Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 9, 1993 TAG: 9305090035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Many girls' coaches and athletic directors feel that moving more games into the winter program would strain the officials' associations. That means girls' programs, which have received top officials during the fall, might not get the best officials in the winter.
"I think it will affect officiating drastically," said Ernie Bradd, who makes assignments for the Western Virginia Basketball Officials' Association, which serves about 60 percent of the schools in Timesland.
"We could have a boys' and girls' varsity game each night, so we might have to assign three varsity officials to one game and two varsity to another game. No one wants to work two games," Bradd said. "We can cover it, but it will make us thinner, like it will everywhere else in the state. There might very well be less experienced officials working varsity games, but you have to make sure there is a balance of officials.
"I don't want to get into that, but we'd do the best that we could."
In Tennessee, officials work doubleheaders. Ronnie Carter, head of the Tennessee Secondary Schools' Athletic Association, says his officials do get tired.
"Years ago, when we had six-on-six playing girls' basketball, working a doubleheader wasn't a fatigue factor. Now girls' basketball is as fast-paced as the boys' game in our state. They're pressing from one end to the other," Carter said.
Whereas Group AA and AAA programs have been using three officials, Tennessee hasn't been able to do that. Carter says his state has enough officials to use three-man crews only in the state tournaments.
Glenvar girls' basketball coach Dennis Layman knows about officiating. After fall basketball, he pulls on the stripes and is one of the area's top-rated high school officials.
Despite doing double duty as an official and girls' coach, Layman admits there is not an equitable feeling among officials when it comes to working a big boys' game as compared to a big girls' game. He provided a hypothetical scenario of an official forced to work a girls' game instead of a boys' game:
"Let's say I have a shot at a big [boys'] game and under gender equity I wind up with a girls' game. I might not be real happy about it. People unhappy where they're at generally don't do a good job."
As for the possibility of working a doubleheader that would eliminate making choices, Layman says that's not an alternative.
Layman says he's been forced to work part of a junior-varsity game when one of the officials became ill, then officiate an entire varsity game.
"I don't like it. It ruins your concentration and your pregame [preparations]," he said. "There's no time to get your mind-set on the game."
by CNB