Optimism in Officiating
Presented by: Lior Doron
Optimism in Officiating
Agenda
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Practical Exercises
Theory
Exercises Revisited
Safeguards / Disadvantages
Great Quotes
Follow-up
Optimism Test
Answer these 12 questions
with the situation that
BEST FITS.
#1) You refereed a great
game
a) I took charge of the game
b) The players really seemed to
have everything under control
#2) You won the whistle
blower award (WBA)
a) I made myself more available
and was ready to work more
often
b) Other referees were probably
more busier that period than
normally.
#3)One team lost because
you blew the game and
made a bad call
a) I made an error in judgment
b) The players got the best of me
#4) You start the game
and you feel cold
a) I didn’t warm up enough
b) It’s cooler in the rink than
usual
#5) You are feeling excited
about the upcoming
season
a) At the beginning of the year, I
feel the positive anticipation of
the hockey season
b) I am motivated to referee
#6)You receive your
schedule and notice you
have high division games
a) Sometimes I get these games
b) I referee high division games
#7) The game has
gotten out of hand
a) You should have called a
tighter game right from the
beginning
b) The players have lost control
of the game
#8) You have lost
confidence in yourself
a) I don’ t have confidence in
myself.
B) I just don’t have confidence
right now
#9) You just finished
working a great game
a) I am a good referee
b) I am feeling good about myself
#10) You call a penalty and
feel confident in your call
a) My penalty calls are very
accurate
b) My judgment is very good
#11) You’ve been feeling
run down lately
a) My legs are feeling heavy
b) My body is feeling tired
#12) Your mind wanders
during the game
a) I can lose focus every so often
b) My mind can be distracted
once in a while
Learned Optimism by
Martin Seligman
• Pioneer in learned
optimism
• Learned Optimism (book)
Optimism Defined
A tendency to expect the best
possible outcome or dwell on
the most hopeful aspects of a
situation
Benefits of Optimism
• Avoid depression / quitting
• Healthier lifestyle / referee
longer
• Become more persistent / enjoy
the game more
Optimism & Its
Dimensions
1) Personalization
2) Time
3) Pervasiveness
Keep in mind that good and bad
things happen to you on the ice
and in life
Dimension #1)
Personalization
• Good things –
take
responsibility
• Bad things - find
a reason (not
you)
#1) You refereed a great
game
ANSWERS ARE IN CAPS
A) I took charge of the game
b) The players really seemed to
have everything under control
#2) You won the whistle
blower award (WBA)
A) I made myself more available
and was ready to work more
often
b) Other referees were probably
more busier that period than
normally.
#3)One team lost because
you blew the game and
made a bad call
a) I made an error in judgment
B) The players got the best of me
#4) You start the game
and you feel cold
a) I didn’t warm up enough
B) It’s cooler in the rink than
usual
Dimension #2)
Time
• Good things
happen a long
time
• Bad things
happen a short
period of time
#5) You are feeling excited
about the upcoming
season
a) At the beginning of the year, I
feel the positive anticipation of
the hockey season
B) I am motivated to referee
#6)You receive your
schedule and notice you
have high division games
a) Sometimes I get these games
B) I referee high division games
#7) The game has
gotten out of hand
a) You should have called a
tighter game right from the
beginning
B) The players have lost control
of the game
#8) You have lost
confidence in yourself
a) I don’ t have confidence in
myself.
B) I just don’t have confidence
right now
Dimension #3)
Pervasiveness
• Good things
affect many
areas of your
life
• Bad things
affect one or
few areas of
your life
#9) You just finished
working a great game
a) I am a good referee
b) I am feeling good about myself
#10) You call a penalty and
feel confident in your call
a) My penalty calls are very
accurate
b) My judgment is very good
#11) You’ve been feeling
run down lately
a) My legs are feeling heavy
b) My body is feeling tired
#12) Your mind wanders
during the game
a) I can lose focus every so often
b) My mind can be distracted
once in a while
Your Results / 12
1
8%
4
33%
7
58%
10
83%
2
17%
5
42%
8
67%
11
92%
3
25%
6
50%
9
75%
12
100%
• Look at Your
Weakest /
Strongest
Dimension
• Sampling Bias
• Original
Questionnaire
The project you are in
charge of is a great
success
a) I kept a close watch over
everyone’s work
b) Everyone devoted a lot of time
and energy to it
You get a flower from a
secret admirer.
a) I am attractive to him / her
b) I am a popular person
You host a successful
dinner
a) I was particularly charming
that night
b) I am a good host
Safeguard Against
Optimism
• Lose sense of
reality
• Loss of
accountability
Quotes: Optimistic or
Pessimistic?
• As soon as I make a mistake, a big
one, I live with that for two, three,
four games… I…
recognize my
mistake, I do not try and make up
any excuses, say no, no, this is not a
mistake. I live with it and that’s
something I haven’t resolved so far
since I made one and I live with it for
a few games or for a few minutes
during the game.
Great Optimistic Quotes
Wayne Gretzky after losing in the bronze medal game to the Fins in ‘98
“I’ve had some big wins and some
tough losses, but the Czech game,
no question, is one of the
toughest losses I’ve ever
experienced. We were in shock. It
was one of the those rare
feelings we’ve gotten in our
careers where we really didn’t
know what hit us.”
Great Optimistic Quotes
Myrium Bedard after losing in the biathlon in ‘98
“I just didn’t have
that last push”
Follow - Up
• www.flowinsports.com/concordiaref
• Take the original Seligman Optimism
test & beat your score!
• Extend this knowledge beyond the
rink and into your personal and
professional lives