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

Off Ice Power Skating Video Sign Up

Which Pack Do You Run With?

I sometimes think I am nuts. I lay awake at night and think about the following:

* how can we better train hockey officials???

* how can we shorten the learning curve, so a 25 year old, all full of piss and vinegar, can referee like a 35 year old or 45 year old, with all the experience, wisdom, rink savvy, and know-how???

* how can an elite level referee BEST transfer his knowledge to an up-and-coming official???

* is our method of instruction currently the best practice of teaching and developing???

I do know this...31 young men stepped forward to say, "I want to prove I take hockey fitness seriously!"

Based on past experience, half of those young men won't do diddly-squat. They don't have the intestinal fortitude, the drive, or the discipline to be the best...

There are only 5% in the top 5%...no room for anymore.

What percent are you in? Seriously?!? Where do you fall???

(remember, a reputation is built upon what you have done, NOT by what you are going to do)

Do you agree?