Officiating Report Card- June 21, 2011- *post-script

Submitted by Barbara Bleiweis on Wed, 06/22/2011 - 01:27. | comments

I forgot to share one event that stood out in last night's games-- a "NO CALL". A "no call" is when an official makes a judgement that the contact made between players A1 and B1 was incidental and legal. This is the hardest call to make because many coaches and almost all parents believe that any contact constitutes a foul. "No calls" draw jeers and boos by onlookers especially when the contact involves a shooter.

Barbara Bleiweis

Officiating Report Card - June 21, 2011

Submitted by Barbara Bleiweis on Tue, 06/21/2011 - 17:42. | comments

SEP Games 5 & 6 can be summarized in one word: communication. Like any team sport, communicating with your teammates is key to success. As the third team on the court, my partners and I communicated from the opening tip to the final buzzer ending overtime. The referee, or the "R", before the opening toss, established eye contact with the U1, who is near the table and "chops the clock", and the U2, who is opposite one of the team benches.

Barbara Bleiweis

Officiating Report Card - June 17, 2011

Submitted by Barbara Bleiweis on Fri, 06/17/2011 - 15:44. | comments

SEP games 3 and 4 took place last night, and what a difference two days make! In addition to absorbing Monday's critiques, I spent hours studying the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO) manual - the Bible, so to speak, on officiating rules, mechanics and procedures. It was like studying for a final exam, and the pressure I was putting on myself was enormous.

At the end of the two-game set, I gave myself a B+; a big jump from Monday's grade. Why? Two reasons: partners and confidence.

Barbara Bleiweis

Officiating Report Card - June 13, 2011

Submitted by Barbara Bleiweis on Thu, 06/16/2011 - 20:17. | comments

Each summer, my officiating organization evaluates non-varsity officials for potential promotion. The event, the Summer Evaluation Program (SEP), is by invitation only. Three-person crews officiate highly physical and intense boys' varsity games. We are evaluated on game management, crew/coach/player communications, call accuracy and quality, court demeanor, physical fitness, and ability to apply suggested changes. I will be evaluated over a ten game, five week period. A decision to promote me (or not) to officiate high school varsity games will be made by end of summer.

Brooke de Lench

Bruins' Stanley Cup and Father's Day: Remembering My Dad

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 06/16/2011 - 16:08. | comments

My dad has been gone for close to twenty years now, yet this Father's Day week he is closer to my heart than he has been in many years.

If he were still alive, II am sure we would have been sharing in the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs over the past few weeks, culminating in the Bruins' victory over the Vancouver Canucks last night in Game 7.

It was an excitement we shared 39 years ago when the Bruins last won the Cup. Since he was born in 1925, he was alive for all of the other Cup victories by the B's in 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970 and 1972.

Hal Tearse

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 03:03. | comments

I was visiting recently with a friend who was the assistant coach on a local high school team the past several years. The head coach had been under great pressure from the parents of the players for many years, but it had intensified the past year.

He told me that no matter the quality of the coach, nobody should go through what the head coach had to endure with the result that, after 9 years, the head coach was taking a leave of abscense for a year. I agreed with him, but, as I thought more, I realized that much of the blame really fell on the coach. He is not a good communicator and manager of people. He is passionate about the sport, studies the game like no other coach, but yet he failed to sell his vision and program to the parents and players.

Hal Tearse

Coaching Great Athletes

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 00:15. | comments

Today I got a call from Adam. He is a former bantam hockey player who recently graduated from Ohio State, where he played baseball. He is now headed to rookie camp for the Milwaukee Brewers. I thought back to his bantam hockey team and realized that, besides Adam, two others currently play in the NFL, one in the NHL and four more are currently or will be playing professional hockey.

Wow, what a crew! One half of the bantam team ended up playing professionally in three dfferent sports. Now how often does that happen? What a thrill to have coached those young men and their teammates. It simply shows that good athletes can play many sports and, to get to the top, one needs to be a good athlete.

Start Young if You Want to Play in College

Submitted by patgrecco on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 00:06. | comments

Soccer Star Whatever your sport is, the key to developing into a competitive athlete with a possible view to playing in college is starting early! Beginning at an early age enables athletes to sharpen their skills so they will always on top of their game.

Most soccer players begin in the diaper division and play on small fields, small- sided teams, with 5 v. 5, not the usual 11 v. 11. This way everyone gets to touch the ball, play offense, defense and even score a goal. The key to having younger players in sports is that it is fun, builds self-esteem, teaches them to play with others, and gets them up and moving.

Whatever your sport is, the key to developing into a competitive athlete
with a possible view to playing in college is starting early!
Beginning at an early age enables athletes to sharpen their skills so
they will always on top of their game.

Hal Tearse

Relentless Pursuit of Excellence

Submitted by Hal Tearse on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 05:32. | comments

USA Hockey continues to expand their American Development Model (ADM) that is intended to provide youth players a better quality of experience in the game, higher skill levels, and a safer environment that will attract and retain more players. The model is tested in other parts of the world, makes lots of sense for kids, and it has the support from many disciplines in the medical field. Hockey associations and clubs around the country are quickly adopting the concepts and ideas although some are fearful of the changes that are required. The interesting part of all of this is that many of these ideas have been around for a long time and only now are they organized into a coherent long term development program for youth players and older athletes.

Hal Tearse