Weekly Bull 9/19/18

SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION, INC.

A Federal Non Profit Tax Exempt Corporation – www.sdcfoa.org

THE WEEKLY BULL – Sept. 19, 2018 

Meeting Agenda for Wednesday September 18^th – Attendance, Weekly Bull, Crew Sharing, Calibration, Instructional Video, and Rules Test (1^st year officials do not take the test and 2^nd year officials will take the test at the next meeting 10/3) 

Make Up Meeting – If you need to make up a test or need another meeting to qualify for the 2019 Draft, please join me on Wednesday 10/24 at Mira Mesa in room B-2 at 7:00 pm.  Check your attendance and test scores tonight. 

Mid-Season Form – We now should be hitting mid-season form.  Crew organization, communication and mechanics should all be coming together.  We are now A CREW!  Let’s keep ourselves sharp with weekly rules study, game preparation, and crew goals. 

What is Your Weekly Routine? –Some things you can have in your weekly routine are:

• Study of a particular rule including case book examples

• Read the Weekly Bull and view the Instructional Video

• Make a phone call to a crew member or crew chief

• Review your dead ball and pre-snap rountine

• Help evaluate last week’s game video

• Scout the next week’s teams

• Review our philosophies and axioms

• Work on your fitness and flexibility

12 In the Huddle – A replaced player has up to 3 seconds to begin to leave the field after being notified that he’s being replaced.  That slight delay may allow the team to legally have 12 players on the field, even in the huddle area for a few seconds.  Crews are responsible for counting on every player and to accurately monitor the substitution process.  Coaches sometimes need a bit more of an explanation as they confuse high school rules with college rules sometimes.

Ball Relays – Remember on long incomplete passes, when there is no ball person, the flanks need to get involved in the relay from the BJ to the umpire.

Support from BJ in Side Zones – As a crew of only 5, we need the BJ to move up and into the side zones on plays that end up out there.  Watch your video this week and see how you’re doing!

Touchbacks – When a kick goes into the end zone, and you’re stationed at the goal line, do not follow the ball into the end zone, rather stay on the goal line and signal touchback.

Penalty Enforcement – Everyone has something to do.  Get penalty information, communicate penalty information, cover flag, cover ball, get new ball, communicate with coach, hold re-enforcement spot, march off the penalty yardage, set the box and/or chains, confirm proper enforcement information, signal the foul, communicate the status of the clock.  All of this takes 5 officials.  Most likely you won’t have time to record your foul information, so remember the info and enter it during the next dead ball period.

Cross-Field Mechanics – Because we’re rounding into mid-season form, our cross-field mechanics should now be quite sophisticated and accurate.  Take pride in this important mechanic! 

Thank You Mike Downing and Jake Minger – Thank you Mike and Jake for your outstanding leadership of the SDYFF.  These two honorable gentlemen continue to keep us organized and informed about the great things the SDCFOA is doing to support the greater San Diego Football Community!  This week your/our fund contributed $500 to Coach Quamme’s family at Mission Hills HS.  And earlier in the year we/you gave $1500 to Madison HS’s Chris Fatilua who suffered a neck injury which caused paralysis.  Now, thanks partially to your generosity, Chris is making a great comeback has almost all of his movement back!

Game Check Weekend for SD Youth Football Fund. October 18-20. Last year we had 10 crews participate, and 76 total officials contribute during this fund raising weekend.  The Fund raised over $5,000 during the weekend which was used to fund our  scholarships we provided at our General Meeting.  I think you could tell the recipients, and their families who were in attendance, were extremely honored to have received this award. The families who attended the presentation were appreciative and proud of their sons.  Great young men and we want to do it again, and again, and again!!  We have set a fund raising goal of $7,500, with at least 20 of our 37 crews participating, 150 total members being a part of our efforts.  As you know, we have two events to raise funds, this and the golf tournament, that is it. We have donated to the football youth in our community more than $45,000 over the past 7 years.  If 150 members donated $50 each, not even one Pop Warner game, we would get there. Crew chiefs, please get involved, work with your crew.  The SDYFF will buy the crew who contributes the most during this weekend a full crew dinner after your game on October 26th, up to $30/official!   Strive to be the best, and we’ll take care of your dinner that night!! Last year’s winning crew came from Kevin Haws with a total crew donation of over $600, a mighty fine goal for your crew in 2018!!  All officials are asked to participate. It is our Associations gift back to the football community, and we all need to be a part of that effort. We need maximum participation this year to get it done. We will be providing you with instructions on how to donate before our fund raising weekend, but save your dollars and tell your crew chief you are in!!

Interested in Running for the Board of Directors? – If you are contact Greg Covington asap! 

