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.
Monday, October 25, 2010
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.
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