Whoa! First of all, no one ever yelled at the official...as stated earlier they were quick to hand out disciplinary warnings and we did not receive one, so I don't think anyone had a problem with the way we questioned his call. Secondly, I did not come on here and "blast" him or the tournament. I stated that the tournament had great competition, besides the complaint I had regarding officials I thought it was a well ran tournament and will most likely attend again next year. I know full well the pressure that is put on a kids wrestling official, and I too agree with RFord that it is probably one of the toughest officiating positions. I also agree that judgment calls are almost always going to upset one side or the other. I understand all of this as we have had our fair share on both sides of the call...My son has been wrestling for 6 years and this is the first time I have complained about anything on here. My major frustration with the official lies with the fact that if an official is not experienced enough to recognize a Granby, then he probably should get some experience working some smaller, smoker tournaments before moving up to these larger tournaments.

So the mat officials call on this match was awarding 2 points green on the end of the Granby that was initiated by red. If you truly agree with that I would like to hear your logic. And I'm not saying that derogatorily, you would just be the first one to step up and say that you agree with what he called and I would like to have your input as to why you think green should have been awarded the 2 back points.

Thanks!

Whoa! First of all, no one ever yelled at the official...as stated earlier they were quick to hand out disciplinary warnings and we did not receive one, so I don't think anyone had a problem with the way we questioned his call. Secondly, I did not come on here and "blast" him or the tournament. I stated that the tournament had great competition, besides the complaint I had regarding officials I thought it was a well ran tournament and will most likely attend again next year. I know full well the pressure that is put on a kids wrestling official, and I too agree with RFord that it is probably one of the toughest officiating positions. I also agree that judgment calls are almost always going to upset one side or the other. I understand all of this as we have had our fair share on both sides of the call...My son has been wrestling for 6 years and this is the first time I have complained about anything on here. My major frustration with the official lies with the fact that if an official is not experienced enough to recognize a Granby, then he probably should get some experience working some smaller, smoker tournaments before moving up to these larger tournaments.

So the mat officials call on this match was awarding 2 points green on the end of the Granby that was initiated by red. If you truly agree with that I would like to hear your logic. And I'm not saying that derogatorily, you would just be the first one to step up and say that you agree with what he called and I would like to have your input as to why you think green should have been awarded the 2 back points.

Thanks![/quote]

There really shouldn't be much dispute over the last 2 NF points for Green. Green had lost control and Red had put himself into criteria as part of the roll so in that situation no NF can be earned. I believe the official wiped off those points if the match ended up 4-0.

There isn't a thing wrong with questioning a call or asking for input on a particular situation on this forum. I wish we still had the "ask the official" sub-forum and personally I think showing video clips of close calls, or blown calls, or even good calls is good for the sport and can be a learning experience. Usually the official involved isn't going to respond on the forum, and its probably a wise practice not to do so. And officials have to be careful not to criticize another official in public because that's unethical. Most officials won't participate in the discussions here because so often they turn negative and personal rather than constructive. Officials will sit around all day and discuss situations,calls, and application of the rules in a polite and civil manner if given the chance and often do so among themselves. That same "conversation" could be had on a forum if the emotions could be tamed. A parent is a great advocate but rarely impartial. Its hard not to get personal. For example, unless you know, suggesting that this call is proof of the lack of experience is a personal and unnecessary complaint. I've seen experienced officials miss this call when there was no question that control had been established. Mistakes happen. A series or history of missed calls is cause for concern. One missed call in one match over a long day is human error. I just watched a Division I football official blow a call in the BCS Championship that a first year Pop-Warner official would have gotten right.

My suggestion on making a "complaint" on the forum would be to present a video and just the questions - "is this a takedown, was this illegal, should this have been called?" Or simply - "good call or bad?"

I am certain that if you showed this video to 100 officials you'd get a range of opinions on the proper call(s). The main reason is that "control is felt as well as seen" and many officials would question whether control was established before time expired. Another large percentage would question whether criteria was maintained for two seconds after the reversal, if the reversal occurred. Remember, you have to have reversed your opponent before you can score back points. This is a nuance, but it is an important one because time expired as this move was being completed. Even if Green was exposed, until the reversal is earned no back points can be earned.

The official may have not recognized the roll, but given the course of the match, the expiration of time, and the loose style (spaggetti wrestling) that requires an official to make certain that control has changed, I can't fault the official. Had this happened in the middle of the period, had Red been able to firm up the hold, maintain restraining power over Green, and hold him in criteria for a full two seconds, then there would have been something to be hollering about (not to suggest that anyone has been).