First Talk, Then T - A Basketball Ref's Diary

Preview, Sunday, April 16, 2006

Happy easter, everybody! Happy birthday to me ;-) Today was a great day, because it was my birthday. But I am not going to tell you about my little birthday party because nobody comes here to read this ;-)

Tomorrow I will be on the road again, for my 4th 1st division men's game. I am really excited, and I want to try three things:

• Don't watch my partners too much, and call the game as I see it. I had my last game on this level with two fellow officials who were approximately on the same level as the two guys I'll work with tomorrow. My mentor who is an experienced referee in div. 1 told me that there are big differences between some of the referees in that league, and that in games like the last, or the one tomorrow, I shouldn't care too much about the things my partners do. This might sound selfish, but it isn't. What he meant was, that I was looking for my partners to show me what to do because they were more experienced than me. Unfortunatley they couldn't provide orientation for me because they needed some guidance themselves. So, tomorrow I'll be open for suggestions and recommendations from my partner, yet follow my own heart for what I'll call in my area of responsibility.
• Voice my oppinion, when I feel the need to do so. I felt uncomfortable during my last div. 1 game. I tried to communicate this to my partners, but couldn't get the message across ... they didn't mean to overrule me, but it ended with me adjusting to them even though I didn't think it was the right thing to do. Don't get me wrong! I am not going to start a discussion on the court, I just want to make sure that my partners know how I feel about the things going on on the court, all the time. I have to talk openly ...
• Do, what I do best! Be calm and relaxed, communicate, be approachable but firm! Getting to this level it sometimes seems that referees here wouldn't allow any questions and comments from coaches and players, and I took this to the point where I would call technical fouls without even knowing what really happened. I have to relax, take a deep breath before doing something stupid. It was my strength, that I was always able to communicate effectively, that I was still approachable when the game was on the line, and yet firm and consequent regarding my calls. I don't have to prove that I can be very strict, it is about proving that I can manage a game like this and keep my cool!

Come back to read the recap of the game. I'll try to post it until Monday night.

Cheers!

posted by BBallRef @ 4/16/2006 12:05:00 AM