Wow, someone said it. Yes, if an official is on the mat for beer money or that boat payment that put him in over his head, he should surely think about a part time gig at QT or Bass Pro instead. I think everyone agrees that the officials should be of the same mind and spirit as the wrestlers and coaches — the passion of competition and the pursuit of excellence. But how do you vett that?
I don't know the process in which a wrestling official becomes "official". I know that other sports have National Governing bodies that educate and train their officials with clear grades and frequent performance reviews that allow them to officiate more challenging competitions as they gain competence. Perhaps wrestling is the same in theory but is suffering from a deficit somewhere in the process that allow poor officials to slide by with little to no accountability.
A facet of your solution of recruiting young wrestlers who have recently stopped competing at an elite level is brilliant. These young men need to learn how to run mat rooms from experienced coaches and start apprenticing under our best and most reliable officials.
So, how do we make that happen?
