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What A Camp – We
had 21 campers to work as hard as any I have seen. It was a good group who listened and then
went out there on the floor and tried what the counselors told them. They arrived ready to work, but first had
to listen to all that orientation talk we always do on Sunday morning. But this group wanted to get to the
games. As soon as the talk was over,
the games began at 1:50pm on Sunday and never let up. This group bonded and
learned each others names.
Did I Mention They
Learned Names – In a surprise as well as never before move on Tuesday
night, I
asked if any camper in the room could name all the campers. Two raised their
hand so the contest was on. I said I
would give a Camp
Tote Bag to the one who
could name them all the fastest. Mike Gerics stood up and named every fellow camper, all eight
counselors, and both Sandy and Faye in 57 seconds. He could have done it even faster if he had
left the comments out about each one.
That was amazing since he had just met most of these men and women for
the first time on Sunday. Wow, Congratulations Mike, you did make some new friends.
Extremely Tough
Camp – You have to know that all Referee Camps can be tough, but this one
was especially tough. We covered three courts with 21 campers and there was
no shortage of games. Each camper
worked five games on Sunday, six games on Monday, Six Games on Tuesday and
many worked six games on Wednesday.
They were tired but as nice a group as we have had considering this
could have been the toughest camp physically that we have had. The campers
were relentless in their effort to improve and IMPROVE they did. You simply have no choice but to improve
working that many games with two and three counselors in your face if you
make a mistake, are in the wrong position or miss a rotation. You soon get it right if for no other
reason than to get the counselors off your back. But hey, that is what they came to camp
for. We told them, “You do not improve if we tell you
how good you are, you improve when we point out your mistakes.” So the campers have to be thick skin and
they can’t take the comments personally.
All, I said all, the campers responded in a professional way and the results
became apparent to both the campers and the counselors. They were fantastic to work with and all
are eager to apply what they learned next season.
Very Tight
Competition – Each year, the counselors have to go to my room on Tuesday
night and rank the campers by putting them in order from 21 all the way up to
# 1. This ranking is only good for my
benefit and the order in which the camper actually finishes is not
important. The fact they improved is
important for making the Association better next season. We do however give a plaque to the top
three. Let me be perfectly clear about
this next statement. Being ranked
Number One at camp does not necessarily mean he is the best official. It only means he was voted the best for
this camp on this four day period. Another official could have had a bad game
that knocked him down three or four slots and could very well be better. But for this camp, we picked a top three
for this week.
Plaques:
Outstanding Camper
(# 1)– Gene Saunders from Fayetteville walked away with the Best
Camper for the week. He was simply
outstanding from start to finish. He
was consistent, he listened to the counselors and he went to work. He was
almost unanimous with the nine voters.
Championship Crew ( # 2) – Charley Johns from Jacksonville was a very close second
capturing nearly every second place vote from the counselors. This tall man could referee and run with
the best of them. He had a great camp
and pushed Saunders for the top spot.
Championship Crew ( # 3) – Claiming the third slot with solid
performances throughout the camp was Frank Brill, also from Jacksonville.
Names on Camp Page
– The names of Gene Saunders, Charley Johns and Frank Brill will appear
on the Referee Camp link under the 2009 camp forever and ever or until my web
page goes off line. Check it out,
click on the CAMP
Link above.
Most Improved – Brad
Anderson had never stepped on a Basketball court in his life with a referee
shirt on. In fact, he did not even own
one. We had to literally take him to
his positions in the first game, but he listened and he worked hard. By day four, he was a confident Official
looking and going where he was suppose to be and without help. He was the
unanimous pick receiving all nine votes as the one camper that improved the
most. Wow, he will be a solid JV
official when he takes the floor next November and we welcome him into our
association.
Best Attitude – Smiling
Anthony McGleen won the Best Attitude award. He was simply glad to be there and it
showed. He smiled when he was tired, he smiled when the counselors got on him
and he smiled walking down the halls.
