What Happened in November for UO

http://ultimateofficials.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-happened-in-november-for-uo.html

It Wasn't Just All Movember in November!

Highlights From In and Around the Hockey World for Ultimate Officials in November 2011

* Jake Brenk is working out in the ECHL, making him the MN official working the highest level of hockey, besides Brian Mach, who is an NHL linesman (and, yes, I do put the ECHL above the WCHA).

* Cameron Voss, Kevin Cassidy continue to plug away as full time officials in the North American Hockey League.

* Speaking of NAHL and NAH3L, we had Tim Ferrel, Clayton Smith, Mike Diebold (first Jr game!), Nick Dornfeld, Nick Bradshaw, and Ryan Szymanski in action, too.

* Nick Bradshaw (USHL Games, too) also worked his first conference series in the WCHA - UAA at UMD.

* Shane Paskey worked a big series this past month for Women's WCHA - UMD at U of MN

* Nick Biondich continues to work games in the Women's WCHA.

* Mark McGinnis got hired by the Empire/AJHL and ACHA College Hockey.

* Eric Arndt got to work his first Division III Women's game.

* The Division III Season really got rolling for guys like Jamie Halverson, Adam Shadiow, Norm Gaskins, Duncan Ryhorchuk, Shane Paskey (1st ref assignment), and Nick Biondich.

* Joe Millette worked 12 junior games in the MJHL in November.  That's every Fri, Sat, and Sunday!  Must be doing something right, eh?

* Aaron Barlow keeps racking up ref games in the MJHL.

* Mike Diebold, in addition to his first junior game, also has been steady knocking out some Bantam A stripes.

* Clayton Smith got promoted to Bantam A referee, and has been doing a bunch of stripe games.

* I PERSONALLY HEARD WORD THAT ONE OFFICIAL (not listed here) HAS BEEN LOCKED IN FOR A PLAYOFF ASSIGNMENT IN JUNIOR HOCKEY NEXT SPRING! (I've been networking!)

* Other activity included the start of the Girls and Boys High School Seasons.

OVERALL: A SOLID MONTH, PRECEDED BY A LOT OF ADM ACTION, SURE TO BE FOLLOWED UP BY A BUSY AND REWARDING DECEMBER.

ADM Weekend

This weekend (Sept 15 - 18) is the annual NAHL Showcase Tournament in Blaine, MN at the Super Rink.  There will be a WHOLE BUNCH of Ultimate Officials guys there throughout the weekend.  That is a testament to (a) themselves and (b) the program of Ultimate Officials (especially guys going through the UO MDM).

This weekend is an unbelievable weekend of hockey.  All 8 sheets in Super Rink are going solid with NAHL games, U18, U16, and U14 games.  The parking lot is jammed with cars, buses, motor homes, and people grilling out.  Scouts from other Jr. Leagues, colleges, and the pro's will be all over the place.  It's quite a spectacle.

GOOD LUCK, BOYS!

So, as a favor to all the readers of this blog, I will share a video I gave to the UO Boys.  This is an example of what all subscribers to my stuff get (whether you are a part of the MDM, Mental Tuffness, the 12 Week Physical Training Camp, or the Non-MN Resident Camp.  Enjoy!

   

  Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io 

 

UO New Year's Resolution Workout

What do I suggest???  How about a mental makeover...

   

  Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io 

 

Contact me to sign up for the 60 Day Challenge.  It just might save your life (no hype intended).

my email: info@ultimateofficials.com

You Don't Know What You Don't Know

You know what is the most FRUSTRATING part of being a high level referee?

You don't know what you don't know.

You know what is the most OBLIVIOUS part of being an amateur, beginner, status quo ref?


You don't know what you don't know.

Trust me...they are very different feelings.

Let's start with the upper level referee.  This is the guy who has "made it" or is on his way to hopefully making it (in my case, I "made it" when I worked the WCHA and the IIHF.  This was also the case when I was reffing a lot of USHL, working my way towards the WCHA/IIHF).

You wonder if your penalty selection is still good?  Does that need improvements?  How about your communication choices with coaches?  I am not talking about your communication skills overall (because they tend to be what they tend be - you wouldn't have gotten this far if you weren't able to communicate).  I am talking about handling different situations, the ones that tend to be difficult, like when a coach gives you the "choke" sign, or when a line brawl occurs.

