I wondered if all the officials were doing a great job this year. Guess not. The original post raised an odd situation for sure. I've seen back points waived off, and I've done it, for a variety of reasons, but never for a delayed PD call.

I turned 61 this year and I'm retiring. A few years ago I starting giving up varsity dates because I knew I was not physically up to the task any longer. The last few years I've worked only weekday JV and middle school matches and I think I could keep that up for several more years and I've really enjoyed it. Less pressure, less at stake, more tolerant coaching.

I have over the years complained, in private and public, how officials are assigned in this area. I've heard Mr. Cokeley's position at our meetings and always thought he was accurate in his assessment of the "good old boy system." It is a system where a select few get the lion's share of good assignments, two day events, and weekday matches to the exclusion of everyone else.

Anyone that knows me knows that I think I know everything and I'm sure I don't. One change in how assignments are made would correct the current situation. Rank officials by skill level--A, B, C, and D. Then rank tournaments and assignments the same way. Then, put all the dates in a hat and draw dates. Every "A" ranked official would get a crack at the Bob Cat Classic and it wouldn't be the way it now, a lifetime assignment. Two day tournaments would be treated as two dates with a draw for each day.

Everyone would get about the same amount of work. You could give an extra pick or two for years of service. There would have to be a ranking system, of course, and that would have its own problems, but I think everyone knows who are the A officials and who are the D officials.

Also, currently, a tournament's host school's coach now has the ability to call the assignor and tell the assignor that a certain official may not be assigned to that tournament next year. So, for example, the coach could call and ask that I not be reassigned to the tournament because of a "bad call" I made in his match and that's what will happen. There's no review or appeal. How do you suppose that affects officials working those big, high-paying, two day events when the home school is on the mat? Under our current assignment system, once you've been assigned, its a lifetime assignment unless you move on to something better or you get removed at the request of the host school coach.

A similar issue exists with the post-season assignments which are determined by the number of coaches that recommend you. You have to make sure a coach knows who you are, lobby him by giving him a card. Officials who want to get to state learn early on that they need to socialize with the coaches to advance. That just never seemed proper to me.

I've enjoyed the sport and will continue to do so. I can't change the system, I've tried, perhaps not hard enough. t