RefBlog

Reffing was his life

After the last game, I had a talk with the former SRA of the state, who's been assigning high school games (last year was my first year working for her in High School). She said one of the former members of the committee had a stroke - this was the first I heard of it, and could no longer referee.

I have to admit, I didn't know him very well - but he's a very nice guy, and he loved to referee, no matter what level of game. Last year he retired and did games every day: kids, women, men, JV and Varsity - whatever game they needed him, he'd do it. He never went National, but did do some professional-level games. I'd worked with him several times, and he had some good advice for me before my first trip to Regionals.

Apparently he's going to assign high school this year, and maybe do some more assessing. I hope so - he's a genuinely nice guy, and I can't imagine just having your favorite activity (along with whatever else comes with the stroke) yanked away in an instant.

31 July '07 - 21:58 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Whither 19s?

Most of the time there aren't many U19 teams around, so in the quest to upgrade to a six, it's almost all adult games. This year, since my youth assignor has nearly a dozen eligible teams, she's been kind enough to put me on the middle on many of those games, since U18 or younger just won't count. During that time, I've noticed something: U19s just aren't that difficult to do.

Now, I may well be proven wrong in an upcoming game, and I'm going to continue to give each game the best I can, and hope I didn't just jinx myself, but so far, in both boys' and girls' contests at the U19 level, things have just been mellower. Maybe it's because the number of players available is smaller, maybe because they've finished high school and are otherwise doing other things, maybe something else. But I've noticed that, in most cases, like the double-header I did recently, that the younger team, in this case a U17 girls versus my center in U19, usually comes out with more fire and aggression.

A line has to be drawn somewhere, of course, but it seems like that's more of a rule than just here. I've been told that, at least at the girls level, U19 at Regionals isn't as big a deal, because most of the players are already at college (and apparently most have been recruited since age 15 or younger). They can be very competitive, but there's no room for upgrade, no push to be noticed before graduation, just the game. Not that it's a bad thing, just interesting.

30 July '07 - 19:01 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

We almost went home

We almost ended the game 20 minutes into the contest. It was a division 1 women's match, but one team only showed up with seven players. As one might expect, the game was pretty one-sided and there wasn't a whole lot of contact, becaues of all the open space. But 20 minutes into the match, the team playing short made their second good run into the opposing half, and the player got hit hard on a tackle. It was pretty close to a clean tackle - but it was hard and, according to the center, her cleats caught the grass while falling, and as a result the ankle may have been broken.

Next time the center came round (I'm the bench-side assistant, and the entire team is helping their teammate to first aid at this point), I pointed out the obvious, "You probably know this, but they're down to six, and she's not coming back."

"I know. We'll wait fifteen and go home."

Ten minutes later, we're walking to our bags to double-check rosters, and three more players for the short side arrive, so the game was back on. Well, kinda - the team that was short did get two goals scored, but still lost in double-figures.

25 July '07 - 13:54 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

"So why was I given the game?"

I had a dream - I probably still have it - that for one reason or another I'm placed on a fourth official on our local professional team; they often use local referees for the position, because I'd never get a field position assigned to me. One of the officials suffers an unfortunate injury that, while not serious, takes him out of the game, and I get put onto the line. No big game defining calls in my fantasy - just that I'm able to do the game. I think most long-time referees put themselves into various positions when watching a game - would I do that if I was center, or even "I can do that."

Actually getting put into that position, however, is a learning experience. Not only is the game very different that what you've seen (and how it looks from the stands - even if you are an experienced referee), so is the pace. It's a learning experience not only in how to call, what the expectations are, but just what it'll take from you physically.

I was put on the line for national amature league, which is played on a regional basis. Basically you take a group of teams in nearby states that play, and come playoffs (or US Open Cup) the teams that won in the regional divisions play teams from the other regions. Normally, you need to either be a State Referee, or have attended a Pro Referee Clinic to work these games - I've done neither, and even said as much as I was discussing the game with the other officials. To answer, apparently, that I was given the game is that the referee shortage is starting to hit home; most of the other referees available to do this game were doing local league games later in the evening, and except for Cup play, you're not supposed to turn down an assignment once accepted, even for a better game. In my case, it may have been a little of "let's see if he can hack it" and a little of "hey, he's available." I was not on the original crew that was asked to work this game; I don't think we had a fourth official until late yesterday.

