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For Basketball Officials, the Journey is the Destination
To achieve maximum personal success and productivity as a basketball official, one has to be highly motivated and have a positive attitude. Furthermore, to reach and...
Formal Check or Not, Illegal Equipment Deserves Attention in NFHS Play
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FHS rule 4-3 requires an illegally equipped player to leave the field and not return until the next legal substitution opportunity. For the first...
So You Say You Want Games?
Ispent years as an umpire assigner from Little League to major college and, of course, I worked for my fair share. All have pet...
See The Call, Be The Call
Whenever you work a basketball game, it’s always a good practice to be thinking — but not for too long.
Yes, it’s important to keep yourself mentally ahead...
From Zoned Out to Zen Master
In the 1984 College World Series, I had the plate in a semifinal game. Pitch one was a slider on the edge of home...
5 Minutes With NCAA Coordinator Steve Thorpe
NCAA coordinator of officials for women’s volleyball discusses the 2021 Championship in a bubble in Omaha, Neb.
Residence: Doylestown, Pa.
Experience: Currently the NCAA coordinator of...
Free-Throw Mechanics Deserve Pregame Attention
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hen thinking about the mechanics you use as a basketball official, where do you put the bulk of your study and practice? Proper location...
Keep Watch on Baserunners Abandoning Their Base
Webster’s defines abandonment as “to leave or forsake completely; to give up possession or control of or to give up, discontinue or withdraw from.”...
The Foundation of a Two-Person Crew
Interested in working a fast paced game where things are happening quickly, requiring you to stay completely focused? Then let’s partner together as a two-person crew for a...
Avoid Match Problems With Solid Communication
As crazy as this might sound, have you ever thought of volleyball referees being in the customer service business? One might advance the notion...
Critical Rules for Umpires to Know
The umpire is in charge of the line of scrimmage and all the action that takes place in and around it. There are some...
Postgames play a key role in officials’ growth
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s more states and officials associations transition to three-person mechanics, lead officials need to become more active and recognize when to rotate ball side.
Gone...
Tips to Help Sideline Officials Look Sharp
When I was a deep official, I would catch flak from my linesman and line judge crewmates. They told me they do most of...
11 Hacks for Onfield Umpires
With a new baseball season rolling along, here are a few tips and hacks involving plate work that can help you out as an...
Unsporting Behavior In the Eye of the Beholder
It’s often said great basketball officiating requires striking the proper balance between art and science.
That’s due, in part, to the fact that the rulebooks...
Discretion Available For Dangerous Play
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he prohibition against engaging in play that is dangerous or likely to cause injury to oneself or an opponent has been a part of...
Leaving the Court Has Consequences
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ost everyone knows, in the game of basketball, when the ball touches a boundary line or anything outside the boundary line, it is out...
Hey Ref! Doncha Know The Rules?
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t’s a question all officials hear at some point in their careers. Unfortunately, fans yelling it from the stands are usually unaware the game...
Intentional Groundrules
Intentional grounding is likely the rule that requires the most judgment. Any rule that requires an official to determine “intent” is prone to inconsistent...
Tips to Stay Focused During Long Matches
Staying focused as a referee or line judge is of the utmost importance. Whether it’s a tight match or not, first point or last,...
Now You’re Talking
What to Say to Whom and When to Say It
Assuming a basic knowledge of football rules and mechanics, communication is arguably the greatest single...
Nothing But Net
Work Together to Correctly Call Faults
It should be easy, but there are many factors that play into our accuracy of whistling net faults. As...
A Little Officiating Magic
The Magician’s Oath is to never reveal the secrets of magic to non-magicians. Nonetheless, there are various “tricks” officials can use to call a game properly. Magic can...
Hold(er) Everything
When thinking of players associated with the kicking game, the usual focus is on those who kick the ball and team R players attempting...
