Week 4!

[dammitbobby]

Week 4 is up, only missing one game:

Strawn/Richland Springs.

[backjudge85]

College Station has Arp vs Newton

[dammitbobby]

Got it, thanks!

[BlindZebra13]

Thanks for these! Went back a few years (TexDoc's have been deleted) and it appears to be the same few chapters at the top. It's interesting that a couple of the medium sized chapters definitely punch above their own weight, while a couple of the larger chapters punch down. A certain two chapters that are geographically close could merge and possibly become #1, but that may cause headaches for all involved. Also, I cannot for the life of me understand games being assigned to different chapters when both schools are in the backyard of the same chapter.

Also, our current setup really gives no support to smaller chapters off the beaten trail. I feel like they are all deserving of games.

Quite a bit of different subjects but I feel like this entire playoff system for assigning games needs a reform.

[Etref]

Some of those schools which are “in the backyard “ of each other may actually use different chapters during the year. Sometimes chapters are excluded due to a local team playing, while sometimes the schools have a home/home arrangement for playoffs. Heck they still do coin tosses to determine who will be home team, where they will play, etc.

[dammitbobby]

Some of those schools which are “in the backyard “ of each other may actually use different chapters during the year. Sometimes chapters are excluded due to a local team playing, while sometimes the schools have a home/home arrangement for playoffs. Heck they still do coin tosses to determine who will be home team, where they will play, etc.

There's at least one game this week where both teams are serviced by the same chapter, and they elected to use a different chapter.

I've told people in my chapter repeatedly they do not want me as assigner, coaches included, because if we work both teams during regular season, and then the two coaches stiff my fellow officials out of a game, especially this deep, hope you find new officials to cover your games next year, because we won't... if you don't trust us to give you a crew that is capable of a round 4 game, then we're not good enough to work your regular season or varsity games.

Needless to say, I won't ever be elected assigner, .

[JasonTX]

There's at least one game this week where both teams are serviced by the same chapter, and they elected to use a different chapter.

I've told people in my chapter repeatedly they do not want me as assigner, coaches included, because if we work both teams during regular season, and then the two coaches stiff my fellow officials out of a game, especially this deep, hope you find new officials to cover your games next year, because we won't... if you don't trust us to give you a crew that is capable of a round 4 game, then we're not good enough to work your regular season or varsity games.

Needless to say, I won't ever be elected assigner, .

What game is it?  If other assigners will turn the game away if they know both schools are serviced by another chapter.  Yeah, right, that'll never happen.  Assignors have a lot of power if they are united.  Case in point, years ago sixman games would use a split crew.  2 officials from both school's home chapter.  This was the standard for many years, and the makeup of the crew had mixed results.  You never knew who you were working with.  At one offseason secretary's meeting we united and said we would no longer do split crews.  We forced the coaches to pick one chapter.  It worked, and now there's not that many people who remember doing spit crews. 

[dammitbobby]

Gruver vs Stratford. Both schools are 1.5 hours north of Amarillo, and are 30 min apart from each other.

What game is it?  If other assigners will turn the game away if they know both schools are serviced by another chapter.  Yeah, right, that'll never happen.  Assignors have a lot of power if they are united.  Case in point, years ago sixman games would use a split crew.  2 officials from both school's home chapter.  This was the standard for many years, and the makeup of the crew had mixed results.  You never knew who you were working with.  At one offseason secretary's meeting we united and said we would no longer do split crews.  We forced the coaches to pick one chapter.  It worked, and now there's not that many people who remember doing spit crews.

[BlindZebra13]

Anna vs. Melissa was one last week. Both Dallas chapter schools went to Tyler.

[dammitbobby]

Anna vs. Melissa was one last week. Both Dallas chapter schools went to Tyler.

I don't have a listing of the schools that each chapter serves, or I could point those out every week. I'd be willing to bet there's more.

[BlindZebra13]

I don't have a listing of the schools that each chapter serves, or I could point those out every week. I'd be willing to bet there's more.

The work you’re already doing is amazing and greatly appreciated! It would be interesting to see “footprint” of each chapter to figure out who is clearly servicing more teams outside of their regular assignments.

Nothing against any chapter that is awarded teams outside of their realm, but the coaches definitely hear word of mouth that X chapters are better than Y chapter, which isn’t true.

I don’t want to ruffle feathers but you can go to any chapter and find good crews. Maybe the top 5 or 10 chapters service larger areas so naturally should get more games, though looking at the totals can get pretty discouraging if you aren’t even in the top 3.

All of our chapters are struggling with recruiting officials and to put it straight, a few chapters sucking up most of the playoff games doesn’t help with the retainment of officials.

I’ll get off my soapbox.

[dammitbobby]

The work you’re already doing is amazing and greatly appreciated! It would be interesting to see “footprint” of each chapter to figure out who is clearly servicing more teams outside of their regular assignments.

Nothing against any chapter that is awarded teams outside of their realm, but the coaches definitely hear word of mouth that X chapters are better than Y chapter, which isn’t true.

I don’t want to ruffle feathers but you can go to any chapter and find good crews. Maybe the top 5 or 10 chapters service larger areas so naturally should get more games, though looking at the totals can get pretty discouraging if you aren’t even in the top 3.

All of our chapters are struggling with recruiting officials and to put it straight, a few chapters sucking up most of the playoff games doesn’t help with the retainment of officials.

I’ll get off my soapbox.

Well, for playoffs, this is almost always the case, two teams from the same chapter doesn't happen very often in later rounds, especially for smaller divisions; I think it's pretty normal for larger schools (i.e., metro areas) to have home chapter for both in rounds 1-2, possibly 3, just because of the enormous amount of schools concentrated in those areas.)

'I don’t want to ruffle feathers but you can go to any chapter and find good crews.'  1000%. But those larger chapters sucking up all the games in later rounds don't want to make any changes to the gravy train... plus, there are some coaches (this was discussed here a few years ago), who think that chapters that don't service inner city schools (his words, not mine!) aren't capable of working 'their' games.

'All of our chapters are struggling with recruiting officials and to put it straight, a few chapters sucking up most of the playoff games doesn’t help with the retainment of officials.' Also 1000%.  Yet TASO refuses to engage on the issue and advocate on our behalf to make the system better for everyone.

I'll post something here tomorrow (and on FB, possibly elsewhere) that someone shared with me that speaks to this.

[bctgp]

Hypothetical question.

For the scenario being discussed, when both schools in a playoff game do not use the chapter that worked all their regular season games, could a Chapter have a policy that they will scratch that school for the next season?

Schools can scratch for basically any reason they want, seems like chapters should have that same right. Has any chapter implemented a policy like this?

[ElvisLives]

Hypothetical question.

For the scenario being discussed, when both schools in a playoff game do not use the chapter that worked all their regular season games, could a Chapter have a policy that they will scratch that school for the next season?

Schools can scratch for basic any reason they want, seems like chapters should have that same right. Has any chapter implemented a policy like this?

For various reasons - mostly due to a total jerk of a coach in a remote area that can be served by more than one chapter - chapters have been known to tell that school that they aren't able to service them this year. Usually doesn't last more than a couple of years, because the jerk coach moves along (for whatever reason). But, with the current UIL assignment policy, no chapter is going to scratch a school in the regular season only because the school didn't use them in the playoffs.

[BlindZebra13]

Thank you all for your comments. El Paso getting 0 playoff games should show this system clearly is not working. There are plenty of playoff games occurring in west Texas that they can cover.

[JasonTX]

For various reasons - mostly due to a total jerk of a coach in a remote area that can be served by more than one chapter - chapters have been known to tell that school that they aren't able to service them this year. Usually doesn't last more than a couple of years, because the jerk coach moves along (for whatever reason). But, with the current UIL assignment policy, no chapter is going to scratch a school in the regular season only because the school didn't use them in the playoffs.

I know of one chapter that went outside of their chapter, and word quickly got back to the coaches that the members were logging on and scratching both teams.  It wasn't 15 minutes later that the coaches called to cancel and went back to the home chapter for their playoff game.  Not my schools, but we were the one that got cancelled.  I believe one of the schools are mentioned in this thread.  I guess they have a short memory.

[dammitbobby]

Last year, Highland Park Frisco went to FW, both are Dallas schools; also Lake Travis/Westlake went to FW, both Austin schools. Maybe Brock/Argyle a while back (guessing, haven't checked.) So it does happen, seemingly maybe couple of times/year.

My understanding - and this is from a conversation I have had with a longtime DAL member last year, or year before:

"Fort Worth had that conversation with Brock after they chose another chapter in the playoffs. They actually told them to go find another chapter to cover them. Brock complained to TASO. TASO somehow forced Fort Worth into covering them after they told them they wouldn’t."

My issue with this, is that we are independent contractors. TASO shouldn't - rather, can't - tell us we HAVE to cover a certain school. The only way I see for a chapter to be able to do this successfully (if TASO is going to advocate for coaches and schools, not officials) is for chapter members to block the school. 'Sorry coach, can't cover your games, the majority of the chapter decided to block you.'

This falls right in line with the quiet rule change they were implementing (can't work a semi, then a final) that coaches complained about, and they (TASO) quietly decided to not implement the rule.

[BlindZebra13]

Highland Park - Lonestar both DAL went to FW this week. Interesting.

[Reffan13]

In R3 an all SA match was done by Austin and an all Austin match was done by FW.