Leadership Officiating
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Covering pregame preparation, team-officiating and being the crew chief.
9 Points To Grade Your Officiating Crew
Most people think two teams are required for athletic competition. Officials know better. It takes three — the teams scheduled to take the field or court, plus the team...
Don’t Be Afraid to Take the Lead
There is nothing wrong with being a wallflower by nature. There is, however, a major problem with being one as an official, a lesson I was fortunate enough to...
Working at a Lower Level
Have you ever worked with an official from a different level? Maybe you are a well-established high school football referee and once in a...
Stabilizing Your Crew
Matt Austin, Louisville, Ky., is a Southeastern Conference football referee who has worked in the league for 10 years. Through a quarter-century of officiating,...
Dictator or Facilitator: What Type of Official are You?
The late Bill Klem, perhaps the greatest umpire in the history of baseball, was once shown a photo that supposedly proved he blew a...
Poise and Dignity Go a Long Way
The best way to answer criticism may be not to answer at all. Ignoring the remark denies it credence. No one of an astute...
Care-Frontation
By Dan Ronan
bob Delaney, a retired NBA referee and the Southeastern Conference special advisor for officiating development and performance, is one of the officiating...
Welcoming Adversity
E
veryone handles nerves and adversity differently.
Some believe if you don’t get at least a little nervous before a big game, you don’t understand the...
Be a Team Player
“I hear you, Coach, but it wasn’t my call.” That statement can send shockwaves of negativity into a situation on the court or field....
Act Like the Role Model You Are
One night I drove to a rink in Amherst, N.Y., to watch the Empire State Games, an Olympic-style event for amateur high school athletes. The hockey game I...
Scrutiny Keeps Rising on Video Review
T he first time video review was used to make an officiating decision was during the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France. Officials...
Right People, Right Place, Right Time
It takes a special person to be a good assigner. You’ve got to find the right people, send them to the right place and...
Talent Flows When Your Ego Goes
Confidence is not a suggestion when it comes to being good in this avocation. It is at the core of what it takes to...
How to Pass on Your Wisdom
Whether you’ve been officiating for some time or you simply have three more games under your belt than another official, you’re in a position...
Saying the Right Thing at the Right Time
We’re used to practicing restraint in conversations with coaches and players, because saying it like it is could cost us our careers. But should...
Understand the Mindsets of your Crew Members
Getting the most out of a crew is challenging to say the least. Rather than just expecting everyone to be on the same page,...
Make the ‘Third Team’ the Best Team
Most people think two teams are required for an athletic competition. Officials know better. It takes three: the two teams scheduled to take the field or court, plus...
How to Transition Smoothly with a New Partner
In many areas, we don’t have a choice about who we’re teamed with. We might have some input into the process, but the final...
Create your own Luck
Luck has been defined as what happens when preparedness meets opportunity, and opportunity is there all the time. Question: When opportunity comes, will you...
Break Time Doesn’t Mean Time Off for Officials
A college football game encompasses 60 minutes of playing time divided into four 15-minute quarters. But those 60 minutes typically require something approaching three...
Move from Camp to Classroom
Every serious official has been there: in a classroom, looking at a PowerPoint as a clinician goes over a rule or positioning principle. They’ve made...
Five Lessons on Leadership
By George Gately
As CEO of a small, nonprofit corporation, my avocation as a soccer referee has been an adventure in learning. What began as...
The Fine Art of Building Your Crew
Great crew chiefs are like great leaders because … well, because they are great leaders.
But in officiating, the whole is only as good as the sum of its parts....
9 Characteristics of a Good Mentor
Ask anyone who has “made it” in officiating about the people who have helped them along the way and they will without a doubt have a list of...