IHSAA Memo to Parents on Behavior
- Thread starter Fitzy
- Start date
There are not a lot of judgement calls in track and field, and the criteria for competition -- fastest or longest -- are about as objective as it can be for athletic competitions.
The ones where officiating is more of an art than a science is where the problems arise.
Where does track and field have officials? Like you can't tell who crossed the line first? I mean I know they have guys to see if someone stepped on the line or whatever but who's going to argue with them?
From my experience, you have an official as a starter. From there, you have coaches who run the field events. A lot of the invite events I ran in had a camera and a crew in a press box for the time. Not sure what they did for timers at the dual meets I did, but I thought they were parent volunteers. From my experience, I'm surprised why track and field officials have problems.
I'd say 80% of our umpire association members work other sports (such as basketball & football), not just baseball. I'm a baseball only and I know that basketball officials hear at least twice as much **** as we do, out on a big baseball field, and the football officials are somewhere in between. I couldn't do basketball and football, I'd have to mouth back, right during the live action, ha.
And this memo won't do a damn bit of good...
You're absolutely right, but I'm stunned that the IAHSAA was willing to even do this much. And BECAUSE things probably won't improve, they need to focus on retaining who they do have, those that are willing to do the officiating. STRONGLY encourage (if not mandate) officials to join officials associations, where they have a brotherhood who can back them up, keep working on improving their abilities with training & rules education. If beginning officials know there is a group they can be a part of, to help them thru the early part of their officiating career (rather than just being out there alone, as an independent contractor), they may stick around longer than one season!
And the state, along with associations, work together to increase the pay for those that are putting up with the abuse. More pay doesn't guarantee you better officials, but as the memo said, no officials, no game. And more pay might spur someone to help out, because the kids shouldn't pay the price of no game because the adults can't handle things correctly.
The whole thing has completely jumped the shark. Parents have driven youth sports into the ground. I sat at my son's first grade flag football practice last night as a dad yelled at his kid for not using the spin move he taught him and realized I'd be entirely content if none of my kids played sports beyond middle school.
There are rational people out there. There are people who believe that just being a good high school athlete who made friends, stayed in shape and had a good time is enough. Unfortunately, I think the absolute lunacy of youth sports weeds out the rational ones.
Did Margaret McCaffrey get a copy sent her way?
Similarly: accept that they're not awesome at everything and it's OK to adjust expectations to fulfill reality.
Media is to blame in this too - regarding the "perception" of the refs. They're thought of, and talked about, as the "enemy." Even John and Eric are to blame for this. Parents listen and transfer that perception down to the high school and youth levels.
I shouldn't have said that so narrowly as it being all about getting a scholarship. The point I was aiming for was that it seems pretty logical that people are going to take youth/HS sports more seriously when they start so young and commit so much free time and money in the pursuit. Especially once you get to middle school and up when you're traveling all over the place. People get invested, the stakes get higher.
I've been to a lot of travel Softball games. Usually I'm the scorekeeper and can strike up a conversation with the home plate umpire.
I asked one umpire what was the worst level to umpire (as far as parents go) - without hesitation: 12U - C (C being the lowest level of that age group). We joked that his called strike on a girl might cost her a college scholarship..
I asked one umpire what was the worst level to umpire (as far as parents go) - without hesitation: 12U - C (C being the lowest level of that age group). We joked that his called strike on a girl might cost her a college scholarship..
It also seems more important the first time through. Having a daughter that went through 18U, it is much easier to see how unimportant any individual game or any specific play is. Just keep getting better every day, work hard, and have fun. I am much more interested in the life lessons learned than the trophies won.
So where's the letter to the IHSAA telling them that as long as they fail to air Iowa HS football playoffs, wrestling , etc., to over half the state they really should just STFU.
I have had two kids in soccer and it seems that there are out of control parents just like every other sport but what seems to get parents - even more level headed ones - worked up is when officials fail to call fouls for rough play. No parent wants to see their kid get hurt. I know a lot of officials who have kids playing as well and it works them up too.
That has nothing to do with getting a scholarship.
