I am humbled by the responses to my question last week and thoroughly impressed with the feedback. Below is the list of suggestions or things to consider in advance of my first NCAA spring scrimmage. I also have to tell you that Friday I interviewed NFL Head Linesman John McGrath. John is consistently one of the top rated HL’s in the NFL and his advice was to “keep your whistle out of your mouth and the flag in your pocket.” He also gave me some very good advice about arriving with the right mindset. I’ll update everyone on his interview and my scrimmage in a few days.
Its safe to say, I was much better prepared given the suggestions below and I thank each and every one of you who took the time to send them in.
· Identify a weakness for every game to be worked. Read the associated mechanics or rules. Write down your success criteria. Evaluate yourself against the criteria after every game.
· Review mechanics for your position along with the mechanics of two other positions you will interface with. Be able to let them know what to expect from you and what you expect from them.
· If you are applying to a conference, wear your cleanest knickers/socks/shirt/shoes/etc…
· If you have never been to a school before, find out where the locker room is before your scrimmage date. I neglected to do this my very first college scrimmage, and ended up in a personally embarrassing situation. Be prepared to ask lots of questions and receive lots of input. Relax and have fun.
· Physical Preparation – Depending on how long of an off-season one may have had, pre-season training should be well underway and getting back in the gym and running on a track or field is a must. You want to be in mid-season game shape at the beginning of the season
· Mental Preparation – Get back into the rule book. I’ve even started organizing local weekly meetings with officials in my area to prepare for the season and advancing through the levels of play
· Try and review everyone’s mechanics. This will not only help you during the season, by knowing what everyone should be doing, but also it can help you work any position during the scrimmage if something happens to the guy who was supposed to work that position. Also, you look good being able to move around and hopefully do it well.
· “Failing to prepare is Preparing to fail”!
· -Always be early. At least 45 min early.
· -Work NCAA Mech. Not High school.
· -Always listen to Supervisor or TA and be open to working different positions.
· -Relax and always have fun
· Personally I would check my luggage two or three times to make sure I had all the necessary equipment and uniform. Maybe even carry some of it as carry on just to make sure. I worry about that more than anything. Good luck with the games and looking forward to the book.
· Be sure to have cell phone numbers for everyone working the scrimmage with you (or as many #’s as possible) just in case you need to contact someone en route. Make sure the others know how to contact you. Also, have the number for the person who assigned you the game if he is not part of the crew.
- Be aware of the 2009 rule changes and be prepared to respond if a coach asks you about any of them. Anticipate their questions as much as you can prior to arriving on site. If there may be an interpretation you are unsure about, don’t fake one. The changes have just come out and it’s not inappropriate to admit you’re waiting for an official interpretation either from the NCAA or the supervisor. If the crew chief is a regular member of the league officiating staff, make sure to let him know of the question. He may want to pass it on to his ‘boss’.
- Never forget that for that day, you ARE a part of the league officiating staff so represent them accordingly.
· I believe the first thing supervisors see of you at a spring game is your uniform. That being said, everything you wear, even down to your beanbag should be new or nearly new. That way you present a clean crisp appearance. Nothing looks better than a fresh bright uniform with shiny polished shoes. You only get one chance to make a first impression.
· Relax, have fun, and do what you already know how to do. Nobody on that field is better than you than you are at your position. Why? Because of your preparation, you are more prepared than anyone to deal with what may happen at your position.
· I think you might want to venture into an area that Ken Rivera talks about. “What Can you as an official control?”
- You control your rules/mechanics knowledge.
- You control you personal and family life. Important because we as officials leave our families at home quite a bit during the football season and just as we make sacrifices, so to do our wives and children.
- Your physical appearance.
- These are the 3 things that you as an official can control. Outside of that everything else is beyond your control as far as advancement.
