Hi Michael. I sympathize with your plight and appreciate your effort. Doesn't change a thing I've said. I would point out several things that you, as a certified official, probably already know:
1) You should ignore parents/fans, unless they are clearly endangering you, or (more importantly) player participants, or are WAY over-the-top racist, sexist or profane. Anyone who CAN'T do this shouldn't officiate.
2) Good officials don't get any worse when harassed; patently bad ones don't get any better when ignored or praised.
3) There should ABSOLUTELY be a fitness standard for high school officials and THAT should be a core component of certification.
4) As pointed out above, I have listened in on certification classes and been shocked by what I heard. And DIDN'T hear. As in, "How can I take your comments seriously when you're CLEARLY unfit?" How can a veteran official expect young up-and-comers to stay in the game, when HE'S more critical of them than the fans EVER get?
5) It doesn't take a certification badge to recognize lack of physical fitness, lack of effort, poor judgment or misinterpretation of rules.
6) If I were evaluating a high school official's work, I'd be a rare duck indeed. I have been to well over 100 high school matches over the last four years and can count on one hand the number of times I recognized an "evaluator" in the stands.
