, and football player for making the playoffs, but the first thing that came out of my mouth was, that's too bad. I didn't even think about it til latter. Congratulations Chance.
On to the matches. The dual had a combination of very experienced, and new wrestlers. I gave the boys a typical pre meet talk, and wished them luck. The boys wrestled very hard, so stalling calls were not a consideration. There was good hard nosed wrestling, with no cheap shots, so I had no unnecessary roughness, or flagrant misconduct calls. There were some illegal holds, and a couple of boys that were to upset to follow end of match procedures that lead to unsportsmanlike conduct calls.
I had one situation where the defensive man was working hard for a reversal, and the offensive man locked hands. I signaled locked hands, and delayed the call because the defensive man was about to score. Before I could stop the action, the offensive man unlocked, and relocked his hands. Once the offensive man stopped the initial move of the defensive man, I stopped the action, and awarded one point technical violation locked hands, then another. I had to explain to the table that it was two different locked hand calls.
Before I left, I talked to the group about the importance of the post match ritual, and preventing the possibility of costing your team a point. I thanked them for having me, and talked to the parent who contacted me. It was a good night, but it was about to get better.
When I got home, I grabbed the clippers, went upstairs, shaved my head, and took a shower. It's always better to do this in the winter, or fall so that you don't look like a qtip. I walked around the house for 30 minutes before my wife or son even noticed. Right before I headed up for bed, I checked my email, and the most anticipated email for officials was there. The first half schedule. I gave it a quick glance, and was happy with the number of bookings, and variety of locations I had. I have a good mix of MS, JV, and Varsity matches. I didn't notice til this morning that I was double booked on one date. Ilet our booking agent know, and it is being handled. I sent a confirmation of bookings to all of the head coaches this morning, and most of them have already replied. now it feels like wrestling season.
I am off to Rome tonight to watch the Shorter inaugural dual. i am excited about seeing so many of the kids I know wrestling in their first college Dual. My wife, my son Zak, and his girlfriend are all going to watch. I will be at Lambert in the morning for a USA event. Hope to see you at both.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Training, training, meeting
Another busy weekend.
Friday night I was at Loganville watching the Apalachee football team play its last game of the year. With the loss to Loganville, the teams hope of making the playoffs was over.
Saturday morning came early with a trip to Collins Hill for a training session at a USA tournament. The numbers were a little small, so there were only three mats. There were about 20 officials. I did not have to officiate much, but we discussed every difficult, or opinionated call as a group and it was a great learning experience. I had some pretty competent officials on my mat so it was a lot of fun. Just a few small tweaks in timing, and some advice on selling your calls was all my group really needed. We were through officiating before 11:00pm. The mats were rolled, and I was out the door.
I went home, cleaned up, grabbed the wife, and had a nice lunch before heading to sectionals for the cheerleaders. My wife had never seen a cheer competition, and really enjoyed it. The local girls competed without many mistakes, and the coach was very happy. They placed second in their division, and qualified for the next level. Another good performance next Friday, and they will make it to State.
Sunday morning came late(time change), and I had a full afternoon ahead of me. By 2:30, I was at The all officials meeting. This is something the state started last year in an effort to be more consistent. We had a two hour clinic with several presenters reviewing some of the more difficult situations as an official. They will be emailing me the notes from the clinic to review, and I will post them here on my Blog. There were about two hundred officials there representing all of the associations throughout the state. As always it was a good meeting, and good to see all of the guys who love the sport as much as I do. I found out that all of the Team Georgia National Team Officials had achieved upgrades as well. What that means is, that we all fulfilled the requirements for upgrades, had excellent reviews, were recommended by our state, and passed a vote at a USA national meeting. We have two new M1 officials in the state, Krisa, and Buck Timbs. I am proud of them and look forward to the day I achieve my M1 status.
The meeting ended about 5:00, and I stayed around socializing till about 5:30. Next on my agenda was a trip to the Domanico's for a Team Georgia Board meeting. Although we took care of business till 9:00pm, the meeting is not a total boar. We discussed interesting topics the entire time, and i got to see some of my more enjoyable friends. I was happy with the meeting, Danny and I only got in trouble once. We were having a little side bar conversation about the wrestlers at Oklahoma City University while Anthony was in the middle of conversation. Because we were also on a conference call for those that could not attend in person he threw a pen at us instead of telling us to shut-up. Danny and I finished the conversation by passing notes.
I will be at Lambert next weekend for our final training session. I look forward to seeing you there.
Friday night I was at Loganville watching the Apalachee football team play its last game of the year. With the loss to Loganville, the teams hope of making the playoffs was over.
Saturday morning came early with a trip to Collins Hill for a training session at a USA tournament. The numbers were a little small, so there were only three mats. There were about 20 officials. I did not have to officiate much, but we discussed every difficult, or opinionated call as a group and it was a great learning experience. I had some pretty competent officials on my mat so it was a lot of fun. Just a few small tweaks in timing, and some advice on selling your calls was all my group really needed. We were through officiating before 11:00pm. The mats were rolled, and I was out the door.
I went home, cleaned up, grabbed the wife, and had a nice lunch before heading to sectionals for the cheerleaders. My wife had never seen a cheer competition, and really enjoyed it. The local girls competed without many mistakes, and the coach was very happy. They placed second in their division, and qualified for the next level. Another good performance next Friday, and they will make it to State.
Sunday morning came late(time change), and I had a full afternoon ahead of me. By 2:30, I was at The all officials meeting. This is something the state started last year in an effort to be more consistent. We had a two hour clinic with several presenters reviewing some of the more difficult situations as an official. They will be emailing me the notes from the clinic to review, and I will post them here on my Blog. There were about two hundred officials there representing all of the associations throughout the state. As always it was a good meeting, and good to see all of the guys who love the sport as much as I do. I found out that all of the Team Georgia National Team Officials had achieved upgrades as well. What that means is, that we all fulfilled the requirements for upgrades, had excellent reviews, were recommended by our state, and passed a vote at a USA national meeting. We have two new M1 officials in the state, Krisa, and Buck Timbs. I am proud of them and look forward to the day I achieve my M1 status.
The meeting ended about 5:00, and I stayed around socializing till about 5:30. Next on my agenda was a trip to the Domanico's for a Team Georgia Board meeting. Although we took care of business till 9:00pm, the meeting is not a total boar. We discussed interesting topics the entire time, and i got to see some of my more enjoyable friends. I was happy with the meeting, Danny and I only got in trouble once. We were having a little side bar conversation about the wrestlers at Oklahoma City University while Anthony was in the middle of conversation. Because we were also on a conference call for those that could not attend in person he threw a pen at us instead of telling us to shut-up. Danny and I finished the conversation by passing notes.
I will be at Lambert next weekend for our final training session. I look forward to seeing you there.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Groundhog's day
Groundhog's day
Itinerary.
Thursday 10/28
6:45 pm load bus at TWA.
Friday 10/29
9:45am debuss at Hotel in Cedar Rapids Iowa.
Two workouts for overweight wrestlers.
4:00pm back on the bus to go to the unidome, and workout.
5:00pm pick up weigh-in cards and prestage for weigh-ins. I worked weigh-ins till 7:45 and was released by the head official.
8:00pm Destruction of a local Chinese buffet.
10:30 room checks
11:00 lights out
12:00 sleep on floor ( Beds are too small, and Moistner is a cuddler)
Saturday 10/30
6:15am Wake up call.
7:15am back on the bus to the Unidome
9:00am-9:00pm officiate.
10:00pm Applebees.
11:30pm bed checks
Sunday 10/31
12:00 lights out check
1:00am bed to myself
4:15am Wake up call
5:00am back on the bus
10:00pm back at TWA.
The reason I say it was like Groundhog's day is because every time I woke up, I was on a bus.
I know my blog is about Officiating, but I want to start off by saying that the group that went on this trip did a great job. There were no discipline problems on the bus, or at the hotel, and everyone wrestled hard. I officiated three matches with a Georgia wrestler in it, but did not get to see much of them wrestle unfortunately. After I officiated a few finals, I got a break, and watched Marshawn wrestle his consi-finals match. He wrestled very tough e ven though he was obviously worn down by the grind of the entire trip. Marshawn beat a talented wrestler to bring home 3rd.
