Meeting With Game Managers and Coaches

Part of an official’s preparation includes pregame meetings with game management personnel, and coaches. The way you handle those meetings sets the tone for the rest of the game.

Pregame with game management. Ideally upon arrival at a game site a game manager meets with the officials. That game manager is usually a school athletic director or other administrator, usually from the host school, and is responsible for all aspects of managing the game. A game manager has three basic responsibilities related to officials: Security, communication and support.

The game manager is a very important part of managing the game. A good manager helps officials; a poor one (or none at all) offers additional unwelcome challenges.

At lower level games, the game manager is usually the home team’s head coach. That’s not ideal; you’d like to have a more distant participant as the game manager because that coach might be the problem that has to be dealt with later on. Budget considerations usually dictate otherwise. Plus, an athletic director can only be in one place at a time; often many sporting events occur at once at different sites.

When meeting with a game manager:

• Introduce yourself and your officiating crew.

• Confirm the game’s start time.

• Ask where the game manager will be located during the game so the manager can be easily found by the officials, if necessary.

• If applicable, ask if halftime is extended beyond what is normal for any reason (like parent’s night, etc.). If it is, be sure the game manager informs the visiting team before the game starts. It’s also a good idea to mention the extension yourself to the head coach before the game to prevent problems.

• Inform the game manager that if the officials have any unusual problems with fans (throwing objects on the floor, yelling obscenities at opponents, etc.), the referee will stop the game and call on the game manager to take care of the problem. Taking care of the problem may mean a warning to the offender(s) or an immediate ejection from the facilities, based on the referee’s assessment of the situation.

• Inform the game manager that if a player or coach is ejected, the game manager may be called upon to help facilitate the removal of the offender from the premises.

• Thank the game manager for the support.

If you get any resistance from the game manager during that meeting, explain that you and your crew are simply preparing for all events and the game manager’s cooperation is necessary to ensure the participants’ safety. Most of the time, game managers are extremely supportive.

Pregame with coaches. With most games at most levels, officials are required to meet the coaches before the game. When meeting coaches:

• Keep it very brief. There should be no more than an exchange of names, a handshake, and a "Good luck."

Why so brief? Coaches are constantly trying to gain a mental advantage. An extended conversation gives a coach a chance to plant seeds about the other team ("We watched them on film and they hold on every running play. Could you watch that please?"), act like you and the coach are best friends ("Hey! It’s great to see such a great crew on this game!"), attempt to influence you by promising things ("If you refs do well tonight, I’ll be sure to get you some more games next year."), or attempt to get information on how you’re going to call the game ("The last time we played, the officials didn’t call hand-checking at all on the other team. How are you going to call it tonight?").

No matter what the coach wants to talk about, it’s not appropriate before the game. Keep in mind the perception of the conversation. If you are talking to one coach for an extended period of time, what is the other coach thinking? Remember, most coaches are paranoid about officiating. You’ve heightened the coach’s concern by talking to the opponent for so long. That’s a tough thing to overcome. Again, it’s that "first impression" thing.

Before the game (or at any time during the game) if a coach has a question that is anything but brief, tell that coach that before you give an answer, to be fair to both teams you’re going to bring the other team’s head coach over to listen to the conversation. That technique usually ends the mental games from that coach. If the coach still wants an answer, get the other coach and give them both an answer. By doing so, you avoid the appearance of favoritism.

Conduct the meeting just prior to the start of the game. That doesn’t give the coach time to get into an extended conversation with you because the coach is usually giving last-minute instructions to the team.

Accountability Theme Rings Loud and Clear

Sports officials accept the responsibility of being accountable but want better communication from their administrators as to what is expected in both on and off the field behavior.

That’s one conclusion from the "Sports Officiating 2003" conference conducted June 21-23 in Portland, Ore.

"Our 2003 conference in Portland was one of the most important in NASO’s history," says NASO President Barry Mano. "The quality of education coupled with the involvement of a substantial number of key organizations reinforces the belief of NASO’s board that this event has become the signature annual gathering of officiating leaders and others. The synergy was amazing. The footprint of this event will be visible far and wide for some time to come."

Officiating leaders from across North America gathered for the three-day event and participated in 16 specific educational sessions totaling more than 18 hours of focus on the subject of sports officials and accountability.

In addition, many attendees participated in activities such as a pre-conference Saturday training session for Oregon and Washington state local officiating leaders, the NASO board of directors meeting, a National Federation of State High School Associations "update," a Saturday evening opening reception party, a VIP luncheon, a Sunday evening river cruise, a tour of the city of Portland, a spouse reception and the NASO Gold Whistle Award banquet.

All that plus the educational sessions occurred within a span of 61 hours beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday and ending at 10 p.m. on Monday. You can also include an Officiating Development Alliance meeting that began Monday morning and concluded Tuesday morning in conjunction with conference activities if you like.

"The conference is always jammed packed with daylight to midnight action," noted former NASO Chair Jim Jorgensen from Carmichael, Calif. "It’s amazing how much information is covered in such a short period of time."

NASO will release a special report providing detailed summaries of each educational session later this year and a book related to the topic will be forthcoming next spring.

Among the highlights of the 2003 conference: the presentation of the NASO Gold Whistle Award to NBA official Bob Delaney; the announcement of the Mel Narol NASO Medallion Award; and several educational sessions received high marks including Wingate University President and ACC football official Jerry McGee’s "The Buck Stops Here" session defining accountability expectations.

