Scheduling issues

I had to cover prep lacrosse this afternoon. The schedule had a noon start, as did the team's HSSports.net page.

I get there and the fucking thing is over. It apparently started at 10 a.m.

This has been a constant problem of late. Teams typically don't update their online schedule, nor does anyone call when changes are made. And with a two-person sports staff, we don't really have time to play phone tag with AD's.

How do I keep this crap at a minimum?

 

Only way is to call and confirm the time prior to leaving, whether it's a day in advance or whenever.

 

We have a lot more than 2 people covering high schools and a whole lot of schools to cover and this happens all the time.
It seems we have about 10 or 15 ADs who get it right and 65 or so who just don't do their jobs and then scream when we have the wrong time for a game in our schedule.

 

Any changes should fall on the AD, but that's, unfortunately, not how it looks when you're not at the game.

It's a pain, but I suggest you call Monday morning for the week's schedule on every sport or try and work out a system with the ADs in your coverage area, where they can send you weekly schedules. They've got them at the schools, I'm sure, because they're played on the loudspeaker each day -- at least they were at mine and many others, I've heard.

Or you can call each coach and get an up-to-date schedule. Chances are, they've got the most recent schedule in their possession, and they probably won't mind getting the paper a fresh one.

 

He's right. This happens on occasion for us. What are you gonna do?

 

After a school's schedule is fucked up about three times, quit covering them. And tell the coaches why.

Of course, this doesn't work so well with spring sports, for which the schedule gets turned upside down every time you have a rain day.

 

This happens, and so does the instance where the team changes fields at the last minute. Call beforehand, let them know you plan to cover and get a cell phone number.

That way, when they do switch the field at the last minute, start the game early and you can't get the AD on his cell, at least you're covered.

 

I always found it helpful to have a good relationship with the men and women in charge of scheduling officials for games. If a game's time/date needs to be changes for whatever reason, who can be sure that the coach or AD will be on the phone immediately with the referees coordinator.

I usually talked to the coordinators for soccer, hoops and baseball/softball every couple of weeks to get the rundown on changes they knew about.

As an added benefit, some of them were pretty good at passing along news tips. They'd know which games were being canceled because of suspensions, wholesale academic ineligibility rulings, etc.

 

Something similar to that happened to me at a women's lacrosse game I was going to cover. It was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. at one field and it was moved to a different field on campus and starting at 8 p.m.

I ended up walking all the way across campus to the other field when I found out. I didn't feel like walking back to my car and then drive it to the nearby parking lot. I regretted that choice when I walked back in cold temperatures I wasn't prepared for.

At least I didn't miss the game...

 

athletic secretaries take care of that shit in these parts of the woods.

 

"But we announced it at school 2 days ago!" "Sir, how does that do me any good?"

 

I call the school the day of the event to confirm. It's really not that hard. Unless it's the weekend that is.