For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine. I hope you all take advantage. There is some great advice here. This is a great way to enhance your off-season training. Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use. Enjoy! WEEK 4: HOLDING
1. Actions that constitute offensive holding include but are not limited to the following six categories: • Tackle. A tackle as a block is most likely to occur as part of a block below the waist at the line. It is also an act of desperation by an offensive lineman badly beaten by a defender. • Takedown. A takedown is often fairly obvious. It may momentarily look like a wrestling match. A size mismatch between blocker and rusher increases the probability of a takedown. A factor to keep in mind is that backfield pass blockers are often smaller than defensive linemen, making the need for an “equalizing” technique more probable. • Pullover. The pullover almost always occurs on a pass play. The offensive lineman grabs his opponent at the armpits or chest plate of the shoulder pads and then pulls him over himself, making it look like the defender ran over his blocker and fell down in the process. • Hook and resist. In order to hook an opponent, the blocker must allow his hands to get outside the frame of his body. That is usually easily discernible. For a foul to occur, that act must result in a restriction that affects the play. If the defender immediately blows through the extended arm, no holding has occurred. • Grab and restrict. If the defender beats his blocker, the blocker may grab the defender’s jersey as he is moving away. The jersey grab can be subtle or patently obvious. • Jerk and restrict. This type of hold begins with two hands on the opponent’s chest. After contact is made, the blocker slides his hands up under the opponent’s shoulder pads and grabs the jersey. With that firm grasp, the blocker jerks the opponent aside or moves him away from the point of attack, thus delaying his advance. 2. Defensive holding is generally limited to four types: • Pull and shoot. That tactic used by defensive players (usually linemen) is designed to create a gap in the offensive line. The defensive lineman grabs the offensive lineman and pulls him to one side, allowing a teammate to rush through the opening and rush the quarterback or block a kick. • Holding a pulling lineman. In order to prevent the offense from setting up the blocking in front of a screen pass or sweep, a defensive player (usually a lineman) will hold a pulling lineman. It often shows up as a shirt-grab or outright tackle. • Holding on a chip block. That hold begins when an offensive lineman fires out at the snap and legally blocks the defensive lineman (usually but not always a nose guard) below the waist. An adjacent offensive lineman will either fire out or chip block the nose guard, trying to work his way to the second level of defense, usually a linebacker. If the defensive lineman holds the adjacent lineman, he prevents the lineman from getting to the linebacker. • Holding an eligible receiver. A defensive end will sometimes hold the tight end, preventing the receiver from getting off the line to execute a block or get into a pass pattern. Cornerbacks in press coverage are also known to latch onto wide receivers. 3. If there is a potential offensive holding but the action occurs clearly away from the point of attack and has no (or could have no) effect on the play, offensive holding should not be called. The runner hits the right side, makes it through the line and gains enough for a first down. But action that qualifies as holding occurs on the opposite side of the line, away from the point of attack. Was there a rules violation? You bet. Should a flag be thrown? Yes, if officials were inclined to throw the flag for every single violation committed in the game. That, no doubt, would result in a long day for players, coaches and fans. But officials must embrace the advantage/disadvantage philosophy. Color that play gray. When considering holding, if the offensive player’s act cannot be described using one of the six categories of holding, think twice before throwing the flag. Likewise, if the questionable block is on a player who could not reasonably make the tackle, a verbal warning is in order.
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WEEK 3: BLOCKING
1. When considering blocking below the waist, observe the initial movement by offensive linemen. In most cases, the initial move will be the limiting factor. The block must be lineman on lineman, in the free blocking zone and executed before the ball leaves the free-blocking zone. If the block is not initiated immediately after the snap, it is likely the ball has left the free-blocking zone. That is especially true when the quarterback is not under center or the offense is in scrimmage kick formation. 2. For blocks in the back, if one hand is on the number and the other hand is on the side and the initial force is on the number, it is a block in the back. The force of the block could be slight and still a foul if the contact propels the player past the runner or prevents him from making the play. If the force is clearly on the side, it is not a foul. If the blocker is in a “chase mode,” all the action must be on the side. If an official can see both jersey numbers, unobstructed, on the back of the player being blocked when the initial contact occurs, it’s difficult to rule such contact a foul. Mere contact with the opponent’s back, such as a slight brush that does not change the contacted player’s stride, is not a foul. However, if the defender stumbles and misses an opportunity to make a tackle, it is a foul within the intent of the rule. 3. Blocks that start on the side and subsequently end up in the back are not fouls as long as contact is maintained throughout the block. It’s important to distinguish between contact from the side, which is legal, and illegal blocks in the back, which carry a penalty. One criterion is whether the person being blocked had an opportunity to see the blocker before being hit. A block from the side, even though it results in a player being put on the ground, is not a foul unless for some other reason it is also a personal foul. For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine. I hope you all take advantage. There is some great advice here. This is a great way to enhance your off-season training. Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use. Enjoy!
