NKY Refs: Where Are They Going?

[cshs81]

I was talking to a local official who told me that NKY is losing a lot of good refs including quite a few crew chiefs. That's a concern if you're a fan/player/coach.

 

Its my understanding that part of it is due to NKY playing JV games on Saturday mornings which I would assume is not very desirable for an official who just worked Friday night. Those games would also preclude any official who also does college games on Saturdays.

 

Do the other parts of the state play JV games on Mondays?

[punttheball]

Do not know about the rest of thr state, but I am a fan of JV playing on Monday afternoon or evening. Also, it would be nice if there was a requirement that JV played the same opponent as varsity did that Friday/Saturday.I know when I played that the JV schedule seemed to not be important and almost a pain to the coaches. The JV players practice with the varsity and deserve to play an equal schedule. Sorry that I got of the topic, but it seems to me that some schools think it is no big deal to cancel a JV game if it is not convienant. Maybe this should be a seperate thread.

[pigman]

They're not required as far as I know to do JV games, so I don't know why this would be an issue. Of course it could be different in NKY.

[cshs81]

They're not required as far as I know to do JV games, so I don't know why this would be an issue. Of course it could be different in NKY.

 

I believe the thinking is that the varsity refs working JV games can help the new officials. Football is a very tough sport to officiate so you don't want a bunch of newbies doing a JV game. I know I saw one JV game last year where there was a very odd-looking play. Neither coach really had a clue as to what was going on or what the outcome should be. One of the top NKY varsity officials was doing the game, called the men in stripes together, took their time, got it right. I'm guessing the JV refs would have been looking at each other hoping one of their compadres made a call.

 

Maybe its a case of NKY officials being pretty good and moving on. I know at least one is going to be doing OVC games this year which, I'm guessing, means he won't be doing Friday nights.

[jimmyref]

One big difference this year is the college conferences are requiring that the officials be in town the night before. This Friday night requirement before the Saturday college game eliminates alot of the crew chiefs from working Friday varsity games. I would expect that the Saturday JV games will be very tough to cover, similar to the old 4:00 start time for during the week games that got squashed when the referee pool to work these games got very small. I think most regions are looking for referees so now is the time to become part of the game!!

[NHS BIG DADDY]

Everytime I go down to get my haircut at the barbershop my barber always says that I need to become and offical. I think he cuts a couple guys hair who officiate up here. Ive had family that has done it and one of my uncles still may do it not sure. I prolly should get into it and give back to the game Im just not sure I have the time.

[mexitucky]

My brother refs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It's a decent supplement for his income. I don't have the time with studying and watching the boys, but I could see myself doing it once the twins are out of high school.

[FBRULES]

One thing is for sure, they will play the games.

[PoloJackson]

In NKY this statement does not hold true. Officials have been successful and moved on to the college ranks and just a couple have retired.

[cshs81]

In NKY this statement does not hold true. Officials have been successful and moved on to the college ranks and just a couple have retired.

 

Which statement?

 

Secondly, welcome aboard.

[PoloJackson]

I was talking to a local official who told me that NKY is losing a lot of good refs including quite a few crew chiefs. That's a concern if you're a fan/player/coach.

 

Its my understanding that part of it is due to NKY playing JV games on Saturday mornings which I would assume is not very desirable for an official who just worked Friday night.

 

Sorry about that.

[cshs81]

I was talking to a local official who told me that NKY is losing a lot of good refs including quite a few crew chiefs. That's a concern if you're a fan/player/coach.

 

Its my understanding that part of it is due to NKY playing JV games on Saturday mornings which I would assume is not very desirable for an official who just worked Friday night.

 

Sorry about that.

 

Polo - so that people don't get confused as to who posts what , when quoting someone use the "quote" button in the bottom right corner. You can then add your comments to the quote. It makes it easier to follow.

[Vangelis]

There are a few Northern Ky refs that officiate college football, and still work varsity, JV, freshman, and other levels of football in this region. If I am not mistaken, those are the same guys who also train the younger officials and are basically the backbone of the northern ky association. As with any officiating group, you will always have some officials who move on to higher levels of officiating. More than likely, those officials will stay involved with the local high school group. Saturday JV games has nothing to do with the recent changes. I know for a fact that one white hat is going to work for the OVC, but he'll still work varsity games during his off weeks. Another R moved out of state to VA, and another retired after 30+ years. There are probably 10+ officials in northern ky that work for various D-III, NAIA, and D-IAA college conferences.

[offside]

Good officials move up, they retire, and some simply give it up because of the time and energy that is required of the avocation. The good news is that there are opportunities for officials to move up. The bad news is that we're losing some very good officials for a number of reasons and we're simultaneously increasing the number of schools starting football programs, especially in Northern Kentucky.

 

And that leads me to my two favorite dead horses to beat upon:

 

1. We have many very good football officials in every region in the state, not just NKY. Some have moved on to the SEC, the Big East, Conference USA, Sun Belt, Ohio Valley, Heartland and Mid South conferences and those same guys may very well appear on a Friday night in your local stadium. In addition, there are many more highschool officiating veterans who are just as good or better but have simply chosen not to add the workload of an NCAA schedule.

 

My point is that, as a group, your local highschool football officials really are dedicated professionals; the local guys who've moved on to appear on ESPN or have their name called by Brent Mussburger are proof positive. So, we don't mind if you boo us for making calls that you don't agree with; we know that sometimes even the best officials make mistakes. But please don't publicly question our impartiality or presume were involved in some nefarious conspiracy. Especially in front of the kids.

 

2. Football officiating is a very rewarding endeavor. There's proof that even a simple country boy from Kentucky has a chance to make it to the big time if he's good enough and works hard enough at it. PM me if you know anybody who might be interested in giving it a try.

 

offside

[Vangelis]

"Nefarious conspiracy?" That's really impressive! Did you go to a private school? Seriously, Yoda of the Gridiron is absolutely correct. While there are numerous college and professional football officials throughout the state, many of whom still attempt to work high school games when possible, there are many more excellent "high school" officials who really enjoy the high school game and have no desire to pursue college and professional officiating. A number of those officials could easily succeed at the higher levels if they wanted to, but most choose not to do so. They enjoy the high school game too much to leave. They are dedicated and passionate. Trust me, even though there has been some turnover of officials in northern ky, there are still a large number of great high school officials that you'll see on the field this year and for the indefinite future. :thumb: