Stripes 2008 09

ABOA

SEPT 2008

stripes Alberta Basketball Officials Association

President’s Message INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

1

ABOA CLINIC

2

TREASURER’S REPORT

3

INTERPRETER’S REPORT

3

NATIONAL APPOINMENTS

4

SUPERVISOR’S REPORT

4

2008 AGM

5

SOLVE PROBLEMS

6

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:

.ABOA Provincial Clinic

Oct. 4, Red Deer

Note: There will be NO SuperWeekend for officials this year

It’s my privilege to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back to another season of basketball. With the proliferation of the sport in Alberta, our game has become a year-round endeavour when you include provincial/club teams and the summer camp season for officials. I applaud your dedication and your addiction to this vocation. Since becoming President at the AGM last April, I have spent many hours with our executive, and I can truly say that I have a great level of respect for each of them and the time they put into their portfolios. I’ve been involved in this game as an official for over twenty years, half that time in various executive positions, and I’m definitely excited about my responsibility to represent you this year. As a matter of official announcement, Brian Kannekens has been appointed to fulfill the executive position of Vice-President. This appointment is valid until the next AGM in the spring of 2009, where elections for the positions of President, VP, and Treasurer will be held. Also, Jake Steinbrenner has accepted the two-year appointment to continue as the Assigning/Evaluating Chairman, and Ken Runquist has graciously offered to continue managing our website and editing our newsletter.

Many of you should already be aware, but again by way of announce- Perry Stothart ment, the ACAC has voted to have 3-person crews for women’s games. So as of now all CIS and ACAC men’s and women’s games will be officiated by threeperson crews. This is a significant step and will provide more opportunities to develop officials in threeperson situations. However, with each new step and opportunity, special responsibility follows. It is imperative that in our training, development, and selection of officials we produce the best product possible at all times for our client base. Perfection is our goal… Excellence will be tolerated. It would be fair to say that we had a challenging year all around last season, and what I feel to be very positive initiatives have been developed in our meetings as an executive and also in meetings we have had with the ACAC allowing us to move forward. Firstly the ACAC has proposed to draft a fair-play sportsmanship script that will be read, immediately prior to the tip-off of each game. We have re-instituted the captains meetings with the officials at the 12 minute mark. While not an official part of FIBA mechanics, we felt it was a valuable tool in (continued on Page 5)

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ABOA PROVINCIAL CLINIC The Provincial Clinic will be held

Saturday, Oct 4 from 10am to 4pm at River Glen School 4210 — 59 Street, Red Deer (1 block north of the Memorial Centre down by Lindsey Thurber School)

This is a One-Day Clinic to allow everyone to attend at a minimal cost. Clinic Fee is $25 and this includes lunch. Awards Presentations will take place as well to recognize our members' commitment and performances from last season. Special Guest Clinician is Dawna Townsend from Ontario. Dawna just returned from officiating at the Beijing Olympics. Her FIBA 3-person knowledge will obviously be first-hand and with ACAC Women using 3-person mechanics this season, all college officials and prospects should be considering attending this clinic, in addition to all ABOA members looking to improve their game. Dawna will also be speaking on 'How To Be A Great Partner' and at the same time sharing some anecdotes and stories from her Olympic experience. Dawna has also worked several CIS Womens Nationals, the 2007 World Championships Under 21 Womens in Russia and the Gold Medal game at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Additional topics to be covered include 2-Person Mechanics, Post & Perimeter Contact and Managing Player and Bench Decorum. A special presentation on Physical Preparation, Maintenance & Injury Prevention for all of us finely tuned athletes will also be presented. Plus, all pertinent game policies will be discussed. Registration will be both in advance and at the door beginning at 9:00am. This is the qualifying clinic that all provincial level officials must attend every 2 seasons. Please contact ABOA Treasurer Paul Rocca to pre-register at [email protected] or your local board. Also check out ABOA's website, http://www.refalberta.ca for more news and info.

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Treasurer’s Report As the year has come to an end all officials should have received payment for their provincial games as well as the ACAC playoffs. If you have yet to receive the payment, please send me an email at [email protected] and I will look into it. We are going into our last year of contract for the ACAC and ASAA.

Interpreter’s Report

The fees for 2008 - 2009 are as follows: ACAC Regular Season Games Playoffs:

$70 $80

ASAA 2009 Provincials

$40

Paul Rocca

NEW FIBA RULES FOR 2008-09

All below-mentioned rules will come into effect as of 1st October 2008. Art. 4.3 Uniforms The provision that T-shirts may be worn by players under their game uniforms is not valid anymore.

Morgan Munroe

Art. 25.2.3 Player falling on the floor It is legal when a player falls and slides on the floor while holding the ball. Art. 28.1.3 Ball goes into team’s frontcourt The ball goes to the teams’ frontcourt when, during the dribble from backcourt to frontcourt, both feet of the dribbler and the ball are in contact with the frontcourt. Art. 30.1.2 Ball returned to the backcourt It will not be a violation anymore if a player, who jumps from his frontcourt, establishes a new team control while still airborne and then lands in his team’s backcourt. Art. 31 Goaltending and interference If a player reaches through the basket from below and touches the ball, it is an interference (and not a simple violation) with all the relevant rule consequences. Art. 36.1.4 Unsportsmanlike foul If a defensive player causes contact with an opponent from behind or laterally in an attempt to stop a fast break and there is no opponent between the offensive player and the opponents’ basket, then the contact shall be judged to be unsportsmanlike. Art. 38.3.1 Technical foul A technical foul can be called on a player for excessive swinging of elbows (without contact). "There has been significant media coverage about other major rule changes approved by the FIBA central board. Some of these changes involve changing the configuration of the restricted area, moving the 3 point line back, adding no charge semi circles in the restricted area, not resetting the 24 second clock on a defensive foul in the front court if there are 14 or more seconds remaining on the shot clock and only resetting the shot clock to 14 seconds on a defensive foul in the front court if there are less than 14 seconds remaining on the 24 second clock.“ These changes are slated for implementation in 2010 for the world championships and 2012 for other levels of competition. The decision on the adoption of the 2010 rule changes will be up to the various national and provincial associations

SEPT 2008

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National Appointments ABOA Evaluation Chair Jake Steinbrenner announced the following national appointments for 2008: CIS Mens - Lanny White CIS Womens - Michael Weiland CCAA Mens - Dick Vanderstam CCAA Womens - Derek Sorensen

Midget Girls - Mike Maximchuk (PBOA) Midget Boys - Neil Pollard (EBOA) The Juvenile Championships are in PEI and therefore ABOA did not receive any selections.

(EBOA) (CBOA) (CBOA) (EBOA)

Michael Weiland and Mike Maximchuk worked the Gold Medal games in their respective championships

The following two officials were selected for the National Midget Championships August 5 - 9 in Kamloops. ALBERTA SUMMER GAMES OFFICIALS

The Midget Basketball Alberta Summer Games were held Aug 7—10 in Medicine Hat. Evaluator on the boys’ side was Grant Simmons from EBOA and the girls’ had Richard Thomsen from SABOA. Officials working the Games were:

Midget Girls

Midget Boys

Bryan Atwood CBOA Lisa Gissinger EBOA Tara Meinhardt CBOA Sarah MacAlpine EBOA Adrienne Raczki SABOA Erin Schellenberg CABOA Randy Taves MHBOA George Thomson MHBOA

Pat Bruney CBOA Jody Carothers CABOA Dave Carlgren CBOA Brian Kannekens MHBOA Guy Lannigan MHBOA Robert Mah EBOA Stephanie Nordlee SABOA Shannon Taylor EBOA

Supervisor’s Report U

First of all, CABO has available several Ritchie/Nicurity scholarships, scholarships each in the amount of $500.00, to assist basketball officials attend some post secondary school. The application form is available on the CABO website . Applications must be made DIRECTLY to Jim Walsh, CABO's Vice President. Secondly, CABO makes available to each province $500.00 to assist officials who attend a summer basketball officiating camp. Over the last couple of years, this amount has been split between 2 Alberta recipients. Applications must be made to Bill Carr, ABOA Provincial Supervisor at [email protected]. The deadline for applications is Sept 30, 2008. 2008

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stripes President’s message . . . continued developing positive relationships and improving the perceptions some have of officials being unapproachable. There is no question that there is much to be gained by improving our professional relationship with the ACAC. The perception (and subsequent behavior) that some coaches and administrators have expressed and demonstrated to officials is of concern not only to us, but also to the ACAC. Along those lines what I would characterize as very positive meetings and discussions, beginning this past spring and continuing through the summer, have improved the two-way communication that was deficient in the past. It is better, but by no means is our work done. Another proposal presented by the ACAC, and is supported by the ABOA is to participate in the ‘post-game handshake protocol’ that exists in other ACAC sports. Some rumours have been going around as to the exact nature of this mechanic, which was being finalized in the ACAC meetings held last week. Suffice it to say, while the details will be forthcoming, we will be mirroring the post-game handshake between teams and officials that other sports currently have as standard practice. I feel very strongly that, again, there is much to be gained in improving the perceptions we generate as officials. It is the final year of our contract with the ACAC, and our efforts to start this season will go a long way to building our position as we embark on new con-

tract discussions. Along with this is the provincial clinic that is in Red Deer, October 4th. It will be an excellent chance to learn from experienced clinicians and hear first hand what the expectations are heading into this season. Once again, if you are a current ACAC official and did not attend Superweekend in Edmonton last year, you must attend this year to maintain your eligibility. A national Sport Officials Conference was held in Calgary earlier this year, and those in attendance have shared many ideas generated from excellent presentations on all facets of officiating. Especially captivating was seeing what other sports are doing in the way of recruitment, and the creative nature with which they tackle the issue of building a base of officials to address an ever increasing demand, while improving the quality of life for the members. Sometimes it feels like they are mutually exclusive ideas – but they don’t have to be. We are all addicts to this game of basketball. We sacrifice much. The rewards are our own. We have challenges in strengthening each other. We need to learn to get out of our own way sometimes and commit to pulling the rope in the same direction. There is much to do. There’s an old saying I’ve used before: ‘Hard work spotlights your character. Some people turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.’ I’ve got my sleeves rolled up, and I’m ready to take on this upcoming season. I wish everyone the best… now let’s get after it!

