The Tri-Parish Officials Association is looking for people who would like to officiate elementary, junior high, freshman, junior varsity and varsity high school basketball games for the 2009-10 season.
 

“We’re always in need,” Gerald McCain, officials assignment commissioner, said. “We’re covering about 18 schools right now between Beauregard, Allen, Vernon and Sadine. We need all we can get.”
 

The first meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5 at the Catfish Hut located between Rosepine and DeRidder. There will be a meal prior to the actual start of the meeting.
Interested persons must be a high school graduate or 21-years-old.

Anyone interested is welcome.

“Basketball is without a doubt the hardest sport to officiate,” McCain said. “It’s not official to get eight to 10 new ones in a year and then in two years one left.”

McCain said it was the toughest to learn mechanics when officiating.

“What makes it tough is you’re on the floor, you’re moving at the same time. You’re moving at angles, it’s real hard to keep good angles. When you blow the whistle you have to have the call right then,” McCain said, adding officials cannot talk with partners.

“If you hesitate on blowing the whistle you’re too late.”

For junior high games there would be two officials and three officials for high school games.

“You start in the junior high and work your way up,” McCain said.

In smaller towns, McCain most do not like to officiate at their schools to avoid a conflict of interest.

“Our association is so spread out. It’s really kind of hard to keep people local,” McCain said.

McCain encouraged people to come to the meeting and officiate. He said when he was younger he was officiating a junior high tournament and one person who had been calling games forever said he would not make it.

McCain proved him wrong and has been calling games for 25 years.

“I still don’t know how good I am, but at least I could call a ball game,” McCain said.

Those who put their mind to it could do the same.

McCain said those who will listen and be critiqued have potential. He added the officials are videotaped.

“We can make officials that way,” McCain said. “It takes a little time. It takes a little dedication. To me it’s been very rewarding because of the friendships I’ve made with kids calling them junior high through high school.”

McCain, a second-generation official, has made worthwhile lifetime friendships.

Each year, McCain said officials get a state rulebook, take a state test and must score a 70 percent to officiate.

“Knowing the rules and applying the rules on the floor are two different things,” McCain said.

“Most of the time the basketball officials look like the bad guys.”

However, McCain said the relationships with coaches and players make officiating worthwhile.