A session addressing the role the media plays in perception that included Mano, former NFL Senior Director of Officiating Jerry Seeman, Los Angeles Times reporter J.A. Adande; Portland Tribune President Dwight Jaynes; NBA official Danny Crawford and Ohio High School Athletic Association Assistant Executive Director Hank Zaborniak involved the audience in a spirited discussion of expectations and reality.

"Face it," Seeman told the audience, "officials are going to make mistakes and the media is going to focus on that. That’s not going to change. That’s the reality. Get over it and move on!"

Also, an important outcome from the event was the increased awareness of the NASO/ODA Covenant With Sports Officials and Sports Officials Code of Conduct.

"The covenant is an important document that I want to share with our governing bodies in Canada," said attendee Lance Campbell of Calgary, Ontario. "I never gave it much thought about what the game owes to officials, but it really is a partnership as opposed to being one-sided."

Plans are already under way for the "Sports Officiating 2004" Conference in Washington, D.C. The date will be August 7-9.

Delaney Accepts NASO Gold Whistle Award

Before nearly 200 fellow officials, including his immediate NBA supervisor Ed Rush and league Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson, Bob Delaney humbly accepted the NASO Gold Whistle Award on June 23 in Portland, Ore.

"I accept this award not for any personal action of mine or Billie (my wife), but on behalf of all my teammates – my fellow officials in the NBA," said a tuxedo clad Delaney. "We’re a team on and off the court."

Delaney’s remarks followed a heartfelt introduction by Rush and Jackson and a stirring 11-minute video presentation highlighting the charitable contributions Delaney has fostered over the years. The video highlighted a speech Delaney gave to middle school students, spoke of his NBA beginnings and ended with a motivational send off emphasizing the importance of every person reaching out to meet their full potential.

Both Rush and Jackson emphasized Delaney’s personal drive to excel made him the right man for the award. His leadership qualities, his ability to motivate and to demonstrate by example were just some of the accolades directed at Delaney. The kudos came from executives who were obviously proud to be part of the special night that honored one of their own. Delaney is the second NBA official to receive the coveted NASO Gold Whistle Award. Tommy Nuñez won the honor in 1999.

Throughout his remarks, Delaney recognized others for their support and leadership that inspire him. He noted that Billie is a marathon runner, he acknowledged Nuñez’s scholarship program and he spoke of how important the giving of time can be to help others.

"We don’t always have the financial resources to help every cause," he said, "but what I do have is time and I try to help others find ways to raise money or create new programs. We all have time."

Attendees seeking a moment to share a congratulatory handshake, capture a photo or an autograph mobbed Delaney following the banquet. Bob smiled and fulfilled every request.

"This is so unbelievable," he said. "I still can’t believe this. Ever since I got the call that I was being honored it’s been like a dream and I don’t want to wake up."

Partnerships, Growth Highlight Board Discussions

The NASO board of directors held its semi-annual meeting in Portland, Ore. on June 21, prior to the opening of NASO’s annual conference.

The board agreed to extend NASO’s relationship with the V Foundation for Cancer Research for another year and was briefed concerning that foundation’s plans to develop the partnership with NASO. Results of an NASO branding survey conducted among staff and board members were reviewed and staff was directed to develop its recommendations. The board approved staff recommendations concerning moving forward with the NASO Foundation. Staff presented and the board approved a prioritized listing of projects that will become the focus of NASO’s fundraising efforts. Various plans to increase NASO membership were discussed and the board signaled its agreement with a staff proposal to encourage customized NASO-membership packages for selected officiating organizations.

The board elected its officers for the coming year and appointed Ron Foxcroft to a two-year term as special adviser to the board. All took office immediately following the conference. Randy Christal serves as chair, Jerry Seeman as vice chair, Joan Powell as secretary and Marc Ratner as treasurer. Board committee assignments were made and new board members Anita Ortega, Danny Crawford and Hank Zaborniak were welcomed. Ronnie Carter, also new to the board, was unable to attend.

The staff reported on the status of NASO operations and various NASO programs to include the member insurance program. The board next meets in Dallas in February.

USOfficials.com Joins NASO Education Partner Program

NASO is pleased to announce its newest Education Partner – USOfficials.com. John Trutor, who has more than 30 years experience in customer service and resource management, manages the officiating assignment service. He has administered Little League and Babe Ruth leagues in his home community of South Burlington, Vt., and coached five different youth sports, primarily soccer and baseball. Assistant Craig Lussier has 12 years of experience in computer programming, web design and database design.

"We have concentrated on perfecting our system rather than advertising and expanding," says Trutor. "We constantly update our range of services by polling our officials, meeting with administrators and directly assigning basketball and baseball over a number of seasons."

The company began operation in 1999 and manages a website built to provide services for athletic officials and their schedulers.

What makes USOfficials.com different from the rest, according to Trutor?

"We believe our strengths are the fact that we have built this system from direct input from real assignors and meeting their needs as well as experience in the field," adds Trutor.

"The close contact required by officials, their schedulers and the leagues they serve is ideally suited for the Internet," says Tudor. "Disruptions caused by weather and personal schedule changes are quickly and easily cared for by an electronic web of information and e-mail using the USOfficials system.

"Our system allows you to concentrate on administering and lets the technology take care of your scheduling, assigning and accounting," adds Tudor. "From helping you assign qualified officials for every game based on any set of parameters you choose, to reporting the final outcome, USOfficials.com is the answer for all of your assigning and billing tasks.

Lastly, our service is available worldwide because all of our services are available through the Internet," adds Trutor. "Our customers do not install any of our software on their computers and they immediately benefit from all the advances because they do not have to obtain and install updates."

For more information visit their website or call toll-free 800/245-2023.

August Issue Mailed

The August issue of REFEREE has been mailed and has lots of important news and information.

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