Certified to Observe

Last weekend I became certified as a UPA-sanctioned observer. In order to become certified I had to go through a full day of training, pass a couple tests on the rules, and get evaluated while I observed a college ultimate game. Surprisingly tough requirements actually. But now I have to say I'm now very confident in my knowledge of the new 11th edition rules.

People will ask, why do you want to become an observer? The answer is, because some day I'd like to play in an observed game. I really believe in the spirit of the game, but sometimes on the highly competitive level, poor calls can make the difference in a game. I once watched a team lose a regional championship by one point on an absolutely horrendous call that, had there been observers in the game, would have surely been overturned. So when you can't count on a player's honesty in a really important game, it's nice to have an impartial observer.

Other people will ask, what the hell is an observer? For anyone that doesn't know, ultimate frisbee is a self-refereed sport. Players call their own fouls and violations. When there is a question as to whether a receiver is in or out of bounds, it's their call (unless they defer to someone else who has a better perspective).

Eventually, as games became more and more competitive, the UPA (Ultimate Players Association, the governing body for Ultimate in the US) introduced the observer system. Observers do not make calls or stop play. Observers make active calls on in and out of bounds and generally just watch the game. If a player makes a call, the normal rules apply. They try to work it out on the field. If the call on the field does not satisfy the players involved in the infraction, they can appeal to the observer to make a ruling. Only then will the observer say anything about their opinion on the matter. What if the observer can't be sure of what happened? If neither observer (they usually work in two-person crews) feels comfortable making a decision, then the rules call for a "Do-Over." That's right, the technical term is "Do-Over."

I have to say, I really like the system. Many ultimate players do not like the idea of observers, we're a self-refereed sport and we're proud of it. That's what makes us different, we keep things civil on the field not because some arbitrary authority figure says so, but because we really believe in good sportsmanship. However, after observing some games, I have to say, there are some real advantages to having observers in a game. First of all, we keep time limits, forcing teams to keep the game moving between points. Secondly, the teams we observed were very civil. I think I actually ruled on two contentious calls in the four games I observed (and I saw the semi-final and final of a large college tournament). In the second instance, the thrower called a foul and the marker contested the foul call. The thrower turned to me for a ruling and by the time I could say anything, the marker's team had intervened from the sidelines and talked him out of contesting the call.

All in all, a great compromise. Observers give you the opportunity to show that you are a spirited player, but for the occasional asshole who will try to take advantage of the rules, observers can help keep them in line. Don't get me started on people who take advantage of rules in unobserved games, you can't publish what I think of them. Who cheats in a self-refereed sport? It really speaks to your character when you intentionally foul to gain an advantage. That doesn't make you a good defender, it makes you worthless cheater.

The final observation on becoming an observer? It certainly helps to have some experience in the sport. My roommate and I both became certified last weekend and we agreed that people certainly afforded us some respect since we clearly know what's going on in the game (that, and we have a sense of humor). On the other hand, I also support people with less experience getting the observer training. If nothing else, you will really learn the rules of the sport you play.

PS - I think I'm a big fan of the 11th edition. I love the addition of the "disc space" call, now all these hot shot defenders who run up and hump your leg are going to have to learn how to really mark. I'm not sure that I'm a huge fan of the new "super-continuation," but we'll see how that plays out.