My name is David Budke and I have been officiating for 5 years, and loved most all of the time I have spent on the mat. That being said, it seems this year is the worst I have every seen with ref bashing. It seems like every Monday morning I can log on here and all I see is who got screwed and how bad the refs were at a specific tournament. It is sickening to think that parents will use this as an excuse to explain to kids why they lost. Plain and simple, either your not as good as the other kid, or you didn't wrestle as well as the other kid. IF a questionable call is made, blow it off. If you let the kid think that is the reason for the loss, they will use it as a crutch. But even with arguementative coaches and parents, the state does offer some great coaches out there. I enjoy working with several good coaches such:Bobby at Salina, Matt in Emporia,Scott in Hillsboro, Brian in Chase County, and several more people I just know as "hey you". I am grateful to everyone who hires me as an official and I work hard not to "screw" anyone out of earned points or an earned pin. Next year I would like to see everyone not concentrate on the quality of officiating, but the real reason we are in this, the kids.
David Budke
Ref#564
