I just read an article written by a baseball assigner and it made me think a lot about what happens in the world of assigning volleyball matches. My regular partner is the assigner for our association so I get to hear the good, bad, and ugly (whether I want to or not) of assigning. I also just attended a BIG10 webinar and they touched on some of the thoughts I had as well. I wanted to write a blog about what goes into getting the games you want.
The biggest thing I have learned in dealing with multiple assigners is they are human. As officials we have to have empathy for the assigners. None of the assigners I have ever dealt with are looking to hold officials back from getting good games. They are not looking to punish anyone for any actions. With that being said, they are not machines that just plug names and numbers into matches. There are thoughts and reasons behind assignments. The job of assigning officials is a thankless job and comes with a lot of stress. Every assigner I have worked with, or for, also keeps a full officiating schedule on top of assigning duties. When it comes down to it, the assigner has to answer to Conference Commissioners and Athletic Directors and still do their best to keep the officials happy. So what are some of the reasons for getting assignments that you believe are below your skill set as an official?
First, there are no matches that are below your skill set as an official. Every game deserves good, quality officials. Just because the match is not between two top ranked teams does not mean it is not an important match. As officials our first responsibility is to the game. We are keepers of the game. We must officiate the lowest skilled teams with the same passion and respect for the game that we officiate the top teams in the state. Every game may be the most important game for someone on the court. We never know the circumstances for each game but we have to respect all of the games. Can we complain and moan in the car on the way to the game? Sure we can. But once we step out of the car and walk into the school we need to be 100% professional.
What are some other factors that go into assigning matches?
Has the official already worked one or both of the teams multiple times that season?
Is there a history between the teams and officials?
Is there a need for an official to work with a newer official and mentor them?
Is there a chemistry or lack of chemistry issue between officials?
Who is available that night?
Who isn’t available that night?
Is it a match that requires an official with a certain strength? That could be rule knowledge, bench management, history of issuing cards or not issuing cards.
Was there a special request that had to be accommodated?
All of these things go into each individual game. Multiply this by 20-30 matches each night and you can see how the puzzle pieces start to fit together. When one official turns back a game just a few days before a match, every other official is affected. Some officials can only get to games that start at certain times. Some officials have conflicts of interest. Some officials are not ready to officiate a higher-level match. The puzzle pieces have to fit and that means one official canceling may mean you are removed from your coveted game and it may have nothing to do with your abilities. It is just where you are needed because of the last minute circumstances.
As I said earlier, we have to remember that assigners are human. With that comes human emotions. If you help an assigner out they will naturally want to help you out in return. On the flip side, if you make an assigner’s job more difficult, the natural reaction is to lose faith and confidence in being able to assign you matches. If an assigner gets multiple games turned back regularly he or she will soon move you to the bottom of the list when assigning matches since they cannot rely on you keep your match. If you are someone who is able to make last minute changes to help an assigner out you will get a better reputation as someone who can be relied upon. This is just human nature.
What can you do to improve the assigners view of your abilities? The most important thing is to attend trainings and observations. We all know there is a shortage of officials. This means associations do not have the bodies to send people out to observe matches and help officials and give them feedback. The best way to get those observations and feedback is to attend pre-season clinics and observations. Every single official can benefit from observations and feedback. I am constantly looking for feedback from anyone willing to give it to me. When you sit down and think about it the only feedback the assigner will get during the season is probably negative. Athletic directors are busy. They really only reach out to assigners when there are problems. That means if an assigner hears about your match it is probably not a good thing. So unless they see or hear about you during a pre-season clinic they don’t know if you have gotten any better. I have witnessed multiple officials go to a scrimmage and been offered an observation and feedback and they say, “I’m just here to work out the rust. I don’t need anything.” Then I hear later in the year that they are not happy with the assignments they have been given. If they had gotten a glowing observation report the assignments may have been given differently.
Another thing is not to complain about assignments. Those complaints will get back to the assigners. The last thing assigners want is to work with someone who is complaining about them all the time. This doesn’t mean you have to be happy with every assignment but use the assignments you aren’t happy with to work on different parts of your game. Commissioners talk. Athletic Directors talk. Assigners talk. They all share information. Your attitude and demeanor will get back to your assigner and it will greatly affect how you are viewed.
Above all, be the best official you can be and always strive to improve and help others improve. All of those things get back to the assigner eventually and will be beneficial. Keep up to date with rules, trends, techniques. Be a good teammate. Work to make officiating better and you will be rewarded. That doesn’t mean just make YOUR officiating better. Make officiating as a whole better. The games will follow.
Well said Brian.