Special rules for scrimmages?
I'll say this about deciding not to pursue a State Badge, it makes everything a lot easier, even if you have what some people would be a "bad game." There's no worry about things carrying over and hurting my chances - because frankly it just doesn't matter. I'll work my butt off and put in the best game I can, try to be better, and screw the non-referee opinions. In other words, work my game like I want to be a State Ref, but without the anxiety (not I had any this game, anyway). And while there may be a few things I could have done better - I'm not convinced I actually had a bad game.I wish someone would tell me when there's been multiple games between teams this winter, and when they've been contentious in the past. I try to be even-handed no matter what the game, but at least I could know if there was some problem players to pay special attention to. But I wasn't alerted, and I ended up tossing one player (who went on his back and spiked an opponent with both feet), a coach, and very nearly terminated the game because said coach wouldn't leave.
First, the coach was defending his player (!) and then later said it was my "thin skin" that caused his problem. I have to disagree, because I wasn't angry at him (and that's a huge change for me - years ago I would have been); but he crossed the line. A long time ago I decided that when a coach gets abusive (and him shouting, "You're terrible" alternating with, "you're awful" is not a grey area), he'll get tossed. Especially in youth games where there's so much turnover in the referee corps that can be saddled squarely at abuse. The fact that I can take it does not mean it can be excused, or that it should be allowed. End of story.
Now, as far as the stuff I missed - I was fortunate enough to have a good AR crew who caught some of the things I missed; some of it was angles, some of it was my not being in the right spot (and maybe it's an excuse, but I don't expect to have my instincts at 100% when this was the first game I did in two months), and in one case my AR thought a card was in order. On the other hand, nobody has a perfect game; before the spiking incident I thought it would have been the other team to go off, because they wanted a hard call to go their way but didn't. Go figure.
Maybe it's just the type of person who becomes a coach, but they love to have the last word. Even after being tossed (and told to leave the building - I ended up suspending the game because he initially refused; I even started writing in the time remaining for termination, although I hadn't announced it yet so I felt OK on resuming the match), he came back, bitched at me some more, brought up the "thin skin" comment, and then said that because it was a scrimmage that I should have let him stay. Hmmm. I've been doing a lot of scrimmages lately in roller derby, and the general consensus is to call those scrimmages exactly like real bouts, including ejections, because the simple logic is, "If it's not called in a scrimmage, you're going to do it in a real game." One would think that a coach, being the scholar of the game he is (I wish there was a sarcasm font for that), would make it into a learning situation: how well would his players play without him, while being short handed. Perhaps he could realize that if he starts using the work "you" to a referee followed by an insult, he could be ejected from the game. Maybe he figured that out when he cooled down.
I'm not sure how long it will take him to cool down, because after the other two referees left (I had another game) and I was alone, he came back again (oh, there's some guts for you), said more of the same, about how awful I was, and how slighted and cheated he was because he should be allowed to say anything he wants and have his player throw spikes at opponents... or am I just reading too much into that?
He came by a third time; as I was filling out my payment paperwork for the upcoming game. "Are you working again? Oh my god, how can they let you do that?" I ended up just shaking my head (I was turned away at the desk, so he couldn't see me smile), and then he went off again. "Don't you shake your head at me, I'm...." and then there was just some incomprehensible blather I couldn't make out.
And you wonder why 70-80% of referees quit within two years? Sheesh. The only sad point is that since this wasn't a league game, I have nobody to write these incidents up to - since all three post-ejection visitations are violations. But I guess scrimmages must have special rules or something. (more)
12 April '10 - 11:12 - - | Only one comment - § ¶