You see...you always wonder, you always think, "Am I getting it right?"  You sure do wish someone would tell you, because...no one usually does.  The supervision at these levels can be few and far between.  You don't know what you don't know, and it could just eat you up inside.

There have been referees who work the minor pros who have "cracked".  Seriously, this is stuff that has caused ulcers, stress, loss of sleep, even more serious mental conditions.  Why?  If you take your job with the utmost importance and you pour your 'heart and soul' into reffing, you really want to know if you made the right decisions (which aren't always the correct ones...know what I mean?).

These guys in the minors, they spend soooo much time in their car, driving all over creation, all alone with their thoughts.  No one to bounce ideas off of, and feeling...well...on an island.  And I am not talking about an island with a tropical drink melting in your hand.

Now for the "inexperienced" referee.  This is the guy who is just starting to learn that he wants to do something cool with his life (err, something cool with his reffing).  In my case, this was when I started to go to camps (MHOA and then Western Regional).  This was when I first started to work junior games (MJHL and USHL), and definitely when I first started to work high school.

I have been watching these "types" of guys very, very closely for the past three seasons.  Here are some findings:

• They just do what everyone else is doing, which may include being lazy at whistles, skating around with facial hair or an unkempt look, not working the goal line correctly, simply calling 'black and white' penalties, and basically showing up and just being there.
  

• They get advice from people who are NOT above them in the food chain, therefore, they get poor, sometimes downright neglectful advice, and think nothing of it.
  

• They have the same mental mindset when working games, which, can be, "how do I get more of the good, high paying games?"  They are typically not following any type of philosophy.

I call this type of officiating "incestual".  You could say, "the blind leading the blind," but I say incestual, because, after awhile, everyone looks the same, more and more like each other, and they get dumber and dumber.  Incestual.

Ever care to find out "what you don't know"?

There are over 20 guys in the [Ultimate Officials Referee Camp] doing just that.  I am kind of scared/frustrated/upset that they could have been following someone else's lead.  Gulp.

Hey, Ref! You Got a Coach?!?

Seriously...do you?  Do you know what in "h-e-double hockey sticks" is going on in your games?  Do you find yourself guessing yourself?

Before I go on too far (and possibly lose you, because the average attention span nowadays is, like, 10 seconds), I want to bullet a list of things coming:

• Video Tutorials on "Why I Love the 2-1 Ref System" (yeah, you read that right, I love the 2-1 system, and if it confuses/frustrates you, well, come along and I'll reveal some secrets).

• New One Page Website, strictly on: "What Exactly Do You Offer (to those not in Minneapolis/St. Paul)?" This will be a 'one-stop' shop to see how/why the Ultimate Officials Online Referee Camps can benefit you and your association.

• A rant/rave on "How to Shed 10 pounds (for good) and Be a Better Skater".  Seriously, man, have you looked in the mirror lately?  Without sucking in your gut?  How about taking a picture of yourself in shorts and no shirt?

OK...hope I still got you here.  There is a hockey writer out there who I think is a brother from another mother for me.  I haven't told him this per se (I did try to get in his Fantasy Hockey League, but he didn't take me :( but he says some really DIFFERENT stuff.  Not your usual hockey writings.

Here's Justin Bourne's latest blog entry [Bourne's Blog].

I want to include an excerpt here to help explain myself and what the guys in the Ultimate Officials Referee Camp are receiving in the way of coaching for hockey refs:

“Old school coaches” that GM’s and owners love to hire (”nobody’s slackin’ on our team!”) beat up the same tired mantra.  It’s about hard work.

Gotta be ready from the drop of the puck!  Finish checks!  Out-work ‘em down low!  Gogogo!  …Oh we lost?  We got outworked.  See you at practice tomorrow.

Davis would still preach hard work, but he prepares his teams too.  Before each game, the whiteboard was JAMMED with information.  Those crib notes included our opponents most used breakouts, their powerplay breakouts, powerplay setups, who to “key on” (who’s the most frequent PP shooter, stay in his lane), what their penalty kill setup is, goalie’s weakness etc.  Then, the list of all of our info… same stuff, other side.

