FATHER RYAN INVITATIONAL 9-21/22

[TheGreatLineJudge]

I don't believe the forums are the place for this sort of thing. I know both programs to be classy and that both sides have smart, friendly people. If there is truly a problem, the school administrators/coaches should be ironing it out, not the parents/fans.

 

One final thought: a volleyball coach once said to me "It doesn't matter who we play. If we play our game, we should win regardless."

 

Can we leave it at that?

[5-Sport Dad]

GLJ,

You're probably right. I was just trying to set the record straight and not leave it skewed. Thanks for letting the 'rebuttal' stand.

 

And to answer your question, yes sir, let's leave it at that.

 

Have a GREAT day!

 

Oh...and Go Lady Cats!

[PageMan]

I could not make this tournament due to the Page JV Tournament being held at the same time, but in my past experiences with Father Ryan and its tournaments, I felt they were good. There have been a lot of tournaments this season where late dropouts have forced schedule changes at the last minute. There have times when I've gone to tournaments with one schedule only to find that changes had been made when I arrived at the site. It's unfortunate for teams, coaches, and fans that this happens, but you must accept it and play as best you can. As for volunteer line judges, I have always been against it. I wish there was money available to have certified officials doing lines, but that will probably never happen. I have seen inattentive players, parents, and others miss calls several times this season. I even saw some line judges recently at a Page match that didn't make any calls at all and the lines were called from the chair. I kept looking for calls on close balls, but none were made and the judges simply stood there and looked to the chair for the call. This is not acceptable to me as why would you even be on the court if you're just going to stand there.

[harpua51]

Sounds like to me the officials where either

 

A. Inexperienced and didnt know that they could overturn a line-judges call.

 

B. To spineless to ###### anyone off so they just went with what the line-judge called.

 

I wasnt there, but after reading this forum it sounds like B is the correct answer.

[TheGreatLineJudge]

Sounds like to me the officials where either

 

A. Inexperienced and didnt know that they could overturn a line-judges call.

 

B. To spineless to ###### anyone off so they just went with what the line-judge called.

 

I wasnt there, but after reading this forum it sounds like B is the correct answer.

 

 

I take exception to that. The officials at FR were rather experienced and not new. I personally overruled a couple of calls because I saw clearly that what happened was different from the call given to me. Keep something in mind: officials must always be watching for prolonged contacts, double contacts, fourth contacts, back row attacks, back row blocks, net fouls, center line violations, determine if the ball was contacted on block (thus a 4-hit or play on).. among many other things. It may look easy up there, but volleyball is a very concentrated sport as far as attention span and judgment calls.

 

Mind you, while the crowd may "see" it their way and while the official may have a hard time "believing" a call, there's a couple of reasons why we may not be able to overrule. First, we may not have seen the play outright. There's a lot going on during a match, as I've mentioned above. Second, if we have no better position on the ball/play, how can we overrule? If it's close to the line and I can't clearly tell if it's in or out, I MUST rely on that person's judgment. If they make a prompt, decisive signal and cause me to believe them, how can I overrule? For me to overrule is to say that what that person told me ABSOLUTELY did NOT happen. For me to overrule is to necessarily rule against that other team and take a point away. How often do I overrule? Not often. Do I try to see every line call? You bet. Will I overrule if I disagree and know the line judge's call is wrong? EVERY time. Note: This is my personal viewpoint. I'm very picky about my lines and what I see. Remember that all of us are human and not every official is the same way.

 

The entire purpose of line judges is to offload partial responsibility... the things that the official does NOT have the best angle on. Line judges are to ASSIST with: touches, in/out, antenna faults of all flavors, service faults, and even players whose feet are out of bounds. A properly trained line judge is a gift. I know it first hand; lines are where I "came from" before I started using a whistle instead of a flag.

 

Finally, if you can do better, join us on the court. Our sport is desperately short on qualified people in all areas - referees, line judges, scorekeepers, and libero trackers alike. If you think you can do it better, we want you. If you can make a difference by doing a better job, quit complaining and just start doing it!

[VballDaddy78]

I have to say, with some experience having called lines for about 7 years until my daughter graduated last year, that calling lines is not an exact science. It involves "judgement" and even if you are paying very close attention to everything you should, you can still make mistakes. I always prided myself on making the best call possible, as quickly as possible, no matter whether it was for or against my team. At the same time, I can't honestly say I got it right 100% of the time. Having said that I only remember one person who I ever thought may have made calls in favor of his team but at the same time I would never feel comfortable being able to say "abolutely" that that was the case. Bottom line, it's not easy and unless you are in the "exact" same positon as the person calling the lines, you can't see things "exactly" the same way.

[VB0762]

Being out of town, I too was unable to attend the invitational, but I find it hard to fathom that for a match as important as the one being discussed featured " inexperienced " line judges that " jumped around like little girls when the ball came close to them", as someone previously alluded. Sorry, there may have been some tough calls that went against your team, and they may have been incorrect, but I don't believe they were a product of inexperience, in-comp-e-tance, or allegiances to either team.

 

Peace to all

[LuvVB63]

As I had stated in an earlier post, I do know we are all human. We enjoy being a part of good solid play with teams out of our division. I certainly for one do not want to appear as a sore loser. This was one game, out of one day, of an entire season. I do not want our team or our parents to come across as whiners. I think Greenbrier has been appreciated in all the venues it plays. We have good parental support and enjoy the other parents form regular season and travel ball. This is the final thing I have to say on the subject of the Father Ryan experience. I take back nothing from my original posts, understanding that it is appropriate to disagree at times, period, end of sentence as earlier expressed by another. I spoke generally and not personally. Good luck everyone /flower.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":flower:" border="0" alt="flower.gif" />

[TheGreatLineJudge]

Fair enough, VB. I don't think Greenbrier is received by anyone as being whiners. Indeed, it is your right to disagree. Disagreements done in a respectful manner often lead to understanding and respect for others; I can think of plenty times when disagreements/different viewpoints have gotten out of hand on this forum. This is not one of those times.

 

Speaking for myself and the folks I know in the volleyball world, Greenbrier is held in high regard for sportsmanship, class, strong play, and for being wonderful hosts. I will personally attest to it with my experiences in both present and past seasons.

 

With all these issues seeming to be settled for this forum's sake, the topic has run its course and will now be closed for discussion.