ALERT!!! Danger!!! You May Be in the 95%

When I was coming up through the "ranks" as an official, there was a group of us officials who really pushed each other. We brought out the best in each other. We were discovering so innocently (sometimes not-so-innocently) and sweetly the secret of officiating:

Being a hockey official is at the same time the greatest group for camaraderie and competition. You work in an environment where (almost) everyone cheers for you, pushes you up, and also wants your job!


That meant competition. We competed in everything...how many miles you could drive to work a game, the number of games, the quality of games, the number of playoff games, the assignment for the finals or the championship game...even who could race the fastest to the net when the whistle blew. Heck, when I was younger and cockier, any time a linesman would cover for me while I was reffing a 1-2 game, I tried to beat him to the net!! And I did a few times! There was NO WAY anybody was going to show me up.

Loved it...loved the competition.

That's how you get in the 5% club -- The top 5% of your field.

Here's what I sadly see when I am at the arena most nights...

Referee "A" is coasting around, taking 30 seconds on every line change, just sauntering up the ice after an icing.

Referee "B" is reluctant to get in around the net (that's what it looks like when I watch him), is sloppy with his signals, and does just enough to get by.

I hate the "just get by" crowd. I don't want to hang around them too long, because they might be contagious.

Here's how it goes:

• nearly 100% say they want to get better
• only 50% will do something if it involves work, the other 50% want it for free and handed to them on a silver platter
• only half of the 50% who do something, will do something truly extraordinary (so we are in the top 25th percentile now
• only 5% will always do what is necessary, have the intestinal fortitude, and the "stones" to make themselves truly exceptional

Those who sit by and wait, ponder, "chew things over," or use excuses like lack of time, are those who are NOT in the 5% club. True champions take action, do it now, don't wait for someone to do it for them, and step up to the plate.

I am looking for someone to take action. I have a few spots left for those who want some really intense personal training. These people will get:

** Physical Training, on and off the ice, which will grow your stamina, strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, speed, balance, agility, accuracy, and flexibility.

** Personal Assessment Profile -- Individualized training to help identify mental roadblocks and remove them permanently, so you can perform like a true champion.

** Communication Skill Training - Learn how to use the correct words, communication styles, and how to diffuse situations as if you are a 15 year official, who has had the experience of working 5 years of minor pro hockey and refereed a world championship in front of 19,000 screaming fans!

Please reply if interested. Only few spots remaining. I am opening this up to all officials.

ejmo02@msn.com

Thanks,

JB Olson

Good News! - 18% Lighter Get's You What!?!?

The NHL debuted a new sweater for referees and linesmen in the 2009 All Star Game in Montreal.

Here's a snipet from the article:

Reebok is proud to announce the debut of new NHL All-Star jerseys for referees and linesmen for this year's historic NHL All-Star Game, which will be held in Montreal, on Jan. 25. The jerseys -- 18 percent lighter in weight than current officials' uniforms -- are customized to fit the specific needs of officials, providing increased range of motion and better moisture management.

Wow, that's impressive...didn't know my good ol' polyester sweater was bogging me down....as a radio talk show host here in the Twin Cities says, "B. as in B., S. as in S."

You want to move 18% better? How about you go out and crank out some body weight squats. No barbells, no dumb bells, just "air squats". Crank out about 100 of those every day and then tell me if you have more spring in your step.

**NOTE: Of all the exercises I have done to increase speed, strength, AND quickness, bodyweight squats have been the best BY FAR!**

Here's what another fitness expert had to say...

"In regards to squats, I'll never forget the time during the winter of 1980 , when my mother gave me an article that talked about dancers and how they built amazing strength and explosivemeness in their thighs. Free squats, done in high numbers, were the key. That evening when I was doing my exercises, I began to incorporate the squats. I did 100 at a time, once per day...Two weeks later I was wrestling in a tournament against a guy who had beaten me three times before...I felt like I had springs in my legs. EVERY MOVE I FELT INCREDIBLY EXPLOSIVE." (Matt Furey)

So...forget the sweater and be more explosive. Let Reebok market their claims, and let you claims be how quick you are on the ice.

