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November 19, 2001
Anytime you offer advice to a fellow official, you can expect a wide range of reactions. Sometimes those reactions are emotional – even irrational. Arguably, there is not a place where more reactionary feelings are emoted than on the field or court. Because of the intensity of the game, an official’s personal pride and the stress associated with officiating, properly critiquing fellow officials on the field or court is a delicate practice.
1. Pick an appropriate time to offer advice. First, you’ve got to make a decision: Can your advice/comment wait? Not every situation needs to be addressed quickly. Store the information in the back of your mind and talk about it at halftime, after the game, or even after the season. If it has to be addressed during the game, pick a lull time, like during a timeout or player injury. When in doubt, save it for later.
2. Choose words carefully. Confrontational words bring confrontational reactions. If you think your partner missed a play or rule, don’t chime in with, "You kicked that one!" The recipient will undoubtedly react negatively. Rather, gently say, "Remember that play and lets talk about it later." That’s a much better approach because it doesn’t bring attention to the error and doesn’t put your partner on the defensive.
3. Remember perceptions. That’s especially important when dealing with a younger or newer official. Even during lulls, people are watching you. If you stand in front of your partner, arms folded or pointing at him with a strong stance, it looks like you’re lecturing or talking down to your partner. He will feel that and others will pick up on it. Even if you’re in your 28th year of officiating and your partner is in his 28th minute, think about people’s perceptions. Your body language while talking to your partner will have great impact on whether or not your partner’s calls are accepted by players, coaches and fans.
4. Don’t apologize for him. There’s nothing more belittling than a veteran who talks to coaches about his partner like he’s fresh out of kindergarten. "Sorry about that, coach. He’s a new guy who’s just learning." That equates to nails on a chalkboard for that new official. Confidence is enough of a problem for most new officials; the veteran’s embarrassing words don’t help. Even if the rookie messed up, few situations warrant an apology. Don’t make yourself look better at the expense of your young partner. Remember you were there once too.
6. Let some mistakes occur. Few situations need fixing on the spot. If you know your partner is making a rules mistake, in most cases let it happen, then talk about it later. The "get the play right" mentality is okay, but don’t compromise the new official’s role on the field or court. If it has major impact on the game and is in a crucial situation, you may have to step in. Just remember, making mistakes is part of the learning process. A specific mistake made and later discussed will not likely happen again.
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Radio Version of PSA Now Available
The NASO public service announcement (PSA) introduced following the "Successful Officiating 2000" conference this summer is now available in a 30-second radio version. Taking the audio track from the television spot, the new radio version provides an eight-second music bed that allows a local announcer to personalize the message. For example, the local announcer might say, "Call the Oklahoma City Officials Association at 555-555-5555 to learn how you can become a sports official."
"The success of the television version has made it possible for NASO to invest in a radio version" said NASO President Barry Mano.
More than 150 copies of the television PSA are now distributed in local markets around the U.S. Several professional teams are playing the spot on their JumboTron screens at games including the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.
The radio program implements an important public relations strategy that benefits both NASO on a national basis as well as the local association.
First, local associations need to identify the news/sports/talk station in their community and contact NASO with the key contact person at that station. Please provide a contact name, address and telephone number. NASO Public Relations Manager Bob Still will personally contact the station and request free airtime. Please make sure you also provide a local phone number as a local contact for listeners who respond to the announcement.
"It’s critical to have a local contact so that the follow-up to an interested party occurs immediately," said Still. "And that’s the second and most important part of the PR strategy," he adds.
"Doing the follow-up is critical to the success that the local association will experience," says Still. "Those who respond to the announcement are obviously interested, and so you need to talk to them as soon as possible after they call."
If your community has local sports programming, the station is a prime candidate for this PSA promotion. Many high schools and nearly all colleges broadcast their basketball games in the winter. This is a prime time to get moving on this campaign.
Sports officials in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas were treated to very special nights in November when the NBA and NASO teamed up to host "Sports Officials Appreciation Nights" that included pregame clinics with NBA officials.
On Nov. 7, nearly 100 Illinois officials and invited guests attended a pregame clinic conducted by the NBA’s Director of Officiating, Ed Rush. Rush shared with the audience his philosophy on officiating evaluation.?
During the 45-minute presentation, Rush showed how the NBA communicates with its staff on a daily basis using laptop computers. The league sends daily e-mails to its staff providing personal evaluations, weekly rules exams and video clips from games for review. The audience was able to witness firsthand how the NBA uses immediate feedback to help their officials improve.
"We have a facility back in Secaucus (N.J.) that looks like an ESPN sports bar," joked Rush. "There are televisions everywhere and every game is recorded. We have staff observing every game as it happens and then we breakdown every game and every call, selecting a few plays to send out to every staff official by the next morning."
