To Referee the Game – You Gotta Know the Rules | Discussing the rules to happiness, life, and NCAA Women's Basketball!

Change: How Do You Like Me Now?

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Rachael Melot

“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change -” Heraclitus

I feel like the end of the year is a time for change, but today’s itinerary had more changes then normal. How people handle change fascinates me.

As I recently tried flying from Salt Lake City to New York City, I observed how people handle travel changes. Similarly, I have seen how different players, coaches, media persons, spectators and referees have responded to the changes in NCAA basketball this year. I posted an earlier blog (Freedom of Movement) about my opinion on the officiating changes, so today lets discuss travel changes!

Original travel agenda/plan:
8:30 a.m. MT – flight to NYC with 4:20 ET arrival (change planes in Philadelphia)
Spend the evening Christmas shopping in Times Square and see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Christmas Tree

Ironically, the morning’s church lesson should have been my first clue that things were not going according to my “plan.” Pastor Craig made the point that “our plan is not always our purpose” and most of the time when God intervenes he “interrupts our life”. Since I landed in NYC at 11:30p.m. (7 hours late), I had to just laugh at the irony.

While I laugh – not everyone is so amused. Let me describe the people I saw today. It’s okay to admit which type of flyer you are in the responses/comments. (Go ahead – I dare you to confess)

1^st: Up In The Air – George Clooney type: these people (uhhh, me) are on a plane several times a week and belong to the loyalty program, the lounge club, and dial directly to Platinum Customer Care. No standing in line for these frequent flyers. They tend to already have a back up plan with two contingencies before the gate agent even announces the delay. Generally speaking, they don’t react, just roll with the punches, and try to use the new found time to complete a work project or two.

2^nd: Semi-frequent business traveler: they are the funniest to me because they tend to think they are more important to the airline then they are, and they tend to be the most dramatic.

3^rd: Inexperienced or new traveler: Poor college kid, first time flying wife, or foreigner who may have a language barrier. They kinda work from the place of fear. They don’t want to get left or lost or noticed. They just follow the crowd, stand in the long lines, and hope for the best. They tend to always look a little lost but are generally kind.

4^th: App-savvy, but not frequent flyer: They have every app about flying! Flightracker, weather channel, Amtrak, American, hotelstonight, etc are all running. They know the status of all the moving parts, the latest announcement, and they get off the plane and go straight to the bar to keep everyone informed of their knowledge.

5^th: Family traveler: God bless em! They are doing their best to entertain their children, so they pretty much ask only one question, “how much longer?” As my friend Charla (mother of two young boys) says, “we are praying the whole time, please don’t let my child scream or cry the entire way. Please don’t let the other passengers hate me.”

So when the pilot announced we’d be re-routed to Pittsburgh because the Philly airport was closed, I did what I do: I got off the plane, made a plan, a couple back up plans, a few phone calls, and went to the lounge bar. I sat within earshot of the savvy know-it-all traveler and completely out of earshot from the family traveler (sorry – but true).

As I wrote this blog posting about change, I am reminded of all the changes that have happened to me this year. I am also drafting all the changes I would like to happen in 2014.

I encourage you to take the time to reflect on the changes in your life this last year. Assess whether you need to make some contingency plans for the changes being announced for your life in 2014.

May God bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and give you peace. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Posted in Reinventing Yourself, The Rules, Uncategorized | Tagged Frequent-flyer program, George Clooney, New York City, Rockefeller Center, Salt Lake City | 1 Comment

For the Good of the Game – Allow Freedom of Movement!

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Rachael Melot

For those who have been reading my blog all year probably guessed I would love this dramatic change in how basketball games are being called this season because the mandate simply states enforce the rules as they are written.

As a lover of the rules, I find this to be the easiest adjustment– though the most dramatic one – since I began my NCAA Division I career nearly 10 years ago. The focus of every decision this year is to enforce the NCAA officiating philosophy:

Allow freedom of movement: The ball handler/dribbler, cutter or shooter must be permitted to move without being illegally impeded, re-routed or displaced. Speed, quickness, balance and rhythm must be maintained — all displacement is a FOUL!

As a basketball spectator you may hate the foul calls, but it is so GREAT for the game of basketball. According to a study written and presented by Val Ackerman to the NCAA we must have a vision for the “business of women’s basketball.” And if you haven’t noticed, sports are businesses! The way the game of basketball is being officiated this year is a reflection of a vision for the game and the desire to make the sport MORE enjoyable to the fan. Our foul calls today will make the game better to watch tomorrow.

Here is why it WILL BE more enjoyable:

By consistently enforcing the rules of legal defense we will have freedom of movement in the game. It means our game will not be about the strongest, most aggressive player/team. The game will involve skill, finesse, play-making, offensive movement and most of all SCORING! And that, my friends, will make the game better to watch. (eventually) And honestly – aren’t you sick of watching post players battling for a position and girls on the floor every time they go to make a great cut to get open?