The center and the senior AR did attend pro clinics, and have worked USL games; one was a grade 5, one was a grade 6 with just a few more games before he could start getting assessed for his five... and me. So, my job, as I saw it, was to do the best I could, and make the most of it. It's a semi-pro/national amature league (sort of) - I knew I'd be able to take something with me.

We arrived for the game 90 minutes early, but there were no teams, and the stadium was locked up. The center was annoyed, but I fourthed this team before, and I wasn't terribly surprised. When I was there last time (at a different stadium), they had to tape out all of the soccer lines, because the college didn't have any of them down, their paperwork wasn't done until after the scheduled start-time, there was no required referee locker room, and, going back to the tape, they ran out of the tape, and had to use two different colors at various points at the field. The center was used to working actual professional-level games, with actual staff to get the facilities ready, rather than a league where the players aspire to being professional, and there's no money for pre-game preparation. We ended up changing out of blazers into our referee gear outside; the stadium wasn't opened up until after we finished warming up, less than twenty minutes until the scheduled start-time.

Like last time, paperwork (meaning rosters) wasn't ready by either team by game time; we kicked off about twenty minutes late. The good news is that we had a locker room (actually, the locker room for the pointy-ball coaches from the college, which meant we had a fan and a couch (although we couldn't use the lockers). The couch was nice - I've been in a referee locker room at a NFL stadium, and maybe there's enough chairs for everyone, let alone something comfortable. We needed it, too (although we got locked out of it for a while at half-time), because it was really hot out: well into the 90's (I don't know exactly, but it was 86° when I got up in the morning, and 96° at last check before I left home for the stadium), humid, and we were playing on the artificial turf with the black rubber balls. I felt like my feet were burning throughout the first half - I checked my shoes at halftime to make sure they were intact.

Biggest learning experience of the day: I may want to do games like these, but I'm just not there physically. Unlike the hot and humid day at Regionals, I didn't run out-of-gas (although I planned ahead and brought a power bar in my bag), but I was seriously worked, and wasn't at the place I needed to be to do the game as I want to be. I was told at Regionals that you need to not run as hard on hot and humid days, so I did cut a couple of corners - if the ball was lazily passed back to the keeper, and there was no pressure, I slowed down and on a couple of occasions stayed with the second-to-last defender. Sometimes this wasn't a heat/energy thing, but positional - several times the strikers lined up with the second-to-last defender, looking for the keeper's boot to be quickly countered; I think the USSF would officially want me to stick with the ball (and keeper), but knowing my speed, and the good possibility of players being offside (there were something like 12-15 in the game for both teams), I opted for position rather than mechanics.

The second half was a little easier - about 30 minutes into the half we could see storm clouds on the horizon, and the temperature started to drop (although the feet still burned), but the teams kept me working hard and gasping for air. The good news is that I did my job, I was able to keep up with the play on the line, but barely. But watch referees and ARs in the MLS and USL - they make it look almost effortless. It's not, but they're always in control of themselves physically and never look tired - I can't say that about myself. I've come a very long way physically in the last seven years, and in this last year in particular; but I'm still trying to overcome 27 years of inertia (and maybe some genetics, given the eating and exercise regemin from this winter that made no difference in my weight whatsoever).

It's a notch on my belt, one I'll gladly take - but one I know will be a long time before I'm qualified to add a second one. Who knows - maybe someday. I'll say this: the dream is not dead, it's just in suspended animation - but I did get to live a little bit of it, and learn what it'll take. (more)

23 July '07 - 13:09 - - default| Only one comment - § ¶

How to be mean

I recently had a conversation with another, younger referee about doing what that needs to be done when you officiate. I've jokingly called it bringing out your Inner Asshole, which is in many ways true, but what it really means is handing out the discipline as needed - and sometimes calling a player out is more effective than a card, or if coupled with a card, will save the guy from getting a red; the later is often called by other officials an "Orange" card - a yellow card with a butt chewing, a warning on how close the card is to becoming red.

In this case, the referee is really close to having the complete package. She's athletic, has great vision and foul recognition; the only this she lacks is assertiveness. This seems to be common with a lot of younger referees; I'm rather introverted myself, enjoy being quiet - I generally don't get loud unless I'm with people and in places where I'm comfortable. So I thought, for better or worse, I'd share what I do to get "in the game". This may or may not work for you - but it seems to do well for me.

