Monday, November 23, 2009

Teamwork



This video is a great example of teamwork between the AR and the Referee. Let's look at a few things that they did correctly in this example:

  • Position. The referee is in a good position and close to the point of contact. Although the ball starts to go upfield, the referee makes sure to keep facing the two players who have the potential to make contact. Note that the camera starts to follow the ball. We as referees must keep our eyes on the two players for a few seconds to make sure there isn't contact after the ball leaves.
  • AR Focus. The AR also does a good job to stay focused on the players in front of him. In the case of a long ball and fast break, the AR has to take on more responsibility. Fight the urge to "watch play" and turn your eyes away from players.
  • Eye Contact. Before the AR puts up his flag he makes eye contact with the Referee and assesses if there is a potential for advantage. Should the AR see the possibility for advantage, he can choose to not raise his flag unless there is serious misconduct.
  • Making the Call. When the decision is made that a foul occurred, the Referee correctly acknowledges the AR's flag and stops play for the foul. At this time the AR would communicate with the Referee should further action be needed (caution). In this example, the simple foul is sufficient due to the nature of the contact.
Good work Clayton and Seth!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Last One?


The long season got even longer for three NM college (NISOA) referees this past Friday. Orion Stradford, Steve Schafer and myself drove in the middle of the night to Denver for a NCAA match between Grand Valley State (MI) and Northern Kentucky. The game before ours went to overtime and then kicks from the mark, so we started pretty late. By the time we completed our overtime periods and started the kicks it was nearly dark! It was a nice game and great opportunity. Our local 4th Official was nice enough to join us for a big steak dinner before we started another late night drive home. Orion and I had games the next day... talk about dedication!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

NCAA Playoffs

Talk about a long season! A good year for NM area college teams means extra opportunities for the local referees. This year Ft Lewis (men and women) and UNM (men) made it to the NCAA tournament. Doing games this late in the year in Colorado can only mean one thing... SNOW!



Bob Croft and myself braved the cold and snow but much like New Mexico weather, this snowy scene was quickly replaced with blue sky and sunshine not much more than 20 minutes after this picture was taken. It was a good thing it stopped because we could barely see the lines!