I find many of these comments very interesting. As a former highschool coach for 17 years and a former highschool official who worked 25 Kansas State Tournaments, I remember that every highschool head wrestling coach had the opportunity to recommend to the KSHSAA officials that they would like to see work post season tournaments. Those officials that received the most "votes" from the coaches would be given the opportunity to work the post season tournaments. I have been retired for several years now, but I think that policy still exists. Another comment about getting young officials more involved is that many young officials have told me that they just don't want to put up with the BS from many coaches. In many cases coaches have run-off good prospective officials. This is sad but true!
Although there are MANY problems with the recommendation system lets just look at two that are very logical:
1. You have to KNOW the official to recommend him. This creates a situation where a coach/AD can be positively or negatively bias. They ask you to name five. If you are a coach you spend all of your time scouting wrestlers and knowing coaches. Why should a coach invest any of his precious wrestling time figuring out who the best officials are? The best official is a guy who just makes the calls, is consistent, and doesn't draw attention to himself. The best is a guy who you don't need to take time to know who he is so the reoommendation system is inherently flawed.
2. If you have the same crew officiate all of the tournaments every year, the same guys get all of the notice and exposure so the same guys get the votes. The process just keeps repeating itself. The AD tells the assignor he wants guys who are experienced and were at state. It is an endless loop where a guy has to suck up to the assignor or "know" someone. Without evaluations there is absolutely ZERO accountability and most are afraid to damage their relationship with the good ole boys. BROKEN!!
In closing, I know an official who sat out for eight years. He came back and got great assignments and a state tournament his first year back. Why? Because it isn't what you know but WHO you know.
I agree that the pool is shallow. One of the reasons is that many of the officials who are former wrestlers are competitive and they don't want to figuratively "ride the pine" while they watch a geezer gimp around and blow calls all day long. After about two years of FR and JV events they say forget it. There has to be a better way to distribute the jobs to add to the pool of officials. The problem is that the guys who are on the inside don't want to change it because it might mean they won't get their way any longer.
I officiate but I am NOT posting all of this because I have been shunned. I am posting this because I think it is a travesty to watch wrestlers who work their tails off get the short end of a terrible call from an official who is not physically equipped to perform the job. A wrestler who isn't in shape loses matches, an official who is out of shape just shrugs his shoulders when he blows a call and moves on to next the prime tournament assignment. ZERO accountability.
