This article, “Get Yourself on the RADAR SCREEN” by Doug Day, was extracted from the September 2005 issue of Referee. Although it at times focuses in on football, it is something that speaks to rugby referees as well.

Championship officials don’t go unnoticed. Staying under the radar is no way to move up, whether it’s in your work life, athletics, or in the officiating ranks. The long-held belief in officiating circles that, “The best officials are the ones you never notice,” is simply not true, and following it could leave you mired back in the pack.

There are thousands of games played on any given night. As regular seasons move through to postseason playoffs, the number of teams dwindles, as does the number of officials. In the end, there is a final contest and a champion team is crowned. That’s the one game officials want – the big one, the one contest that determines it all.

Three are a lot of ways to get noticed and not all of them are good. People will remember the official who wore all-white tennis shoes instead of the required black officiating shoes for basketball or the umpire who demonstrably calls every ball behind the plate.

Individuals in the officiating avocation follow the traditional bell curve: There are a few poor officials, the ones who are sloppy in appearance, mechanics, and rule application. There are a few outstanding officials, the men and women who stand head and shoulders above the rest. And then there is everyone else, the vast majority who call decent games, look fine on the field or court and who are just, well, serviceable.

How do you break out of that crowd and slide over into the rarified ranks of those on the right side of the bell curve? Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference.

1 – BE ENTHUSIASTIC AND HAVE FUN

Never forget that it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to officiate a game. An official who meets with an Athletic Director (A.D.) who’s grumbling about the autumn shower and declares, “If it’s Friday night and there’s a football game, it has to be a great night,” will be remembers. Don’t be afraid to smile or laugh, especially at yourself. Your status will be enhanced in the eyes of people who enjoy watching you work – who will see that you enjoy working. At the same time, don’t act silly and don’t forget when a more serious tone is called for.

2 – BE EAGER TO LEARN

Keep a list of your strengths and weaknesses. In every contest, you should get better at one thing and find one other thing to improve the next game. Treat association meetings and clinics like a game. Attend, participate, and walk away with new knowledge. If your local meetings aren’t worth attending, do something to make them better. Watch others and adapt their strengths. Seek out and accept constructive criticism enthusiastically.

3 – OFFICIATE BEFORE AND AFTER THE CONTEST, AND AT ALL TIMES IN BETWEEN

If you start officiating when the game starts, you’ve already lost. You are onstage the moment you arrive in town. You are officiating in the parking lot, during pregame activities, during timeouts, while walking off after the contest, and in the locker room. Anything you do during that time will reflect on your officiating. There is downtime in every sport. Just because the players aren’t playing during a timeout doesn’t mean you can lean against the bench. People can forgive and forget a bad call, but they’ll remember if you look lazy and uncaring.

4 – EXUDE CONFIDENCE

Make a good first and lasting impression. Cast a critical eye toward the way you look and act when reviewing a videotape of your game. Do you run like an athlete? Are your signals crisp and clear? Does your walk express confidence but not cockiness? Do you look angry when you make a call? Always take an athletic stance with hands off hips and never in your pockets. Never fold your arms across your chest. Don’t try to seize command – earn it through your poise and presence. Establish and maintain a calm environment for the game. Nervous, edgy officials are easily spotted avidly chewing gum, pacing around, or displaying a wide range of inappropriate emotions. Doing so prior to or during a contest will make you appear to be vulnerable to the pressure. Be decisive and confident in your decisions.

5 – DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Your body language will be lost if your uniform looks sloppy. Take the extra effort to look sharp and you will be noticed – crisp creases, fitted hat, shined shoes, and well-kept equipment are essential. More important than the uniform is the way you wear it. Do you wear shorts under your white football knickers so the stripes from your shirt don’t show through? Are you still wearing a belt with your basketball pants? Does the brim of your hat look like you could serve dinner on it?

6 – MANAGE YOUR BUSINESS

Treat your supervisors, assigners, A.D.s and everyone else you have contact with as customers rather than bosses or adversaries. It’s your job to make their job easier. If appropriate, call ahead of time so the school knows you’ll be there – it’s one less then for the A.D. to worry about. If weather is an issue, call or e-mail the A.D. to let him or her know the best way to contact you in case of postponement. Return contracts as soon as you get them, keep assigners aware of your available dates and notify the proper authorities if you have to change partners.

7 – BE CREDIBLE – ALWAYS

A football crew chief once handled a coach who was livid when an official blew an inadvertent whistle by marching over and saying, “coach, we blew it, but there is nothing you can do to my linesman that will be worse than what we’re going to do to him.” Likely, he’ll have no more to say. Credibility involves having a reputation for being believable, reliable and trustworthy. It has four basic components – empathy, honesty, expertise, and dedication. Empathy may be your most valuable tool when it comes to stressful situations. The coach is under a lot more pressure than you might think. Understand and respect that. If you both know you blew a call, admit it. Beside, it’s hard to argue with someone who agrees with you.

8 – USE ADVANCED SKILLS AND MECHANICS

Third and 15 and there’s a 15-yard penalty on the defense. Do you know how to prevent arguments over whether or not the mark off results in a first down? Leave the back marker where it is, swing the chain and front marker around and check to see if the ball is inside or outside the tape you placed on the middle of chain. One note of caution – practice that and make sure your linesman knows what you’re doing. Over the years, our predecessors have come up with many ways to improve upon the basic mechanics. Take the initiative to learn the tricks of the trade. You learn those things by attending clinics and association meetings, reading about officiating, and by talking to other officials.

9 – BECOME A GREAT COMMUNICATOR

While an ambulance crew is loading a player onto a stretcher, your crew is standing around talking and laughing. What’s the message? Communication is an overused phrase, and not very well understood. It’s not only about how you talk with coaches and players, it’s every message you send through your words, your body language, the way you look at people, and everything else. Officials should never stop communicating with each other and with the people on the fields and courts. Be firm when necessary, but use a normal, relaxed voice. Never bark. Shouting indicates a loss of control of both yourself and the game you’re working.

10 – NETWORK

A USA Today pool once showed that a majority of people distrust Congress but a similar majority trusted their own representative. People trust those they know. Get to know officials outside your immediate circle, assigners, coaches, A.D.s, some players (or ex-players), and even some spectators. Attend clinics and participate in your local and state meetings. Work scrimmages. File game reports and sportsmanship reports. Communicate with your state association, but not so much that you become a pest.

11 – TAKE PRIDE

Do you strive to impress people with the quality of your work? Being great every game seems like an insurmountable task. It’s easier to do something once. So be great once – over and over again. You will never achieve perfection, but the harder you try, the closer you’ll get.

12 – BE COMPETITIVE WITH YOURSELF

One of NASO’s personal performance principles states, “The players give maximum effort; so should you – every game.” Go into every assignment with the thought of giving the teams the best officiating they’ve ever seen. Try to never get beat, and always work hard to be in position. If you feel the game is below your status, don’t work it. Give it to another official, maybe a rookie, who will put in the effort the game deserves.

13 – DO THE RIGHT THING

You’re going to get booed anyway. You might as well get booed for doing the right thing. Make the unpopular call when it needs to be made. Eject those who need to be ejected. And don’t back down to pressure from any quarter when you know you’re right.

13^1/2 – REAP THE REWARDS

You can stand out during the game by displaying professionalism, hustling, showing enthusiasm for your job, by having fun, and working hard. Perhaps that is what that cliché about not being noticed really means – “The best officials are participants in the game rather than an interruption.” Go beyond the norm and stand out. You might find yourself working the last game of the season when everyone else is sitting on the sideline watching the champions.