In my case, I came from an acting background, I did quite a bit of stage and improvisation in both high school and college (and still work the odd season at the local Renaissance Faire), and I approach refereeing as an acting role. When game time rolls around I stop being "me" and play the role of "The Ref". One of the improvisational things I did in high school and college was an educational program where, in my case, I played a not so nice person, then proceeded to get reemed by the audience for an hour or so. In some ways, this made deal with 22 people who may not like me much easier (I had lots of practice), and I'm able to use the same method to, when necessary, come out much meaner on the field than I am in real life.

It's one of the reasons I show up as early as I do for games, especially when I'm in the middle. I'm going through in my head what I expect out of the game and what I may end up having to do should it be necessary; as as they say in "the biz", I'm getting into character. If I'm reffing a new league, I like to run lines, not just to get a feel of the game, but to see how the centers react, see what works and what doesn't, and put that into my bag of tricks for when I have the reins.

The trick with acting, for those who have done it, is to take pieces of yourself and place it into the character you're portraying - it's part of what keeps the character real and the actor honest - something I had a lot of trouble when I played someone who was going to violently attack someone else, and likewise, as time goes on, I find more of myself in the character of the Referee that I play; often it's out-of-proprotion to my real persona (and there are portions of my normal persona I sometimes completely block out), but it's there, and I can use it.

But despite all the flowery language and portentous attitudes, acting is just playing pretend. When I referee I put myself behind me, and I pretend to be the referee needed for the game; sometimes that's the talkative referee, sometimes the hard-ass, sometimes it's laid back. I don't think anyone enjoys being mean (or shouldn't), but especially in a heated game, it may be necessary. Think of it as Tough Love (or maybe a Drill Sergeant): you look like you're in charge, you stay in charge; and you're yelling at the player may actually be a mercy if it keeps him from doing something stupid(er).

If you've never acted, maybe look into a drama class at a community college or other public institution. I originally took classes at a local library. My delusion of actually living off of it, ended a long time ago, but I've found the principals have helped me quite a bit, in both reffing and elsewhere. (more)

20 July '07 - 10:25 - - default| three comments, already - § ¶

"I was very glad I had some good lines for this"

About one of the nicest comments you can get is when a referee of a better grade (and far more experienced, and let's face it, better) than you, gives you a compliment before what should be a very difficult game like, "I'm glad you're here. When I saw what game I had, I was very glad I had some good lines for this game." This was a referee who in many ways mentored me - when I was moving up to a higher level of officiating, he was on the line helping me out, and it's awfully nice to be put into a position of trust on a game that he was a bit nervous about.

The teams was the three-time (at least) defending champs of the top division of the league, versus a team just one point behind them. It screamed doozy of a match, and it certainly had its moments. The last time these teams met, the champs won 7-1, but this time the underdogs struck early and quick, and everything was ramped up several levels, including scrutiny at all of the calls. Some of the complaints were absolutely ridiculous; my favorite response from him was, "Of course I'm letting him sub, it's a goal kick!" For the uninitiated, this league has open subs, which can be done on goal kicks, kick-offs, and your team's throw-in.

My biggest problem came as the game went on - I kept getting crowded on my line by the team and their fans. The guy that really blew my mind was the one carrying an infant at the end, meaning if there was a collision I'd get him, and his baby, squarely with no padding (meaning another person) in-between. I ended up bursting out, "Jesus man, you're carrying a baby! Get off my line before an accident happens and it gets hurt!". I'm all for dads taking out kids and getting sunlight and all that, but this was several shades of stupid.

As it turned out, the game was less than the center expected. The game was moved to a very small field, which really killed a lot of play. Both teams were screaming for calls they'd never get in a million years (including a really bad dive looking for a penalty), and the defending champions yelling a lot at themselves (you'd be hard pressed to think they enjoy this game by how they carry on amongst their own teammates). One issue I hadn't run into before: players refusing to sub: on-came a player, player refuses to leave, bruhaha ensues.

Still, a lot of fun. (more)

18 July '07 - 08:48 - - default| three comments, already - § ¶

Spirited game

I was a little apprehensive when I initially took these games: it was back-to-back U19 boys games and only the day after I returned from Regionals. Who knows what kind of mental state I would be in (let alone physical)? As it turned out, I think it was a good thing - not that I'm feeling that down about Regionals any more (I think I'm in a good spot - I did what I could, I can do better both in my physical ability and in preparation), but it's good to get back in the saddle again.

I started with a line - which was probably a good thing, too. After a week of watching play where the accepted norm from referees is to let all but the most serious go (partially because they don't want no wussy whistling, but mostly because these teams can all play through it) it was good to watch regular state play, which is called a lot tighter. Actually, I think the referee in the first game called it tighter than the teams wanted, but was calling it even. He popped a couple cards, but overall it was a well-managed game.

My center didn't involve any cards, but did have a couple very loud comments by me, as well as some more talking to the players, as I'd seen at the tournament. Most of them were little comments, to let players know what I saw (you got it blue, play through it), talk them down if they didn't like a call, (Dude, of course I'm calling that - you could have dislocated his arm), and a few reinforcement comments (if those cleats hit anyone, you'd be in serious trouble, crystal?). The reinforcement came after I very loudly yelled at a player who attempted to tackle, but missed widely, with his studs up. I wanted to make sure all the players and coaches heard me, knew I saw and was watching for it, and if I went later to book not have an argument against it. It was one of those situations, for me at least, where I didn't think a caution was necessary - but I wanted him to know, in private, that if there was contact I'd likely reach for the back pocket.

Overall I just didn't think a caution was necessary. Late in the game, I really should have booked a player for diving; it didn't strike me until after the restart. He dove, I yelled out "I don't think so!", the defense collected the ball and counter-attacked. Maybe if they didn't clear or the offense kept the ball I would have stopped play - but I just didn't think of it at the time, and lost an opportunity to go after simulation. But the game was spirited, played fairly, and it just seemed out-of-character with how the game was going. Still, I should have got that one. But overall I was very happy with how the game went, and with how well some of the techniques I saw used by the better referees at Regionals went.

17 July '07 - 16:54 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Regionals 2007 Diary Day Six: Final thoughts

It's odd, after so many days of working and sweating, not having any games. The job today, if you're not too upset about not getting a game, is to watch the others and see what happens and what you can learn.

A referee I know and have worked with a times had the same 15-boys team that I had in my center. Although it's a different game with different circumstances, I wanted to see how he'd do it. He'd been to the national championships before, and next year he'll be a National Candidate (and I've written about him several times in these pages). In many ways, the final turned out much the same way as mine did; there were five fewer goals, but does it matter when the game is 7-0 versus 12-0? I also found out they weren't national champions - I was able to check the USYSA website, and they have another team listed - but still, they cakewalked through the entire tournament. I did notice some similarities in what he did and what I did - we both hung back when the dominated team had the ball, because of the quick turnaround - although it was clear his was one of strategy (versus my necessity). He talked to the players a bit more, but that's his style - he's a very extraverted person in general, and he uses it well in his officiating (I've found myself more likely to have a quiet word with a player - although we'll both yell when necessary). He tossed two cards on the losing team when talked failed to work - both within a couple of minutes, and then the nonsense stopped.

One thing I noticed was how bloodthirsty the fans were on that game. A couple times when players were fouled parents would entreat their children to extract revenge, even going as far as telling them to "cut down" the player in question. I'm not sure if I should see "Eeek" or "ick."

I saw the second half of the 14-boys I had the fourth on; several other referees from our state were initially watching the U19 Girls final, but moved to this as it was more interesting. Just as we turned, we saw a very late tackle from behind that earned a send-off. It was apparently high, too (although how high we couldn't tell because of people sitting in front of us), but when the tackled player got up (after a long while), he was holding the back of his thigh. After the red card, the team playing short scored two goals in just a few minutes, to take a 2-1 lead. As time wound down, the other team brought their keeper into the attacking third to add another body into the fray, but they also did something very clever: they left a single defender in their defensive half to collect any balls that were cleared; his opponents put two players nearby in the same half to also collect balls for an easy open-net goal. Can you see the problem for the two attacking players in this scenario? Since there was only one defender in the half, and they were past the half-way line, they would be offside for any ball they came into contact with, because there is no second-to-last defender in that half. They were so used to lining up against the defender, they forgot that there must be two of them, and the goalkeeper usually, but doesn't have to, count as one of them. But tell that to the parents who swore and fumed and jumped onto the field calling for bloody vengeance when the alert AR flagged it. I'm sure there were many more curses after the score was evened with about a minute to spare. The game eventually went to kicks from the mark, which is an awful way to the end the game, especially after the drama of regulation play - but so it goes.

So, how was regionals for me? If the goal is to have a good performance, things are pretty mixed. The lines I did well on, but my one chance to take the middle, while not a disaster, wasn't up to par. I've been working on finding the good out of it, much of which I already talked about: I was able to keep control of the game in all eighty minutes, I was able to get where I needed to go when I needed it. On a game where frustrations could be sky high (does anyone want to report a 12-0 drubbing at this level?), I got through the game with no cautions, and no need for cautions (Can I spin my butt-chewing as the reason? Why not.). There was one injury, but it was caused not by a foul (and my AR has a perfect view of it), but rather a player stretching too far out for a ball he couldn't reach on too hot a day. For all I've beaten myself up about my not running the way I wanted to run and lack of energy, the game was under control and despite my physical issues, the control did not waver.

Did I learn things? I think so. Watching and working with so many referees who are better than I is a privilege, and I hope to be able to use the techniques I saw and was told about. I used some of them in my game as center, and they worked really well (better in the first half, of course). It would be nice to say if the weather wasn't so hot, or if I had a real lunch, then maybe - but while you can't control the weather, you can prepare for food (or lack thereof). Power bars, granola bars are easy to keep in the referee bag; I use and like Accelerade while I'm at home, I can bring some with me - OK, maybe not the 10-pound container of dry mix, but a smaller container, or maybe something else that I hadn't look at.

I came a long way this year; I worked very hard to be where I wanted to be to get back to Regionals; I know I have to work longer and harder to do what I want to do while I'm there. Nobody's drumming me out, nobody's telling me I did terrible, the person who selects referees to go says he wants me back. That's positive, that's something to work for, and now I have something to look at and compare against when I say I want to do better.

14 July '07 - 14:30 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Regionals 2007 Diary Day Five: Semis

I was assigned a fourth official for a 14-boys semi-final today. I wasn't terribly surprised after yesterday's games. I'm still dwelling on it (the good news is that I have games, including a 19-boys center as soon as I get home to take my mind off of it), but the truth is I didn't screw up the game; I just didn't do what I expected myself to do. And, as our state rarely has many teams in the semis, we tend to get a lot of those games. It does mean my chance at a final (which would only be a fourth as well - centers go to people sent to the National Championships and come back, and State 5 and 6s get the lines) is probably done. There's a chance, but it's very unlikely.

So, my job was administration, and it started interesting enough. I carted out to find out what colors the teams would wear, and it turned out I had a different team for the game that was on my paperwork. The driver not having a radio, and neither of us finding the other team, we went back to referee headquarters to find out what was going on. Three referee-staff later (and a trip by one of them to the tournament headquarters), we were able to determine that the paperwork was wrong, and I went back out to the field (this time on my own, and I've never driven a golf-cart before - it takes a little getting used to) to try to find my missing team. I was lucky: the team I found earlier couldn't be found now either, but one of their parents recognized me, and asked me if I had my problem straightened out. I replied yes, and asked if she had seen their opponents - she hadn't. I asked if she knew where her team was now (maybe they had seen them), and she was able to point me to where they went. They went quite a ways away to get some shade, and a few had seen their opponents go even father away to find share of their own.

Once back, I returned to headquarters and finished the rest of the pre-game stuff, and everything else was good. The game was really good - both teams were evenly matched; the coaches were totally focused on them (kudos on the center referee, who came here to escape the war in Bosnia, for being so damn good that they had no need to be otherwise). One coach even did my job for me; a ball late in the game went to the bench, which was stopped by one of the players and kicked back, eluding the opponent. Before I could say anything, the coach was already on him, telling him to just get away from the ball and not touch it. I thanked the coach, and he replied that it just made sense: in a year or two if he did that in a similar situation he'd find himself eating fist. It does make perfect sense, but I appreciate it anyway - all too often I see things that, even though they make sense, they're not taught. So, again, from here, I say "thank you".

Later...

As expected, no games in the finals. I know some people get both semis and finals, but they're State officials who have been at regionals for many many years. I know some that didn't get either, and are really bummed about it, and they're better referees than I. I have to admit I don't feel too bad about their pain - at least in one person's case; he's working USL games, so he has other chances to shine at big events. This is pretty much it for me; I'll likely never get a high school tournament center (too many good referees, too few games, and they tend to rotate the games among a select few every few years). So my attitude is you take it, you watch the finals like the rest of us, and you move on. Maybe there's something to be said about not having high expectations.

