The word is out. Monday, August 24th at 9 am EST I will host a LIVE teleseminar where I will interview SEC Commissioner of Football Officiating and NCAA Rules Editor/Secretary; Rogers Redding.

I hosted a small contest to see who could guess what I was up to. Several good answers but only one correct response.

AND THE WINNER IS: RON DIVINEY

Ron will receive a consolation prize from ProFootballReferee.com (I just need some time to come up with something impressive!)

If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so easily at www.profootballreferee.com/teleseminar/rogersredding

Can’t make that time? No worries! A replay of the interview will be available but you must register to get on the notification list. I’ll also be hosting the call on the upcoming podcast next month. Stay tuned for more details on that!

Film Doesn't Lie

I have set a lofty goal this year. No, not work the state playoffs (although that is one of my long-term goals), not get an NCAA DII playoff game, or make it to the NFL.

I want to receive game film from 70% of my high school games. Assuming I get 10 regular season games, that equates to 7 DVD’s. Should be easy, huh?

As many of you know, getting game film can be a difficult task. I had a comment from a reader inquiring about formatting the DVDs so I thought I’d add my plan of attach to the blog and see if anyone else has any unique strategies or techniques they have found successful in getting game film for review.

• Here’s my plan of attack:
• Call the AD of the school the day prior to the game
• Stress the film is need for the officiating to IMPROVE
• The film is being used for training purposes
• Have a stamped, addressed envelope ready.
• Deliver it to the AD and/or Coach prior to the game (usually when I arrive at the locker room/dressing area)
• If not the coach, I take the time to have the R,U or LG mention it to the Head Coach during the pregame meeting or on the sideline. (just a reminder that we have requested the game film)
• I also take a $5 bill and put it in the envelope for the guy making the copies. I tell the AD its for the copy guy too.
   

So that’s my master plan. The $5 bill idea comes from Allen Baynes, NFL Side Judge and former CUSA deep official. He found the AD’s to be more appreciative and willing to follow-up on the DVD after the fact because we offered a small token of appreciation. I also like the idea of stressing the importance the video makes in improving the level of officiating. Coaches and AD’s alike understand that mentality.

So what are your ideas? Leave a comment, or email me at todd@profootballreferee.com

Heartland Conference

So let’s quickly revisit Larry Synder’s list of “What It Take To Be A Great Football Official.”

Study Rules of the Game

• Rule Book
• Tests & Quizzes
• Ask Other Officials
• Quiz a Buddy
• Never Stop Learning

Study Mechanics of Game

• CCA Mechanics Manual
• Camps & Clinics
• Philosophy
• Attend area meetings/rules study groups (Do any of you do this now?)
• Surround yourself with better officials
• Its hard to soar with the eagles, when you are surrounded by turkeys.

Part Two

• Watch film – the single biggest factor to rapidly improving your learning and accelerating your advancement. Countless seasoned NCAA and NFL veterans have pointed out to me during their interviews that film review tremendously improved their abilities. In some ways you can consider watching film as a close substitute for snaps. Granted, nothing will take the place of live play, but watching film can definitely add a different perspective while adding to your experience level. Some have suggested that it can advance your learning by a factor of four! What this means is that you can shave three years off your experience level if you are trying to get promoted to a higher level. An aspiring motivated official with 4 years of experience (1 of which was heavy on film review) is similar to an official with 7 years experience (no film review). How do you think guys get into the NFL at age 34? You can bet they spent time in front of a TV reviewing film.

• Experience – How much is enough? Larry is very clear here. Get as much experience on the field as possible. This means youth league, spring and fall scrimmages, junior varsity games, varsity games at the high school level and then basically the same process at the college level. When making the transition to college, you will find conference supervisors are looking for those individuals that are willing to take the scrimmage and JV games. They want a prospect to have a few games under their belt before putting them on the field. There truly is no substitute for experience. I have personally stood on teh sidelines behind seasoned Division I officials just to ask questions, watch from that angle and get a feel for the speed and quickness of the game at the higher levels. Without a doubt, this helped me in my first scrimmage giving me a small comfort level (that is, until the whistle blew!).

• What You Have Control Over – This was the cornerstone of Larry’s list. I hear often, officials at all levels, complain that they can’t get the good games, they can’t get the supervisor’s attention, can’t get noticed and so on… You can probably name a few in your local associaiton or area too. So let’s look at that statement. What can we control? Well for one, I can control my ability to study and know the rules and mechanics of the game. I can use the rule book, study groups, practice or scrimmage activity to really and fully know the rules. I can stay in good physical conditioning. This will allow me to get into position, be quick and react in a timely manner. It will help me look athletic in my uniform. Let me be clear – The Division I conferences have a ZERO tolerance for officials out of shape or overweight. Coaches and players prepare year around for the season. The zebras are no exception. Just take a look at the NFL staff. The athleticism and physical fitness is at its highest level. Its that important.  Attend every learning opportunity you can. Clinics, camps, rules study groups, association meetings, scrimmages, film sessions. While not necessarily consistent across the board, learning opportunities still abound in various forms in every city, state or region. Whether you take advantage of them or not is another topic.

So that’s all for my comments on Larry’s philosophy. I personally know several officials that have been mentored by Larry and they are all performing at the highest levels today. They will all admit that the process wasn’t easy and often times the requirements were not what they wanted to hear. Yet the followed the path and Larry led them in the right direction.

This post is getting long so I’m going to save my next story for tomorrow. It’s about how I applied Larry’s philosophy to gain entrance into the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Be the Best on the Field!

Todd

Picture this: you have in the room a group of veteran NFL, NCAA officials and NCAA conference supervisors. They are at your beck and call. They will share any and all information with you, all you have to do is ask.

• What information would you like to know?
• Who would you most like to talk to and why?
• What questions would you ask these guys?

Please post those comments and you can help me on this book project.

By the refs, for the refs.

I had the first (of what hopefully will be many) interview with Ken Rivera, MWC’s Coordinator of Football Officials and owner of the Reno Football Officiating Camp, LLC. For those that don’t know, I’m conducting a series of interview with NFL and NCAA officials and NCAA Conference Coordinators on the subject of “Moving Up, Getting Hired and Improving your Football Officiating Craft.” Ken is the first interview in this series. Jim Jackson, Coordinator of Football Officials with the Ohio Valley Conference, is scheduled for tonight.

Here is a link to Ken’s bio on the MWC website: http://themwc.cstv.com/staff/staff-dir-bio-rivera.html

Here is a link to Ken’s Reno Football Officials Camp website: http://www.footballofficialscamp.com/index.html

Ken provided an insightful and informative session based on his 27 years of officiating experience. Not only did I gain specific knowledge on how to prepare for a NCAA Division 1 career, Ken provided valuable information on such topics as mentoring, balancing family and officiating, video breakdown, MWC’s application process, what he looks for in prospective football officials, and choosing the right camp/clinic. After discussing the Reno camp with Ken, I’m please to say I’ve registered for this event in early June and I’m looking forward to the experience.

Thanks for everything Ken!