Well, the season has come and gone. It was my first season refereeing high school and I went from someone relatively well-known, and hopefully respected, to the new-kid-on-the-block. I think I did fairly well.
Like most newcomers, I was told that my first season I wouldn't get any middles which was OK by me. Having observed high school ball over the years I noticed that the refs do a pretty good job in the middle and a below average job on the lines. If I can be a great AR than that would be OK by me.
But just a few weeks into the season I got a middle assigned. It was a boys game between two teams not in the same district.
The game started innocently enough. There were a few fouls and I was on top of them. But then the better team scored. Three times in all right before the end of the half.
What happened next wasn't so pretty. The team kept scoring but not so graciously. As Klaus Staefe told me afterwards, even when this team wins big they make it hard for the other team. Everything was borderline. Taunting? Not so but almost. And taunting in high school is a red card offense. Simulation? Not so but almost. Everytime this team was fouled, and they were winning 5-0, they yelled, rolled, and stayed down.
After the game I asked Klaus if I kept a lid on the game or failed to keep it from boiling over. He told me it was a little of both.
I wish I had a couple of days to digest that. But I had an assessment game the next day. It would not leave me confident.
But the assessment game went well. Very well, in fact.
Refereeing is not much different than being a player. If you have a bad game you must learn from it then forget about it and move on. That is what I did.
I finished out the season with some great assignments including a District final and Regional final as well. I'm actually looking forward to our next high school season.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Rain, Mud, and Thunderstorms
SATURDAY MAY 10, 2008, SIDNEY, OHIO
Ryan White and I headed out to Sidney, Ohio for the 12th Annual Mayfest Tournament. We drove to west of Columbus through some heavy rains, finally arriving Marysville at 2:00 a.m. Morning came quick, and we were on the road shortly after 6:00 a.m. As we drove through the country roads, many of the corn fields looked like rice paddies. There was standing water everywhere.
Not sure what we wanted more. To have driven that far to learn the tournament was canceled or to actually ref in those conditions. We refereed.
The complex where we were assigned, Sidney High School, had acres of flat open fields that had been lined for soccer. Although not premier fields, the grass was good on all fields. Where you could see the grass that is. There was standing water on all the fields and areas of mud more than 6" deep on many fields.
But the day was beautiful. The temperature only climbed to 65 but it was sunny, albeit a bit breezy. It was cool in the shade.
It was a beautiful day but it wasn't a day of beautiful soccer. The best passes seemed to find their way to a puddle and die. Many times the kids looked like a bad golfer in a sand trap trying two and three times to knock the ball out of the puddle. Sometimes only a large splash would result.
At the end of the day, I was covered in mud. From the top of my socks to the bottom of my shorts I was caked in dry mud. It was all over the back of my shorts and up my back as well.
It rained Saturday night. A lot. I was sure with the forecast for more rain in Sunday that the tournament would be canceled. It wasn't. At 8:00 a.m. it wasn't raining and the organizers were huddled around their laptops watching radar images. The fields were worse than the day before.
But we played. It rained lightly a little then before the 9:15 a.m. game, the sun came out. For three minutes. Then it disappeared, quickly, and was replaced by heavy rain. We played although I thought about suspending play due to visibility. But that too only lasted about three minutes. Then it was just rain. And lightning.
When I saw the lightning strike, I blew my whistle and suspended my game. The players actually ran to safety. No arguing about lightning here. Within two minutes the horn blew across the complex and everyone went for cover.
We first got word that the Cincinnati team that had been playing decided to go home instead. And after waiting out some of the severe weather, it was still storming after all, we informed the referee director that we would be leaving. We did have an 8 hour drive (turned into 11) ahead of us and he thanked us for coming. While we were eating at the Spot in Sidney, we learned from some other players that the tournament had just been canceled.
The Mayfest Classic is truly an event the community rallies behind. The high school complex consist of many acres of flat land which seems to be used only for the tournament. The fields will recover.
Ryan White and I headed out to Sidney, Ohio for the 12th Annual Mayfest Tournament. We drove to west of Columbus through some heavy rains, finally arriving Marysville at 2:00 a.m. Morning came quick, and we were on the road shortly after 6:00 a.m. As we drove through the country roads, many of the corn fields looked like rice paddies. There was standing water everywhere.
Not sure what we wanted more. To have driven that far to learn the tournament was canceled or to actually ref in those conditions. We refereed.
The complex where we were assigned, Sidney High School, had acres of flat open fields that had been lined for soccer. Although not premier fields, the grass was good on all fields. Where you could see the grass that is. There was standing water on all the fields and areas of mud more than 6" deep on many fields.
