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.

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?