WEEK 2: FORMATIONS 1. Actions during the execution of a trick or unusual play have the highest degree of scrutiny and should be completely legal. Deception and trickery are a big part of the game. Fake field goals, simulated handoffs, shifts, motion and varied snap counts are all common and, run properly, are legal. The key phrase there is “run properly.” When an offensive team chooses to attempt a trick play, officials must be even more picky when it comes to the formation, player movements, etc. A good example is an onside kick. On a run-of-the-mill free kick, it is accepted practice to not flag a player who is slightly beyond his free-kick line at the kick. However, on an onside kick, the free-kick line should be treated as a pane of glass; it is a foul if a team K player breaks that pane, since a big advantage can be gained. 2. When in question, a quick or abrupt movement by the center or quarterback is a false start. Subtle movements like a head bob by the quarterback or the center raising his hind end before snapping the ball should be considered false starts even if the defense doesn’t react. Those movements may or may not be planned. Call those fouls early in the game and you likely won’t see them the rest of the game. 3. If you can’t discern who moved into the neutral zone first, give the benefit of the doubt to the defense. When an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman move into the neutral zone simultaneously or close too it, the benefit of the doubt go to the defense. It is incumbent on offensive players to be motionless because they know the snap count and the defense does not. For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine. I hope you all take advantage. There is some great advice here. This is a great way to enhance your off-season training. Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use. Enjoy!
WEEK 1: FIRST THINGS FIRST 1. See the ball before you blow your whistle. Losing sight of the ball is without a doubt the leading cause of errant play-killing. There is no hurry. There is nothing wrong with having a few plays that end with no one blowing a whistle. If no official can see the ball when the play ends, there should not be a whistle. A couple of good habits to develop are waiting one second after seeing the ball and letting an incomplete pass bounce twice before sounding the whistle. Although some inadvertent whistles are the product of rushing, that is not the only cause. Concentration and focus are crucial in staying out of the abyss. Whether the game is tied or a blowout, all officials must keep their heads in the game. 2. Say the penalty as you throw the flag. By saying the penalty out loud when throwing the flag you allow yourself the ability to be able to remember the type of foul and the fouling player. You are better able to remember the play once it has concluded and before you are able to relay your penalty information to the crew and/or the referee. 3. Know your pre-snap keys. Wing officials should remember the phrase, “Snap. Tackle. Back.” That’s who and what you watch as each play begins. Umpires observe the center and the guards. The referee has the quarterback and the backs. In that way, all 11 offensive players are observed at the start of a play. Once the ball is snapped, read the type of play and focus on players in your area. For instance, if the linemen drop back, it’s likely a pass. If a guard pulls, expect a sweep. If the linemen fire out, it’s a running play between the tackles. The Following was taken from the Football Blog of the 2018 Pop Warner National Championships web site: When Terry Clark - Commissioner of Southeast Virginia Pop Warner told me about a super guy down here this week who exemplifies service to us all on the sea, on the land and on the gridiron, I was intrigued. Then, when I met that super guy I was even more intrigued. He’s Kenneth Strong, a member of the outstanding teams of officials who keep every one of our Pop Warner football games rolling long in good order. Not only is Ken Strong from Virginia Beach a top Pop Warner Football official, he is also LCPO Kenneth Strong serving his 21st year of active duty with the United States Navy. As a LCPO (that’s “Leading Chief Petty Officer” in Navy lingo) Kenneth Strong is the "go-to person" for his division team …in this case Assault Craft Unit TWO stationed at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA. ACU-2's force consists of Landing Craft Utility boats (LCU), Landing Craft Mechanized Mark 8 boats (LCM) and Maritime Prepositioning Force Utility Boats (MPFUB). Yet, with all that leadership responsibility, LCPO Kenneth Strong still finds time to devote time and expertise to yet another great team…the Pop Warner players and coaches in Southeastern Virginia Pop Warner Conference. For five years, Ken Strong has referee’ed Pop Warner Football games in Norfolk , Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Churchland, and he absolutely loves it. “The thing I like most about Pop Warner,” says Ken, “is the family atmosphere. And, Pop Warner Football, Cheer and Dance is truly a family. Every practice, every game, every activity gives kids a chance to learn, and put into practice, the importance of teamwork and personal commitment.” Judging by the smile that lights up his face every time Ken talks about the Pop Warner family experience, you can tell that Kenneth Strong is a guy who sees the true value of service to friends and community mirrored in the lessons young people learn through participation in the best youth sport organization in America. Thanks to Navy LCPO Kenneth Strong for his service to America and his commitment to Southeastern Virginia