He had it up as soon as we walked in the room, so guys could grab a coffee and study up before he came in and went over it all.

Between periods, he made adjustments.  “They switched from a box plus-one on the powerplay to an umbrella, here’s our counter-adjustment…”

Have you ever been evaluated and told real basic stuff like:

• keep working hard, you'll get there
• you're not doing anything wrong, you're real close to being one of my top guys
• you need to be a better skater
• you'll get your chance

How about coaching that is specific to you and your needs?  In order to not blab on and on and on, here's some recent comments I have received:
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"J.B., Thank you for the evaluation! I have reviewed it 4 times since you sent it last night.  I learn something everytime I watch it.  I really appreciate it!" and "First of all, I really appreciate everything you are doing for me.  You have know idea what this means to me!"

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"I want it JB… and I might not ever get there, but it is my “far goal” that really helps me focus on my weaknesses during those 6 goal Women’s games."

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"I really appreciate your help and feedback so far. It has been really great and extremely helpful. I am looking forward to improving a lot this year."

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"Thanks for the individual message. I agree with the goals for this year.  My number one priority is to learn the 2-1 system."

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"If I were an up-and-coming official, I would gladly have paid $25 a week to have someone of your caliber come out and watch me and give me feedback."

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"So far I have lost 18 lbs and have restructured my body. I used to wear size 38 pants and now wear 36s. My work shirts fit better but some of my other shirts look a little baggy to my wife. My face and chest look a lot slimmer and it is very noticeable."

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And, lastly, I will steal a youtube clip from Bourne's Blog, featuring an out-of-control coach (p.s. I know and have worked with the referee):

 

Motivated...Inspired...Amused...and Ready to Vent(*)

(there's a funny video at the end...hehehe)

A few posts [ago], I talked about the new "ADM", and I look at such stuff from the eyes of somebody who wants to really make changes in development of hockey referees.  There was a chance in those [posts] to sign up for a series of videos on how "My USA Hockey is Different from Yours".

That's the God's honest truth.  Nothing could mean more to me at this point going forward than righting a ship that seems to veer off course.  I proposed such action as "overhauling" the referee development world, and got the blessing from the Pope, the Bishop, and was even told to go light candles in my local parish for the "Good Ol' Boy Network", because they will be a dying breed (kind of like those 'Wiseguys' do in mob movies -hehehe).

What in the heck does all of this mean for you?

Well...if you are a "Good Ol' Boy", it is means you will be finished.  Kind of like Dan "the Common Man" Cole of KFAN, going off on how all of the competition in Major League Baseball is done, now that the MN Twins will sweep this weekend (toungue planted firmly in cheek).

Don't know the 'Common Man'?...Imagine you scream the team nickname, and me screaming the response.  Here goes:

Red Sox!....washed with a color-unsafe bleach!

Orioles!......de-habitated

Yankees.....Beaten by the South!

Blue Jays....Hawked!

Rays...........avenged by the "Crocodile Hunter" fans!

White Sox...Stained!

Royals........flushed!

Indians.......mistakenly labeled because Columbus thought he was going to India!

Tigers........de-clawed!

Angels.......demonized!

A's............moved to the end of the alphabet!

Mariners....lost at sea!

Rangers.....re-assigned to Border Patrol duty!

Marlins......blackened and served with rice pilaf!

Mets.........rural-ized!

Braves......coward-ed!

Phillies......Cheesesteak-ed!

Nationals..deported!

Cubs........tranquilized

Cardinals..demoted to Altar Boy!

Pirates......sunk!

Astros......Apollo I-ed!

Brewers...prohibitioned!

Reds........persecuted by McCarthy-ism!

Dodgers...Chevy-ed!

Rockies....foothill-ed!

Giants......dwarfed!

Padres.....translated!

D-Backs..made into Cowboy Boots!

"THEY'RE ALL DEAD!  NOTHING'S GOING TO STOP US NOW!" (IALTO)

Seriously, back to hockey...I was watching some tryout scrimmages last night, evaluating some local hockey referees, and I saw a Girls U12 and Bantam B tryout.  Some of these kids were "cooking with gas!"  It was fun...and it got me wondering, "Why don't more refs want it bad?!?"