On to officiating. When I work a National tournament I always compare them to Fargo. It relay isn't fair because Fargo is the most organized event I have ever been to. Unlike Fargo we did not have any rules meetings, but we did discuss the rules that were pertinent to this competition. No hair rule, no facial hair rule enforced, and abbreviated overtime. Match times were also cut short.
We were not assigned to mats. The head official just told us to form teams. I mdid not mind rotating to the younger age groups, but they had split mats, and I was not comfortable working in such a closed in space. I went to a mat that was close to the split mat so that even if I had to work the split mat, I would at least get to rotate off. I ended up with a 5 man team covering 4 mats. We had High School , and Middle School matches on our mats.
There are plenty of ways to tell if you are doing a good job as an official. One of them is a lack of requests for meetings. I made it till 2:00pm before I was called to the table for anything, so I had a great morning. There were great scrambles on my mat all day long. The scrambling is an area where I could tell a difference between the wrestling I normally see in the Southeast. The scrambles were much longer, and great to officiate. I had a good scramble on my mat, saw control beyond reaction time, called the takedown, and the opponent immediately got the reversal. I probably could have waived off the tekedown, but I was confident in my call. There was no time out called, and the match continued. At the end of the match I was approached, and my call was questioned. I signaled coaches misconduct, and gave the coach his warning. He said I don't care and continued to argue the call. I looked down and saw that he did not have a coaches band, and realized why he did not care that he had been warned. I stopped talking to him and walked away. In another match the defensive wrestler was almost clear on an escape so the offensive wrestler lifted him, and drove him out of bounds. In my mind I had to decide to make a call or not. These decisions happen all day long as you are officiating, and something that gets easier with experience. It was active aggressive wrestling, and would have lead to back points if it had have been in the center of the mat, so I did not call stalling. The offensive wrestler did have the option to complete the maneuver in bounds, but choose to drive straight out. He had forced the wrestler out of bounds to prevent a dangerous situation. Forcing a wrestler out to avoid scoring is clearly outlined as a technical violation, so that is the call I made. At this point the wrestler made a comment, and I gave him a freebie. I warned him to stop talking. On a restart, the same wrestler jumped before I blew the whistle. I gave the caution for false start, and he argued the call. I called unsportsmanlike for 1 point and continued the match. Latter in the match he got another false start, and argued the call. I called caution for false start, and 1 point for unsportsmanlike. He false started again, and I cautioned him, awarded one point for the third false start, and he argued the call again. This third unsportsmanlike call got him a 2 point penalty, and he argued again which disqualified him from the match. I took the time to explain to his dad that it did not disqualify him from the tournament, just the match. The wrestler came back to the mat and said you suck, but I choose to ignore it so that he could wrestle his next match. That was a mistake on my part. Letting him stay at the tournament was a disservice to all of the people at the tournament that were putting there hearts on the line and behaving with good sportsmanship. Instead of reprimanding his wrestler, the dad came over to say something to me. I noticed the lack of a coaches band again, and asked him to leave the area. The only other close call that could have gone either way. The defensive wrestler was coming up, turned and separated from the offensive wrestler. The offensive wrestler doubled him out of bounds. I called one escape. The coach asked if I had noticed the double leg, and I told him it was beyond reaction time, and the conversation ended. It ended up going to overtime, and the offensive wrestler won. There was no question about his takedown in overtime, and I was glad. Did I mention that the wrestler was Dallas Brown, and the coach was Sean Moistner. I would not have heard the end of it if the match would have come down to a judgment call.
I called several consolation finals, and final matches, and saw some great wrestling. The tournament was tough, competitive, and a great experience for the wrestlers who attended. The newer, chaperons, and Dads that came appreciated the trip as well. The Unidome was a great place for the tournament with natural light filtering in, great seating, and unobstructed views.
As an official it was a challenging tournament. We had long stretches on the mat without a break, and when you did have a break there was almost never food available. Fortunately, I planned on the lack of ability to get food and packed a large bag of p nut M&Ms. Their were volunteers as well as college wrestlers helping man the tables, and they did a great job. Ethan B. was there working, and told me his coach wants him at 165. Welcome to college Ethan.
Training continues this weekend at Collins Hill where my group will be training at the preseason USA tournament. We will have a statewide officials meeting at 3:00pm Sunday at Holy Innocence. I am looking forward to both.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Another busy week
Wednesday I attended a mandatory rules meeting at Parkview. I already attended a meeting early in the year, but I always like attending two. They are like a social event for me. I was very happy to hear what the NWCA rep had to say, and even more excited about using his program to do live scoring at the state tournaments this year. I am going to be helping with that process, and love the fact that people from other states will be able to log on and see the outcomes of different matches as they occur.
The weekend started off well with another trip to the Varsity in Athens. Unfortunately my school's football team did not manage the win as visitors to Cedar Shoals. I left a little early because I knew I would be up early Saturday to work a tournament.
Work for free/training.
As part of our preseason training, MAWOA work some local tournaments free of charge. We have three events this year, and the first one was Saturday at Mountainview. The tournament had a good turn out with about 140 wrestlers going at it on 4 mats. We had about 15-16 officials there, and practiced using assistant referees, and critiqued each other on our performances. These experiences are great for improving technique, and seeing things from a different perspective. The crew I worked with all had at least one year of experience bellow there belts so there was not a lot of controversy on our mat. every time I saw a call that could have gone a different way, or a close call, we took time to discuss it as a group. It was a great learning experience for all of us.
In the middle of the tournament I had to leave the mat for A Team Georgia Officials committee meeting. This was an initial meeting for this group, and I am excited to say that we will be forming a new officials association to handle USA events. We are still working out the details, but it will be a service offered this year to USA events that have not booked there officials as of yet. We have plenty of lofty goals for the group, and we are going to work hard to realize these goals.
By the time I returned to the tournament, it was winding down, but I still got in a few more matches. It is great to have an opportunity to practice assistant referee work, and confer on every match.
Goofy me left my wallet home Saturday morning, so I did not get my normal morning goodies at QT on the way to the tournament.(I plan my routes to pass a QT) That in and of itself is no big deal, but after the tournament there was going to be a clinic that I wanted to attend. One of my old semi adopted sons was helping with the clinic and asked if I was going to stay. I said of coarse, but I had to find some food. I got to the concession stand which was closed, and begged for what ever they had. i got a diet Coke, pickle,and a Snickers Bar. Great lunch, but beggars can't be choosers.
The clinic was promoted by FCA, and was inspirational in many ways. The coach from UTC was the clinician, and he put on a great clinic.
I got home and got a nap in so I could stay up late enough to watch the UFC. Lessner got smashed, enough said.
Sunday came and by half time of the Falcon's game it was time to head to another MAWOA training session. we covered out of bounds situations, near fall criteria, and what to do if a wrestler poops himself. Honestly there was lots of other topics, but those were the most entertaining. The session lasted about two hours, and was very productive. We will be back in action on 11/6/10 at Collins Hill with another practice event.
Just one more wrestling related detail for the day. A 9:00pm conference call with the Team Georgia Officials Committee. We did have one person join the call who was not at the Saturday meeting, and gave us some different perspective. We revisited how we were going to fund the program again, and that is a little up in the air. We are moving forward this year, getting the program started, and will be in full swing before preseason next year. It's an exciting time for wrestling in Georgia.
The weekend started off well with another trip to the Varsity in Athens. Unfortunately my school's football team did not manage the win as visitors to Cedar Shoals. I left a little early because I knew I would be up early Saturday to work a tournament.
Work for free/training.
As part of our preseason training, MAWOA work some local tournaments free of charge. We have three events this year, and the first one was Saturday at Mountainview. The tournament had a good turn out with about 140 wrestlers going at it on 4 mats. We had about 15-16 officials there, and practiced using assistant referees, and critiqued each other on our performances. These experiences are great for improving technique, and seeing things from a different perspective. The crew I worked with all had at least one year of experience bellow there belts so there was not a lot of controversy on our mat. every time I saw a call that could have gone a different way, or a close call, we took time to discuss it as a group. It was a great learning experience for all of us.
In the middle of the tournament I had to leave the mat for A Team Georgia Officials committee meeting. This was an initial meeting for this group, and I am excited to say that we will be forming a new officials association to handle USA events. We are still working out the details, but it will be a service offered this year to USA events that have not booked there officials as of yet. We have plenty of lofty goals for the group, and we are going to work hard to realize these goals.