But the day was beautiful. The temperature only climbed to 65 but it was sunny, albeit a bit breezy. It was cool in the shade.
It was a beautiful day but it wasn't a day of beautiful soccer. The best passes seemed to find their way to a puddle and die. Many times the kids looked like a bad golfer in a sand trap trying two and three times to knock the ball out of the puddle. Sometimes only a large splash would result.
At the end of the day, I was covered in mud. From the top of my socks to the bottom of my shorts I was caked in dry mud. It was all over the back of my shorts and up my back as well.
It rained Saturday night. A lot. I was sure with the forecast for more rain in Sunday that the tournament would be canceled. It wasn't. At 8:00 a.m. it wasn't raining and the organizers were huddled around their laptops watching radar images. The fields were worse than the day before.
But we played. It rained lightly a little then before the 9:15 a.m. game, the sun came out. For three minutes. Then it disappeared, quickly, and was replaced by heavy rain. We played although I thought about suspending play due to visibility. But that too only lasted about three minutes. Then it was just rain. And lightning.
When I saw the lightning strike, I blew my whistle and suspended my game. The players actually ran to safety. No arguing about lightning here. Within two minutes the horn blew across the complex and everyone went for cover.
We first got word that the Cincinnati team that had been playing decided to go home instead. And after waiting out some of the severe weather, it was still storming after all, we informed the referee director that we would be leaving. We did have an 8 hour drive (turned into 11) ahead of us and he thanked us for coming. While we were eating at the Spot in Sidney, we learned from some other players that the tournament had just been canceled.
The Mayfest Classic is truly an event the community rallies behind. The high school complex consist of many acres of flat land which seems to be used only for the tournament. The fields will recover.
This was my second game on Saturday (9:15 a.m.). The ball by the chair is not the game ball -- just an extra. The ball is still at the player's feet -- although she gave it her best whack and succeeded only in soaking her opponent. Notice the opponent's foot covered in mud. Then notice the player on the right and ask yourself just how far down is her foot sunk?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Finally - High School
Let's be real. I am on the downward slope of athletic ability, having lost more than a step the past few years. Just about the time I thought about doing high school games in addition to USSF games, I started having severe foot problems which resulted in three surgeries in four years. I decided there were only so many games in these legs and not to pursue the high school route too.
With some gentle nudging over the winter, that changed. I attended our rules clinic and last night took on my first assignment as a referee. It was Potomac vs. Osbourn Park (OP). OP is the defending Va. AAA boys champion. What a game to start.
It's still winter although late in the day the temperature climbed to near 60. The 5:30 match was the JVs. We used a two-man system on that game with both of us referees. I soaked through one Under-Armour shirt and then changed between games. For the second I was an AR. After sunset temperatures dipped back into the 40s.
I knew kids on both teams. That's one of the drawbacks (?) of being Head Referee for PWSRA. But it was fun. And to them I will say do not be offended if I do not acknowledge you. I do know you but it does give the appearance of bias if I am chatting it up with you. So during games, you will be number 23 and I will be ref.
This was my first assignment and I had an assessor at the match. Although it wasn't for me, it was for the assigned referee who had worked high school games but for another group, but I was still under the watchful eye of the association's assessor.
The games were mostly uneventful. OP won 4-1 in the JV game and 5-0 in the varsity. Most importantly, I survived and look forward to my next assignment tomorrow at Forest Park.
With some gentle nudging over the winter, that changed. I attended our rules clinic and last night took on my first assignment as a referee. It was Potomac vs. Osbourn Park (OP). OP is the defending Va. AAA boys champion. What a game to start.
It's still winter although late in the day the temperature climbed to near 60. The 5:30 match was the JVs. We used a two-man system on that game with both of us referees. I soaked through one Under-Armour shirt and then changed between games. For the second I was an AR. After sunset temperatures dipped back into the 40s.
I knew kids on both teams. That's one of the drawbacks (?) of being Head Referee for PWSRA. But it was fun. And to them I will say do not be offended if I do not acknowledge you. I do know you but it does give the appearance of bias if I am chatting it up with you. So during games, you will be number 23 and I will be ref.
This was my first assignment and I had an assessor at the match. Although it wasn't for me, it was for the assigned referee who had worked high school games but for another group, but I was still under the watchful eye of the association's assessor.
The games were mostly uneventful. OP won 4-1 in the JV game and 5-0 in the varsity. Most importantly, I survived and look forward to my next assignment tomorrow at Forest Park.
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