When you watch the games this year, you can throw the idea of referees calling advantage/disadvantage out the window, along with the idea that a referee will watch the play start, develop, and finish before making a decision. Those ideas, and the old man’s mentality of no blood = no foul are clichés of the past. Our game will be reminiscent of the Celtics v Lakers rivalry when play-making and finesse had a place.

So to my readers who are fans – be patient. It will get better. To my readers who are officials – stick with it. Continue blowing the whistle on illegal contact and it will get better. For more information on how we will enforce freedom of movement see excerpts from our rule book.

A. Freedom of Movement

1) There is excessive physicality and lack of freedom of movement.

2) Players must be permitted to move freely without being held, pushed, rerouted or impeded.

B. Contact on and by the ball handler/dribbler

1) One ‘measure-up’ touch is permitted on the ball handler. All other contact is a foul.

2) Putting a body on the ball handler/dribbler and keeping it on is a foul.

3) Legal defenders on the ball handler/dribbler must not be penalized when the ball handler/dribbler makes illegal contact on a legally established defender.

C. Contact on the shooter

1) The slightest contact on a shooter’s arm can affect a shot.

2) Contact on the shooter’s arm by a defender who is outside her vertical plane is a foul (defender leaning forward with hands/arms on the shooter’s hand/arm)

3) An airborne shooter must be permitted to land.

D. Screening

1) Knowing what constitutes a legal screen is imperative.

2) Screeners must establish a legal position without causing contact.

3) Defenders cannot be permitted to push through legal screens or hold screeners.

4) A screener is permitted to roll after her screen. She is not permitted to clamp/hold the defender during her roll.

Posted in The Game, The Rules | Tagged Dr. J, Freedom of Movement, NCAAWBB, rules | 3 Comments

Only In Death, Did I Learn to Live By Julie Brittain

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Rachael Melot

Only In Death, Did I Learn to Live By Julie Brittain

Please read this amazingly inspirational story of my friend who says she learned to live through death.

WOW – my message to all of us in this time of officiating chaos is to remember the people most important to you not the the things or the game that is most important to you.

Posted in Reinventing Yourself, The Relationship | Tagged Death, JulieBrittain, Shriver, Transformation | Leave a comment

Covington Mayor Mike Cooper says charges will be dropped against arrested referees

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Rachael Melot

Covington Mayor Mike Cooper says charges will be dropped against arrested referees

Charges Dropped Against High School Officials

Mayor Mike Cooper, Covington, La., announced Thursday that charges will be dropped against two arrested football referees, who were detained during a high school game on October 11, 2013, for “public intimidation” of a police officer. Newly-sworn Police Chief Tim Lentz said, “We apologize with all of our hearts for the events that took place Friday night. It should’ve been handled differently.”

Go here to see the Mayor’s press conference.

Find more coverage here.

Statement from the Louisiana High School Officials Association

Statement from the Greater New Orleans Football Officials Association

Posted in The Game, The Rules, Uncategorized | Tagged Arrested, Covington, Football, Referee | Leave a comment

Set the Goal to Find the Joy and then Express It!

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Rachael Melot

You know, joy is a funny thing. It is so hard to describe and separate from other emotions, even though, by definition, it seems so simple.

Joy: “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.”

When I hear the word joy, I always think back to the vacation bible school song, “Down in My Heart” by George Willis Cooke.

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

Down in my heart

Down in my heart

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart

Down in my heart to stay

And I’m so happy

So very happy

I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart

And I’m so happy

So very happy

I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart

With the 2013-14 basketball season approaching, I find myself planning my holiday tournaments. In doing so, I am reminded of, and reflect on, some painful memories. One thing I remember is that about a year ago I wrote out some goals for my life. I wrote these goals in July 2012, and I still read through them from time to time.

You might think a newly single woman would list financial goals, husband and children goals, or even work goals as top priorities. And while I had some of those on my list, the item I placed at the top of my list was “find my joy.”

At 35 years of age in 2012, I realized that for the first time in my life, I didn’t have joy. I could smile every day, do my job, pay the bills and put on the happy face, but I didn’t have inner joy and I knew it.

So I made it a goal to find my joy. And what I can report a little over a year later is that I am sitting on a train writing my blog at this very moment…and “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Down in my heart to stay!!!”

And crazy enough, people notice!! Here are a few comments I’ve heard lately:

“It is so good to see you happy – you deserve it.” – from a friend

“You know when I saw you a year ago, I wasn’t sure you were going to make it. It is so good to see your smile (the real one) back.” – from a referee

“How are you so happy? Are you always this happy?” – from a work colleague

So here is my message to each referee: Joy is pursued. Joy lives deep within, but definitely noticed on the outside. I believe coaches, players, colleagues and commissioners know if you have joy. I also believe that it is not external situations that have the power over our joy – we do. And I searched for it in my soul, in my self, and in my God. I recently lost a colleague who decided she no longer had any joy. She took a dramatic step that affected everyone around her. I wish I had known her well enough to share my joy with her.

Today, I challenge you in the following ways: