RefStripes.com
Football Officiating => Texas Topics => Topic started by: Joe Stack on December 20, 2012, 02:47:43 PM
-
I'd like to get input from everyone here on what they'd like to see TASO do in 2013. Not just changes, but actions to take. Maybe those on the TASO board can read our suggestions!
I would like to see several things, but I'll limit it to one to start: I'd like to see the UIL litigation put on the fast track as much as it can be. We are working for 2, 3, even 4 year old pay rates and have actually shot ourselves in the foot in many respects. I'd like to see TASO more agressive, or if they are working diligently on the issue, to update us on their progress.
-
The UIL Litigation is where it was a year ago -- sitting in front of the Court of Appeal in Austin. The case was argued in January 2012 and we have all been waiting for the Court to rule. There is nothing TASO can do in the meantime with the court case.
I understand all of our efforts to reach any agreement with UIL were shot down, so we must simply wait for the Court of Appeals to make a decision, and then go from there.
-
My wish list would be for TASO to reconsider those funky looking shorts for subvarsity.
-
It is my understanding that the lawsuit doesn't prevent the UIL from raising or lowering fees. The UIL has just chosen not to make any changes.
-
A "work stoppage" by Texas HS officials would be exponentially more detrimental to our game than the replacements were to the NFL game. IMO. deadhorse:
-
It feels like shouting into a hurricane but.... why not once more, with gusto. Finding a way to work towards eliminating the coaches picks. Other than that, world peace.
-
Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we get rid of coaches picking or evaluating crews that work their games.
-
Web site anyone?
Roll out college philosphies as found in 7 man manual to all chapters.
-
Web site anyone?
Now there is an idea! Wonder why they have not thought of it.......................... :-[
-
I would like the site for enforcing the rules incorrectly opened up to other problems, such as incorrect mechanics or just plain laziness.
-
It feels like shouting into a hurricane but.... why not once more, with gusto. Finding a way to work towards eliminating the coaches picks. Other than that, world peace.
Having worked both in Texas and lArkansas during my officiating career dating 39 years i have found it hard to have a fair system to pick officials for playoff games. When i first started we would work about half of our schedule in each state. The head man in Little Rock came out and said that if you had a Texas address you would not be scheduled a playoff game and it was that way for a number of years until finally there were more playoff games than they had division 1 officials to call them so that changed. From about the third round on the games were assigned out of the state office and were mostly assigned to officials from the central or northwest part of the state. Is this sour grapes and to some degree yes. We were told at a state meet in Hot Springs that only the officials that the head man personally knew would work state championship games and that still holds true today. I railed for a long time about the good old boy network to be told that there was not one. Now the people telling me this were the ones that were getting these games. What i am getting at is that i do not know of a system that would be truly fair to all officials and make everyone happy. Getting rid of the coaches picking may be part of the answer but the next system may be worse. Just my two cents worth. I am retired from officiating now for three years and no longer have a dog in the hunt but i still have an opinion. I believe the Texas system is a lot better than the Arkansas system but again just my opinion. Hope things get better in TASO as i was a long time member. The best to all of you who don the stripes.
A
-
If you do not think the good ole boy system is not alive and well in Texas, you are mistaken.
-
I think most chapters work on a negative behavior support system...you MUST attend x number of meetings, you MUST pay your dues on time, you MUST work x number of scrimmages, etc.
Seems to me the best way for a chapter to operate is on a positive behavior support system. You or your crew gets CREDITS for attending meetings, scrimmages, clinics, etc. Every sub-varsity game you work should mean something...if you want to work more playoffs, work more Thursday nights. Seems like a way for the chapter to have full participation...and objectively delineate who deserves to work later into the season.
It sucks to work hard and get shafted at the end. The crews who get "requested" by the coaches aren't necessarily better...they are just better at the networking game.
-
1. Website
2. A state wide HUDL focus with everyone working together. Right now Htown has about 350 game films. I have training clips and special play clips ready to unveil. I just dont have a "rules guru" to write on the films. We need a system and flow to the system.
