By Tim Carr

Many veteran officials will mention at halftime of a game that it is easy to officiate the first-half in comparison to the second-half. This is often true. Each game seems to take on its own personality, entrenched with various characteristics. We may be more lucky than skilled when we get a game that flows smoothly from start to finish. We’ve all had that experience and it is part of what keeps us coming back to do more. It’s kind of like that perfect golf shot that comes out of nowhere that we try to duplicate over and over and over again. There just seems to be a “flow” that everyone taps into. As much as we are buoyed by those great games we can be tormented by the game that turns into a “train wreck.”

Some games just seem destined to get “off track.” You almost feel the need to warn folks to brace themselves for impact! I’ve had games between bitter rivals just start bad from the opening kick, the first pitch or the opening center court toss. I think what takes us most by surprise is when the pent up animosity flares without any prior incident during the game. It happens quickly, with great intensity and emotion. There are several choices we have as officials when we encounter this type of “train wreck” game. They probably shouldn’t be our first options, even though at the time they may seem like a good idea. They include:

• Forfeiting the game immediately without first “trying” to save it
• Ejecting all the involved players and let subs play the remainder of the game, or
• Calling an official’s timeout and sneaking out the back door.

All these options have probably crossed our minds, if only for a brief moment. I think when we encounter the “train wreck” game we need to take measures to ensure that participants remain safe and that the game comes to an adequate conclusion. There are several tips that may help.

Recognize what you’ve got 

We first need to recognize what is happening. Since we are often taken by surprise, we need to quickly realize that this is not our typical officiating assignment. Sometimes the cues are: the number of personal fouls or hard fouls that are occurring; the opponent’s reaction to outstanding plays; or players/coaches’ overreaction to common plays being made. When I first start to sense that emotions are running high, I’ll ask the team leader what’s going on. This might be the linebacker or quarterback in a football game, the point guard in basketball, or the catcher in a baseball or softball game. You need to find out and find out quickly so you can take the appropriate steps to remediate the situation. Often times the team captains can help you understand the dynamics.

Talk to the captains 

Speaking of captains, I think it can be invaluable to take an official’s time out and speak with the captains from both teams together. You need to be firm, friendly and precise. The captains need to know that you are done talking with players to try to control the game and that you will now need to penalize behavior that is unsafe or unsportsmanlike each and every time that it occurs. I always remind the captains of their responsibilities as team leaders and ask them to help us avoid penalties by policing their own teammates. Very seldom do captains not respond to the challenge and step up to help calm and control their teammates. If they “blow you off” or agitate, then at least we know where we stand with the game.

Converse with your crewmates 

It is really important that we are all on the same page. Make sure that everyone on the crew is aware of what is going on. Sometimes by position and responsibility they are far enough away from the intense action, like a back judge in football, that they are not sensing the intensity that is occurring. Ensure that the entire officiating team knows that it is time to judicially enforce penalties for behavior that might have appeared “borderline” in other contests. Communicating more as a crew throughout the remainder of the contest will help in keeping the game more under control.

Don’t overreact or underreact 

Even though we are dealing with a situation that is not our norm, we need to be sure that we are calm, professional, approachable, and consistent. We don’t want to overreact to normal play on the field, diamond, court, or pitch. But we cannot ignore unnecessary rough play, taunting or other unsportsmanlike behavior. Remain calm. In these situations especially, we really need to be in control of our own emotions, responses and behaviors. Have faith in the collective skills of your officiating team to be able to handle the situation. Try to work together even more with your partner(s). Stay professional. Don’t take things personally. There is a 99-percent chance that you had nothing to do with the tenor of the contest. It was going to be a tough encounter for whoever happened to show. Be extremely professional in your approach to participants, both coaches and players. This is when you really need to be unbiased and communicate a bit more with coaches and players. Not as a debate but as a means of listening and defusing potential problems. The contest must still flow smoothly but there are usually brief moments when communication can naturally occur. Take advantage of those moments.

Hyper focus 

There are times between plays, during dead balls, between innings or pitches, on throw-ins, and the like when we are able to take a bit of a mental break. Not in a train-wreck game. You really need to focus on what is happening and observe the participants. We all have had games where something happens completely out of the blue that we could not or did not anticipate. The train-wreck game will be full of those out-of-the-blue situations. Now is not the time to let your mind wander in the least.

Off-ball coverage 

An element of the hyper focus is watching off ball activity whenever possible. In all mechanics manuals and procedures there are off ball responsibilities. Make sure in these tough games you are vigilant with your off ball responsibilities. All sorts of things can happen away from the major action of the game. Make sure that someone on the officiating team sees what happens at all times. Sticking to the prescribed proper mechanics should cover the vast majority of occurrences away from the focal point, so just be extra attentive in fulfilling your responsibility.

Hustle and anticipate where to be 

Hustling but not over-hustling is imperative during the game. Get where you need to be. This is especially true at the conclusion of the action. As the play concludes in football, a foul occurs in basketball, or a play is made on a runner in softball or baseball someone needs to hustle to the spot and be verbal. Your voice should be commanding yet palliative. Players need to know that you are in the area, are observing the action, and looking out for their safety and behavior. You need to have a “presence” and the presence needs to be reassuring, confident and calming.

We all would like for every game that we umpire or referee to be smooth, well played, and without controversy. That just doesn’t happen. I believe that many people can officiate an “easy” game. Our true skills are put to the test when we encounter the game that starts bad and just seems to continue. By applying the suggestions above I really believe that we can often turn the “train wreck” into a train that at least stays on the track and finds its final destination with all of the passengers safe and accounted for. I know my sense of officiating efficacy and accomplishment was always higher when we were able to safely complete those really tough contests. Wouldn’t want to have them week in and week out but to do a good job with a tough game always gave me a sense of accomplishment and made me feel good.