You just can not take that smile out of his heart. He is that kind of man and I am proud to
call him a friend.
Comment About Camp
From Two of the Campers – On Tuesday night, we had a meeting in which
each camper stood up and said his final thoughts to his fellow campers and to
the counselors. Even after that
emotional meeting,
one of our campers, Brad Shrader felt
moved enough to send me an email expanding on his feelings. After receiving this email, I wrote back and
asked if I could publish his testimonial and he gave his permission to both
publish and use his name. Read below what one camper felt about his time at
camp:
Brad Shrader :
Well
camp 2009 has come and gone quicker than I ever imagined it would. Months of preparation
through emails and reading and casebooks etc....and almost in the blink of an
eye it's gone. My brain still feels as if it's on an overload and I need a
memory upgrade to have the capacity to hold all the information I was given.
For me, this camp was invaluable. Having only officiated basketball for 2
seasons, I feel as if it added at least another year of experience to my
resume. I got to not only observe myself on film, but to observe other
officials firsthand, particularly the championship crew, and try to mimic
some of their style and demeanor.
Each one of you counselors takes an incredible amount of pride in your
knowledge of the game, as you should. As Mr. Mattocks said, each of you
has worked at least one state championship game, the highest level for a high
school official. And it’s apparent how generous you are to share that
knowledge with us, the next generation of officials, to ensure that the next
generation is as prepared as you can possibly make us.
And while we worked the games ourselves, endured the sore legs, bad knees and
physical anguish....it is you that made the biggest sacrifice, believe it or
not. We agreed to the camp ourselves to the betterment of our officiating
ability; you counselors agreed to instruct us at no personal gain, but
agreed to teach simply on the premise that you would be improving and
preparing the next generation. And that is the greatest example of pride I
can think of.
If and when I receive my first varsity game, I only hope that it is with one
of you. For the pride that I will feel to exhibit the knowledge and tactics
you taught me...and for the pride you will feel to see them
put into practice.
I asked a counselor at the cafeteria on Wednesday morning just how late you
guys were up discussing the rankings of the officials and he responded
"2:30". The only thing I could think of was how much pride that
exhibited in itself.
As I said in my closing remarks at our meeting Tuesday night, each one
of us campers idolize you because we want to someday be where you are,
or at least I know I do. And it isn’t ego-related....it’s
simply....pride.
Thank you so much for everything this week and look forward to seeing you at
the meeting!
Sincerely,
Brad Shrader
Youngest Official Camp 2009 :)
Editor’s Note: Personally,
I sincerely feel, from the amount of improvement that takes place,
camp adds three years experience to an official’ resume. The mere fact the counselors
correct mistakes right on the spot far outweighs an official just calling
games for a year. If no one tells you
what you are doing wrong, you just may be the same official at the end of the
year you were when you started the year.
That definitely does not happen at camp. You are pushed forward in time to what I
think it would take at least three years on your own.
Duke Wallin:
Tommy and Faye,
Thanks again for a great camp! Mark always says "move to
improve"...and I took that phrase and ran with it two ways.
One...actually moving and closing in or down on my lead, trail and slot
positions and also picking up at least one or two things from EVERY ONE
of the counselors that I could do to improve my "image" on the
court. I
look forward to practicing in front of the mirror (my mechanics), yes
some people still do that... and the first scrimmages come
October/November. Thanks for letting me be a
part of another successful
Tommy Mattocks Referee Camp. -Duke
Editor’s Note: Camp
is extremely hard work and one of the toughest weeks of the year for me
personally. With remarks and comments like
these two, I
just good paid. It is worth every second.
Here is a Comment
from One of the Counselors:
Ron Fly:
What a great experience for me. Being a counselor
and working with all the campers seeing the progress each of them made each
day makes it worth while. Giving backs is a great feeling, as I
tell so many people some one helped me along the way, You never get to old to
learn, I learned things from the other counselors last week, I wished
every young official would try and come to a camp, he or she would
be surprised how much they could enhance there skills.
