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Five "Little Things" That Can Make All The Difference
 Posted: September 19, 2008 9:05AM; Updated: September 19, 2008 9:09AM
Welcome to The Ref Room, a little corner of Inline Hockey Central where all of us who wear the stripes can discuss the issues of our profession, share our stories about all the terrible arguments we hear, and hopefully learn a little from each other along the way.
Here's a list of five things that we can all improve in our officiating skill set:
1. Posture & Presentation
So, you're at a tournament that your team paid hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to attend, not including gas, hotels, food, beer, and everything else that goes along with tournaments. You probably expect quality officiating, right? A couple questionable calls later, your eyes start focusing on the refs when you're on the bench. You see one of them leaning on the boards, skating like it's a lazy Sunday, and barely lifting his arm to make his signals.
Guess what, ref? You just lost most, if not all, of your credibility.
Skate hard. Stand straight. Leave your arms at your sides. Blow your whistle once, with the same strength every time, whether it's for a puck out of play or for a major penalty. Oh, and don't lean on the boards. We make more per hour than a lot of blue-collar workers; it's the least we can do to look professional when we're doing it.
2. Explaining calls to players/coaches
I see a lot of officials who play it by the book and refuse to speak with anyone but captains and/or coaches regarding rule interpretations. Personally, I think that's a terrible idea. If a player is being courteous, respectful, and he's not interrupting the flow of the game I don't care if he's wearing a C on his jersey or if he's the third-liner that gets four minutes a game he deserves the same respect from us. Go ahead and explain the call (or lack thereof). It'll go a long way when you show the players that you're not just some zebra-like stone wall.
3. Handling a verbally abusive player/coach with respect and dignity
Too often, an official gets caught up in the heat of the moment with an excited player or coach who is arguing a call (or lack thereof). Why do we do this? Ego? Defense mechanisms? The rowdy player coming out in us?
STOP IT. NOW.
Your job is much more than keeping everyone safe, and providing a fair playing atmosphere. You are the front line of customer service for your employer (the rink owner, league director, tournament director, etc.). Of course players will be rude, argumentative, and sometimes just plain ol' morons. You absolutely have to rise above that behavior and present yourself as a professional in your words and your actions.
4. Do more than just officiate at the youth in-house and lower levels.
Teach.
Sadly, most non-tournament and non-competitive inline hockey leagues do not have qualified coaches. Oftentimes, it seems the parents almost draw straws to see who will sit behind the bench. What does that lead to? The typical garbage that everyone complains about in youth sports. Coach's kid gets to play offense. Little Jimmy, who can barely skate, doesn't get a chance to play or improve his skills. Heather gets singled out because she's a girl, and this is a boy's game. What a joke all of it.
"Your job is much more than keeping everyone safe, and providing a fair playing atmosphere."
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Talk to the kids while you're out there, praise their effort, hustle and improvements. Take five seconds during a line change to explain a technique or a rule to a kid. Will some parents think you're showing favoritism? Sure. But really, when you get down to it, who cares? Most times, it's the parents who want to win the kids just want to skate for an hour and celebrate like Ovechkin if they score.
5. Be nice during a fight/altercation.
Sure, you've read all of this in your USAHIL or USARS official's manual, but this is one of the most important things that any official can do. A fight or altercation is no time to be aggressive with your words or your actions. You can only serve to escalate the situation by doing so. A calm, cool, nice referee will diffuse most of the scuffles on the rink before they turn into something much worse.
If you're blowing your whistle like a madman, screaming at everyone, and jumping in there like you're headed for UFC you should sit yourself down for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Your job is to keep everyone safe (including yourself) and settle down the situation. Do it with grace.
If you have any other suggestions you'd like to share, please email them to me at bhecklick@gmail.com and I will include the best ones in my next column.
NEXT TIME: Funny, odd, and sometimes idiotic quotes I've heard on the rink.
See ya!
About the Author
Bill Hecklick is an AAU/USARS certified official and serves as the Director of Officiating at Bridgeville Rollerplex in Pittsburgh, PA. |
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