I should have updated this right after it happened, but the first two dates on my referee schedule were polar opposites.
Both dates were a 7th and 8th grade girls’ doubleheader. Two different sites, but both dates had one team in common.
The first date, I arrived at the school about 20 minutes before the scheduled tipoff. With these games, the scheduled tipoff time is always a little bit negotiable because the times are set pretty much right after school, and not every school gets out at the same time.
As we’re getting closer to game time, I realize that I have no partner yet. Sure enough, the guy never shows. The home team coach got him on the phone, but either he forgot about the game, or had a conflict. Either way, I was going to be on my own for two games.
I’d never done a game by myself, but from what I’d heard it’s no picnic. What I’d heard was right. Frankly, I was lucky that it was Jr. High girls, because I was able to keep up relatively easily. If it was a freshman boy’s game, forget about it.
I stayed on one side of the court for almost the entire game, moving from free throw line extended to free throw line extended. I occasionally ventured below that if there was a play on the baseline or if I needed a better angle. There were probably several fouls I missed, solely because I don’t have X-ray vision. There were probably a few out of bounds calls I missed as well, for the same reason. In the end, the double paycheck is not worth the headache of officiating by yourself.
The second date, however, was completely opposite. I actually had a partner for the games, and both games went off without a hitch. We even had a really close, exciting, high scoring game in the 8th grade game. Close games are so much easier to officiate than blowouts.
I even was able to pick up another officiating date when my partner asked if I could fill in for him.
My next games are next Tuesday I believe. I definitely need to step it up on the conditioning. I’m not in the best of shape, and even though these girl’s games are a good start, I need to do more. My schedule this winter is much more full, sometimes officiating five or six days in a row. I’ll definitely need to be way more in shape than I am now, and that starts now.