I am Leaving a
Couple Items on From Last Week So the Campers Can Remember How Tough This
Past Week Was: Please indulge the
campers this repeat of a coup[le of previous items. They worked hard and I suspect they will
smile as they read what they accomplished.
(Reprint) What the
Game Schedule Looks Like:
Sunday – Start
at 1:50pm; Last game starts at 10:10pm
Monday – Start
at 8:00am; Last game starts at 9:20pm
Tuesday – Start
at 8:00am; Last Game starts at 9:20pm
Wednesday – Start
at 8:00am; Last game starts at 4:45pm
(Reprint) What Our
First Day Looks Like:
8:30am to 9:30am – Check in; If you check in early, you have time to go
to room
9:35am – Orientation Meeting: Introductions, what to
expect (Mattocks, Campers)
10:30am – Opening statements (Counselors)
12:00Noon - First
Class: Positions, Floor Coverage, Rotations (Mattocks)
12:45pm – Break for Lunch
1:30pm – Meet on Steps of Trask
Coliseum in Referee Uniform for Camp
Picture
1:50pm – First games begin
2:40, 3:30, 4:20, 7:40, 8:30pm – Games to be filmed and
reviewed w/ Counselor
6:50, 7:40pm – Classroom session: Dead Ball Efficiency (Cave)
11:00pm – Last Game over,
Counselors Meet in Mattocks Room for Discussion
(Reprint) Monday
and Tuesday Schedule – The games start at 8:00am. We film several games in the morning, the
afternoon and the evening. We also
have classroom sessions in the morning afternoon and evening. It is an extremely busy day. There is very little free time to just do
as you wish. Campers are either on the
floor working a game, in a film review room breaking down film or in a
classroom session listening to either the Camp Director
or a Counselor teach on a topic of interest.
(Reprint) Wednesday
Schedule – On Wednesday, the team camp conducts a single elimination
tournament and the referee camp calls those games. The top three campers, as decided by the
counselor vote, referee the championship game.
(Reprint)
Counselors This Camp – We have some of the best basketball minds in the
association teaching these campers this summer. We are delighted to have working this camp:
Wesley Carter
Earnest
Cave
Harry Edwards
Robert Farley
Ron Fly
Mike Fredette
Gerald Marks
Shawn Williams
Here are a Few
Quotes from the Camper Comments about the Counselors:
. is always very honest and seemingly caring.
. explains the
rules in a clear and concise manner
. wonderful
advocate for officiating basketball
. love his
enthusiasm for the game
. has always been
very encouraging
. clas on Communication was very good
. has shown me that
he has confidence that I can achieve
. not sure he liked
me until I got the “wink”
. play situations
and real game talkwas very helpful
. always willing to
answer questions and help your growth
. brutal honesty
but always leave you with you dignity
. smooth operator,
keeps it real
. practices what he
preaches
. down to earth, a
great enjoyment to be around
. father figure
. awesome powerful
person, you are real, honest and a gentleman
. I will never
forget you
. You know he
cares, he is like your big brother
. I just hate to
disappoint him
. really smoothed
out my rough edges
. really put me at
ease for concentrated learning
. enormous amount
of experience to draw from
. given me loads of
pointers to use to improve my game
. always challenged
me to make me think about plays
. Does not mind
being hands-on
. straight forward
style that I enjoy
. very articulate
. fluid personality
who showed it is possible to always improve
. calm inviting
demeanor
. film session was
a high point
of my camp
. encouraged me to
persevere
. a man who also
cares deeply about our progress
. pretty cool
counselor, fun to listen to
. there is not
enough paper to say what I have to say about this guy
. one of the best
men I have ever met
. I will take a
part of this man with me on the court
. I appreciate him
because he got on me and I worked it out
. good at getting
