We have all heard the old saying, "Haste makes Waste." That ancient adage holds true today in officiating a football game. Hurrying can sometimes make for sloppy mechanics, blown calls, poor spots, or errant enforcements that can alter the outcome of a game. In this article I'll take a look at some examples of officiating errors caused by working at a heightened pace.

The early bird gets the worm

The first area to look at is punctuality. Officials should get to their assignments at the required time so that pregame duties can be successfully accomplished. It is standard practice to show up at a varsity level football game about one-and-one-half to two hours before kick-off. For sub-varsity, at least one-half hour before game time is highly recommended. When you're running behind, the tendency is to hurry through one's pregame assignments; and that high pace may spill over into game time, leaving room for error. But if one shows up on time or even early, a much more relaxed work pace is established, which should in fact provide for a more thorough job by the official.

Continued...