By the time I returned to the tournament, it was winding down, but I still got in a few more matches. It is great to have an opportunity to practice assistant referee work, and confer on every match.
Goofy me left my wallet home Saturday morning, so I did not get my normal morning goodies at QT on the way to the tournament.(I plan my routes to pass a QT) That in and of itself is no big deal, but after the tournament there was going to be a clinic that I wanted to attend. One of my old semi adopted sons was helping with the clinic and asked if I was going to stay. I said of coarse, but I had to find some food. I got to the concession stand which was closed, and begged for what ever they had. i got a diet Coke, pickle,and a Snickers Bar. Great lunch, but beggars can't be choosers.
The clinic was promoted by FCA, and was inspirational in many ways. The coach from UTC was the clinician, and he put on a great clinic.
I got home and got a nap in so I could stay up late enough to watch the UFC. Lessner got smashed, enough said.
Sunday came and by half time of the Falcon's game it was time to head to another MAWOA training session. we covered out of bounds situations, near fall criteria, and what to do if a wrestler poops himself. Honestly there was lots of other topics, but those were the most entertaining. The session lasted about two hours, and was very productive. We will be back in action on 11/6/10 at Collins Hill with another practice event.
Just one more wrestling related detail for the day. A 9:00pm conference call with the Team Georgia Officials Committee. We did have one person join the call who was not at the Saturday meeting, and gave us some different perspective. We revisited how we were going to fund the program again, and that is a little up in the air. We are moving forward this year, getting the program started, and will be in full swing before preseason next year. It's an exciting time for wrestling in Georgia.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Wirlwind weekend.
What a great weekend. I started off with a trip to the Varsity in Athens on my way to watch my home team get beat up by a bunch of Gladiators. The beating was no fun, but the varsity was good. Saturday I was up predawn to go help with the registration table for the GNWA Gorilla Open. I saw great scrambles all day long, and enjoyed two high school wrestlers, and one old man winning there brackets. I was going to try and catch a U19 girls soccer game in Snellville at 4:30, but could not pry myself away from the wrestling. I loved the wrestling, but heard there was a game ending fight that I would have enjoyed. I did manage a 7:00pm U16 game in Winder and enjoyed watching several of my girls win a 2-0 game. By noon on Sunday I was on my way back to the Winder field to watch a U17 game. It was a very physical, but well called game in which my girls won 1-0 off of a corner. I had one more girl getting ready to play in the next game, but I had to head to Meadowcreek for the MAWOA officials responsibilities clinic. The clinic was part of our on going training, and that is what this blog is truly about.
Some of our more experienced officials gave presentations on the pre-match duties. Thanks to some help from the peanut gallery, we talked about everything from the time you got your assignments through the actual first whistle. There are plenty of critical things that occur before wrestling starts that can make a match run much smoother, and officials seem more professional.
Having the tournament/match host know you are coming with a short email, or a quick phone call can really relieve some stress for the coach.
Giving an inspection of the wrestling area, insuring safety is a must.
Giving clear expectations with coaches and wrestlers before the match leads to less confusion, and fewer table visits.
Checking special equipment, and any doctor notes before the wrestlers hit the mat can resolve unwanted situations.
Building a rapport with the table workers before the first whistle can create a feeling of teamwork with you and those volunteers.
Having your uniform ready, and a draw kit for duals helps build confidence with everyone involved.
Practicing your signaling and using all of the correct signals instills confidence from the crowd, coaches, and wrestlers.
Those were just some of the details we talked about, and as you can tell, as officials we respect the hard work that the wrestlers and coaches have put into the sport, and we want to do our best to be prepared as well.
After we concluded that part of our session, we spent some time on mechanics. Although there was a plan in hand, this portion of the presentation was very open. We discussed positioning, illegal holds, technical violations, fleeing the mat, stalling, and locked hands. Many other topics came up, and we even walked through some of the situations with demonstrations. We were scheduled to be there from 4-6, and it was suddenly 6:30. I was having a great time, and didn't want to leave. There were a couple of coaches in the room, and they stayed and were asking questions. I really enjoyed the extra time that we spent with the guys asking questions, specially the coaches. When the janitor came up to the wrestling room and said he was setting the alarm, I grabbed my things and headed home.
This weekend we will be at Mountainview for the Hardcore championship. It is part of our training. We will be calling matches for free, and being critiqued by our peers. It is a nice switch to be criticized by your peers. You normally spend all of your time being criticized by coaches and parents.
Some of our more experienced officials gave presentations on the pre-match duties. Thanks to some help from the peanut gallery, we talked about everything from the time you got your assignments through the actual first whistle. There are plenty of critical things that occur before wrestling starts that can make a match run much smoother, and officials seem more professional.
Having the tournament/match host know you are coming with a short email, or a quick phone call can really relieve some stress for the coach.
Giving an inspection of the wrestling area, insuring safety is a must.
Giving clear expectations with coaches and wrestlers before the match leads to less confusion, and fewer table visits.
Checking special equipment, and any doctor notes before the wrestlers hit the mat can resolve unwanted situations.
Building a rapport with the table workers before the first whistle can create a feeling of teamwork with you and those volunteers.
Having your uniform ready, and a draw kit for duals helps build confidence with everyone involved.
Practicing your signaling and using all of the correct signals instills confidence from the crowd, coaches, and wrestlers.
Those were just some of the details we talked about, and as you can tell, as officials we respect the hard work that the wrestlers and coaches have put into the sport, and we want to do our best to be prepared as well.
After we concluded that part of our session, we spent some time on mechanics. Although there was a plan in hand, this portion of the presentation was very open. We discussed positioning, illegal holds, technical violations, fleeing the mat, stalling, and locked hands. Many other topics came up, and we even walked through some of the situations with demonstrations. We were scheduled to be there from 4-6, and it was suddenly 6:30. I was having a great time, and didn't want to leave. There were a couple of coaches in the room, and they stayed and were asking questions. I really enjoyed the extra time that we spent with the guys asking questions, specially the coaches. When the janitor came up to the wrestling room and said he was setting the alarm, I grabbed my things and headed home.
This weekend we will be at Mountainview for the Hardcore championship. It is part of our training. We will be calling matches for free, and being critiqued by our peers. It is a nice switch to be criticized by your peers. You normally spend all of your time being criticized by coaches and parents.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Open Book test.
It's fun to get together with a large room full of people that you have something in common with. It is even more fun if you are all trying to accomplish a common task. That is what the open book test is like.
As a GHSA official you must take both an open book, and a closed book test. The combined score on these tests dictate whether you are a certified/registered official, or can even officiate at all. The tests are 100 True or False questions, and many of them are tricky. If you look, you can find quotes from the rule book that answer each question. Some of the tougher questions lead to some heated debates that are only solved when someone finds the quote in the book.
Everyone in your organization meets and takes the test at one time. It is like a reunion of many of your wrestling experiences. In one area of the room there were guys that I have coached against. In another corner were a couple of guys that I coached in Freestyle in the off season. Right on my left was a wrestler who had some grueling battles with one of the wrestlers off of my High School team.
The season is getting closer, and it keeps getting more exciting.
A little post script from Saturdays officiating. My left leg was pretty sore this morning. Although I have been running, and watching my weight, it is not the same as getting out on a wrestling mat and doing a few hundred lunges. I officiated so much over the spring and summer that these muscles were in shape. I guess I will have to start a new conditioning routine to simulate positions I commonly get into when I officiate. I must spend a lot of time in a left leg forward lunge. I would get someone to tape some of my matches, but I know if I watched them, I would just be thinking how fat, and bald I am.(At least the times I was trying to figure out why any woman can resist me.)
As a GHSA official you must take both an open book, and a closed book test. The combined score on these tests dictate whether you are a certified/registered official, or can even officiate at all. The tests are 100 True or False questions, and many of them are tricky. If you look, you can find quotes from the rule book that answer each question. Some of the tougher questions lead to some heated debates that are only solved when someone finds the quote in the book.
Everyone in your organization meets and takes the test at one time. It is like a reunion of many of your wrestling experiences. In one area of the room there were guys that I have coached against. In another corner were a couple of guys that I coached in Freestyle in the off season. Right on my left was a wrestler who had some grueling battles with one of the wrestlers off of my High School team.