Crew Donates Game Check – The fans, coaches, players and officials at the Francis Parker game experienced

BJs Fund Raiser - BJ’s is now going to credit 20% of our food bill to our Charity Fund!  The flyer is attached to this Bull but I believe you can just take a picture of it on your phone and have it in the “wallet” of you IPhone.  Thank you Bob Hood for setting this up and thank you BJ’s management for the support!

Drones – No drones in the stadium. So far I haven’t had any reports of drones.  Great job!

Early Arrival at Schools – Some schools, like Del Norte, do not end their day until 3:30.  If you are meeting early, and you confirm the school is still in session, meet off campus at a restaurant, and then drive over after school.  I like that you’re meeting early but some schools cannot accommodate.  Check ahead with the AD.

Referees and No Preliminary Signals – How are we doing on this slightly new mechanic?  Remember only one signal to the press box.  DON’T WALK AROUND LOOKING FOR AN OPEN AREA!  Waste of time and you don’t look competent. Just a step away from anyone who’s directly next to you.  Once you’ve signaled THEN go to umpire with enforcement information.   THEN go to your new spot!

Keep Your Mouth Shut – Please continue to be careful not to make comments to innocent spectators who might turn out to be the coaches wife or a school administrator.  These innocent spectators are quick to report your comments to administration, the CIF or to the media.  Keep all comments to yourself and save them for the locker room.

Keeping the Restricted Area Clear – We seem to be doing a reasonably good job with this thankless task.  Our focus is on the field, but for safety reasons, the restricted area needs to be clear at the start of the play.  So far so good!  One thing to keep in mind is that it is the same for both sides.  We are on the same crew, so do your crewmates a favor and do the same work for both teams.

Chain Crew & Timer – It is a bonus to officials and teams to have a mobile, well trained chain crew, especially if the tempo of the game is fast.  It is important that schools have their clock operator and chain crews available for when the officials arrive on the field 30 minutes prior to kickoff.  Having a chain crew, no matter how experienced, arrive at the coin flip is unacceptable. Tracking down a chain crew distracts from the official’s and coaches pregame preparation.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – I want to remind all coaches that the SDCFOA supports Cancer Awareness Month and allow teams and individuals to wear pink during the month of October.  You may notice our officials using pink whistle in an effort to be uniform in their observance of this important event.

Injury Time Out – Team personnel will be allowed to attend to any injured players and team support staff will be allowed to bring out water to the team.  Coaches must either be attending to the injured player or at the sideline (outside numbers) to address team or provide substitutes.  No coaches will be allowed to confer with the team inside the numbers.

Evaluations – We have now completed Week 5 of the high school season.  Per Board direction, all crews are to be evaluated after week five and again at the end of the regular season.  Each association crew chief is to rate the crew.  If you are not working with your entire crew, make sure you rate that official(s) on another game.  All completed sub varsity games and AYF/Pop Warner games should already be completed.  Youth game evaluations must be up to date.  First and second year officials in particular need the feedback.  For those of you who have requested to be youth referees, failure to complete evaluations in a timely manner will affect future assignments.

Golf Tournament – This year’s golf tournament will take place on Wednesday, November 7th at Riverwalk GC in Mission Valley.  Shotgun start at 11:00am.  $125 covers golf, cart, and lunch.  $145 gets you all that plus drink tickets and a chance to win lots of great prizes at the raffle.  You can play as a crew, foursome, or play as an individual.  Golfers of all abilities and guests are welcome. Contact Ed Blick, Mike Downing, or Jake Minger with questions or go on-line to check out the details and register at www.sandiegoyouthfootballfund.org

Travis Ehlers DC, CCSP – Travis will be at our next meeting to readjust anyone whose body needs a $20 adjustment!  He will be available starting at 5:45.

Tim Podraza Hall of Fame Induction – Tim will deservedly be inducted along several other officials at this year’s Hall of Fame Induction Dinner next Tuesday 9/25 at 6:00 at the Scottish Rite in Mission Valley.  So far over 35 fellow officials will be attending.  Thank you all for your support for Tim and sports officiating!  Tickets and additional info at http://www.sandiegosportsofficialshof.com/2018-induction-dinner

Thank You NCAA and NFL Officials – You never know when one of these fine gentlemen will show up at a high school game and say hi before the game or halftime.  They are also known to even visit with a few suggestions at halftime – like Scott Reilly did this past Friday!  And I had a chance to support Chris Wiggins as he officiated with his PAC 12 crew last Saturday at the Rose Bowl!  It exciting to be a member of one huge officiating community that stretches from flag football to the NFL!  We are blessed!