State tournament

[technical violation]

I recently found out that at least 4 officials at the state tournament will only be calling matches one day (friday) I have no idea what the reasoning the ssac has behind this I don't know if it's to save money or what other theories they have for doing this, anyone else have any insight as to why ? I know I surley wouldn't go for one day

[wiseone]

The West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission added four officials to the State Tournament to allow for better coverage for Friday's sessions. Specifically the semi-final matches and the consolation matches on Friday evening. Every match is important to every wrestler once the State Tournament starts. The coaches and officials have expressed this concern for many years since the assistant officials were discontinued several years ago. The coaches want better supervision of the match and the officials want an opportunity to catch their breath after what sometimes are heated semi-final matches. It also provides for the correction of any possible errors and the safety of the wrestlers. By the book, an assistant is designed to mirror the head official on the mat so that both can have the best possible view of the action and eliminate mistakes that may occur. And mistakes do occur. Make no doubt about it. We are not perfect. That being said it is the hope that NO MISTAKES are made and NO WRESTLER is injured. But by the nature of the sport it will happen. The system is designed to eliminate this. If it can't then it is in place to correct the mistakes. No official ever wants to be the person on the mat when a young man/woman gets injured or a call is made and it can't be overturned because of the lack of a second set of eyes. This use of the assistant official will help to give the head official a rest after the match in the championship bracket. The guys need to get away from the action if only for 5 minutes. Collect their thoughts. Get a drink of water and maybe even a short rest.

The SSAC has been approached about adding these officials to the entire tournament. On several occasions. Not just the new administration but previous administrations. Officials have offered to take a cut in pay to accommodate this move. I can't think offhand of any state associations across the country that only employ enough officials to get through the tourney. Let alone only one day. All of our surrounding states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland) hire enough officials to utilize the assistant official throughout the tourney.

Now to counter the upcoming posts to this thread I will attempt to debunk some opinions.

It isn't really necessary to have the assistant official on the first night. I say NO. As mentioned above, every match is important to every wrestler and coach and parent. The wrestlers on the first day/night should be given the same courtesy/respect/consideration that the ones are given on the last day/night and every match in between. And to every official.

It is too expensive to pay the extra officials. I say NO again. Is there a price on safety and a wrestler's opportunity? Yes. Sort of. And that price should be the amount that attempts to insure their safety and competition. But. NO. Sort of. There should never be a price on a young man/woman's safety and opportunity to compete. I'll address the money issue later. There should be assistant officials for all three days of the State Tournament.

Basketball went to a three-man crew in order to insure adequate coverage of the game.Footabll added an official to insure coverage of the game. Other sports have done the same. Does it always guarantee the right/perfect call? Probably not. But the effort by those who govern the game has been taken.

Money? The pay is very good for the tournament. I will not go into detail because I am no longer an official and I will not divulge the rate of pay for these guys. Are the guys happy with it? For the most part. But as with any job you might do we will always accept more pay. But the money is good. The SSAC provides a room for the weekend and mileage for the official (only one per car) who drives. That is a very sweet deal. If we had to pay for it ourselves it would eat up a big part of our pay. Granted these rooms are compted. But somebody had to pay for them. Either the SSAC or the sponsors. So the guys are very grateful for these rooms.

The SSAC in this case, WV, selects the officials for the state tournaments in the particular sports. They are selected based on their Class, you must be a Class I, the highest level of competency, and have a very good coaches rating, 1.00 to usually 1.35. Usually. I once knew the actual rating span but I no longer have access to that information.This is generated by the coaches who send in their review of you after a match. You must have a spiecific number of reviews/cards returned to the SSAC office from the previous year. Again usually around 16 events. Meetings attended. Clinics attended. Physical examination. Part One and Part Two tests. And you must pass them. Dues paid. And now as opposed to previous years you MUST undergo a background check which YOU must pay for.

I realize this is redundant as all of this has been posted in the past. (Except for the background check)

So. Are there more officials being hired for the STATE Tournament? Yes. This is the second year of it. Are they good and competent officials? Yes Are they sincere in their effort, worthy of the position, dedicated in their duties? YES!

Are they perfect? Maybe not. Maybe yes. I never claimed to be perfect. But I gave it all I had. Like some things in life, we are expected to start out perfect and get better. That's a pretty tall expectation and I can personally speak for the guys in West Virginia. They do their best to make that happen.

Let me quote to you the words of a mother of a previous State Champ who after hearing the crowd boo and catcall the officals at the tournament she assists at in the Central part of the state was not proud of the commentary.

She said and I will give you a close recount of it, "You may not like them but you can't do what they do"

Ray Marling
Retired OVAC/State Official

[aacoach70]

Perhaps the assistant official should have shared authority to officiate, meaning that he can offer his judgement to the lead official. Obvious errors could be corrected. As it has been, the assistant is limited to being an extra set of eyes to point out locked hands or to help recognize when time expires, like a glorified tapper. They have been very limited on how involved they can be in the match. Both can't call the match equally and simultaneously, and nobody wants two officials falling over each other. I imagine no official wants to step in and second-guess a colleague either, but there have been occasions when a simple consultation could have been helpful. It should not have to be up to the lead official to ask. The assistant should be given enough latitude to initiate a sidebar. Just my opinion.

[wiseone]

Ideally that is the way it is supposed to work. No mistakes. Referee consulting with the assistant if there is an issue with the clock, out of bounds, scoring, individual and team, and other situations that may arise during the match. I have seen it not work that way in the past because the SSAC gave a directive to the officials that the referee can only consult with the assistant if the coaches approach the table or he feels he may have missed something. The assistant was NOT permitted to address the referee about anything unless the referee asked for help or clarification. The assistant is directed by the Rule Book to bring it to the attention of the referee if there is a TV, Illegal Hold Caution, or any other infraction that he feels the referee did not see. There should never be an occasion where the referee is not approachable because the assistant might think the referee has the God Complex. Has it happened in the past? Yep. Are officials perfect? See above comments by me. Seen it happen in one of my first few years in Huntington. I saw a TV and the referee said no. I discussed it with him and he said I was wrong. Coach, the rule book allows you the right to approach the table and ask a question. But I'm pretty sure you know that and know how to ask that question.

Coach, as I understand things this year, that has been corrected. The assistant can approach the referee as it is wrote in the Rule Book and tell him what he saw. I hope this works for all of you like it is supposed to work.

Have a good and successful year.

[aaacoach42]

Thank you Ray with your opinion and knowledge. Hopefully this fixes some of the concerns from a coaches perspective. One or two matches from last years second state finals in Fairmont probably could have used this direction.

[forthekids]

Wiseone you truly are a wise wise man!