The season is getting closer, and it keeps getting more exciting.
A little post script from Saturdays officiating. My left leg was pretty sore this morning. Although I have been running, and watching my weight, it is not the same as getting out on a wrestling mat and doing a few hundred lunges. I officiated so much over the spring and summer that these muscles were in shape. I guess I will have to start a new conditioning routine to simulate positions I commonly get into when I officiate. I must spend a lot of time in a left leg forward lunge. I would get someone to tape some of my matches, but I know if I watched them, I would just be thinking how fat, and bald I am.(At least the times I was trying to figure out why any woman can resist me.)
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Eastside
This was Eastside's first USA tournament, and they did a good job. There were just under 100 wrestlers, and we got all of the wrestling, plus exhibitions done before noon.They had a big spread out for the coaches, officials, and workers. It looked like the state tournament. Thanks Eastside.
I gave a quick freestyle clinic at the begging of the tournament. It was part of the woman's development program. I am sure that it confused some of the younger wrestlers, but all we worked on was the basics of mat defense. Next woman's development event will get some takedown work, looking for three points.
Now for the main reason I was there, officiating. This was the first set of matches I called since freestyle season. I remember it being difficult to transition from freestyle to folkstyle last year, but it did not seem as difficult this year. I was patient in scrambles, and waited until there was control before I gave points. There were some scrambles that would have been points for both wrestlers in freestyle that ended up being nothing for folkstyle. I feel like I did a good job and I am ready to call some more matches soon.
The MAWOA will be meeting tomorrow to to take our open book test. The season is getting closer every day.
I know that many of you are aware that a certain ex High School coach was at his son's first USA tournament. Regardless of his sons performance, the coach was shocked at the intensity of some of the other coaches. The funny thing about many youth sports, and wrestling is no exception, is that as the age groups go down, the intensity of the parents, and coaches go up. Officiating youth matches can be much more difficult than a varsity High School match.
It was good to see a group from Darton's youth club there, and even better to see some of our Team Georgi alumni helping coach them. One of the funniest moments of the tournament was a woman's match. The young ladies, one of which was from the Darton program, were scrambling hard. The Darton wrestler was on top, and trying to get a turn. The defensive wrestler was being kind of slick, and I could tell she was going for a defensive pin. I got in good position, and sure enough, the defensive wrestler got the pin. As they were getting up, I could tell that the Darton wrestler did not understand what had happened. I looked at her and said she got you. She said how. I said you were laying on your back. I saw the light bulb go off, and I raised the other girl's hand.
I gave a quick freestyle clinic at the begging of the tournament. It was part of the woman's development program. I am sure that it confused some of the younger wrestlers, but all we worked on was the basics of mat defense. Next woman's development event will get some takedown work, looking for three points.
Now for the main reason I was there, officiating. This was the first set of matches I called since freestyle season. I remember it being difficult to transition from freestyle to folkstyle last year, but it did not seem as difficult this year. I was patient in scrambles, and waited until there was control before I gave points. There were some scrambles that would have been points for both wrestlers in freestyle that ended up being nothing for folkstyle. I feel like I did a good job and I am ready to call some more matches soon.
The MAWOA will be meeting tomorrow to to take our open book test. The season is getting closer every day.
I know that many of you are aware that a certain ex High School coach was at his son's first USA tournament. Regardless of his sons performance, the coach was shocked at the intensity of some of the other coaches. The funny thing about many youth sports, and wrestling is no exception, is that as the age groups go down, the intensity of the parents, and coaches go up. Officiating youth matches can be much more difficult than a varsity High School match.
It was good to see a group from Darton's youth club there, and even better to see some of our Team Georgi alumni helping coach them. One of the funniest moments of the tournament was a woman's match. The young ladies, one of which was from the Darton program, were scrambling hard. The Darton wrestler was on top, and trying to get a turn. The defensive wrestler was being kind of slick, and I could tell she was going for a defensive pin. I got in good position, and sure enough, the defensive wrestler got the pin. As they were getting up, I could tell that the Darton wrestler did not understand what had happened. I looked at her and said she got you. She said how. I said you were laying on your back. I saw the light bulb go off, and I raised the other girl's hand.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
No big deal
I went to Flowery branch this morning for a USA tournament. There were a little over 40 wrestlers. It was small, but had two mats full of wrestling. Team Georgia is looking to subsidies the preseason tournaments to increase numbers, but I will leave that announcement up to the board.
I have gotten the opportunity to watch a variety of officials work over the last couple of tournaments. I watched two different associations work, and a variety of experience levels from first year to veteran put in some time calling matches. Don't get me wrong, I watched plenty of wrestling, but I will be doing some officiating at Eastside next weekend, and I am watching how people officiate as much as anything else. I am not here to criticize officials, and that is not something you will ever see on my blog. I don't always agree with every cal I see, and sometimes I even take the time to discuss it with the officials who make the call. I get their perspective, and give them mine, and sometimes it leads to some productive conversations. Unfortunately, I do not have these conversations with many officials that I do not know. Fortunately, I know most of the officials.
I will have more to post next week after I knock the dust off and blow some calls myself. Wait that is not what I meant to say, I meant to say blow the whistle.
I have gotten the opportunity to watch a variety of officials work over the last couple of tournaments. I watched two different associations work, and a variety of experience levels from first year to veteran put in some time calling matches. Don't get me wrong, I watched plenty of wrestling, but I will be doing some officiating at Eastside next weekend, and I am watching how people officiate as much as anything else. I am not here to criticize officials, and that is not something you will ever see on my blog. I don't always agree with every cal I see, and sometimes I even take the time to discuss it with the officials who make the call. I get their perspective, and give them mine, and sometimes it leads to some productive conversations. Unfortunately, I do not have these conversations with many officials that I do not know. Fortunately, I know most of the officials.
I will have more to post next week after I knock the dust off and blow some calls myself. Wait that is not what I meant to say, I meant to say blow the whistle.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Study guide.
In studying for my open book examination, I find the following points important to note. Please add your discussion points as comments to the Blog.
1. The rear standing double knee kickback is illegal.
2. Suitable undergarments are required for weigh-ins.
3. Communicable skin conditions are a major concern.
4. The offensive wrestler must come set before the official will say set.
5. If it looks like a concussion don't take a chance, have him cleared by an appropriate health care professional.
6. Random draw takes place right after weigh-ins.
7. Net weight is required.
8. Head coach should verify that all wrestlers are ready to wrestle.
9. 45 minutes between matches
10. Record conclusion time of every match.
11. Teams should designate captains before a dual.
12. A dual meet is a series of matches from all 14 weight classes.
13. A coach may not use electronic devices to amplify his voice.
14. The outer circle should be at least 28 feet.
15. Everyone on the bench is covered by bench decorum.
16. The coach can approach the mat during charged time outs, and end of match.
17. Unsportsmanlike behavior by a spectator does not cost a team point.
18. The bench should be 10 feet from the mat, and score table during a dual meet.
19. Home management removes unsportsmanlike spectators.
20. All persons affiliated with the team are subject to the rules and will be governed by the officials decisions.
21. The coach can approach the table to discus rule misapplications.
22. Two team personnel are permitted at the edge of the mat.
23. F r the end-of-match procedure the assistant referee should be on the backside of the wrestling area observing.
24. The assistant referee does not communicate with coaches.
25. The referee has the authority to rule on anything not covered by the rules.
26. Stopping potential dangerous holds before they become illegal is preferable.
27. The state can approve the use of an artificial limb.
28. The referee approves all special equipment, which includes eye wear.
29. The referee approves all special equipment.
30. A designated meet physician can exam before, or after weigh-ins.
31. You have to make weight.
32. If there is only one scale, you can step on, off, and on again to ensure there is no mechanical or electronic inaccuracy. If there is more than one scale, you can try each scale.
33. The 2 pound growth allowance can be added after the date of certification.
34. Any authorized person of the same gender can supervise weigh-ins.
35. One scale is required for weigh-ins, but it is nice to have multiple scales.
36. Weigh-ins for duals should occur a maximum of one hour before competition, tournaments should be a maximum of two hours.