2008 Annual General Meeting New Executive members were elected at the April AGM. Perry Stothart (EBOA) was elected President. Perry’s position of Vice President remains vacant for one year. Morgan Munroe (SABOA) was re-elected as Interpreter. Marc Yagos (SABOA) (in photo) was elected Member-at-Large. Jake Steinbrenner’s Steinbrenner appointment as Evaluation Chair was renewed for two years.

The meeting also adopted revised Bylaws and Policies which are available on the ABOA website. Since the AGM, the Executive has appointed Brian Kannekens (MHBOA) to fill the position of Vice-President for the remainder of this year.

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Solve Problems Before They Happen When most officials think about getting ready for a game, they think about a pre-game conference with their partner. The majority of pre-game conferences focus on rules, mechanics, court coverage and foul-calling philosophy. Rarely discussed but equally important is a conflict management game plan. Jake Steinbrenner Here are some strategies to consider this summer to come back next season refreshed and with a renewed ABOA Evaluation Chair attitude.

1. "Clear your head" to officiate. One of your first challenges is to forget (at least temporarily) other parts of your life prior to the game. Most officials have full time jobs, families and other things that occasionally create stress. When you’ve had a stressful day, it is imperative you shelve your problems while you officiate your game. Why is it so important? When you’re thinking about other things, you’re distracted. You can’t afford to be distracted because the game will suffer. You have a duty to the game and its participants to be ready to officiate. There are many ways to temporarily forget your problems. In fact, many people enjoy the avocation of officiating because it gives them the chance to forget about everything else for while. Still, you may need to use some specific techniques as follows. •

Read the rulebook, casebook, officials manual, or any other written material that helps you focus on officiating. By diving into officiating specifics, you’ll begin to focus on them.

•

•

Use your sense of humor. Telling jokes with your partner or talking about a funny movie

“You have a duty

you’ve seen well before the game will get you laughing and help you relax.

to the game and

Consider taking deep breaths and stretching out. That will help loosen tension-filled mus-

its participants

cles that have been tightened because of the stress. Getting your body ready to officiate will also help your mind get ready to officiate.

to be ready to officiate.”

2. Decide what deserves a response. Part of your management plan must include when you’re going to respond to people. You are going to be verbally challenged a lot and to varying degrees. Every statement or question does not need a response. Questions may or may not be answered. Statements require no answer. Realize that coaches and players are often simply venting their frustrations when confronting you, usually ending their discussion quickly. For example, if a basketball coach says, "She’s camping in the lane”, what’s more effective, ignoring the statement or saying to the coach, "No way; she’s been fine all night"? Most of the time, ignoring a harmless statement or acknowledging it with a simple head nod ends the matter. But when you defend your position, the coach instinctively feels defensive, then goes on the offensive, continuing the debate. Being "worked" by coaches is as much a part of officiating as making judgment calls. To a point, let them talk, but don’t let them influence you. Ask yourself, "If I say something, will it do more harm that good?" Think often of this old cliché: "Be quiet and listen. Do twice as much listening as you do talking. That’s why you’ve got two ears and one mouth."

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Solve Problems Before They Happen . . . continued 3. Understand game context. The intensity of the game, the closeness of the score and the time left in the game all play a part in how much and what type of conflict you must deal with. With a close score at the end of a game – no matter the sport or level – emotions rise. It’s merely human nature rearing its competitive spirit. A foul called in the early stages of the game may draw few complaints from players, coaches and fans. A similar foul call in the waning moments of a tight game will undoubtedly draw a more emotion-filled response from all involved. That is normal. With an understanding of game context, you can better handle emotional situations. Expect emotions to rise. Consider allowing the participants a bit more leeway because of the context of the game. That doesn’t mean you let a player or coach get away with extreme unsportsmanlike conduct simply because the score is close at the end of a game. It does mean, however, that the way you handle that end-of-game situation will likely have great impact on the result. Consider the emotion of the situation and tolerate a bit more than you normally would in other situations. Controversial practice? Perhaps. Officials who want things defined with cookie-cutter parameters won’t adopt that philosophy. Successful officials understand that officiating is not black and white; it is shades of gray. In summary, have the courage to implement penalties in tough situations. Also have the courage to not implement penalties in tough situations. Getting your head ready for game time gets you focused and ready to make the decision that is most appropriate. It will also help decide the best response to questions from players and coaches. At the same time, always consider the context when implementing your conflict management plan. Often it is best to use as much preventive officiating as possible, or solve problems before they happen. At the end of the day these three simple strategies will help boost your credibility and lead to more enjoyable officiating experiences.

CONTACT US

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Official ABOA Newsletter

Alberta Basketball Officials Association Percy Page Centre 11759 Groat Road Edmonton, AB

stripes is published by T5M 3K6

Editor: Ken Runquist Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.refalberta.ca

the Alberta Basketball Officials Association four times per year.

If you would like to submit an article on any official in your area or any other topic of interest, contact the Editor at [email protected]