MACBOA: Newsletter - Archive - Issue 7, May 25, 2000

Newsletter - Archive - Issue 7, May 25, 2000

The MACBOA E-mail Newsletter is a periodic (twice a month during October through March and monthly there after) publication of the Mid-Atlantic College Basketball Officials Association (MACBOA). The Mid-Atlantic College Basketball Officials Association provides basketball officiating services to several colleges and universities in the Maryland - Washington, DC area. The Association has a membership of approximately 150 men and women officials. Our membership consist of men and women who work Divisions I, II and III basketball. We pride our Association on providing quality and professional service. The Guiding Principles of MACBOA include taking pride in the quality of our work, teat people with respect, focus on customer needs and expectations, encourage improvement, embrace change, and act with integrity.

The MACBOA E-mail Newsletter is made possible by the kind support of our sponsors. I thank our sponsors for making the newsletter possible. Please visit our web site at http://www.macboa.org. As always, please visit our sponsors and thank them for keeping MACBOA operational.

Donnee L. Gray, Coordinator of Officials
Email: Donnee.Gray@macboa.org

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From the Coordinator of Officials

Reminder:
MACBOA Officials are reminded to send or fax (301/283-6808) consent forms to permit MACBOA to upload their individual pictures onto the MACBOA website ASAP!

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Camp time is just around the corner. This is the ten (10) year anniversary of the Time Out Referee School. The Time Out Referee School will be held July 13-16, 2000 at The American University, Washington, DC. This year's school will include several Supervisors and Coordinators of Officials, noted clinicians, and exceptional staff that will share the intangibles that will help improve officiating skills and abilities. If you know anyone or would like to refer individuals interested in learning, training and assessment, and mechanics taught by respected and highly successful individuals in the field of officiating, please call (301) 283-6807 or e-mail: Donnee.Gray@macboa.org for more information and or to obtain camp brochures and information.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SCHOOL'S SUCCESS STORIES?

While the school is designed for officials desiring to improve their skills several attendees have officiated in the metropolitan Washington DC area high school state tournaments, quite a number of the school's former students have gone on to achieve success at the college and professional levels. Officials who have attended Time Out Referee School have gone on to officiate in the Big East, MAAC, Colonial, MEAC, Ivy, Patriot, A-10, Big West, SEC, Sun Belt, Conference USA, Southland, Missouri Valley, TransAmerica, Ohio Valley, and Rocky Mountain conferences, CIAA, PSAC Conferences, received assignments in the NCAA and NIT Tournaments, as well as the United States Basketball League (USBL), the International Basketball League (IBL), the former American Basketball League (ABL), the National Rookie League (NRL), The NBA and WNBA.

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Tommie Scott, NCAA Official and Mentor Retires from Officiating

With over three decades of officiating experience, which includes being selected to officiate the NCAA Sweet-16, National Invitational Tournament (NIT), numerous Conference and League post-season tournaments as well as tournaments aboard, the officiating world has lost a wonderful human being to retirement. To aspiring officials, Tommie offers these thoughts, "Keep officiating in perspective. Officiating should not come before God, family or your career. Success in life does not depend on just one event. Be like a sponge and soak up and listen to all the advice you can from your mentors. Enjoy the companionship with fellow officials and learn from every ball game you work."

Some comments from MACBOA members include:

Tommie,

You have been a mentor, but most of all a dear friend. You have helped many of us expand our officiating careers farther than many people expected. Always instilling a positive attitude, work ethic and faith as the key to success in anything we do. You are a person who believes in helping and giving to others without asking for anything in return. I applaud you for your successful career as a collegiate basketball official and I am extremely thankful for your advice and support throughout my officiating career. God Bless ------- Kenny Clark

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Tommie ("Dad"),

Thank you for the opportunity to bend your ear. I have enjoyed the times we have shared not just about basketball, but also about other events that have touched my life. You have helped me become a better person, a better official ("Ikey, remember that play!"), and always have helped me see what the priorities are. May the wind be always at your back. ------Ike Relacion

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Dad has made me look as life for what it is, a Gift form God. We must value that by showing respect and teaching respect everyday!! He's forced me to become a better person by virtue of becoming his friendship!!!

As far as basketball officiating goes, no matter how many times the "big name officials" get to work league tournament championship games or even the Final Four - Tommie "Dad" Scott is without question one of the "BEST" in my mind and eyes to have ever worn the uniform!!! I take every word he's ever uttered unto me and all his teaching and tutoring with me each and every time I get dressed for an assignment, NO MATTER THE LEVEL!!!