3. For Supply and Demand to work its magic regarding pay issues.
4. If a coach/school does not fill out an evaluation or make their game available via Hudl they loose their right to pick their crews for 2 years. Say what you will about coaches evaluations but they are our 2nd best form of evaluation (besides referee evaluations). If you do not care enough to fill out an evaluation then you do not care who officiates your games.
5. Survey every coach on what they are looking for in a referee and lets document the reasons. Then we can stop lying to members when asked how to get varsity games.
I think it is hilarious that we tell crews the way to get picked for games is by "working scrimmages, working subvarsity games, wearing a shirt and tie to the game, and numerous other myths". Why we do not survey our clients to see what they are looking for is baffling to me.
6. Pie in the Sky Dream here..... For members of this organization to stop thinking that their only worth in officiating is the number of games that they call. I already hate missing time with my kids to call 1 game every Friday. I can not imagine calling 3. However, we all have such small levels of officiating self efficacy that we believe the only way we are "worthy" is by the number of games we call.
7. Maybe for someone under the age of 50 to be on the TASO board?
-
Agree with most of what is said about getting games, but when you have to be a member of the "inner circle" to get a playoff game, it matter not how many sub varsity or the amount of study. We train the new officials to the nth, but the rest, such as people who white hat, etc. get no training what so ever. Just figure it out on your own. Instead of reloading every three years or so, maybe a chapter could work to retain the officials they have and make them better.
-
Online dues paying. Of course, with the way TASO behaves around anything regarding technology... cRaZy
-
We have online dues payment in our chapter.
-
We have online dues payment in our chapter.
For chapter or state dues as well?
-
Both. We pay the chapter and the chapter pays our state dues all at once.
-
I think it would be a good idea for any chapter to get payment electronic if they can. Even better if the state can afford a way to chapters to pay them electronically.
-
Anyone can set up a paypal account.
-
Anyone can set up a paypal account.
Exactly. The ease applies to a lot of others things that just do not get done.
-
I agree about those "...funky looking shorts..."
I also feel we should reconsider and not require striped shorts for subvarsity games.
I don't recall seeing the reasoning for the change. Can someone direct me?
I foresee conflicts within Chapters on this matter. :(
(Follow the $ ?)
-
The reasoning for the stripe was many folks would not wear black shorts with a belt as is the uniform policy but instead they would wear the elastic waist, down to their knee. The other officials would not report them for doing so and the chapters would not enforce the policy. So TASO decided to make a new short to force everyone to adhere to the policy.
I think the shorts are a dumb idea. It is kinda like new gun laws to prevent violence. Just enforce the ones you have and you do not have a problem. hEaDbAnG
Just my $.02
-
I think most chapters work on a negative behavior support system...you MUST attend x number of meetings, you MUST pay your dues on time, you MUST work x number of scrimmages, etc.
Seems to me the best way for a chapter to operate is on a positive behavior support system. You or your crew gets CREDITS for attending meetings, scrimmages, clinics, etc. Every sub-varsity game you work should mean something...if you want to work more playoffs, work more Thursday nights. Seems like a way for the chapter to have full participation...and objectively delineate who deserves to work later into the season.
It sucks to work hard and get shafted at the end. The crews who get "requested" by the coaches aren't necessarily better...they are just better at the networking game.
Not a whole lot of difference in your 1st and 2nd paragraphs. Same results; just worded differently. If you don't attend mtgs, work scrimmages, work subvarsity ... you don't get CREDITS. So, your rank is lower.
Same thing.
To 'work hard' is not the same as to work well. Some guys try hard, but just can't cut it. All the hustle in the world can't be substituted for excellent rules knowledge and great mechanics. On every play. By each member of the crew.
I question your motive in putting the word requested in quotes. :sTiR: Are you suggesting that coaches DON"T really ask for certain guys? Roughly a third of our chapter's playoff games are by request.
Networking? By the officials, no. I was requested by a coach from a distant school for whom (and at which) I'd never worked. Nowhere close. In the pregame, I came right out and asked him -- why me? Turns out, he went to college with an area coach for whom I HAD worked. The distant-school coach called his college buddy and asked whom he'd recommend. The local area coach gave him a list.