Besides, there's a 40% chance of thunderstorms - the last time the games were here, they had storms on the finals, and the original crews all had to leave, and new crews were assigned mid-game (some several times throughout the day). I know the delegation from this state won't leave, so maybe I'll still get on one.

My tongue has been removed from its perch in my cheek, although the smirk is still there.

13 July '07 - 09:19 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Regionals 2007 Diary Day Four: Out of Gas

These are the entries I hate to write. Let's face it, everyone hates thinking about what they do wrong, and everyone wants to be in the right. But if I'm to do this thing correctly, both as a way of giving non-referees a look at how officials (or at least this official) works and looks at the game, and as a method of self-reflection, then I have to include the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Good news: It wasn't ugly. Maybe not even bad. Just not what I wanted out of myself.

The last two days were, while humid, reasonable temperatures and heavily overcast. Today was not, and wouldn't you know it, I was assigned three games (we're supposed to be doing two a day, but necessity dictates that some people get three). A U13 girls line, a U14 boys fourth, and a U15 boys center - in that order. I think I've mentioned before that I hate doing the center on the second half of back-to-back games; well, this one was number three - I hoped the time between games and the fourth (as opposed to a line) would allow me enough energy left for the center, but... I'll get to that in a bit.

The line was fine: it was at 8am, started cool (the center initially wanted to wear black long-sleeves, but had to change because of an unreported goalkeeper color), but within 10 minutes of the game, it heated up a lot and we were all sweating like crazy. The teams playing a lot of possession, build-up soccer which was very pretty to watch. The center did a very nice job on this 1-0 game and we all got good marks by the assessor.

Incidentally, I've seen more than a few non-OSI jerseys, and not just by new officials; several State officials who have been here before are wearing Law 5, Score, and Olympus kits. I'm surprised, and frankly a bit happy, especially given the commentary I wrote a while back about the impending green jersey that's coming up.

The fourth was a total blow-out, ending 11-0. The center was 16 years old, and while he had some habits he needed to break (like how he did his signals), he was otherwise fine. We get our butts chewed if the paperwork isn't done correctly, and since that was my job, I'm happy my rear stayed intact.

The center, which I found out at half contained the defending national champions, started really well for me. It became apparent early on (within the first few minutes) that we were looking at a one-sided affair; initially I thought we might have a good game because we were dealing with the first and second-place teams in the group. The second place team would have to win big to overcome the goal differential separating them, but it would be enough to get them to play hard.

After a goal or two had been scored (you'll know why it's hard to keep track in a moment), the second-place team had their first really good attack, along the right line; the defender got burned, turned, and grabbed hold of the attacker. I wanted to go for the card, maybe I should have, but instead I gave an ass chewing. I gave a really good ass chewing: I was immediately at the play, giving the really loud "I'm pissed" whistle, and ended it with, "if you're beat, you're beat - none of this crap!" I think it turned out to be more effective than the yellow card - it certainly did a better job announcing what I would and wouldn't allow. Even the parents didn't complain, and this was right in front of them.

And this was a good thing, too, because at half-time I tanked. Now, I've felt my energy level sliding in games before, and I had to make adjustments in where, when and how hard to run in games before. But I've never, and I mean never tanked in a game like this. I was very happy with the first half; I felt my energy level dropping slightly in the last ten minutes - but I was getting wide and deep, and when I needed to get to a place quickly I did (like above). I didn't have any issues at the water break (did I mention it was 88-89 degrees with 90% humidity?). But at half-time, it was like a light-switch had been flipped, and I went from a decent amount of energy to almost zero.

I was really fortunate in many ways: the game was so one-sided it limited where I had to run; if the ball was in the first-place team's defensive half, I rarely needed to cross the line, and the coaches were trying to restrain them from running up the score more than they already had (it was 5-0 at half, the final was 12-0). I was still able to talk to the players and get where I needed to go. What I lacked was the ability to run terribly hard or maneuver quickly - so my focus was more on long-term positioning to do as good as I could, rather than the best possible position period. It's a nice was of saying, I did a crap load of walking when every other game I had been doing until now would be running and jogging, interspersed with walking.