Conference. It’s definitely Navy Strong for Pop Warner! Hello everyone. I hope the offseason was good to you and I hope everyone is ready to get started with the 2017 season which officially begins the end of this month. Scrimmages are already upon us. As always, I can’t wait. This month’s blog will touch on football, but ultimately has little to do with officiating the game. This month I’m going to write about something a bit different. Giving back. In August of 2005, about a month before the High School Season started in Las Vegas, where I lived and officiated at the time, hurricane Katrina, one of the most destructive hurricane’s in our country’s history essentially decimated the city of New Orleans. When the football season began in September, our High School Association made arrangements for those officials who wanted to participate, to donate a game fee check to a New Orleans hurricane relief fund. We could donate either a Varsity fee, $75.00 or a JV fee, $50.00. This was 100% voluntary. I was fairly astounded to learn our association raised roughly $5000.00. Not an exact number but indicative that a little over half of the association’s members chose to participate. In my mind, this was a powerful message and spoke to the overall generosity of the officials in our association and people in general. As officials, we are extremely fortunate to be able to participate in such a vocation. We are here, not just because we have a passion for the game we love but because we are capable of being here. Physically and mentally. I think it’s very important not to take that for granted. I imagine there are a lot of others who would love to take on the responsibilities of this job but for one reason or another simply can’t. Since I began officiating, I have met several other officials who have taken an active role in raising funds for a charity of their choice. By that I mean soliciting donors to back them with money by participating in a race, swim, walk or ride. By taking an unpaid position on a charity’s board. Or by simply getting their hands dirty and volunteering their time By all accounts I have had a very successful career as an official. I realize that it’s a true blessing that from August to November I not only have the health necessary to perform the job but the support of a wonderful family that allows me to take the time needed to do it. And I make some nice W.A.M. (walking around money) while doing it. Any of us who fall into this category should at least acknowledge the luck that goes along with that. I have a personal policy in my donation choice. Once a year, usually right around the beginning of the season I will donate a varsity game fee. Almost exclusively to the person who gets to me first. I’m writing about this for two reasons. This first is I’m trying to persuade you consider doing the same thing. It really is a good feeling helping in this regard. I’m not saying it has to be the same amount but every little bit truly helps. Even if it’s not a game fee, just giving something really is beneficial. The second is, imagine the benefit to any particular charity that was/is the beneficiary of a whole group the size of our association’s generosity. Now, I’m not soliciting the association. I’m just pointing out, if all the members of our association had this mindset we could really make a difference. What I’m hoping is that all of you take just a minute to think about how lucky we truly are to be able to get out there every Thursday, Friday and Saturday and take part in a GAME we love. I honestly feel like we should pay that forward. And we can do that in any number of ways, not just a monetary donation. In the meantime, I just want to give a thank you to those of you out there who are charitable. Be it with your time, money or the help you provide on the field. You truly make the world a better place. As always, this is my opinion. Endorsement by the SEFOA, VHSL, or NFHS should not be implied or inferred. Remember, all comments and criticisms are most welcome as long as you’re respectful. I hope to have something new posted every month thru the season. If you feel like you have a topic you would like covered or would like to write about yourself, by all means let me know. I hope that everyone enjoys the blog. Have a great season everyone. We’ll be rolling soon. See you all on the field. Lance This month to kick off our 2017 Football season, we're pleased to present our guest blog from retired SEFOA Official, Rudy Rice. Some great words of wisdom. Thanks Rudy! Hi, my name is Rudy Rice and I was a member of the SEFOA for many years and I recently retired, but still have a passion for officiating. I asked Lance if I could share some experiences with everyone and he graciously has allowed me to jot down some items for you, so here goes: Years ago my wife saw an ad in the local newspaper advertising for individuals that might be interested in becoming High School football officials. I played a little football at the High School level, which means I played JV, but was at best an average player. I never had a lot of talent but enjoyed the game, so I thought being an official might be fun and the ad said you could make some extra money. So I called, fast forward 28 years and here I am a retired Football Official. What I would like to do in this short article is share 4 items that I picked up over the years that I believe will help the newer officials and hopefully some of the veterans will pick up something as well. Being Prepared – Study the rules of the game; study the mechanics of the game. You may not be able to quote word for word each rule but you should have a better understanding of the rules