Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Junior Duals.
An officials life at Junior Duals.
Pay=0
Benefit=Education, Evaluation, possible promotion to higher level. Increase in pay=0
Why go as an official? Best seat in the house.
Most of the state associations pay the officials a stipend for attending the National tournaments. I received $100 for representing the state of Georgia.
I received advice, reviews, and education from many of the top officials in the United States, and worked shoulder to shoulder with officials from all over the United States who were doing the same.
I got to doge the attacks of many of the best wrestlers in the U.S. without ever having the fear of being attacked myself.
I trained with Team Georgia's Junior teams, and called several wrestle-offs.
I traveled by bus with Team Georgia to, and from the event even though I was unable to watch them compete in the event. We even survived a blow out on the highway.
I officiated the 3rd place match for Greco, which I am glad to say that our neighbors to the south won, but had to leave before freestyle finals.
I will go again next year.
Here is what it is like for me.
I get dropped off after a 14 hour bus ride.
I find out where we are being housed, and wait to check in.
I unpack, and walk to the local store to buy some drinks, and a belt that I forgot for the second year in a row. (I think I have 6 black belts now, and I don't even do Karate).
I attend a clinic where we are introduced to any rules that are specific to the current event, and have a general rules review.
We have a clinic before every session, and review anything that is observed, or that coaches are complaining about.
Sessions are two or three duals long, and we have three per day.
We work through fatigue, and lack of sleep to concentration at a high level. We do the best we can to maintain excellent position on the mat and get every point scored correctly.
As a judge we give options that are possible so that the chairman can make final decisions on difficult situations.
As Chairmen, we keep things organized, and make final decisions when called upon.
We work long, hard hours, and try to learn, and have fun while we are doing it.
It is by far my favorite tournament, and I hope to return every year.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Behind the scenes at Schoolboy Duals
Just got back from Schoolboy Duals, and had a great time. I worked more than 8 hours per day, and learned plenty. Her is a list of things you may not know.
All officials work the tournament for free.
Every state that has a team must supply officials.
If you have two teams, you must supply two officials.
Most states give the officials a supplement to help cover expenses.
If you want to receive an upgrade beyond an M2, you must be evaluated at a National tournament.
Fully upgraded (M1) officials run the mats, and give training tips, as well as formal evaluations.
If you perform poorly, you can be downgraded.
The tournament provides housing, and food for the officials.
Here is a small narrative of my experience from a technical standpoint.
I caught the team bus at 5:45 at The Wrestling Academy. Helped load food and supplies for about 15 minutes. We drove to our second pick-up sight to pick up most of the team, and coaches. We arrived at Warren High School between 3:00, and 4:00. The Team stayed and got a quick workout before weigh-ins. Wolfgang (the other official) and I were basically dropped off. We worked weigh-ins, and attended the clinic before we were asked to find a ride to the hotel. We got rides with different people. I rode with a couple of guys who drove in from Pennsylvania. We stopped by the hotel, got checked in, and dropped off our stuff. We met back up to get a late dinner, and I picked up the tab so they would feel obligated to shuttle me around for the rest of the week. By the time I got back to the Hotel it was about midnight. I called Wolfgang to make sure he had gotten a room, but he had not. I gave him the number for the room that I was sharing with a high ranking official, and he slept on the floor. Needless to say I was tired, and we were due back early in the morning.
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, I meet up with my new friends from PA. Morning meeting were followed by 7 duals of Greco wrestling. We called matches for about 13 hours. We broke away a few at a time to eat lunch, and dinner.
Next day had a similar schedule. Quick breakfast then a meeting at the venue. 4 rounds of Greco followed by the finals. I got to work the 3rd, 4th place match, and it was a solid dual. After a short break, we started right in with two rounds of Freestyle. It took a little bit of adjusting, but the flow of the officiating settled in quickly.
The short day was Saturday. We only had 5 rounds to officiate, and even took a true lunch break. We were back at the hotel by 8:00pm, and had a social. We ate some good food, and watched the webcast of the World Team Trials. Of course we were watching the wrestling, but we were applauding the officials as we spotted them as well.
