High School Ref's Needed anywhere...

[MagicBone 0]

Hey Where do they train you to become a high school ref for wrestling in kentucky?

How much does it pay?

And when do you start?

[kdsmith27 14]

here is the link

http://officials.khsaa.org/officialinterest.htm

[Ranger123 43]

Hey Where do they train you to become a high school ref for wrestling in kentucky?

How much does it pay?

And when do you start?

The only training you get is called "on the job" training.  You either sink or swim.  As I think I have said before, I think that is one of the major problems we have with officials in KY.  A new guy often has to learn by making mistakes.  Those mistakes sometimes hurt the kids and they have to hear about it from the coaches.  That is not to say that experienced officials are perfect.  But most of them have already built their reputation and can get by with a few missed calls.  A new officials blows a few calls and then doesn't get called back to get more experience and improve.  They get frustrated from lack of opportunity or getting ripped apart by coaches and quit.

I don't have a magic answer.  Maybe get the new guys more involved in jv or youth events to get experience before we throw them to the wolves in a varsity meet.

[bulldog-leader 56]

Ranger;

    I think I can speak for most of the coaches in Nky. It's not the missed calls that coaches get upset about. It is the decisiveness of their calls.  All that the coaches ask for are consistency and decisiveness in their officials.  When you make a call make it with confidence and stand your ground.  This will go a long way with coaches.  This is exactly what the older officials have that many new officials lack.

    If a new official can do this they will get called back, maybe not for the bigger tourneys at first but they will get called back.

    Another bit of advise is to be able to take advise after matches from coaches.  Many of the coaches will talk to the officials after matches to discuss calls and such.  It helps both sides if both coaches and officials are open to this.

[kdsmith27 14]

Below is a course offered by "American Sport Education Program". It would be a great course for them to refresh there skills and update there certification. Could also be used as a requirement to get to the next level. This would also be good for initial training requirement. I think this is in the works for all KHSAA official to take.

NFHS Officiating Wrestling Methods

This course is a self-paced online course designed to be taken by individual officials.

This course will help you prepare to officiate wrestling matches. It contains material suitable primarily for officials at the high school level and covers NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) mechanics. You

[MagicBone 0]

It all sounds intimidating,but then again,everyone wants always agree with you or like you though.

How much does our kentucky ref's get paid,being they have all this stuff to deal with.

I do see where your coming from with new ref's struggling alot,kindve like Andrew Cooper,but he will get better in time though,since he has experience as a wrestler,how many of our ref's actually wrestled before...

Would it be fair to say coaches can deal with the same stuff the ref would deal with,alot of old school coaches can lose their cool or tell a wrestler the wrong move in a match on a accident just as well as a ref can make a bad call.

But that point with being a man about your call and acceptin it and taking constructive criticism does go a long way.

[PinToWin 0]

One way to practice officiating is to ask coaches if you can do their wrestle-offs.  Treat these wrestle offs exactly as you would an actual match (i.e. wear your uniform if you have one, take your officials disk and leg bands if you have them).  Most coaches are willing to let you do this, because they want you to be a better official and it allows them to watch the matches and coach their wrestlers. 

[Ranger123 43]

Ranger;

     I think I can speak for most of the coaches in Nky. It's not the missed calls that coaches get upset about. It is the decisiveness of their calls.  All that the coaches ask for are consistency and decisiveness in their officials.  When you make a call make it with confidence and stand your ground.  This will go a long way with coaches.  This is exactly what the older officials have that many new officials lack.

     If a new official can do this they will get called back, maybe not for the bigger tourneys at first but they will get called back.

     Another bit of advise is to be able to take advise after matches from coaches.  Many of the coaches will talk to the officials after matches to discuss calls and such.  It helps both sides if both coaches and officials are open to this.

I see where you are coming from, but if you don't have that mat time and are not always in a good position it is very difficult to be extremely confident in your calls.  I did learn this lesson early.  I did a pretty good job as a new official and was able to work a region tournament as a rookie.  Rusty Parks was all over me all day and I realized that if I did just as you say and made quick, confident decisions and respectfully let him know the call was the call, then we were okay.

I also agree that some coaches are very good about giving advice after matches.  And it probably doesn't hurt to ask for some constructive feedback if it isn't offered without asking.

[Guest wrestler92]

One thing I would suggest would be to start calling some schools, or ask here, and try to find out about scrimmages, not just wrestle off.  This would give you more time on the mat between different schools and have many coaches together to be able to offer advice.  If you really want it I can probably get you maybe at one of ours in the Louisville area....just pm.

[refdad 3]

I would love to see our state have a requirement like Ohio has. They have a course for new officials. You have to attend 25 hrs and pass a ohsaa test. Then each year afterwards, it is required that you attend one state rules meeting as well as 4 district meetings. This is 5 rules meetings every year! I inquired to the khsaa about this and was told "we are so short of wrestling officials now, we are afraid that if we make the requirements harder it will be even worse"..Just a thought here. Would we rather be somewhat short on officials but alot of the ones we do have, not be updated on rule changes and miss alot of calls. Or be even more short  than we are now, but all that we do have be very up  to date and make good calls? Sort of a double edged sword here.

[grappler-of-old 44]

Would we rather be somewhat short on officials but a lot of the ones we do have, not be updated on rule changes and miss a lot of calls. Or be even more short  than we are now, but all that we do have be very up  to date and make good calls? Sort of a double edged sword here.

I think we need to build our numbers first.  It becomes very difficult to have an event when there are no officials to work the event. 

In Ky we are already short on events every week.  If we cut the officials more there will be even less events.

Take Nky.  We have 3-5 officials.  If there is one tourney in Nky almost all the officials are used.  Another Nky event is not possible for lack of ref's.

Like you said it's a double edged sword.

[Guest wrestler92]

They/we are required to attend one meeting a year, but it would be good if some of the newer ones would attend the scrimmages and some practices to get warmed up for the season.  I have always encouraged my past wrestlers from high school teams to become a referee, but to my knowledge only one ever has.