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.

I have some REALLY BIG NEWS. I mean in the world of Todd Skaggs – Aspiring High School and College Football Official – REALLY, REALLY BIG.

I’ve been invited to attend a few spring football scrimmages this year. Well, invited is probably not the right word… I mean I if you consider me begging, groveling, pleading for the opportunity to work some snaps then…”Allowed” might be a better description (smile).

So I will be taking some snaps at the University of Louisville’s scrimmage on March 28th as well as spring games in the Mid South Conference and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. I’m also going to shadow one of my mentors as he attends an Ohio Valley Conference scrimmage at either Western Kentucky or Eastern Kentucky.

I think back to years past when I only heard about these spring activities and only after they were long since over. I used to ask my peers what they knew about the college scene, we talked about it before and after games, meetings and at the local watering hole following our Friday night games. But no one really knew. We just speculated. Looking ahead in your career is sometimes discouraged for newer officials. While I understand the senior officials want us to focus on being the best at our current level, I also see the newer officials get quickly discouraged by this stance. I mean everyone likes to dream a little right?

So I’m telling you this because I want you all to understand why this book is important to me. Whether you want to get your first varsity game or work in the SEC, there shouldn’t be any mysteries. You should be able to not just know the requirements to advance at all levels, but I believe you should not reinvent the wheel. We should examine the paths that successful officials blazed before us and learn from them. As I interview NCAA and NFL officials, numerous similarities arise as well as countless unique and insightful moments but one very important truth stands out. They all took their own path.

Its much like a Chinese buffet. You pick what you like and leave what you don’t. You are not required to eat a bit of everything. You actually don’t have to eat anything specific. You taste, sample, find something you like and add that to your plate. Some stuff is good, some is not. But if your family ate together, you might find that each plate is just a bit different. In the end everyone leaves full and satisfied but they all took different paths (or plates) to get there. (Maybe a poor analogy, but I think you get my point.)

So here is my definite major purpose: I want to closely examine the concept of advancement and continuous improvement as it relates to football officiating and share with anyone interested in improving their football officiating craft; every tip, technique and idea that I uncover. As we proceed down this path, if one football official gets to a Friday night game one week faster or gets that first college assignment one season earlier, then I will consider this a raving success.

In my next post, I will share with you why I think I actually get the chance to participate in the upcoming spring scrimmages. It all started with a very conscience decision I made in July of 2007 when I gave up chocolate. But more on that later.

Until next time,

Be the Best on the Field.

Todd

So What Was It?

Gerald Austin’s interview was very informative. Gerald is the consummate southern gentleman although he did describe himself as a boy from the mountains of Western North Carolina. Gerald is a former NFL referee and the current supervisor of football officiating for the Conference USA. Gerald’s officiating career began as a high school student where he worked his way from the high school ranks of football and basketball ultimately finding a spot in both sports in the ACC.

In 1982 Gerald got the call from the NFL and retired from the field in 2008. Gerald officiating in three Super Bowls – one as a side judge and two as the white hat. He has also won the Art McNalley award given to individuals who exhibit exemplary professionalism, leadership and commitment to sportsmanship on and off the field.

So back to the original thought…7 seconds and 175 times per game. Gerald said this was one of the most important responsibilities of a football official.

CONCENTRATE

Yep. Concentrate. We went on to discuss Gerald’s philosophy of officiating. He mentioned that it had changed some over the years based on his mentors and their influences. I think we can all agree that our mentors have largely shaped the way we approach the game.

On very interesting note I’d like to share: Gerald said he often encounters officials that live for the big game or for the big call. They wanted to be the person on the goal line watching to see if the catch was inbounds and would decide the game. I guess if we are honest about it, we’ve all had those same thoughts at some point in our career.

But Gerald said he only wanted to manage the game, not be a factor. “The game is for the players, coaches and fans,” said Mr. Austin, a retired educator and school superintendent. “If we let the game be about ourselves we are not aligned with the spirit of the game.” I thought long and hard about those words. About managing the game. About not affecting the outcome. The philosophy behind why we are out on the field to begin with.

I’ve always said I loved officiating football because you get one of the best views in the stadium and you don’t care who wins. But what Gerald brought to my attention is a larger responsibility than personal gratification. Sure we like the lights, the band, the screaming fans, hard hitting players and the athleticism of football. But what is missed  on more than one occasion is the spirit of the game. The intent. The purpose of the game. Football isn’t about the guys in the stripes. Gerald said it best: Players, Coaches and Fans.

What do you think? Please shoot me an email at todd@profootballreferee.com and let me hear your thoughts.

Also be sure to reserve a copy of the upcoming book “Ready For Play” at www.profootballreferee.com/training

Until next time,

Be the Best on the Field

Todd Skaggs

PS: I’m working on a few posts about  spring scrimmages for college teams. If you have any questions or ideas on that topic, send them my way at todd@profootballreferee.com