So, no cautions, or incidents. The only cynical action took place at the beginning of the game where I was apparently able to effectively squash it. So, I survived, the game wasn't affected by me - but if it had been at all any way closer, I could have screwed everything up royally. And I hate that; it's the one center I get for Regionals, and I wanted to do well - I wanted to have people tell me I did a good job, instead of, "Everyone's doing that today", and "you got where you needed to be." I wanted to be better than that, it's what I worked my ass off for to do, and I feel like I let myself down.

Are there some extenuating circumstances? Sure. Third game will do it - sweat was pouring down my back like a country creek doing the fourth official, so while it may not have been as strenuous as a line would have been, it wasn't exactly energy replenishing. Also, I really didn't have lunch. Food's been a major issue here: they've served us some questionable food (fried chicken before you referee a game???); today it was hamburgers and chicken - and it was all gone after the 12:30 games (note you need to be with your crew getting ready an hour or more before the game). I had a little before the 12:30 game, but all there was left after it was donuts, cookies, and potato
chips. Yes, there was also Gatorade, but you can drink Aide of the Gator all day long, it's not going to give you enough energy as real food does - certainly not enough to run at a Regional-level competition for eighty minutes it this type of weather.

One of the guys in our delegation, a Grade 5 referee, thought it may have been blood sugar. It's possible - I can tell you that I was fully hydrated when I got back to the hotel - my urine was completely clear (for those who aren't familiar with it, on hot and humid days, you can judge on how hydrated you are by the color of your pee - the darker it is, the less hydrated you are - I've known of this for years after working at Renaissance Festivals, in summer heat wearing five layers of clothing). Not only did I pass the urine test, but I was sweating quite well throughout the game (something I pondered on what the hell was wrong with me), and I wasn't heavily breathing - there was just no energy.

Ultimately, I'm just really annoyed and disappointed with myself, I felt like I worked really really hard all year long, and screwed up my shot. As much as I really did well on my line assessments, the real time is spent when you're in the middle, and that's where I failed. (more)

12 July '07 - 08:23 - - default| five comments, already - § ¶

Regionals 2007 Diary Day Three: Close Games

How the hell did I get sun burned? It was heavily overcast all day, but I still burned. But then again, I always get burned when I do afternoon games. It seems inevitable.

I moved to the second complex today, with the younger players. Two lines again; does that mean I get a center tomorrow? I've heard that everyone still gets at least one center, like when I started, but I don't know. I've been happy with the lines, and I've had good remarks on them (and my goal was to get back here, not to complain, which I'm not, about my assignments). I got a comment last night that I did a great job on the line in the 18-girls game from yesterday, and an on-field assessor remarked both that I ran my ass off (his words) and nailed a controversial call. Actually, I missed the call, but made the best of what I had: play
running quickly into the last twenty yards of a 15-girls game where the 0-0 deadlock late in the game finally broke, a tight line with players bobbing back-and-forth a few yards from the goal-mouth and over the ball sails. I didn't see it, so I looked at the center who appears to not be able to determine it, either, so I went with the body language of the players, which told me goal kick. Essentially, I made a choice on where to pay attention to that split second, was wrong about what was going to happen, couldn't get help (not that it's anyone's fault but mine - although it's just the nature of the position sometimes), so I used everything else I possibly could. And the assessor said he saw it clearly and we got it right. Even though all of the above took maybe a half-second
to run through, I think maybe the assessor knew that we had the unspoken "Are you sure? Are you sure" going on between the center and I.

The second game was pretty straight-forward, no serious refereeing drama on the field, but it was a fun game. U14 girls that I thought could be a blowout. One team won yesterday by blowout, the other lost by blowout, but in this case, it was an even and tight game - nobody scoring until almost the 60th minute (out of 70). One of the teams was local, and the supporters were out in force - they were loud but very good natured, making fun of themselves just as often as they complained (in still a good way, although one parent spoiled their streak after the game with a crude slur on us).

The good news in addition to the games, these fields were just as intact and dry as those people said they were yesterday. They may not have been playing soccer on a golf course, but it was dry, and it didn't impede us from doing our jobs.

Something else that's really amusing, and somewhat scary: there's a soccer blog that's widely read and commented on that's about soccer in our state, much of it the youth game. There are comments about the State Cup Finals that I centered and fourthed. I don't actually have internet access (the computer I brought doesn't have a Wi-Fi card - it's here strictly because I write better in front of a keyboard) so I can't check it until I get home. I'm unsure if I want to.