I mean, I set up a Fitness Contest and I wonder why more people don't want to come out and just destroy the competition?!?  Does my brain have bad wiring?  Was I neglected as a child?  Was I raised by wolves?  I wonder stuff like this because I want to beat everyone in a competition....maybe I am unhealthy.  I don't know.  I thought I was like this guy:

Well, maybe you can help me...click on that link up there at the top to see my why "My USA Hockey is Different from Yours" on how I want to take as many hockey referees to Bigger and Better games as possible, doing it 'Herb Brooks-Style' (Caution: it will contain some adult content...it will be my attempt at seriousness and humor all-in-one...I will light a candle for myself when I go to my local parish while I am lighting candles for the "Good Ol' Boy" Network...stay tuned).

(*) Venting will be done on those who sit on their kiesters and do nothing.

Let's Take a Sneek Peak at Evaluation Done Online

Watch...enjoy...learn (I hope) - This is part of the "New ADM" (not the USA Hockey one ;-)

I Was Wondering if You Missed It

You may have been too busy (I get that).  You may have thought it wouldn't be interesting (really??).  You may have thought that it was more of the same (trust me, it isn't).  Whatever the case, I thought I would give you a chance to take a sneek peak at the video below. It is the first in a series that...really...in all likelihood...will turn referee instruction upside down.  (I never would have done this were it not for [this].  I didn't have the cajones to do that.  Well...it's amazing how you can grow some courage to take on an industry when influential people are on your side, kind of like, "Yeah, you and what army??" - IALTO).

This video sneak peek is all your going to get.  If you want more, you'll have to register on the link below.  I don't want this kind of information getting out to the wrong people.  They might say stuff like, "J.B. is throwing all kinds of people under the bus."

There's a New American Development Model Coming...(it's NOT from USA Hockey)

Heard of the American Development Model (ADM)? It's the new "alphabet soup" out there...big bucks from the NHL to USA Hockey...the idea of getting more US Born players, coaches and refs in the NHL.

La-de-dah...kind of.

"The development of the official, on a local level, with quality feedback, instruction, and career coaching with an emphasis on development, is what will propel officials to bigger and better games."

J.B. Olson, Curriculum Director, Ultimate Officials

Look for new developments in:

1. Skating - the current skating model is good, but can be much better

Check out this video: http://www.neehs.com/video.20080131.asp

Referee skating instruction, including what I have been doing the past 10 years plus, needs to change.  Get ready, because it's coming...

2. Real-time Feedback - the evaluation process today is to meet with an official, point out what they did wrong, and give them the feedback AFTER the game is over with no chance to make adjustments.  This is akin to coaching a hockey team, having them run through their shifts and specialty teams throughout the game, and then making adjustments in the locker room, once the game is over.  Real-Time Feedback will be the most advanced development tool that Ultimate Officials will offer referees of all levels.

3. Supervision - As we see it, supervision is more about making things go smooth, so the team wins, versus development.  Here are some quotes from a hockey coach and ex-NHL player, Dean Talafous:

“I haven’t coached in eight years,” said Talafous. “I’ve been in the skill development aspect of the game, and it’s been really refreshing and good for me. When I was a coach, it was win at all costs. I was a total different personality. I’ve been humbled. I look back at my coaching career and I don’t know if I really developed players with their skill base. I know that wasn’t right, and if I can take what I’ve learned in my 50’s now being in the developmental side, I think I’ll be a pretty good coach.”

“I’d rather lose 13-11 than 2-1,” Talafous said. “Trapping and dumping the puck and putting all kinds of conditions on how they play isn’t development. That is very clear to me. We need to let them play with their instincts and allow them to fail and make mistakes for their development.”
That’ been precisely what Talafous has been doing with his business – Total Hockey-Hudson – an internationally acclaimed hockey training center that has branched off into 10 locations across North America. (full article here)

Imagine a program with the emphasis on development versus making the league or level run smooth...get ready, because here it comes.

Register for my Video Series  - "My USA Hockey is Different from Yours":