Looking forward to the new season

[Official_21]

I can't believe I have been a clock operator for four years now.

I have learned a lot about how to be a good clock operator in those four years. Mainly from my fellow officials here on these forums.

Everyone who is outside our officiating circle (mainly my friends) think that all we do as clock operators is sit up in an air conditioned booth and watch the game.
I can tell you that after four years of being a clock operator, that ignorant statement is further from the truth (Yeah yeah I know I am captain obvious  )

I have heard horror stories of the chaos that a bad clock operator can cause during a game of football on these forums, but with that being said, I am glad all the crew chiefs and fellow officials that I have worked for have always praised my work.
I strive to always do a good job. But it is not about me, it is about me doing a good job for the players, coaches and my fellow officials on the field.

With all that being said, I am looking forward to the 2022-23 season and maybe working for some new crews as well as crews that I have worked with last season 

[dammitbobby]

I worked a few games as clock operator this past season and can confirm, it's not near as easy as people make it out to be!  (Especially with old, crusty, counter-intuitive equipment that isn't labeled very well!)

[Official_21]

I worked a few games as clock operator this past season and can confirm, it's not near as easy as people make it out to be!  (Especially with old, crusty, counter-intuitive equipment that isn't labeled very well!)

So have I. I suppose, in that given situation, we have to deal with the hand we are dealt and do the best we can

[Grant - AR]

I've worked my fair share of games on the clock over the past 15-20 years.  I've made this statement many times and I stand by it...working the clock is more stressful for me than working on the field.  I worked the clock in games where there are less than 1000 people in the stands and I've worked the clock in games where there are 100,000 people in the stands.  It's always been more stressful for me than being on the field in those same situations.

[Covid 22]

The stress is offset by the food generally available in the press box.   Some of these have some right good food.   Temple is usually good and the spread at Midway for the TAPPS state games a few years ago was awesome.   But I always preferred being on the field too.

[AlUpstateNY]

The stress is offset by the food generally available in the press box.   Some of these have some right good food.   Temple is usually good and the spread at Midway for the TAPPS state games a few years ago was awesome.   But I always preferred being on the field too.

When in Rome, you can behave like a Roman.  Outside of Rome (Texas) although the majority of HS Press Boxes have food available, only a choice few contain readily available Restroom facilities, and all too often, "what goes in, must come out".  Best to wait until the Post game review sessions to relax and imbibe.

[Ralph Damren]

I started running the game clock (really the whole scoreboard) for a D-III school back around the turn of the century. I quickly realized that 'yard line', 'timeouts remaining' and 'down and distance' were not very important to many and updated those only when I could . In my first year an ole' guy, with note pad and pencil, kept the stats. In my second year, a spiffy new control panel had arrived for the scoreboard along with a computer for the stats. The ole' guy didn't want anything to do, and quit  ! The AD sent several members of the softball team  to man the stat computer. The girls didn't know much about football,, and asked me for help. Our discussion went sorta' like this :

GIRL : "What's a tackle ?" 
ANOTHER GIRL : " ...I used to date a tackle in high school !" 

ME : "He's the player that tackled the runner..."  ...they weren't sure..."he's the guy that pushes the runner down  !"

They seemed to understand, there was six of 'em, one on the stat computer, one did downs,distance and remaining 4 were spotters. 2 spotted offense, 2 spotted defense , AND typical softball player chant would echo thru the pressbox for that year:'

"NUMBER 46 HAS THE BALL..." followed by "AND NUMBER 55 PUSHED HIM DOWN...."

The following year a tech guy that knew football replaced them. 

[ElvisLives]

Over my first 44 seasons, I never concerned myself with the ‘scoreboard,’ only the game clock, and, since the 40-second play clock, the play clock. Never worried about the score, yard line, distance, timeouts, not even the down, much. But, TWICE last season, we had incorrect scores on the scoreboard, which we needed to get corrected. Hadn’t been tracking the score on my game card before then, but we darned sure do, now.
But, we can deal with that, pretty easily. It’s the play clock that MUST have trained operators. We can’t get half-way through playoffs and be getting PCOs that have never done it, before. Unacceptable.

[Ralph Damren]

Many of us from the mammal kingdom and human race love football, as evidenced by being on this forum. The day will come when our hind-paws (legs) begin to slow down and we decide to put our flag, whistle and the like in our memory box. This doesn't mean that that we have to leave the game that  we love, we can just move from one nest (field) to another nest (press box). As long as our front-paws (hands) can push buttons, our eyes can see (the white hat) and our mind can think
(timing rules); we can still stay near to the game we love so dear ……

                                                                                   Monday Morning Rant,
                                                                                               

[AlUpstateNY]

Many of us from the mammal kingdom and human race love football, as evidenced by being on this forum. The day will come when our hind-paws (legs) begin to slow down and we decide to put our flag, whistle and the like in our memory box. This doesn't mean that that we have to leave the game that  we love, we can just move from one nest (field) to another nest (press box). As long as our front-paws (hands) can push buttons, our eyes can see (the white hat) and our mind can think
(timing rules); we can still stay near to the game we love so dear ……

                                                                                   Monday Morning Rant,
                                                                                               

And if youre smart you still get to participate in the "Post game review sessions".