[Sean_330]

Well said Andy and John. Let’s all not get into ref bashing. Referees are people too. They make mistakes. I am a referee. I admit, I have made mistakes in the past.

The most important thing to remember is just because the referee's decision does not agree with YOURS does NOT mean the referees made a mistake. Just because the referee has a different interpretation of the rules does not mean his is wrong and yours is right.

I refereed at the SV Regional this year. The individuals i referees with were some of the most competent and knowledgeable people i have ever worked with and it was an honor to referee with them.

At the Southern California Regional, where I did real time scoring, the referees took time out of their busy schedules to meet for hours on Thursday making sure they all understood the finer points of the game as they were described in the updated rules and referees manual. They did this to be fair not because they were confused. They knew the rules really well by the start of the seeding matches.

FIRST referees are not out to "screw" you or "cheat" you or anyone else. They are present at the events to make sure they are as fair as possible and fun for everyone. If they mess up, its not a big deal. That’s where gracious professionalism comes in. Is it GP to come to these boards and whine about the referees? Do you honestly you think you could have done a better job if you were in their shoes? Shouldn’t we leave out differences at the competition since nothing can be don’t to change it and starting threads like these on CD is going to do nothing except cause fights?

Anyway, that’s my opinion.