Thomas Tournament

[swarmleader]

I duno Eichelberger and Pensyl are pretty bad too lol

[fatcat]

As an official from another district who was in attendance for the entire Thomas tournament I would have to disagree and say that the officials did a really nice job.
I was sitting at the announcers table for the finals and in the 112 final the fans accross the gym (I believe CR & Hyn fans) wanted a takedown and back points near the edge of the mat for the CR wrestler. This was a "funk" move in which neither wrestler had CONTROL of the other therefore no points should have been awarded and the period ended as it should have with the wrestlers finishing in neutral. In the 125 final it did not appear from my position that the Hyndman wrestler could keep the NS wrestler in nearfall criteria long enough to get the two back points. The NS wrestler was in and out of nearfall so often that the official could not get a definite two count. In the 103 final the awarding of the escape instead of the reversal was a judgement call and the only person in position to make that call was the official and the mat assistant (who did in fact discuss this before a final call was made).
I have had the opportunity to work with Pensyl, Eichelberger, Musselman, Sherlock and Diehl numerous times the past few years and I can say for certain they are quality officials who do the best possible job they can. These officials are always asked to officate the bigger dual meets in your area and the PIAA uses them in the district, regional and state tournaments. If they were as bad as you claim I am sure these officals would not be getting the wrestling assignments they do.
So to SWARMLEADER and the rest of you who find it so easy to criticize the officials, please send the PIAA a check for $25 and take your wrestling test and take to the mat. Based on your knowledge of the sport of wrestling, I'm almost certain that you will never make the wrong call in a high pressure, action packed match nor will you ever be out of position.
Let me take that back. Please do not send the PIAA a check for $25 and do no take your test. It seems as though you do not have a clear understanding of the rules of wrestling and would be a terrible official. Please continue officiating from your bleacher seat fifty feet away from the wrestling action, assuming you know all of the rules of wrestling (i.e. control, stalling, nearfall criteria, illegal holds, etc.) and feel free to bash these guys who try to do the best possible job they can.
To Pensyl, Eichelberger, Musselman, Sherlock and Diehl, keep up the good work. You guys are always fair, impartial and unbiased. Believe me, the knowledgeable fans of wrestling appreciate the fine job you guys do each and every time you walk out on the mat.

[southpaw]

Officals stick together like doctors and lawyers. They'll never criticize one of their own! lol...

[deliverance]

To Pensyl, Eichelberger, Musselman, Sherlock and Diehl, keep up the good work. You guys are always fair, impartial and unbiased.

I'm just glad to see you don't have Pencil in the same sentence as being impartial and unbiased. However, you did use the word good in the same sentence as his name. He's very bias, in my opinion. Diehl is just flat out bad.

[Lefteyelouie]

Fatcat- what you needed to say in order to for our CR friends to be happy is this. "You guys are always fair, impartial and unbiased towards every school except CR." LOL

[swarmleader]

omg... im absolutely horrified to know who you are(fatcat) if you think the officiating that these so called referee's put on this weekend was good then i pitty your judgement.... Well you may think you are the GOD of wrestling just because your an official to but i wrestled for 13 years and making 2 regional appearences, i think i would know who is and who is not a good official. I dont hold back, when i see i bad call i point it out and when i can point out over a dozen bad calls, thats what i call bad officiating. Im not just knocking on these guys bcuz im an angery ex-wrestler, they have made bad calls time and time again. i know you cant make all the right calls all the time but dont you think you could make the right calls at least the majority of the time?

Oh and by the way, the fans and wrestlers think those guys suck.....

[fatcat]

Although I wrestled for only 12 years, officaited more than twenty years, worked 4 individual state tournaments and 2 dual meet state tournaments, and have been my chapters rules interpreter for 10 years, I do not profess to being a officiating "God". I have worked with officials from all over the state of PA I have to say these guys are every bit as good as the officials from district 6, 7, 10, 3, etc.
Again I must ask you, why do these officials continue to get the post season tournaments (regionals & states) if they are as bad as you claim. Officials get evaluated in the post season and if they score well enough the PIAA will continue to use them otherwise they are not considered. These fellows are always at regionals and Musselman, Eichelbergerm Pencil and Sherlock have been at states the past four years so they must be doing something right.
I could be just like you and criticize your qualifications: wrestled for 13 years and made a couple of trips to regionals.... so I know good officiating. Maybe the only reason you made it to regionals was due to the fact you wrestled in a district that only had 11 or 12 schools and your weight class only had 8 wrestlers and you finished third which sent you to regionals only to have you wrestle no more than 3 matches before heading home. I will not do that because you should be commended for participating in the most physically and mentally demanding sport there is. Additionally, you and everyone else on this site are entitled to your opinions but until you take the PIAA test, wear the patch and work the mat as an official, keep you personal opinions about the officials to yourself. If you do not have anything positive to say about the wrestlers, officials, coaches or fans on this forum just read the posts rather than reply to them.

[KILLER_BEE]

i have been around wrestling all my life and terry is the worse ref i have ever seen,look at mondays johnstown paper front page is that backpoints or what??????????????? plain and simp.the photographer got it all.but not just that match terry is very bad at every match,i think jack does good and mike has his days.

[TheAnalyst]

Was that video they had in the paper? Last I heard you had to keep an opponent on his back for more than a mere 1/10th of a second it takes to snap a picture.

I agree with fatcat. If you don't like the officiating, become one yourself.

[COUNSELOR]

Analyst,
That is an interesting thought. Wouldn't it make it fair if they allowed instant repay or video playbacks when a ref can't make a quick decision when it is needed. That would eliminate the need for "make up calls".