Game Log--12/9/2005 or 2-Man vs. 3-Man

Two games tonight...a freshman game and a varsity game.

The freshman game wasn't very high quality, and I don't remember much from it. My partner for that game would be one of my partners for the varsity game. he made it pretty clear that he wanted to save his energy for the varsity game, so he wasn't running very hard and wasn't switching on fouls, etc. That's a legitimate choice...it's tough to run through two games...but it's not my choice. I feel like my brain falls out of the game if I'm not following full mechanics. In for a dime, in for a dollar. But I went along with my partner, and eased through the game.

The varsity game was another matter entirely. For the second time this year, I had an evenly matched game, with the home team winning by five. The game was, for the most part, uneventful. There are two calls I'd like back, both because a partner had a better look at it than I did. Each was in the paint on the opposite side of me, and each would have been a decent call to make in a two-man game.

This is a problem for me in my first three-man game as a varsity official. Since I have limited experience on a three-official crew, it doesn't feel second-nature as it should. I'm worried about my paint calls now. There were one or two no-calls that I really wanted, but I didn't take them because I felt like I didn't want to step on a partner's toes. A lot of this will come with time.

The issues with being by the bench after calling fouls are getting better. It helped that both coaches were quiet. After a player-control foul I had, the home coach simply asked "Was she set before my player left the ground?" I had this one solidly, so I was able to answer confidently "Absolutely." The visiting coach jumped on me for a n0-call he didn't care for. I simply said "Keep your cool, coach." Perhaps that was a little snide, but it was unintentionally snide.

What feels weirdest to me about the three-man game is how little I have to run. I barely broke a sweat. This just feels weird. I think I channel the physical tiredness I feel during a two-man game into mental focus. I never thought I would say this, but I actually sort of miss all the running. I feel sort of cheap doing a game that requires that much less physical effort. Still, I have to stay 100% mentally on as I work. As one of my partners said tonight, "The two-man game is a physical game. The three-man game is a mental game." I've always known I like the mental game, but I never thought I was actually enjoying hauling my butt up and down the court every night. I guess you don't know what you've got until it's gone.

THINGS I DID WELL: Coach management
THINGS TO WORK ON: Comfort with three-man, clear knowledge of own area in three-man.