and mechanics than any coach, player or fan. I do not want to tell you how much time you should dedicate to study because each of us are different. Some officials will study the rules and/or mechanics everyday while others may feel like they can accomplish their study goals in an every other day study habit. The one thing I will tell you is that no matter how long you have been officiating, if you are not picking up the rules and/or mechanics manual you are short changing your crew, players, coaches and fans. When you pick up your rule and/or mechanics books in July and come November the books look exactly the same, you are not prepared. If this sounds harsh look at how much time the players and coaches prepare, we should be giving, at least, the same effort. No matter how long we have been officiating preparing needs to be on everyone’s to do list. Being prepared also means having the proper Uniform and making sure it is clean, wrinkle free, fits properly and has been well taken care of. The first impression you make goes a long ways. Being on Time – Here is one of the most important and easiest items that you will find in my list. No matter what level of officiating you are working there are time sensitive items that must be taken care of. Items like contacting the Crew Chief on games you are assigned, getting any paper work in required by your Assignor, getting to the game site at the time prescribed, or being at required meetings on time. All time sensitive items should be taken care of as quickly as possible and you will find out by doing this you will immediately earn some respect from your fellow officials, Crew Chief and Assignor. Positive Attitude – This includes how the players, coaches and fans perceive you as well as your fellow officials. Don’t have the “I know it all” attitude. Be willing to listen to advice and constructive criticism. Most fellow officials are trying to help. I was very fortunate in my officiating career because I had several mentors that I could always call, email, or text and ask a question if I needed to do so. We should all be willing to mentor others and hopefully, no matter how long we have been officiating, we still have that one or two individuals that we can still run things by which will help us keep that Positive Attitude. The items above all have one thing in common and that is they take ZERO TALENT. All of these items do not take any special talent what so ever to accomplish, so there is no excuse why all of us cannot do every one of these. When Zero Talent is required you are on equal grounds with everyone. Work on these Zero Talent required items and I promise you it will make you a better official. I will close this with a short story someone once shared with me: A friend was breaking into football officiating. He had gone to several meetings, for the new officials, over the last few months and was now attending his first clinic. One of the requirements at the clinic was that everyone, veterans and the new officials, had to run a half mile. One of the veteran officials, who also was one of the trainers for the new officials, took the 15 new officials to the side prior to the half mile run and had a talk with them. He wanted to let them know what was going on and also what was expected of them, because this would be the first time the new officials would be introduced and meet the veteran officials. At the end of his talk he told them “we are about to do the half mile run and I want all of you to remember these 3 things about the half mile run, one, do not finish last and two, do not finish first.” With this being said he starting walking over to the track where the run would take place and finally one of the new officials said “wait you said there were 3 things but only told us 2.” The veteran official/trainer calmly looked over at the 15 new officials and said “oh yeah, the third thing is DO NOT FINISH LAST”. I share this with you because at the beginning of this “blog” I told you there were 4 items that I wanted to share with you but I only talked about 3. The fourth item is BEING PREPARED. Yes right back to the first item because I feel this is the most important. Preparation does not take any special talent and will make you a better official. The better prepared you are the faster you will get to the level of officiating you are trying to achieve. I am sure you can think of many more items that take Zero Talent which will be beneficial to you and others, so work on these items and share them with your fellow officials and hopefully it will make us all better officials. Thanks and I wish everyone the best, Rudy This month I wanted to address something we, as officials, sooner or later start to think about. Upward mobility. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Generally in the officiating world when the notion of upward mobility comes up it’s easy to assume that we’re talking about the leap from high school to college. But that’s not what I’m referring to. This time I’m referring to the movement from working at the “learning levels” to becoming a regular “Friday Night” crew official. When I began officiating in 2002 I was very naïve. I felt like, I know everything there is to know about football. I played it in high school; I watch it religiously on Saturday and Sunday. How hard can it be to officiate it? I honestly thought I would just go out there and whatever association I joined up with would start me out working Friday night high school games. Of course the association I joined quickly cured me of that notion. In addition to making me painfully aware that I had no idea about the actual rules of the game, it was also brought to my attention