Rush also emphasized the importance of every official – no matter what level – needing to have a "passion for improvement."
"At the NBA level we are not perfect," he said, "but what makes us stand out is that we are always trying to improve. The guys who worked the NBA Finals know that if they don’t get better this year from last, they won’t be working the NBA Finals this year. You have to strive to improve every game, every day."
Rush noted that during the 2000-01 season every whistled call from every game was evaluated by the NBA officiating staff and 92.6 percent of all calls were correct. He noted that during the playoffs the percentage improved.
The Illinois High School Athletic Association (IHSA) helped make the Bulls’ night successful by promoting it statewide and providing some door prizes to attendees. IHSA Assistant Executive Director Dave Gannaway was very pleased with the presentation by Rush.
"Tonight was fantastic," Gannaway said. "This is just what we wanted and Mr. Rush went above and beyond. This was a great night."
The promotion did not end with the Rush clinic. That was just the start. The Bulls selected two officials at the clinic to participate in the pregame ceremony that included recognition at center court prior to tip-off. Each received special game programs and autographs from Bulls’ players as they prepared for the opening tip-off.
The Inter-Association Council of Athletic Officials set up a special booth in the concourse section of the United Center and according to Ed Stanley, recruitment committee chair, 42 people requested applications to become an official.
"We will follow up with those individuals and get them involved in officiating," said Stanley, who was very pleased with the event and hopeful that another could be conducted in 2002.
"We’ve learned a great deal from this event and I know we can make the next one even better. This was the best single effort we’ve ever had," said Stanley.
Just three days later in Milwaukee, the Southeast Wisconsin Commissioners Association hosted an afternoon clinic in which NBA officials Greg Willard, Violet Palmer and Ken Mauer participated. The three worked the Bucks–Timberwolves game that evening at the Bradley Center.
More than 120 basketball officials from the Milwaukee area attended the clinic. All three officials shared with the audience their philosophy on making it to the top and Violet Palmer emphasized the importance of keeping the right focus when "opportunity knocks."
Now in her fifth year in the NBA, Palmer emphasized her personal philosophy that she is "an NBA referee" – not a "female referee."
"I’m accepted in the NBA because I work hard and do my job just like every other official and while the opportunity to get to the NBA came sooner to me than it did to some others, I still have to go out there and prove myself every night, just like the others," she said.
The three shared video replays from their laptop and talked about the "typical day" for an NBA official.
Certainly it is not typical that all three would participate in a clinic only hours before tip-off, and NASO is grateful to each official and to the NBA headquarters for allowing the special event to occur.
During the game the NASO public service announcement was played before the sold-out crowd of more than 16,000.
Additional appreciation nights are being planned in other NBA cities and they may extend to other sports next year.
Jerry Komin, Ellicott City, Md., has plenty of credit to now purchase new officiating gear. He is the winner of a $300 gift certificate from Honig’s Whistle Stop – the grand prize in the 2001 NASO membership campaign.
Komin’s name was randomly selected from several hundred eligible NASO members. Any member who nominated at least two officials had a chance at winning the gift certificate.
Komin, 66, officiates baseball, basketball, soccer and softball. He has worked for several college conferences in the Maryland-Virginia area, but now concentrates on high school and local recreational programs. He is a charter member of NASO, having joined the association in 1980.
When contacted by NASO and informed that his name had been selected, Komin was excited and surprised.
"I always send in names and usually the people join because they see what an important organization NASO is," said Komin. "My son has been officiating now for nine years and he is an NASO member, too."
Komin belongs to several local officiating associations including the Mason-Dixon Umpires Association, the Howard County Softball Officials Association, the Mason-Dixon Soccer Officials Association, IAABO and ASA.
"I read Referee magazine from cover to cover every month because it has great information about rules and game management," said Komin. "NASO is for every official no matter what level they work. I highly recommend it to every official I know."
Being a member, and helping recruit new members has paid off handsomely for Jerry Komin.
NASO Chair Named Arizona State Commissioner of Officials
NASO Chair Gary Whelchel has been appointed the new Commissioner of Officials for the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA). With his appointment, Whelchel is the sixth fulltime commissioner to hold the position, following Sid Grande, Glen Treadaway, Bob Salviano, Earle Yost and most recently, John Reigar.
Whelchel, a Grand Canyon University alum, has served the AIA in the capacity of area commissioner in Casa Grande for the past 17 years.
"The biggest challenge we face both nationwide and in Arizona is the recruitment of new officials," said Whelchel. "We will continue to work with schools on sportsmanship issues in an attempt to eliminate one of the reasons we have trouble keeping quality officials – poor sportsmanship by fans, coaches and players. I look forward to using my experience to enhance officiating, and to provide support statewide in improving officiating."