37. When a supporting part of both wrestlers is out of bounds, wrestling should be stopped.
38. The hands are supporting parts.
39. Supporting parts bear weight.
40. When a supporting part of both wrestlers is out of bounds, wrestlers are out of bounds.
41. It is impossible for for the defensive wrestler to earn a fall after a technical fall has been earned by the offensive wrestler.
42. A fall earns 6 team points in a dual. A tech fall earns 5.
43. A fall always terminates wrestling.
44. Defensive pins are possible.
45. There is a silent two second count for a fall.
46. some part of both scapula or shoulders must be in bounds for a fall to occur.
47. Back points are awarded when the defensive wrestler achieves a clearly defensible position.
48. A fall always terminates wrestling.
49. You must have control to earn near fall points.
50. Back points are awarded when the defensive wrestler achieves a clearly defensible position.
51. Back points are earned when the defensive wrestler is in a high bridge, on his elbows, or within three inches of the mat.
52. Two count equals two points, five count equals 3 points.
53. Both feet on the line is a good start.
54. Head should be over the center of the body on offensive starts.
55. You can not straddle the opponent on any offensive start.
56. Establish eye contact with the score table on every start.
57. competition between two individuals of as nearly equal weight as possible is a match.
58. To receive a forfeit, you must be in uniform.
59. Spectators, coaches, and competitors should be able to see the match score.
60. A margin of 1-7 is a decision. A margin of 8-14 is a major decision. A margin of 15 points or more is a tech-fall.
61. Contact is to be maintained through-out a match with a visually handicapped person.
62. Offensive starting position can be on the left, or right.
63. If a second injury time is taken at the end of the first period, the opponent will have choice at the start of the second, and third.
64. The wrestler who has choice in the first tie breaker may choose top bottom or defer.
65. A lack of action at the edge can be restarted.
66. The referee must stop the match for injuries.
67. When penalizing a defensive wrestler for stalling, you do not stop the wrestlers.
68. Time to correct legal equipment is counted as injury time.
69. A referee should make a determination of how much time has expired when there is a timing error.
70. Points scored during bad time do not count.
71. Incorrect choice of starting positions can be bad time.
72. Wrestlers wrestling in the wrong position is bad time.
73. A twisting knee lock is ilegal.
74. Potentially dangerous holds can become illegal.
75. Forcing a body part to the limit of normal range of motion is potentially dangerous.
76. An overhead, double-arm bar is illegal.
77. It is a stalemate if neither wrestler can improve his position.
78. If both wrestlers are wrestling aggressively, then stalling should not be called.
79. If overpowered, the defensive wrestler is not stalling.
80. Use of tobacco products by a coach is Flagrant misconduct and does not require a warning.
81. Unsportsmanlike conduct can occur before, during, or after a match.
82. If a coach argues misapplication of a rule, and the referee decides there was no misapplication, then he will be charged with coaches misconduct. If a coach is being abusive it is unsportsmanlike.
83. A disqualification for stalling does not disqualify a wrestler from further competition in a tournament.
84. Unsportsmanlike does not require a warning.
85. Penalties and warnings accumulate throughout matches.
86. Penalty points are always awarded in accordance with the penalty chart.
87. Unsportsmanlike penalties carry over in multi-day events.
88. After two warnings, all false starts are a one point penalty. You can not be disqualified for false starts.
89. Coaching is allowed during injury time outs.
90. There is a total of 1.5 minutes of injury time per match.
91. If a second injury time out is taken, the opponent gets choice of starting position on the restart.
92. Matches are always stopped for bleeding.
93. A wrestler injured by an illegal hold is entitled to two minutes of recovery time.
94. Time used to replace a contact is up to the discretion of the official. It may be called as injury time.
95. A wrestlers coach can forfeit a match at any time.
96. If the second injury time is taken at the conclusion of the first period, the opponent will have choice at the beginning of the second, and third period.
97. For injury time two team attendants and an appropriate health care professional shall be permitted on the mat.
98. If bleeding can not be controlled within 5 minutes, there is a disqualification.
99. There are no videotape reviews.
100. Forfeits count as a match for the 5 matches per day rule.
1. The rear standing double knee kickback is illegal.
2. Suitable undergarments are required for weigh-ins.
3. Communicable skin conditions are a major concern.
4. The offensive wrestler must come set before the official will say set.
5. If it looks like a concussion don't take a chance, have him cleared by an appropriate health care professional.
6. Random draw takes place right after weigh-ins.
7. Net weight is required.
8. Head coach should verify that all wrestlers are ready to wrestle.
9. 45 minutes between matches
10. Record conclusion time of every match.
11. Teams should designate captains before a dual.
12. A dual meet is a series of matches from all 14 weight classes.
13. A coach may not use electronic devices to amplify his voice.
14. The outer circle should be at least 28 feet.
15. Everyone on the bench is covered by bench decorum.
16. The coach can approach the mat during charged time outs, and end of match.
17. Unsportsmanlike behavior by a spectator does not cost a team point.
18. The bench should be 10 feet from the mat, and score table during a dual meet.
19. Home management removes unsportsmanlike spectators.
20. All persons affiliated with the team are subject to the rules and will be governed by the officials decisions.
21. The coach can approach the table to discus rule misapplications.
22. Two team personnel are permitted at the edge of the mat.
23. F r the end-of-match procedure the assistant referee should be on the backside of the wrestling area observing.
24. The assistant referee does not communicate with coaches.
25. The referee has the authority to rule on anything not covered by the rules.
26. Stopping potential dangerous holds before they become illegal is preferable.
27. The state can approve the use of an artificial limb.
28. The referee approves all special equipment, which includes eye wear.
29. The referee approves all special equipment.
30. A designated meet physician can exam before, or after weigh-ins.
31. You have to make weight.
32. If there is only one scale, you can step on, off, and on again to ensure there is no mechanical or electronic inaccuracy. If there is more than one scale, you can try each scale.
33. The 2 pound growth allowance can be added after the date of certification.
34. Any authorized person of the same gender can supervise weigh-ins.
35. One scale is required for weigh-ins, but it is nice to have multiple scales.
36. Weigh-ins for duals should occur a maximum of one hour before competition, tournaments should be a maximum of two hours.
37. When a supporting part of both wrestlers is out of bounds, wrestling should be stopped.
38. The hands are supporting parts.
39. Supporting parts bear weight.
40. When a supporting part of both wrestlers is out of bounds, wrestlers are out of bounds.
41. It is impossible for for the defensive wrestler to earn a fall after a technical fall has been earned by the offensive wrestler.
42. A fall earns 6 team points in a dual. A tech fall earns 5.
43. A fall always terminates wrestling.
44. Defensive pins are possible.
45. There is a silent two second count for a fall.
46. some part of both scapula or shoulders must be in bounds for a fall to occur.
47. Back points are awarded when the defensive wrestler achieves a clearly defensible position.
48. A fall always terminates wrestling.
49. You must have control to earn near fall points.
50. Back points are awarded when the defensive wrestler achieves a clearly defensible position.
51. Back points are earned when the defensive wrestler is in a high bridge, on his elbows, or within three inches of the mat.
52. Two count equals two points, five count equals 3 points.
53. Both feet on the line is a good start.
54. Head should be over the center of the body on offensive starts.
55. You can not straddle the opponent on any offensive start.
56. Establish eye contact with the score table on every start.
57. competition between two individuals of as nearly equal weight as possible is a match.
58. To receive a forfeit, you must be in uniform.
59. Spectators, coaches, and competitors should be able to see the match score.
60. A margin of 1-7 is a decision. A margin of 8-14 is a major decision. A margin of 15 points or more is a tech-fall.
61. Contact is to be maintained through-out a match with a visually handicapped person.
62. Offensive starting position can be on the left, or right.
63. If a second injury time is taken at the end of the first period, the opponent will have choice at the start of the second, and third.