that I was clueless as to what to actually do on the field. Mechanics, application of movement, and where and what I should be looking at. Raise your hand if you have ever looked at the ball while it was in the air during a pass play instead of the two or three players involved in the pass play. This was brought to my attention immediately upon trying to officiate my first scrimmage. It was a complete revelation and made me very aware that I had a lot to learn. I’m sure this is not a surprise to those of you who have been around awhile. Or even to those of you who have been around for 2-3 years. We just had no idea what aspect of the game we were involving ourselves in. For me, it was very sobering and very exciting. Sobering because as I said, I really thought I knew everything I needed to know. Exciting because I realized I was taking on something new and extremely challenging. This is another step in learning whether or not officiating is for you. If you are like me, and thought you knew everything there is to know, you have some choices to make. First, it only takes 2-3 weeks for you to realize you are not going to be officiating Friday night games any time soon. Are you willing to work the way the other Friday night officials do to achieve that status? Second, you should be aware you are going to have to dedicate a lot more time then you originally thought. Last month’s blog suggested how good of an idea working 3-4 youth football games every Saturday is. This is very important in honing your skills. Can you give up a couple Saturdays during the season to learn on the job like that? Study groups, independent study, tests, and middle school and JV games. All of these things take up a great deal of your time. But if you’re serious about being a regular Friday night official, these are challenges you accept head on. Third, after you finally have a year or two of experience under your belt, can you consistently demonstrate the application of what you have learned?
Now don’t get me wrong, after 15 years, I’m still learning and continue to grow as an official. What I’m talking about is: you’ve learned a lot in the last couple of years! Do you apply it appropriately and at the right time? It takes an honest look in the mirror to answer these questions truthfully. But it’s very important that you do because not answering them truthfully could be the reason you’re not on the field every Friday night. The best officials are the ones who look at these challenges and accept them for what they are, a challenge. Instead of having some sense of entitlement to being promoted to a Friday night crew because you’ve been around for a couple of years, ask yourself, am I truly putting in the right amount of effort? Am I doing what it takes for Varsity football consideration? Finally, and this is, in my opinion, the most important item. What kind of person are you? When you finally do get that Friday night game, how well did you get along with your crew? Did you listen to the advice of the veteran officials? Or did you blow off any advice or information they had for you? Were you prepared for the portion of the pregame the referee assigned to you? Was your uniform neat and clean? How was your communication? And not just with your crew, with coaches and players too. Do you talk down to them like you should never be questioned? This is just a snapshot of the things that go into determining whether or not you are ready for prime time. These are questions you should be asking yourself. Especially, if you have 5-6 years of officiating on your resume and still do not seem to have a weekly Friday night assignment. Also, this is not just a message for the younger/newer officials. Those of you who take for granted that you will receive regular Friday night assignments should adhere to the message above. There are a lot of “younger” eyes that look to you for guidance and example. It’s much easier to accept advice from someone who demonstrates the characteristics of a quality official than from someone who everyone can tell is just mailing it in. Here is the bottom line... If you are serious about officiating football and you are not consistently being assigned as a high school varsity official, whether you’re in your first year or your seventh, then that should be your goal. Think about some of the things we're talking about. Work on the aspect of the game that can set you apart. And most importantly, control the things that you can control. Demonstrate good rules knowledge, use the mechanics that have been assigned for us to use, and by all means, be the official that other officials really want to work with. Remember, feedback is most welcome. I hope you enjoyed this month’s blog and have fun at your next game. Lance Welcome to the End Zone. What I hope will be a successful monthly blog throughout the course of the season. Perhaps, bi-monthly during the off-season. We’ll see. My goal is to discuss all things football in regards to officiating. You know, some of the things that as officials we deal with on a consistent basis--not the same old "if team A does this then team B gets this" rules kind of discussion--but the kind of things that keep us in the game. The reason we do this, and some of the things that happen along the way. That being said, enjoy this month’s blog. Any feedback is most welcome. I began officiating in Las Vegas in 2002. When I landed in Virginia in July of 2009, the SEFOA was most welcoming, and I will always be grateful for that. What’s unique to me is how similar, yet different, the road to officiating begins in both places. In Las Vegas, newer officials will cut their officiating teeth working youth