his point across
. will not let you
down on the things you need to work on
. a great mentor
. a true
professional
. quiet, but when
he talks, you need to listen
. real simply to
understand, makes it easy to comprehend
. very
knowledgeable and outstanding man, knows the book
. one of a kind
. one you can truly
learn from
. pulls the best
out of you
. teaches you how
to stay focused
Editor’s Note : These
counselors are tried and proven leaders in our association who have
successfully year after year molded the young officials in our association
and made REFEREES out of them. My name
is on the camp, but it has always been their hard work and dedication that
makes the camp the success it is. Tommy Mattocks
(Reprint) Other
Staff Members – We have an outstanding film crew:
Faye Mattocks
Sandy Edwards
Editor’s Note: At
the camp meeting on Tuesday night with the campers, every single one
acknowledged the efforts of these two ladies in making their camp experience
what it was. These women do all the filming among other things and they are
simply awesome. Camp would not be the same without them. Tommy Mattocks
On to Other News:
The Blast Returns
Again to Jacksonville – Jacksonville is hosting the Blast again
this year. You remember, Wells Gulledge invites all these high profile teams to Jacksonville over a
weekend and they play basketball from Morning to Night. Here is a great opportunity to practice and
work on your game over the summer months. Shawn Williams and Robert Farley
are the Go-To Men for this event, however Shawn is
making out the schedule and needs you availability. See his email next.
Shawn Williams
Email on the Blast:
The Jacksonville Blast will take place July 9 - 12,
2009. If you are interested in officiating any of the games please
contact Shawn at shawnwil@coastalnet.com
or 252 671 0472 by July 2, 2009. There will be plenty of games and
great basketball
I Have Been
Extremely Pleased with the Opinion Polls – I am delighted at the
participation again this week on the Opinion Poll. I hope it catches on and we have double the
responses next week.
Last Week’s Opinion
Poll Question # 1: The Economy is
in the Worst Shape in My Lifetime,
When Do You Think It will Turn Around or Get Better ? Side Question: Has It Hit Bottom ?
Earnest Cave:
Economy- Too much
Government intervention. Economy will never be the
same. You may see glimmers of hope in 2010, but until people get jobs
there
won't be much confidence. Then you have the gas/oil thing. It
sucks the life
out of the economy, especially when the Government is trying to borrow money
from the same people private industry is trying to borrow from.
Inflation is
coming.
Brian Ahmad:
I think we are pretty close to the bottom, but the future doesnt
look to bright in my opinion. Not only have people been laid off from jobs,
but IRA's, 401k's have taken a hit as well. I have
worked with many people who have had to make adjustments in there lifestyle
because of the big loss in investments this past year. Alot of pre retirees and retirees have chosen to put
there money in guaranteed products. I think we can all agree that as a
global economy we are unstable. I just hope we can move from this
and be a stronger nation. My prediction is we will see volatility in
the markets for years to come, so do what you can to protect what you
have. Remember the important things in life, health, family,
friends and religion. Not in any particular order.
Last Week’s Opinion
Poll Question # 2: If You Were a
Sportswriter and Had a Vote for the Hall;
Would You Vote Any of the Forementioned
Players into the Hall of Fame ? Feel free to expand or explain your
Vote.
Earnest Cave::
Lie to Congress. Everybody lies to congress.
Except Barry Bonds, Roger
Clemens and Mark McGuire. Barry didn't go, Mark wouldn't talk and
Clemens said
everyone else miss remembered.
Brian Ahmad:
I would vote on a case by case bases.
