Where does most of your officiating knowledge come from?

NASO members said:

40%	Reading books/Referee magazine.
27%	Attending local officials association meetings.
18%	Discussing situations with fellow officials.
10%	The hands-on training of working games.
5%	Reading online officiating material.

To view previous issues of NASO LockerRoom

Four Tips for Rookie Officials

So you’ve decided on a life in stripes. What have you gotten yourself into?

Rookie officials face a host of challenges as they get ready for their first season. The life of an official is not for everyone, evidenced by the high percentage of newcomers who don’t return for their sophomore season.

Your local association will provide you with training and guidance as you prepare for your first night on the field or on the court. The NFHS will provide the rulebooks and manuals, and your state association will most likely provide additional information and direction on state guidelines.

But what are the intangibles, the real secrets behind becoming a successful official? What are some of the tips that will help you shake off your “rookie” moniker as quickly as possible?

Here are four tips for first-year officials that will help make your first season a productive and successful one.

• Learn the rulebook. That seems to be a constant refrain among the heads of officials associations, who say that rookie officials who know the rules have a greater chance of success than those who just think they do. Read the rulebook, casebook and officials manuals every chance you get. Over lunch. Before bedtime. On the train or bus. By the end of your first season, the books should be so threadbare you’ll need to get another set.

• Be a listener, not a talker. Crews love to chat, but rookies need to admit that they have less to add to the conversation than an official who’s served for two decades. Every official a rookie runs into can teach him something. Obviously you can learn much from a 15-year line judge who’s mastered his mechanics. But listening to your fellow rookies also can be educational. Why make the mistakes yourself when you can learn from another rookie’s gaffe?

• Forget money. That’s an obvious one, but it’s one that’s overlooked. Most associations are very up front with recruits that the money shouldn’t be a motivator, but it bears repeating. An Atlanta area football officials association, like many others, pays its officials at the end of the season in one lump sum, and many of its members look at it as a modest Christmas Club account.

• Gain experience anywhere you can. Is your association calling preseason intrasquad scrimmages or games? Work as many as you can. Have an extra Saturday available? Officiate a B-team game. Tell your assigner you’re available should a last-minute vacancy occur. Take every opportunity to gain onfield experience. Remember, a rookie who calls two games a week is twice as experienced as the rookie who calls just one.

Written by Darren Drevik, a freelance editor and writer from Atlanta. He has officiated youth and high school football. This article originally appeared in the 3/02 issue of Referee.

Assault Legislation Packets Are Available

“New Legislation Protecting Officials Passes.” That headline or a similar one has been seen in 20 different states across the country. What about the other 30 states? What about your state? If your state is not among those that have passed tougher laws to punish players, coaches, fans or parents who attack officials, it’s not too late.

You can get involved today, and NASO can help you and your local association get started. The NASO Assault Legislation Packet is available by request free of charge to NASO members. The packet contains information about the states that have passed legislation, what NASO has done to support legislation efforts and details about how you can takes steps to protect the officials in your state.

The current NASO Assault Legislation Packet includes:

1. NASO Model Legislation. What type of law should your state pass? NASO has sample legislation you can revise to fit your needs.

2. NASO Assault Legislation Kit.

• Letter from NASO President Barry Mano.

• Summary and background on NASO legislation efforts.

• Assault Legislation: 5 Steps You Can Take reprint.

• Examples of assaults that have occurred in your state.

3. Legislation Map (Poster). The map highlights the states that have passed assault, limited liability and independent contractor laws.

4. Customized Contents.

• Contact information for your state (senators, legislators, etc.).

• Contact information from others who have successfully passed legislation.

• Articles from general news sources of the latest assaults on officials.

Because negative headlines of an umpire or referee getting assaulted or threatened are now commonplace, action is needed. It’s important to let the lawmakers in your state know about the critical need to pass officials protection laws.

The states that have succeeded in passing legislation that gives tougher penalties to those who attack officials include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, Oregon, New Jersey, Minnesota, Florida, Illinois and Nevada.

If your state is not among that list, you can make a difference. To request the NASO Assault Legislation Packet, contact NASO at naso@naso.org or call 262/632-5448

Pull Up a Chair …

Everyone who’s ever stepped onto a field, court or rink to officiate a game has a story to tell. Here’s a story about an official who “forgot” to help a fellow official. Do you have a story to tell? Write it down and e-mail to lastcall@referee.com.

I Used to Be a Jerk

By Steve Dignam

It was my very first game refereeing basketball — men’s city league — and I was doing a lousy job. I knew it. The players knew it. My partner, Bill, knew it, too. But Bill was unbelievable. He kept talking to me all game: “Nice call, Steve.” “Great job, Steve.” “Keep it up, Steve.”

My partner carried me along, kept me going, and I survived my first game. Later, I told myself that I would never forget Bill and what he did for me that night.

Well, I forgot.

Not too long ago, I was working a game with Bill again. Over the last eight years, I learned a lot about the rules and mechanics, focused on getting better and improving my standard in the officiating community. I have improved such that my mechanics and judgment are probably about as good as Bill’s.

Anyway, we were working a game and Bill was not have a good day. He missed a few calls. He looked like he was a little tired because he was out of position for a few plays.

Did I step up to try and help him? Nope, I was more worried about me than about him. I was upset because I thought that he was making us look bad, making me look bad.

I remember talking to myself and thinking: “Come on, Bill! Get it together, for crying out loud!” I was embarrassed for how Bill’s performance was reflecting on me, and I definitely was not having fun out there.

After the game, Bill confronted me and asked me what the problem was. He wanted to know why I was scowling and shaking my head on the court.

Oh my God! Then it hit me: I had not only been frustrated and upset on the inside but it was also showing on the outside!

I was ashamed. What happened to the guy who said he would never forget how he was treated so long ago? Boy, did I forget. What a fool I was. I had wadded Bill up like an old candy wrapper during that game and tossed him away. Just tossed him away.

Maybe I was a lot better with the rules, mechanics and judgments of the game, but as a partner, I was a jerk, a real jerk.

Feeling about two inches tall, I phoned Bill a few nights later to apologize. I rambled on and on about what I had done and how good a friend he was and blah, blah, blah.

Bill finally cut me off. “Don’t worry about it Steve,” he said. “I still have a lot of respect for you.” Respect for me? Right at that point I didn’t even have much respect for myself. Can you believe it? Bill had done it again! Instead of showing bitterness, he quickly and easily forgave me. Not only that but he picked me up, stood me back on my feet and brushed the dust off of me.

Yes, my mechanics and my judgment had improved a lot over the last eight years, but I still had a long, long way to go to be as good an official as Bill was.

It’s taken me that long to figure out that what makes a good official encompassed more than just Xs and Os. It’s more than just knowing the rulebook or making the proper block/charge call. We get a lot of opportunities to reveal the kind of person we really are. We can demonstrate our professionalism, our courage and our compassion.

I hope that some day I, too, can be remembered as a good official.

Steve Dignam is from Creswell, Ore. He officiates college basketball and track and field, and volleyball at the high school level.