football. Usually 3-4 weeks of that before getting on a high school field for any level. The reason for that is the high school association there is responsible for assigning youth football games. Personally, I’m a fan of the association making these assignments. For two reasons. The first and most important is that as a new official, there will never be a better way for you to learn how to officiate, then getting on the field for 3-5 games every Saturday. Just getting out there and getting tons of snaps--really having to figure out what you’re doing. Especially at the youth level, which less face it, is slow enough for us to digest as we are getting started. There are many opportunities for this because most youth leagues have so many games on Saturday, they are starving for officials. It’s much easier to confidently take the field for a high school game after you have spent the first half of your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd season working out the kinks on the youth field. In most cases, a youth assigner is going to pair you up with one or two savvy veterans for each game who can help you with mechanics, rules application, and most importantly, how to really start to hone your instincts. And the pace is slow enough to provide an excellent learning environment. Veterans, in most cases, are always happy to help newer officials in this regard. Especially the ones who are willing to learn and appreciate the advice they get. This is too good of a resource to pass up if your serious about becoming a good official. As you may or may not know, the SEFOA does not have the responsibility of assigning youth games, therefore it’s up to the official if they want to work youth football. While most officials will, or will at least consider, working youth football, they don’t have to. In my opinion, you’re shorting yourself if you are not availing yourself of this opportunity. So take advantage. It’s also a fantastic way to give a little something back to your community. This brings me to my second reason why working youth football is so beneficial. You will never experience football in a more chaotic environment (well, except maybe semi-pro. But that’s for another time and another blog) then you will at the youth football level. Think about it. The kids are just learning how to play the game. Not the way they learn in the park or on the street. But real organized football. How to line up, not to false start, 7 men on the line of scrimmage. I could go on and on. And!!! They are learning all this from coaches who, in most cases, are just learning how to coach the game themselves. Sure, they have fond memories of their playing days. But how many of them do you think really know the rules? Or how they're applied? "Spirit vs. intent", etc. The answer is...very few. Don’t get me wrong, there are some very good youth football coaches who know what they are doing. But the one’s that think they do as opposed to the ones that actually do are few and far between. Some of the teams will have 4-5 coaches. Have you ever heard the expression the blind leading the blind? It’s the perfect storm of chaos. And, it’s learning how to officiate at the base level. At best, you will be working 5 man mechanics. At worst, 3 man. Consider this. It’s the third game of the day. You’re in the second quarter of a lopsided game, and the losing team is already showing very little interest in anything other than not getting their butts kicked anymore. But that coach is still coaching, because he or she has to. And they’re in your ear about everything. “That’s a false start”, “he’s in the neutral zone”, “that’s holding”. I mean, this coach is killing you. Meanwhile, you’re actually, you know...trying to officiate. It’s bad enough that it probably is a false start and you’ve already called it four times and have talked to the same kid about it three times, but this coach won’t let up. Because for most of these coaches, that’s all they know how to do once the score is insurmountable. The scenario above is when you begin to realize that officiating is either for you, or it’s not. You need experiences like the one above to learn how to focus on the game. To apply the trade of officiating under tough circumstances. These games help you learn what fouls are important. To use your discretion. How to focus on what’s happening on the field when some coach is in your ear about something that happened 4 plays ago, which you already addressed by the way! And I haven’t even gotten started on the parents. You know normal everyday people. The ones who become Nick Saben on Saturday’s. They are the people standing right next to you on the side line, convinced that the only reason you’re there is to hose their team and specifically their son or daughter. Now, I’m just a guy giving his opinion, and we all know the old saying about opinions. Really what I’m hoping is that if you've read this far, you'll give youth football a chance. At least think about it. Even if the association you work for doesn’t require it. That goes for you veterans out there who are available on Saturdays as well. I would never be where I am today if it were not for a few of my Saturday mentors. To whom I will always be grateful. Like I said, comments are most welcome. And if you think you might want to do a little blogging on the site, I think that’s great. The more we communicate, the stronger the SEFOA will become. Well, that’s it. My first blog. Hope you liked it. See everyone at the next meeting. Lance |
Blog AuthorLance Ulrich has been a football official since 2002, and a member of SEFOA since 2009. Archives
March 2023
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