I think baseball turned a blind eye to steroid use for years, and in my
opinion could have encouraged it. I remember seeing commercials on TV with
Greg Maddux stating "Chicks dig the long
ball." I know drugs help bat speed and longevity, but you still have to
hit and pitch well to be a winner. Its just plain sad that we even have to
talk about this because all those guys were really good before they started
taking performance enhancing drugs. If there is one guy i
wouldnt vote for it would be Alex Rodriguez. He has
been taking drugs since high school. I know he is one of your Yankees, but he
is a cheat in my opinion. Lets see what he can do
clean. :)
Next Week’s Opinion
Prelude, “The Asterisk” - When Roger Maris
hit home run number 61 to break Babe Ruth’s single season home run record,
Major League Baseball put an asterisk in the record book indicating that Babe
Ruth hit his 60 home runs in a 154 game season, but Roger Maris
hit his in a 160 game season. Maris even received hate mail for breaking Ruth’s record
and was harassed til he died.
Next Week’s Opinion
Poll Question # 1: Do You Believe there should be Asterisks in Record
Books and Why ? - Feel free to expand or explain.
My Opinion – No
asterisk, For Baseball, the record only states, “Most Home Runs in a
Season”. The fan is the one that gets
bent out of shape and wants to compare stars of this era with the legends of
the past; but the fan is left to believe what he wants about who is
best. Something seems to happen about
every ten years to make records un-comparable. Either rule changes or technology invents
better equipment. There will always
be an argument if records are from different eras. For example, in Basketball the Most points
in a season is flawed by the fact the stars in the 70’s and before had no
three point line. All the Major
League Pitching Records can’t be compared because pitchers in the 60’s and
70’s went for complete games and had to be tired in the 8th and 9th
inning. With the specialized relievers
and closers of today, no starting pitcher gets much past the sixth
inning. The stars in Tennis used
wooden rackets that were not strung nearly as tight as the super ultra light
weight titanium rackets of today.
College Baseball has to deal with aluminum bats vs
wood bats. In Golf, Bobby Jones’ clubs were not nearly as sophisticated as
Tiger Woods’ clubs. You could argue
that two modern day stars record does not match up. J J Redick had the record by shooting largely 20 to 25 feet
from the basket while Tyler from Carolina scored mostly
from inside 8 feet. Let’s leave the
asterisks off and let the fan’s knowledge of the game decide who is
best. The Record only says “ Most points in a season” or “Most Home Runs in a Season”
and no matter how many games it took,
he does have the most for the season.
Next Week’s Opinion
Prelude, “Reputation” -
With all the great songs and sold out concerts and millions of
records sold; Michael Jackson will
probably be remembered most as an “Accused Child Molester”. I said Quote “Accused” for I do not know.
The Governor of Illinois may have been the best Governor Illinois ever had;
but he will be remembered as the Governor who tried to sell Obama’s Senate seat.
No matter if Michael Vick is allowed to play football or how many records he could break,
he will always be remembered for those fighting bulldogs. Barry Bonds will
never shake the reputation of the steroids.
So let’s ask the question.
Next Week’s Opinion
Poll Question # 2: How Important is
Reputation in Today’s World and is it Different for Those With Money Vs Those
Without Money ?
My Opinion – I
believe Reputation is more important to a man without money. He is viewed much differently. You take a movie star; they hop from one
bed to another, do drugs, get in fights and we still go see their
movies. For a poor man, other than his
God, Reputation is about all he has.
In a small town, reputation can destroy a person. In the world of money, any news (Good or
Bad) is considered Publicity and they want it. The Governor of Illinois just signed a
contract to do a movie. Michael Jackson was going out on a mega million
dollar tour. People seem to forgive
money, but hold a poor man to the wall.
Fair or not, Reputation and Integrity are most important to a small
town poor man. His word and his
handshake may be all he has. He must
protect it at all costs.
Sports Tid Bit – Phil Mickelson’s second place finish in the
U S Open is a record. He was tied with
the most second place finishes in the U S Open at four with Bobby Jones, Sam
Snead, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus but he now
holds that record all by himself at five.
Cute Quote From
Yogi Berra -
“Eighty Five % of the putts that are short don’t go in”
Don’t Forget to
Send In an Opinion on our Poll – See Questions Up Above
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