I leave everyone who reads this with this thought concerning Tommie Scott:

"When you' ve been blessed - pass it on" Tommie knows it and has done it! Now it's to all of us, whose lives that's been touched by Tommie "TO PASS THE BLESSING ON"-----Donnee Gray

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Tommie, as you begin another part of your life, MACBOA wishes you and your family the very best in all that you do!

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Membership News

Happy Birthday to Wain Jackson! Best wishes to all other MACBOA members with special days in the month of May.

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Don't Be Afraid of Change (Ike Relacion)
Big things often begin small. The problem with so many people is that they despise starting out small. They want the big "payoff" and they want it right now. It just doesn't work that way. To be successful in a chosen enterprise requires knowledge and experience. We all attempt new things with a real learning curve. Over time, as we learn more and do more, we'll grow into success.

To do big things, be willing to do small things. Find out what it is you want to do and then learn as much as you can about it. Read books, magazines and professional journals. Network with people who are already doing what it is that you want to be doing. Ask them questions. Tap into their knowledge and experience.

Write out a list of tasks that you can begin right now that will place you on the road to where you want to be. Each task, when successfully completed, will lead to new ones. In this often-tedious process, you will gain the necessary knowledge and experience that will carry you to each new level.

Here are some important things I would have you to remember:
1. Don't Be Afraid of Change
One of the reasons people seek short cuts is a fear of change. Small steps speak of a thousand little changes that must be experienced before arriving at the destination. Because they perceive that to be too painful, they seek instantaneous success, believing that to be less painful.

As creatures of habit, our aversion to change holds us back. A journalist named Ellen Goodman was right in observing, "We cling to even the minor routines with an odd tenacity. We're upset when the waitress who usually brings us coffee in the breakfast shop near the office suddenly quits, and are disoriented if the drugstore or the cleaner's in the neighborhood closes...We each have a litany of holiday rituals and everyday habits that we hold on to, and we often greet radical innovation with the enthusiasm of a baby meeting a new sitter."

The changes that come to us along the way of our learning enable us to be ready when success finally does arrive. Rise too quickly before you've educationally and experientially ready, and you'll really feel the pain.

2. Understand that the joy is in the journey.
This is more than just a nice sentiment. When you reach a level of success, you'll discover that new goals have been birthed in your heart. You'll never really arrive at a place where you can say; "There it is, now I'm done." There will always be new levels to move toward. If you expect complete satisfaction to come from some accomplishment in your life, you'll be sorely disappointed. Your life is the journey. Set a course with a clear destination in mind, but along the way, enjoy the view.

3. Don't get caught up in how long it takes.
This is very important. Big things require big effort over time.

Some years ago when James Garfield, who went on to become President of the United States, was principal of Hiram College in Ohio, a father asked him if a particular course his son was taking could be simplified so that he could complete it in a shorter time.

"Certainly," Garfield replied, "But it all depends on what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak tree, He takes a hundred years. When He wants to make a squash he requires only two months."

When you dream about doing big things, start by doing small things. Don't get discouraged, you'll get where you want to go. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. said it well, "The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well."

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Call for Contributors: We would be pleased and honored to include contributions from our readers who would like to share tips, techniques, resources or opinions on appropriate topics which focus not just on officiating, but on balancing life and work issues. If you or someone you know would like to contribute, please email macboa1@aol.com.

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Reward, challenge, appreciation, stimulation, writing, reading...rarely thanked or noticed.

These are some of the attributes of the well-hidden job of MACBOA Newsletter Writer.

The pay is incredible! Nothing. The hours, though, are few.

Are you interested in working behind the scenes (screens?) to help get information to members? MACBOA is looking to grow our ranks by a couple of folks and thus, we're soliciting volunteers.

What do you do? Read postings. Write articles, membership news, etc. Write e-mail back and forth amongst us to establish communication, and guidance to keep this list as valuable as possible for our membership. Although we're virtual, our presence is sensed, we hope...and appreciated, although rarely acclaimed.

We haven't a job description, nor do we know what knowledge, skills, and abilities are required, but some that will come in handy are:

having the ability to write
being thick skinned, not thick headed
being able to express your opinions, while being open minded
having at least a free hour or two a week
caring for the list

Please respond directly to email:Donnee.Gray@macboa.org.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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Neither MACBOA nor its guest contributors shall be liable or responsible to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be have been caused, directly or indirectly by the information, opinion or ideas contained, suggested, or referenced in this newsletter.

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