2011 Newsletter

Read all updated off season news

2011 Newsletter

Mentoring Newcomers to build an officiating staffHelping to train and orient a new official is perhaps the single most important task an experienced official can undertake. Many local associations have developed some effective mentoring programs. What are the key elements of good mentoring programs? More to the point, what's "in it" for the experienced official?

Mentoring helps bring more experienced officials into a league and helps prevent shortages of qualified officials. Veterans will be more comfortable working with a competent young or less-experienced official. More importantly, better trained officials mean better officiated games. That leads to a more positive experience for players and fewer confrontations between officials and coaches.

Here are some other benefits that mentoring can provide:
Person-to-person. Mentoring centers on a one-on-one relationship: the experienced official and the rookie. The most important characteristic a mentor can have, therefore, is an approachable, patient personality. The veteran will be asked many questions that cover the most fundamental parts of officiating. Not every official has the patience for that. Before you agree to serve as a mentor, be sure you can handle such exchanges. Signs of impatience, exasperation or annoyance may only serve to relay to the rookie that you think he is ill-prepared. Foster an environment in which questions are encouraged and you'll be helping that new official develop.
Field experience. Rulebook discussions on officiating theory and mechanics are fine, but there's no substitute for onfield or oncourt experience. Too many groups leave new officials to "fend for themselves" while they cut their teeth on JV, freshman or middle school contests.
Rookie officials need to get game experience with game-experienced officials. That is where many mentoring programs fail. If experienced officials are unwilling to "step down" and take a few lower-level games to help out their mentees during game situations, the learning curve is made longer and less effective. Veterans should help rookies get some entry-level games and then work those games with them. You'll see much quicker results.
Game gossip. Experienced officials know the benefit of a good pregame and postgame conference. For the new official with just a few games under the belt, there is nothing more valuable. Sitting down after a game to go over plays, calls and rule interpretations that he or she just experienced is a fast-track learning method. Those powwows should contain instruction and reinforcement as well as the areas in need of improvement. Tact is the key. "You'll find that making that call is easier if you are in this location," works better than, "You were out of position. No wonder the coach ate you alive."
The payoff. Let's face it, officials aren't beating down the door to become mentors. That's too bad. Officials who have become mentors discover that working with new officials has advantages. First, you can find diamonds in the rough. Properly mentored rookies have gone on to fulfilling officiating careers. Second, you can rediscover your love of officiating. Work with a younger person who is excited to be working a youth game, and you just might rekindle that spark that got you started. Third, you can improve your own game. Diving into rulebooks and mechanics manuals with a young official might open your eyes to something you had forgotten or overlooked.