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Unread 18-03-2014, 00:18
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Chief Hedgehog Chief Hedgehog is offline
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FRC #4607 (C.I.S.)
Team Role: Coach
 
Join Date: May 2013
Rookie Year: 2012
Location: Becker, Minnesota
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Re: It could happen to you (but we hope not)

First things first - Hats off to the officials that regulate the matches. You do a thankless job. So thank you.

I have been a coach for many sports for quite a few years. I have also worn the zebra-stripes. I will state this - officiating/reffing is much more involved than is the role of the coach or the players.

There are always calls that I disagree with during a 80 minute soccer match. Always. But I always remind myself, and my players that the officials are part of the game, like it or not. We have won many games, and we have lost many games. What I tell my players is 'if you feel that the official decided the game, then we weren't playing the game to our strengths'.

A much better example is when I coach wrestling - each match is 6 minutes, and there are 14 matches in a dual (Much more like at a FRC regional). Each match has a bearing on how the dual ends. In a 6 minute match, the official has much more influence on how the match is decided. However, I still put out the same mantra - 'do not allow the officials to be in a position to decide the outcome. Wrestle your match whistle to whistle - no matter the outcome'.

Now, I am not discounting what has occurred during the course of 3 weeks of FRC 2014 - but instead I want to outline that even though we see things through the eyes of our own teams' result - the officials are trying to determine the best call - each match. I am relatively new to FRC, but what I have seen is that these officials are much better than what you may find at a local HS basketball game, wrestling match, football game, baseball game, etc.

FRC does a great job of creating and designing these games. And they have to reinvent the game year after year. This year seems to be a little more trying for the officials - that is understood.

What I do not want to see is an exodus of officials (like I have see in the ranks of wrestling, baseball, soccer, football, etc) in recent years because of an overabundance of complaining.

My whole point in this is just this: I have been an athlete, a coach, and a referee. The stress and strain on a person follows this in the same order - it is hard to be an athlete, much more difficult to be a coach, and extremely stressful to be the judging eyes and ears as an official.

Your points are valid - everyone's points are valid. However, an official can call what they see - and cannot call what they don't see. When there is a question, the officials must regroup and make the best call that they can at that time in a small amount of time.

Good Luck all!
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Last edited by Chief Hedgehog : 18-03-2014 at 00:20.