For this post I want to talk about my journey into officiating and hopefully draw some consideration to people who may want to get into our ranks. I offciated high school volleyball from 2012-2016 and also am a current club offcial in addition to working as a collegiate line judge.
My journey in volleyball began as a team scorer at Woodcrest Christian. I served in that role from '05-'07 and then from '09-'11. During those years I met and got to know several of our officials who constantly encouraged me to join the ranks.
I joined the ranks in 2013 and worked double or triple the minimum number of court hours in order to catch up and show my willingnesss to learn the craft along with sport. In the offseason I work club volleyball although it has some subtle rule differences it's a chance to keep the whistle going.
Why do people get into officiating?
1. A chance to stay involved in the sport they loved from playing to coaching (or in my case scorekeeping).
2. A chance to serve the student-athletes of their community.
3. A stress reliever
All three applied to me and still do. Getting on the court is my favorite part of the day. I can take whatever happened during the day, compartmentalize it, and put my focus on 12 student-athletes who require my services.
What are the reasons people get out?
1. Bad sportsmanship from coaches, players, and fans: I tune out most crowd noise unless the behavior is so bad it requires site administration to get involved. Don't let coaches or players run you from something you love. Use the tools at your disposal to control their behavior and then report to the appropriate governing body.
2. Lack of advancement- You control your destiny. Go to camps, study the rulebook and techniques applicable to your state. Ask to be honestly evaluated and be willing to accept the feedback that you might not be ready for that match between the two top teams in your area. Listen to the feedback you receive and make the adjustments so that you are ready for that contest.
3. Employer Conflict-This applied to me at least for High School. We need to encourage employers to be flexible with employees who officiate (especially their full time variety) whether that be thru state legislation or other means. Otherwise the officiating population will be devoid of working age younger people and the average age will keep going up.
If you are dependable, willing to learn the craft, and available in the afternoons our student-athlete population needs you to step up so they can play.
In the CIF-SS if you are interested in officiating please visit the following websites to join an association:
Volleyball- socalvoa.org
Basketball-cboa.net
Baseball-socaumpires.com
Soccer-scsoaorg.com
Softball-csoainland.org
Football-cafoa.com
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