64. The wrestler who has choice in the first tie breaker may choose top bottom or defer.
65. A lack of action at the edge can be restarted.
66. The referee must stop the match for injuries.
67. When penalizing a defensive wrestler for stalling, you do not stop the wrestlers.
68. Time to correct legal equipment is counted as injury time.
69. A referee should make a determination of how much time has expired when there is a timing error.
70. Points scored during bad time do not count.
71. Incorrect choice of starting positions can be bad time.
72. Wrestlers wrestling in the wrong position is bad time.
73. A twisting knee lock is ilegal.
74. Potentially dangerous holds can become illegal.
75. Forcing a body part to the limit of normal range of motion is potentially dangerous.
76. An overhead, double-arm bar is illegal.
77. It is a stalemate if neither wrestler can improve his position.
78. If both wrestlers are wrestling aggressively, then stalling should not be called.
79. If overpowered, the defensive wrestler is not stalling.
80. Use of tobacco products by a coach is Flagrant misconduct and does not require a warning.
81. Unsportsmanlike conduct can occur before, during, or after a match.
82. If a coach argues misapplication of a rule, and the referee decides there was no misapplication, then he will be charged with coaches misconduct. If a coach is being abusive it is unsportsmanlike.
83. A disqualification for stalling does not disqualify a wrestler from further competition in a tournament.
84. Unsportsmanlike does not require a warning.
85. Penalties and warnings accumulate throughout matches.
86. Penalty points are always awarded in accordance with the penalty chart.
87. Unsportsmanlike penalties carry over in multi-day events.
88. After two warnings, all false starts are a one point penalty. You can not be disqualified for false starts.
89. Coaching is allowed during injury time outs.
90. There is a total of 1.5 minutes of injury time per match.
91. If a second injury time out is taken, the opponent gets choice of starting position on the restart.
92. Matches are always stopped for bleeding.
93. A wrestler injured by an illegal hold is entitled to two minutes of recovery time.
94. Time used to replace a contact is up to the discretion of the official. It may be called as injury time.
95. A wrestlers coach can forfeit a match at any time.
96. If the second injury time is taken at the conclusion of the first period, the opponent will have choice at the beginning of the second, and third period.
97. For injury time two team attendants and an appropriate health care professional shall be permitted on the mat.
98. If bleeding can not be controlled within 5 minutes, there is a disqualification.
99. There are no videotape reviews.
100. Forfeits count as a match for the 5 matches per day rule.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Making a commitment.
I love coaching. Over the past couple of seasons, I have straddled the fence with coaching and officiating, but you truly can not do both effectively. I enjoy being able to pop in and out of practices, show a couple of things, and not be responsible for being at every minute of every practice. Once Summer arrives, I can more thoroughly enjoy the push of making every practice with our national teams without feeling burnt out. I often act in supporting rolls with our National teams doing plenty of behind the scenes work.
This past season I tried to make the firm switch from coaching to officiating. I still helped train with our national teams, popped in on Middle school practices, but when it came to competition times, I was rarely in the corners. I spent this last year inside the circles. I gained a ton of experience this past year, upgraded my rankings with USA wrestling, and enjoyed doing it. With all this said, I was still straddling the fence in my mind.
Over the Summer I talked to a couple of coaches about positions at there schools, and even interviewed for one of them. I did not get the jobs due to displaced teachers filling the positions I was up for. In the mean time, I have been contacted by the head official for USA Preseason Nationals, and asked to officiate at the end of October. I just about have myself totally convinced to make the commitment to officiating, and do my coaching as a hobby. I still coach Girl's Soccer, and I am expending more energy in that direction.
I have been studying my rule book, and casebook, and look forward to officiating some folkstyle. My GHSA group, MAWOA starts training next month, and I look forward to seeing everyone at the meetings, and putting my thumbs away for a little while. I will be attending the GWCA meeting and rules clinic on the 25th at Parkview.
If you are wrestling at Lithia Springs this weekend, I will be giving a Freestyle rules clinic and the girls will have an opportunity to wrestle some freestyle matches. I am sure we can find time to fit in some boys matches as well.
Lets get the ball rolling.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Fargo 3 more ways.
I thought that I had lost my passion for officiating this season. I made it through all of our local tournaments, S.E.R, and our State championships. S.E.R was a tough tournament for me. I had a very good day in the greco tournament, and was not as strong for freestyle. I had learned more, and improved from attending the official education program, but I was still not as strong as I would like to be at applying my newly acquired knowledge. Our state tournament did not give me a great opportunity to apply my new knowledge and put them into practice as technique.
I was still booked to attend Jr. Duals as an official and I just was not looking forward to it. Fortunately I had a great experience and was able to get further training from a variety of excellent officials. I practiced new techniques and gained confidence in my ability to call big matches. The highlight of the trip may have been the dual between Minnesota, and New Jersey. I have tons of respect for both of the coaches, and I did not want to give them anything to do but coach the wrestlers. Our team of officials was successful at helping me accomplishing my goal. It was a competitive dual that was capped off by a 5 point throw in the heavyweight match that I was able to confirm from the judges position. Because of my feeling of accomplishment, and all of the improvements I had made I felt ready to make the big move and attend Fargo as an official.
I gave Anthony a call, and he said we did not have the budget to fly me out. I could go as long as i road the bus. I had just gotten off of the round trip bus ride from Oklahoma City and I was a wreck. I knew if I road the bus to Fargo I would not be an effective official. I would also miss the two officials clinics, and I was very interested in attending them. I convinced Anthony to fly me up, and I would ride the bus home. Everything was working out. All I had left was 4 days of Soccer camp for 6 hours a day in 95 degree heat. I survived, and enjoyed camp, got packed and was on my way to Fargo.
Nothing is easy at Fargo. Fortunately I had attended several times and knew the drill. After waiting for a ride from the airport for over an hour, I finally hired a cab for the $10.00 ride to NDSU Bison arena. I got checked in, arranged my credentials, and got unpacked. It was a relief to get a little settled in. I went for a little walk around campus and found the location of my clinic for the next day. I meet my room mate, an official from Texas, and had a descent meal in the cafeteria which included plenty of the best chocolate milk known to man.
The clinic on the second day was not that much more informative than the OEP I attended in Atlanta, but it was taught by superstar officials who I have watched work Olympics and World Championships. We reviewed some of the toughest calls in greco and freestyle, and were instructed how to handle some more difficult situations. I felt prepared and ready to go.
All but one of the mornings started with weigh-ins that were mandatory for M2, and M3 officials. I am an M3 official so I was there. The weigh-ins were extremely efficient. We would get 1000 wrestlers weighed-in in less than 20 minutes. I was in a spot between nail checks, and skin checks, and helped maintain order making sure no one changed weigh-in cards, walked, and did a quick check of singlets to make sure they were legal competition singlets. We caught about 10 wrestlers with singlets that had been altered. we sent the wrestlers back out of weigh-ins to change. Unfortunately one of the altered singlets I caught was on a Georgia wrestler. Fortunately he still made weight. Every morning except one started this way. 6:30 to the Dome for Weigh-ins. Competitions started at 9:30 most days so I had to be back at the dome no latter than 9:00.
Every session started with a brief meeting/clinic. We were instructed on specific situations, and prepped for the session ahead.
Being an M3 I spent most of the tournament on whistle or in the judges chair. They assume that there will be problems if an M3 is in the mat chairman's position. As an M3, M2, or M1c you get reviewed at least once in every session. My ability to apply the information I had obtained throughout the season allowed me to perform in a fashion that rewarded me with good reviews, and recommendations for an upgrade.
Now for the fun part. For the second session of Junior Freestyle I was assigned to mat one. Mat one is on an elevated stage, and the center of attention for Fargo. There were also three cameras on the mat showing a live web-cast. Not only would I have the pressure of being on center stage, but I would also be viewed by whoever wished to tune in. To add to the pressure, The mat chairman asked me to sit in the mat-chairman's position for the first two matches. I performed well, and was allowed to rotate back into the chairman's position after I judged and whistled. I had one small problem and handled it efficiently. I was happy with my performance, and got my best reviews of the tournament. I performed well under pressure.
The stress, pressure, and physically long days left little energy or time for socializing, but I did meet people who have my same common interest from all over the nation. I gained knowledge, got the opportunity to apply it, and performed well under pressure. I made new friends, and got to officiate in the biggest wrestling tournament in the world. I will be back next year, even though I will not be due for an upgrade.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Dirty Little secrets!!!
What is up with all of those strange people in the blue shirts, slinging thumbs, bizarre little paddles with numbers, and three of them watching everything we do.
Here is the secret. They are all volunteers. A number of them are educators, or have had children wrestle on the National level. They are extremely concerned with making sure they get the correct winner, and try to get every call correct. They do their best to keep the wrestlers safe while they battle in what looks like an MMA fight. They all do it strictly for the love of the sport. None of these officials get paid for working any of the regional, or national events.
