Are you Obsessed?

The Mindset that Fuels the Relentless Pursuit of Improvement

Mar 09, 2026

A Crown Refs Community Reflection 🏀

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you care deeply about officiating. Maybe you’re a veteran official. Maybe you’re just getting started. Maybe you’re someone who listens to podcasts, studies plays, watches film, and looks for ways to get better. 🎧📚🎥

Or maybe… you’re obsessed. 🔥

This article started with a story from Crown Refs community member Julie Choat. Julie began officiating in 2023 working CYO and AAU games. Like many new officials, she was learning on the fly — trying to figure out positioning, signals, rules, and the rhythm of the game.

Then one moment changed everything.

During an early AAU game with 10-year-old boys, a defender stepped in and took what looked like a perfect charge right in front of her. Julie froze. No whistle. No signal. Just a moment where the game moved faster than her mind. 😳

She remembers standing there like a deer in headlights.

As a former coach and Division 1 player at Liberty University, she believed in rewarding good defense. Seeing that kid sacrifice his body for the team — and realizing she didn’t even know what to look at — bothered her deeply.

That moment lit a fire. 🔥

Julie describes what happened next in one word:

Obsession.

Not the unhealthy kind. Not perfectionism. But a relentless curiosity about the craft. Wanting to get calls correct. Wanting to be a great partner. Wanting to give 100% effort every time she stepped on the floor. 💯

She started listening to officiating podcasts everywhere — in the car, at the gym, in the grocery store. Studying rules. Practicing her signals. Watching plays. Thinking about the game constantly.

Three years later, she’s even more obsessed.

And that raises an interesting question.

How obsessed are you? 🫵

When Did It Click? 🧠

Julie’s story sparked a conversation inside the Crown Refs Community. We asked officials a simple question:

When did you realize you were all-in on officiating? What flipped the switch?🎚️

For some, the moment came when they discovered how much they didn’t know.

Nate shared that his turning point happened when he began working varsity and playoff games and realized he didn’t yet have the tools to handle uncommon situations or communicate effectively with coaches.

For Brady, the obsession began while working intramural basketball in college — without formal training or even a rulebook. Instead of accepting that, he started searching for answers and discovered a world of officials who were just as committed to learning. 🌍

Eric said it was simpler than that.

The first game he ever worked.

He immediately knew this was something he wanted to improve at every time he stepped on the floor.

Mark’s journey started when coaches and officials in his hometown began encouraging him to pursue officiating more seriously. They saw something in him that he hadn’t yet seen in himself.

Sometimes the switch flips because of a mistake.
Sometimes because of encouragement.👏
Sometimes because you realize you love the challenge. ⛰️

But eventually every serious official reaches a moment where the craft becomes more than just showing up for games.

What Are You Obsessed With Improving? 📈

Obsession in officiating doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone.

For some officials, it’s about mastering the technical side of the game.

Nate shared that he’s currently obsessed with improving his mechanics and rules knowledge, especially at the NCAA women’s level.

Clay is focused on learning the fundamentals of three-person mechanics, technical foul procedures, and staying connected with off-ball action.

Brady is preparing for the introduction of the shot clock in his state, working to become more clock-aware on every whistle. ⏱️

Others are focused on the human side of officiating.

Lance described his obsession with “improving game management, presence, and communication — the parts of officiating that often determine whether a game flows smoothly or spirals into chaos.”

And Carmela explained that her focus right now is developing presence.

Not in a loud way.

But in a steady way.

Presence, she says, is posture. Eye contact. Confidence without ego. The ability to anchor a game rather than simply react to it.⚓️

Different officials chase different details.

But the mindset is the same.

Always improving something.

Healthy Obsession 🌱

Obsession can sound like a dangerous word.

But inside the Crown Refs community, the healthiest officials define it differently.

Nate describes it as trying to improve 0.5% every day through constant self-evaluation — looking at video clips, rules knowledge, and mastery of mechanics.

Carmela calls it commitment without self-destruction.

Watching film not to beat yourself up, but to grow your game.

Holding yourself to a high standard while still allowing yourself to be human.

She put it perfectly:

“I compete with who I was last season, not with everyone else in the room.”

That shift changes everything. 🔄

Because obsession in officiating isn’t about perfection.

It’s about ownership and accountability.

Learning how to critique yourself without tearing yourself down is how your build yourself up bigger and better.

Extracting lessons without carrying negativity forward. 📝

What Officials Are Proud Of 🙌

When officials talk about their journey, they rarely mention status or recognition.

Instead, they talk about trustworthiness.

Eric says he’s most proud of the trust his assignors have shown in him through increasingly challenging assignments.

Lance values the validation he receives from assignors who trust his work on the floor.

Clay finds pride in supporting the next generation of players by providing a fair and safe environment servicing the game he loves. 🏀

Brady points to improvements in whistle discipline, trusting partners, and communicating with coaches.

In other words, the things officials are proud of aren’t external achievements.

They’re internal growth.

One Word 🗣️

We also asked the community to describe their officiating journey in one word.

Here’s what they said:

📈 Progression
🏆 Successful
⚡ Exciting
🚀 Advancing
🎩 Distinguished
🦋 Evolving

Different words.

Same mindset.

Why Obsession Matters ❤️‍🔥

Officiating can be a difficult profession.

There’s criticism.
Mistakes.
Missed calls.
Noise from the outside. 📣

Maybe that’s why officials who truly love the craft lean so hard into growth.

Because obsession, in its healthiest form, isn’t about ego.

It’s about care for the craft.

Caring enough to study the rules.
Caring enough to watch your film.
Caring enough to support your partners.
Caring enough to keep improving even when nobody is watching.

Julie asked a simple question:

How obsessed are you?🫵🏽

The answers from this community show something powerful.

Obsession in officiating doesn’t mean chasing perfection.

It means committing to growth.

One possession at a time.

One game at a time.

One season at a time. ⏳

And doing it together.

#ServetheGame🏀

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