Sunday, was a hard day. We were officiating heated matches leading up to the finals. Three of the officials on my mat were getting a specific call wrong, and even after the Mat Chairman held a conference about it, they still got the call wrong. He sat all of those officials, so I worked the rest of the dual in one of the three spots. Next dual, he talked about it again, and put everyone back into rotation. In the heavyweight match, they missed the call again twice. Fortunately no one complained. I went to check on Team Georgia, and they were almost through with the last dual. I told the Head official that he needed to take Wolfgang and I out of rotation, informed both mat chairmen that we had to leave, and shortly we were on the bus.
Favorite things from the trip.
Meeting new people with similar experience from all over the United States.
Officiating Greco matches while Kendal Cross coached the Texas team.(What does that guy know about Greco)
Being an old guy who is in the same shoes as most of the young guys.
Sharing the experience with the young guys.
Finding out what everyone did for a living.
Listening to how things are done in other states.
Learning how to become a better official.
Watching Wolfgang perform well at his first National tournament.
Everyone's sense of humor.
Karaoke on the bus on the way home.
In about 9 days, I will start the cycle again for Junior Duals. I can't wait.
All officials work the tournament for free.
Every state that has a team must supply officials.
If you have two teams, you must supply two officials.
Most states give the officials a supplement to help cover expenses.
If you want to receive an upgrade beyond an M2, you must be evaluated at a National tournament.
Fully upgraded (M1) officials run the mats, and give training tips, as well as formal evaluations.
If you perform poorly, you can be downgraded.
The tournament provides housing, and food for the officials.
Here is a small narrative of my experience from a technical standpoint.
I caught the team bus at 5:45 at The Wrestling Academy. Helped load food and supplies for about 15 minutes. We drove to our second pick-up sight to pick up most of the team, and coaches. We arrived at Warren High School between 3:00, and 4:00. The Team stayed and got a quick workout before weigh-ins. Wolfgang (the other official) and I were basically dropped off. We worked weigh-ins, and attended the clinic before we were asked to find a ride to the hotel. We got rides with different people. I rode with a couple of guys who drove in from Pennsylvania. We stopped by the hotel, got checked in, and dropped off our stuff. We met back up to get a late dinner, and I picked up the tab so they would feel obligated to shuttle me around for the rest of the week. By the time I got back to the Hotel it was about midnight. I called Wolfgang to make sure he had gotten a room, but he had not. I gave him the number for the room that I was sharing with a high ranking official, and he slept on the floor. Needless to say I was tired, and we were due back early in the morning.
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, I meet up with my new friends from PA. Morning meeting were followed by 7 duals of Greco wrestling. We called matches for about 13 hours. We broke away a few at a time to eat lunch, and dinner.
Next day had a similar schedule. Quick breakfast then a meeting at the venue. 4 rounds of Greco followed by the finals. I got to work the 3rd, 4th place match, and it was a solid dual. After a short break, we started right in with two rounds of Freestyle. It took a little bit of adjusting, but the flow of the officiating settled in quickly.
The short day was Saturday. We only had 5 rounds to officiate, and even took a true lunch break. We were back at the hotel by 8:00pm, and had a social. We ate some good food, and watched the webcast of the World Team Trials. Of course we were watching the wrestling, but we were applauding the officials as we spotted them as well.
Sunday, was a hard day. We were officiating heated matches leading up to the finals. Three of the officials on my mat were getting a specific call wrong, and even after the Mat Chairman held a conference about it, they still got the call wrong. He sat all of those officials, so I worked the rest of the dual in one of the three spots. Next dual, he talked about it again, and put everyone back into rotation. In the heavyweight match, they missed the call again twice. Fortunately no one complained. I went to check on Team Georgia, and they were almost through with the last dual. I told the Head official that he needed to take Wolfgang and I out of rotation, informed both mat chairmen that we had to leave, and shortly we were on the bus.
Favorite things from the trip.
Meeting new people with similar experience from all over the United States.
Officiating Greco matches while Kendal Cross coached the Texas team.(What does that guy know about Greco)
Being an old guy who is in the same shoes as most of the young guys.
Sharing the experience with the young guys.
Finding out what everyone did for a living.
Listening to how things are done in other states.
Learning how to become a better official.
Watching Wolfgang perform well at his first National tournament.
Everyone's sense of humor.
Karaoke on the bus on the way home.
In about 9 days, I will start the cycle again for Junior Duals. I can't wait.
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