I have been calling FS/G matches for a while. I went ahead and got my license book a year ago and have been an official, official for two years now. I have been trained locally by guys like Shawn Feilds,Mel Ashcraft, and Stacey Davis. I felt well prepared, and also got additional training from out of state officials at the last two South East Regional Tournaments. I needed to work South East Regional in order to get an upgrade. I also had to have several evaluations from experienced officials. I was pretty tired of officiating by the time our State tournament ended, but I was already booked to attend Junior Duals. I am not required to officiate a National Tournament for my upgrade, but at the time, I thought it would be a good idea.
15 hours in a bus, and a quick workout latter, and the Team Georgia boys were off to the Motel. They left me at the tournament to fend for myself. While I was there the universities woman's team was having an inner-squad dual meet. I was impressed with the high level of wrestling that the girls displayed. While I was watching, A Texas official joined me, and gave me a ride over to the dorms, and helped me get checked in. The rooms had good air conditioning, so I was pretty happy. Shawn Feilds, a California official, and a Illinois official were my room mates. We got a long well, but were rarely in the room except to shower, and sleep.
A little latter I went to help Gwen Lutz with Team Registration, and attended the first of many meetings. We had a meeting before every session. We reviewed things that were observed during the previous sessions, get instructions on how to call certain actions, and got our assignments for the next session. We got plenty of good information in the meetings, but the real learning came during the sessions. The experienced officials helped you become better at all aspects of the craft. The instruction I received, new friends I made, and overall improvements I gained made me want to officiate more.
I just booked a flight to Fargo, and put myself on the schedule.
Here is the secret. They are all volunteers. A number of them are educators, or have had children wrestle on the National level. They are extremely concerned with making sure they get the correct winner, and try to get every call correct. They do their best to keep the wrestlers safe while they battle in what looks like an MMA fight. They all do it strictly for the love of the sport. None of these officials get paid for working any of the regional, or national events.
I have been calling FS/G matches for a while. I went ahead and got my license book a year ago and have been an official, official for two years now. I have been trained locally by guys like Shawn Feilds,Mel Ashcraft, and Stacey Davis. I felt well prepared, and also got additional training from out of state officials at the last two South East Regional Tournaments. I needed to work South East Regional in order to get an upgrade. I also had to have several evaluations from experienced officials. I was pretty tired of officiating by the time our State tournament ended, but I was already booked to attend Junior Duals. I am not required to officiate a National Tournament for my upgrade, but at the time, I thought it would be a good idea.
15 hours in a bus, and a quick workout latter, and the Team Georgia boys were off to the Motel. They left me at the tournament to fend for myself. While I was there the universities woman's team was having an inner-squad dual meet. I was impressed with the high level of wrestling that the girls displayed. While I was watching, A Texas official joined me, and gave me a ride over to the dorms, and helped me get checked in. The rooms had good air conditioning, so I was pretty happy. Shawn Feilds, a California official, and a Illinois official were my room mates. We got a long well, but were rarely in the room except to shower, and sleep.
A little latter I went to help Gwen Lutz with Team Registration, and attended the first of many meetings. We had a meeting before every session. We reviewed things that were observed during the previous sessions, get instructions on how to call certain actions, and got our assignments for the next session. We got plenty of good information in the meetings, but the real learning came during the sessions. The experienced officials helped you become better at all aspects of the craft. The instruction I received, new friends I made, and overall improvements I gained made me want to officiate more.
I just booked a flight to Fargo, and put myself on the schedule.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
FS/G State
We had three man mechanics on the Junior, and Cadet mats, and quality officials available for interpretations on the mats with only one official. There was a trainer available, and a group of Collins Hill's best managers to help with bloody noses, and cleaning mats between sessions. We had clocks from the ATA so everyone could see the scores, and of course we had some tough wrestling going on all over the gym.
Now I firmly understand the importance of every match at every tournament. I do not feel like I should only be officiating Junior level matches. I enjoy the young guys, just as much, and see the importance of what they are doing. I got the pleasure of calling some middle school and elementary level matches. I called about 60 matches and enjoyed every one of them. I was asked to go judge a high level Cadet match, but it ended up being a 7-0, 7-0 tech. I just looked at the other officials and said "you needed me for that".
I enjoyed our local tournament season, but can honestly say I am not disappointed that it is over. I look forward to national team practices, and a long bus trip to Oklahoma, followed by a longer bus trip to Fargo. I hope to catch some quality High School Summer Folkstyle action in the mean time.
Monday, May 31, 2010
SER from 3 spots.
It is hard to decide where to start, so I am going to go chronologically.
Before South east Regionals begins, you must have a USA Officials card, which includes a background check. You must sign up for the tournament online, and request accommodations if you are traveling from out of state. If you do not request a room, you are welcome to pay for your own. If you are putting on a clinic, or performing some other service for USA wrestling, they will pay for your room. For everyone else, Team Georgia provides them with a room. The part that most people do not realize is that the officials volunteer for these tournaments. They are not compensated for there time.
Ok, I already had my USA card, and I signed up online for the tournament. I did not request accommodations because I live 30 minutes from the center even with a stop at QT.
On Friday while the facility was being set up, I attended the Officials Education Program. It made me feel a little guilty being in class while some of my friends were setting up the venue, but if you want to get better at something, you have to take the time to learn from more experienced people. The class started about 8:30 am. We started by reviewing the new rule changes. I was good on the rule changes, but when someone asked the instructors to review continuation, I got my first big lesson of the day. It was my understanding that when I got a 6 point lead, or hit my second 3 point move in a period, the period was over unless I had my opponent in a position of danger/fall. I learned in the clinic that if there was a continuous move from the spot that I earned my 6 point lead, with scoring from my opponent, that it was not a tech-fall situation. I had to score again to get the 6 point lead. I also learned that in the second 3 point move scenario, that if there was a continuous move that put me in danger, that I could be pinned. Those were both new to me, and I knew i had to make adjustments.
Next we reviewed some video and practiced scoring. These were specific situations from world championships that were chosen because they demonstrated the application of rules, or were subject to different interpretation. It lead to some great discussion, and opened my eyes to some different interpretations.
After the scoring practice, we spent time learning about the different roles, and responsibilities of the members of an officiating crew. I have practiced 3 man mechanics on several occasions, and performed it last year at SER, but the discussions of how the group should work together, and offering choices for the chairman to make a decision were very helpful. I was already pretty comfortable on the whistle, but knowing that there are two more people helping get every call right makes it less stressful to actually call what you see without second, third, and even fourth guessing yourself. The information from this session also made me aware that from the judges chair if I see an action that the chairman has a good view of, and official on the whistle calls it a 1, but there is a small chance it could have been a 3, that I should offer a 3 so that the mat chairman can make the final decision. I know that leads to coaches, and parents thinking what the #@$% is he looking at, but I will take that criticism in order to give the two officials with a better angle to get the call right.
We took a lunch break at Frontera across the street, and Team Georgia picked up the tab.
After lunch we spent several hours going over protest procedures and video reviews. I learned what is protestable, and what was not protestable, and we had a practice exercise in which we had some written protests with score sheets, and we had to decide whether it was a protestable situation and should go to review. If we decided the protest should go to review, we had to act as the protest committee, and decide what had to be done. I learned plenty in this session, and it was my favorite part of the clinic. I know that I would not want to be on a protest committee, but I could do it now if asked. This last session took about 4 hours, but it felt like 4 minutes.
After class was done, I went out to the State of Georgia table to help distribute weigh-in cards for the first weigh-in. Everything was a little behind schedule except for the athletes, parents, and coaches. The weigh-in cards were coming in from out of town, and they just were not going to arrive on time. My hero Cheryl Flatt got colored paper, printed off the weigh-in cards, and got them to us just a few minutes late. Melody Domanico, Coach Porter, and I were trying to get the cards organized, hand them out, and work crowd control all at the same time. It was a little stressful. There were kids doing a great job of cutting in line, parents coming behind the tables trying to get cards while we were trying to get organized, and coaches getting upset about the line braking. Ron Domanico got out there and helped us out and things started moving a little better. That was not the best experience of the entire weekend. We got through it, put away the cards for the wrestlers that would be weighing in Saturday, and tried to put it out of our minds.