Happy Throw Out a Coach Weekend

Must be getting to that time of the year...maybe everyone is dealing with the cold in different ways. I know of two VERY demonstrative situations where coaches were thrown out of a game this past weekend:

Here's one of them

Makes me think about the very first time I threw a coach out of a game. It was in a Bantam A game (actually the championship game of an invitational tournament in East Grand Forks). That was a game where I had to break up my first fight (the game was a 2-man game), albeit it was gloves punching helmets, etc. I also threw out the Thunder Bay coach later in the game for repeatedly screaming at my partner. The other thing I remember from that game is that the East Grand Forks team had 3 future Division I players on that team.

Another funny memory I have is when I threw a coach out of a game that was a Junior Gold game, played at Breck Ice Arena. The Anoka team was EXTREMELY chippy and the coach was out of control. At the end of the game when I was checking the score sheet to make sure everything was alright, the scorekeeper started giving me the business. I had to deal with him, too! He looked like this guy ---->toothless trailer trash

The funniest part of the trailer trash story was that this guy was telling me how to ref. I actually had a brief moment of anger and told him that he could watch me ref the upcoming weekend on Fox Sports (I usually don't like dropping my resume, but I had enough of Otis the Town Drunk).
My partner then said the only Fox show he'd be on is "Cops".

Do you have any funny stories about coach behavior?

How to Eat Doritos

NUTRITION IS EVERYTHING!!!

When working out to improve your physical conditioning, whether you want to put on bulk or cut fat, what you eat is EVERYTHING!

Read this post first: Tim Ferris' Blog

Here's my typical meals through the week when I am really getting after it with my conditioning.

Breakfast :

4 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 cup of oatmeal

mix it all together and make an omelet. I cover it with about 1/4 of NATURAL/PURE Maple Syrup

Snack: Honeycrisp Apple

Lunch:

2 Hamburger patties
1/2 can of black beans

mix this all together and throw in some salsa for flavor

Snack: protein drink

Supper:

Healthy protein
Healthy carb
vegetables

*** This is my meal plan for Sunday through Friday. I am a creature of habit and eat pretty much the same food all the time. If you want supreme discipline, you need to be a creature of habit, too.

SATURDAY = FREE DAY!!!

I eat whatever I want. Dorito's, ice cream, doughnuts, etc. Like the link about says, it is "dieters gone wild!"

Enjoy!!

Does Data Make a Difference?

There are a few things that keep me awake at nights (in no particular order):

i. Will my daughter ever learn to potty train?
ii. Will she learn to skate before she learns to poop in the toilet?
iii. Will I fulfill my work quota for the week?
iv. What in the hell is my option/consequence if I don't?
v. What's the best way to turn a inexperienced ref into a seasoned vet?

Outside of giving the official 10 more years to officiate, learn new subtleties and tricks, there has been no answer given. Throughout all my years of teaching, training athletes, and even renting to tenants in rental properties, I have learned one fact -- COMMON SENSE IS RELATIVE.

What seems natural to me is only because I have experienced it, been taught it, or even had it smack over my head like a 2X4.

What seems natural to you is based on your own experience.

What seems natural to John Doe is based upon his experience.

None of us have had the same experiences. However, I want to give all the referees I work with my experience. And so do all the other referee instructors out there. That's what education is, isn't it? The transfer of knowledge?

So, I am on a personal quest to gather as much data on refereeing as possible. I need some videos, though. I need to chart movements, work to rest ratios, skating patterns, starts and stops, turns, backwards...I need to chart it all in order to create a program where the up-and-coming official can receive experience like it has been bottle up and poured out when you need it.

Do you have a video tape, DVD that I can watch, critique, chart, and then return? If so, please contact me:

jbolson@ultimateofficials.com

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