american section

[Phil E]

So we have all been blocked from even seeing what other countries are discussing?

Hmmmm :chin:

 

[OB..]

So we have all been blocked from even seeing what other countries are discussing?

Hmmmm :chin:

I too am uncomfortable with that.

By all means have a separate forum because there are aspects that differ. Let ddjamo moderate it to remove stuff he finds objectionable. However I am an americanophile: i worked and played rugby there for 6 years; my son lives there and I have an American grandson; we have a regular exchange with American referees. I am interested in the development of American rugby.

I don't really understand why ddjamo is so upset.

I have seen/worked with TO3 rfu 5's on exchange over here that would be middle of our pack at territorial level. I also had a yorkshire level 8 come over and was so bad that we couldn't appoint him matches other than the lowest women. he was overly dangerous and didn't even know how to whistle, signal, talk. this is not uncommon.

I have never seen even a single L8 that bad. In my experience it is indeed uncommon. Our American exchange seems to work well as far as levels are concerned. I am not aware of any complaints there.

To some extent I can understand chopper's irritation that he was not allowed into the referees only area!

 

[ddjamo]

so you can sympathize with chopper but not the north american frustration with the forum. go figure?

and I don't think there is any issue at hand with exchanges - my point was that your country of origin only limits your ability to ref a certain level of rugby period. referees can develop just as well in other places than england AND even with the GMG.

 

[Phil E]

my point was that your country of origin only limits your ability to ref a certain level of rugby period. referees can develop just as well in other places than england AND even with the GMG.

Sorry I don't understand. How does your country of origin limit your ability? Surely only an individuals abilities can do that.
I agree completely that referees in all countries can develop as well as any others. You only have to look at the level of expertise on this forum to see that.

I don't remember anyone on here saying otherwise. Please quote them if you think different.

 

[Davet]

davet as one of the most biased I wouldn't expect you to recognize it and no matter how I reply it won't change your thought process....that's my point - why fight it? I have an idea that will help us get what we need without all the crap and it will drive quite a few americans to the site. lets say stu, simon and I moderate our private forum...now we get michigan, socal, virginia and indiana societies coming here to do quizzes, review film and discuss refereeing and rugby. the forum will pick up 30-60 active members immediately and we can encourage them to get involved.

maybe you are just afraid of being outnumbered davet?

What a complete pile of shite!

I am not biased against refs from
the US. I have on occasion criticised the US refs official body, but then so have many US refs. Maybe you can back up your allegation?

 

[OB..]

so you can sympathize with chopper but not the north american frustration with the forum. go figure?

I said that I understood his irritation at being locked out of one part of the forums.

and I don't think there is any issue at hand with exchanges - my point was that your country of origin only limits your ability to ref a certain level of rugby period. referees can develop just as well in other places than england AND even with the GMG.

I have never argued otherwise. I agree that if you don't have top level matches available to referee then you cannot build the requisite experience, however talented you may be. Nonetheless I am not convinced that preventing outsiders from commenting on the problems is necessarily beneficial.

 

[Robert Burns]

If you were not part of this group, you would be none the wiser. Those who are not mods do not see this forum.

The US referees have complained about having their topics turned into jokes because it does at times seem that they are ridiculed for being a tier 2 nations referees.

Bryan gets away with it because we all know he's in the verge of great things, but whilst humour is good, when it's constant (from different people, but still comes from someone) I can understand how some could feel frustrated.

Lets be honest, the US was the second biggest union represented in this forum. Now we hardly see any of them post. One person frustrations I can ignore because of majority rule, but when a whole union seems to have the issue, something needs changed.

Perhaps when they are back they will feel confident enough to open the forum, until then I suppose it's down to how everyone else treats them on the open and refs forums.

 

[SimonSmith]

I would hate for this to get factional in any way. I'm somewhere between OB and Robbie on this. There is part of me that does wonder at the disappearance of a number of US referees.

One goes away - that's him.
Multiples? Suggests a deeper seated issue.

I'll be honest and say that I don't see everything that Jamo says he sees. But I think a degree of awareness of the strictures within which we have to work can be lacking on occasion.
Not every referee in the US has a wider awareness of rugby outside America; that means, to a degree, some of the younger, less experienced referees don't know the exact degree of BS that USAR lands us with. I know the default setting for many of us - me included - is that much of the GMG is BS. But the assumptive tone that occasionally enters threads - almost the 'as any fule know' tone - can jar, because over here, not every fule does kno, because that external experience or wider perspective isn't available.

 

[ddjamo]

ss - your posts are responded to more often than all the other US refs combined AND you get more respect for two reasons:

1 - you're far more respectable than the rest of us put together

2 - you are from the UK

so you won't notice the little picky/diggy type things I would notice...and eventually started predicting.