COACHES are the ones who network; not the officials. Names of officials are exchanged at THSCA meetings. Phone lines and emails warm up when playoffs start. When you work a scrimmage or non-district game, you MAY be auditioning for a playoff game. That's happened.
Note that the audition does NOT entail brown-nosing. What is required is an accurate administration and application of the rules, proper mechanics, and treating both sidelines equally, professionally, and with respect -- whether it is deserved or not.
-
A weight limit or health check for officials. I've gone to some HS games where R's and U's are at least 3 spins each. These guys can't move to properly cover plays and they are at a huge risk of keeling over. I'm all for exercise, but just coming out to stand on the field during a game is not the place to get in a workout. Fat is not a legally protected class, so weed out the fatso's and present decent looking crews for our customers, the players, coaches and schools.
-
Okay, so we weed out what your definition of "fat" is and prohibit them from working a game.
Who the hell is going to work the games? We already have a shortage of officials. What is next putting a cap on age?
I agree that many officials could be in better shape but we have to have them or do without.
-
Well...my definition of fat would include the morbidly obese. The crew I saw this past season included a ridiculously fat ref and umpire. Neither could bend over to spot the ball...they dropped it and placed it with a foot. They could not muster more than a waddle and were unable to cover the plays. The crew would have been better off working 3-man mechanics. I know about the difficulties posed by shortages of officials, but we need to draw the line somewhere...for the sake of credibility, safety, efficiency and health.
-
40 times for all officials (and I don't mean a 40 of Olde English shotgunning times)
I am waiting for the call to come in that a coach wants the chapters most athletic crew for his playoff game. We already let them decide on race why not athletic ability? I think it would be a great fundraiser to have all the officials out gambling on 40 times. Lets have this competition at the next state meeting.
-
40 times for all officials (and I don't mean a 40 of Olde English shotgunning times)
I am waiting for the call to come in that a coach wants the chapters most athletic crew for his playoff game. We already let them decide on race why not athletic ability? I think it would be a great fundraiser to have all the officials out gambling on 40 times. Lets have this competition at the next state meeting.
I think that this does not gain you much. I know some good officials who can not run a 40 for crap but they can correctly be where they need to be.
I have known of some coaches here that are concerned with fitness and do take that into consideration. I do not think they care if the official can run a 40 well.
-
I think that this does not gain you much. I know some good officials who can not run a 40 for crap but they can correctly be where they need to be.
I have known of some coaches here that are concerned with fitness and do take that into consideration. I do not think they care if the official can run a 40 well.
I have a strong feeling Coby was being just a wee bit facecitious. That or he's trying to win some easy money at this year's state meeting.
-
It is likely impossible to come up with any system for assigning games that will be fair to everyone. However, there are systems that are better overall than others. I am against coach picks because it effects how some officials work their games. I am not saying that officials cheat (although is clearly possible), I am saying that some officials do not call games the same way they would if the coaches werent allow to reward officials that were pleasing to them. A coach that likes to stretch the rules will likely not pick a crew that does an excellent job but may have thrown a flag against his team because of an illegal trick play. That is probably not the best example but the theory is solid. Additionally, great officials are overlooked because the coach has never seen them at the varsity level.
-
We are dropping our draft locally this year. I am curious to see how it goes. Since I have been around we always had a draft.
-
Why are you doing away with a draft?
-
We are dropping our draft locally this year. I am curious to see how it goes. Since I have been around we always had a draft.
Going back to using a coaches scratch list is probably not the answer Rick. I was up there when we did it that way and believe me it was a pain in the butt. Stay with the draft
Just my $.02
-
I think that this does not gain you much. I know some good officials who can not run a 40 for crap but they can correctly be where they need to be.
I have known of some coaches here that are concerned with fitness and do take that into consideration. I do not think they care if the official can run a 40 well.
Had a coach once, wanted a integrated crew, sent red Johnson, Jared Black, Joe Green, Tom Allred, Jerry White.
-
Anyone have any idea of State initiatives on these types of things that teh state can do?