Now it was time for the Officials Greco clinic. We turned in our License books to be signed(Every time you officiate, go to a clinic, or an OEP you get your book signed for proof. It is all part of the upgrade system). We went over the rules specific to Greco, and spent a lot of time on the clinch procedure. We even got cheat sheets at every table with the proper clinch procedure. At the end of the clinic Team Georgia provided us with some subs, and I spent a little time socializing while I shoved a sandwich down my neck. The clinic lasted about an hour and when it was done I walked through the Convention Center to see if there was anything I could do to help Team Georgia. Everything looked pretty good. I checked with Cheryl and saw that she was organizing the Junior weigh-in cards, so I knew that the check in table would be smoother in the morning.
Saturday morning at about 6:00am I headed towards the venue. After a quick stop at QT for a little breakfast, and my favorite energy drink I was at my home for the weekend. I spent a little time tracking down the weigh-in cards for the morning, and found everything I needed. I had a little time to get organized. Except for the wrestlers who showed up without USA cards, things were much smoother.
Now it was time for the Officials meeting. We went over last minute details, got our mat assignments, and found out who we would be working with. It can be like winning or loosing the lottery. If you get a good crew, it can make the day a lot more fun, and a true learning experience, and that is what I was there for. I was familiar with the Officials I was assigned to. I had worked a little bit with one of them last year, and he had taught me a lot about position on the mat, how to get there , and when to get there. I know the things I learned from him last year made me better, and figured today would be a good learning experience as well. I am a M3 official (low man on the totem poll). In order to achieve a ranking of M2(still low man on the totem poll but not a sorry M3) I had to have two years in, and have good evaluations. I had been evaluated last year, and needed to be evaluated this year, so I gave the evaluation to our head official at the beginning of the day. We worked on a three match rotation in which we changed duties about every three matches. We rotated from Whistle, to chairman, to judge, and back to whistle. I did not like the pace of our mat, but it is hard to go fast in greco. I really started to drag by about 6:00pm, and we kept going for another 2.5 hours. I felt like I was on my game, and did a good job of officiating Saturday. I got a good review, turnned it in, and was ready to head home. At the last second I turned around, and headed to the officials social. Team Georgia and Ted's Montana Grill hosted the social, and it was a nice affair. I enjoyed a couple of adult beverages, shared some tasty appetizers with my friends, and enjoyed a nice bison burger. Service was great, and everyone had a good time. I got home about 11:00pm
Sunday morning, and it was time for one more weigh-in. I was back at the Georgia table getting organized, and Anthony Flatt was busy chasing people out of the building, and getting the doors locked. He really could not have the entrances opened till he had his volunteers there to collect at the door, and help work security. There was a small line forming at the entrance, and Melody and I were set up and ready to get weigh-ins started. A man banged on the window behind us and asked how do I get in. We both pointed to the line at the door directly in front of him. He banged on the window again, a little harder this time and we directed him to the line at the door again. He banged on the window excessively hard this time, and I told him to stop it, and directed him to the front door again. When he finally got inside he marched over to me and asked my name several times. He informed me that he just wanted to get inside so that his son could check his weight. He told me that everything was ok now because his son was in the venue cutting weight. Understand, I was sitting there in an officials uniform, at a USA event, that strictly forbids rapid weight loss. This man was telling me that the only reason that he had acted rudely was so he could get inside before the venue was open to allow his son more time to break the rules, and it is ok because his son is breaking the rules right now. he asked me my name several more times as if he was going to report me to the king for beheading and finally walked away. Dispatching the weigh-in cards was very smooth today except for the few that did not bring there USA cards. Everyone got weighed in, and it was time for the officials clinic.
There was an emphasis on being effective, and moving matches quickly. We were asked to have less conferences, unless they were absolutely needed. I was assigned to a crew of younger guys that seemed like they were going to be efficient, and we would run at a good pace.
I was right. Our mat ran at a high pace, and we had very few conferences. I split time on whistle, and in the judges chair with our highest ranked official. The mat chairman stayed on the table all day long. I do not have a big ego, and feel the need to be a chairman, but I do like the practice, and experience. Because of the rapid pace, and the lack of conferences, I did not have as good a learning experience today. I felt like I did a better job on Saturday. There were a couple of times when I was confused by some calls that the chair and Judge made, and the explanations I got were incomplete, and lead me to believe that I was supposed to call a situation as illegal, when in fact they were talking about something else all together. It was not clarified til latter when i was trying to apply the rules as they had told me, that they told me that is not what they had meant. I did not dislike the group I worked with on Sunday, and even enjoyed myself, but I had a much better learning experience on Saturday. At the end of the competition I gave the lead official on our mat my evaluation to complete, and it was not nearly as good as the evaluation I received on Saturday.
I left my crew and joined my Team Georgia faithful to brake down the tournament. We got the mats rolled, strapped, clocks boxed, and began loading everything onto trucks cars, and vans. Mr Sartain got all of the gear he had delivered all loaded up first, then we started loading mats onto the tractor trailer. We realized once we started that in order to get all of the mats on the truck, we were going to have to stack some on top. I climbed up on top of the mats and stuffed mats back into the hole as everyone brought them to the truck. Pulling together when you are tired, and accomplishing a task like this has always been fun to me. Mats were loaded and I was about to go home. Cheryl saw me about to head out, and said we are about to go to Carrabas if you want to come. I accepted the invitation, and enjoyed a nice meal, an some conversation with some of the team Georgia Coaches, and some of the wrestlers that had stayed and loaded trucks. Team Georgia covered the bill again.
The weekend was complete. I learned a good bit, may or may not have done what it takes to be elevated to an M2, and got feed all weekend by Team Georgia. I got a nice shirt, some new wrist bands, and got to spend time with my friends. It was a volunteer operation where as a volunteer I was well feed. I should have just held up a sign that read will work for food.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
NHSCA Stae Championship.
I have to admit that the pace of the wrestling was not to my liking at this point in the season. It was slow and plodding compared to FS/G. There was plenty of poorly conditioned wrestlers that made it even worse. Don't get me wrong, it was far from low quality wrestling, it's just that I have already made the adjustments for FS/G.
I did end up officiating latter in the tournament. One of the officials needed a bathroom break, so i called a few matches for him, and latter they opened an extra mat so I called all of the matches on it.
I did have a first. As I was walking past the elementary mat, I heard an upset coach/father, so I took the time to listen to his complaint. As i wa giving him a chance to vent, the officials girlfriend came down to the mat to chew out the coach for the way he yelled at his son/wrestler. Understand, i did not see the match, him yelling at his son, or any call made by the official, but I had on stripes so iI was attempting to deescalate the situation. The first thing was to make sure that the women who came out of the stands, go back to them. I told her several times that she had to go back to the stands, but she was adement about making sure I knew that this coach was the worst father she had ever seen. She finaly went back to the stands, and i was able to give the coach my attention. He was not phased by the women, which was a good thing. He could have gotten defensive, and it could have turned very ugly. he wanted there to be a review of the vedio of the match, and a reversal of the call, or at least an explanation. I made sure that he understood that a vedio review was not a part of folkstyle wrestling, and no calls would be changed, but i would look at it if he liked. I watched the video, but it was kind of inconclusive. The situation was diffused even though there was no change in the outcome. I saw the match being rewrestled latter in the day. I am not sure why it was rewrestled but the outcome was conclusive. There was no change in the outcome.
As always I enjoyed the social aspect of the greatest sport in the world. The big topic of the day was how hard headed High School boys were, and the fact that the coaches were not allowed in the corner did not make a big difference because they did not listen anyway. I got a chance to talk to Mr. Wert, and got a report that sounded like there was a good workout taking place at the compound. I know that a number of guys getting ready for SER took the opportunity to get a Saturday workout in and the compound was the place to be.
I forgot the feeling you have when you are wearing a clear cut uniform. In FS/G you are wearing a uniform, but it is not as universally recognized as an official. A blue shirt, gray pants, and some black shoes could just be a bad choice of attire, but once you put on your folkstyle gear everyone knows who you are. If you stop by the QT (best convenience store in the world) in your FS/G uniform it's no big deal, but if you have your Folkstyle uniform on everyone looks at you and is thinking, oh look at that @#$hole . I am glad that I had some time to get out in the sun this week. At least I did not look like a Qtip any more.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
