I think it may be time for someone who has the time to start a permanent thread on the top 20-30 officials state wide (kind of like Chief's all-class wrestling list) where someone who has contacts all over the state can rank referees and point out who the good ones are. That way, the best referees can be rewarded and the people all over the state can see who they are dealing with at various tournaments. At state, I observed a call by a referee during a match I was coaching in which the referee called locking hands on one of my kids. I was not aware of the specifics of the rule as my kid was still in control but the other wrestler had faced him and he locked his hands around the other kid's belly from the front position. I was, however, familiar with the experience of the referee and his quality calls in the past. I simply questioned him as to whether he was sure about the rule and he politely explained that since he hadn't awarded an escape my wrestler couldn't lock hands around the belly even though he could ordinarily do so in a takedown situation. I thanked him for his explanation and told my wrestler in the future to realize he could not do it. The situation may have been different if it was a referee didn't have the same experience and quality as this referee. Anyway, I don't think this proposed forum should be used to necessarily bad mouth bad referees or referees who have a bad day. But it could be used to reward referees who exercise good reasoning, are up and coming stars (like Nathan Stanley, etc.) and maybe let some of the best referees who may develop a little attitude to let them know we are watching. By the way, I have experienced Billy (spoken of previously) as an excellent in-match referee and believe he is as talented as any referee out there. I'm sure the pressures of having coaches scream at you all day long all season long can wear one thin. Anybody want to take on a role such ranking the good and the up and coming referees without running off too many who have bad days or are moving up the learning curve?