10 July '07 - 22:57 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Regionals 2007 Diary Day Two: Rain, Mud and Saved Asses

I must have done well enough three years ago to start with a couple of good lines: a U18 Girls, and a U19 Girls. The tournament is broken down into two different sites; the site I was at seemed to weather the torrential rain and wind well: the field were wet, but still in great condition. On the first field, there was one "dead spot": where the ball wouldn't bounce, but it was still like playing soccer on a golf course.

The game itself was quite close (it finished 2-1 and was very even). In the second half, the team I had did a little bit of trapping, and a little sloppy defense that almost got them burned (far-side defender hanging back two yards - I know why the team thought I was nuts, because they didn't look at that defender who potentially blew it for them).

I received good feedback from the center referee (a National) and the mentor. Nobody has complained about the games their getting, and when anyone has asked me, I can reply quite honestly: my goal was to work my butt off to get back here, so I'm happy for any games.

The second game, the U19 girls, had one of the regional powers - the kind that get mentioned a lot when it comes to national rankings, against one from a small rural state. This game not so close: 7-0 for the big-city powerhouse. Apparently the coaches from this club, according to the center, are known for going off on referees, but when you're up that much, why waste your energy?

The field didn't hold up as well for that second game - like most grass fields, there's a crest to it (although not much compared to high school fields) and the drainage ends right where the assistant, me, runs. So for much of the second half I was running through 1/2 to 1 inch water. There's some speculation that we might be asked to run rights tomorrow on that field, as things are starting to get chewed up.

The game was initially scheduled to have a fourth official, but he got moved elsewhere, and we were told to go it without a fourth. As AR1, I immediately thought of last time I had no fourth official at a Regional contest, and while waves of horror did not pass me by, there was apprehension. This was intensified slightly when our driver, upon hearing this, said, "God help the AR1." It was a joke,and I know it, but it was a sudden shift, and procedures have changed since I was last here. For instance, for 17-19s, there are rosters (which are not there for the other ages), up to four non-playing members of the team (which can change each game, hence the roster), four coaches/trainers/whatevers, etc. that all need to be kept separately (along with the non-playing players) from the starting eleven, which have to be kept separately from the incoming substitutes. We also went over in our pre-game that I would keep track of incoming and outgoing subs in my book, rather than keeping track of cards and goals.

I started good - I found the Field Marshall, and gave him a heads-up to the situation, and told him to look for me, rather than just straight ahead at the game, in case I needed him, got the passes organized, and warmed up with the rest of the crew. Lucky for me, referee headquarters found a fourth official for us, who saved my ass by noticing that I forgot the rosters. She was very nice, saying things are weird when there's only three in these games, but she saved my ass from a reaming. I know it, she knows it, and those of you who've been there know It. She earned, and received, many thank-yous from me that day.

The 10pm meeting was pretty short. The emphasis was on things to improve us as fourth officials; including clarifications and repititons on things that were covered in the clinic. That session of the clinic that was cut short because of weather. I'm probably rather fortunately I hadn't had a fourth yet, so I didn't blow anything. Too bad there weren't written notes from these sessions - I think I'll make the suggestion, in case the sessions get rained out again.

09 July '07 - 21:56 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Regionals 2007 Diary Day One: Travel, Rain, and Lightning

The first time I went to Regionals, I was told many times about the persistent rain that was with the tournament the entire time; it looks, now that the tournament has returned, that the weather is also looking for an encore.

Everyone in the state delegation left at the same time; we all got together and piled into vans, and headed off. The drive wasn't as long as it was three years ago, so we arrived the same day, rather than the night before. As like last time, the first day is scheduled thusly: registration, clinic, open ceremonies, and referee dinner (to give you an idea of the weather, as I write this, we haven't gone to the dinner, and apparently a tornado has touched down in the area where we're supposed to be having it, so the referee dinner may turn into the closest McDonald's).

Registration was no big deal. I asked our SYRA a week ago about a potential issues with my 2007 USSF Registration Card, the problem being that I hadn't received it yet. Last year it came three months before the beginning of the season, but I've also had it come two months after its end as well. I packed my web-registration receipt, and I kept my old card, and it turned out to be no big deal, as I was told. There was an extra check to make sure the registration number is current, and then it was the collection of referee swag (much of which is way too big for me, but I won't complain about free stuff - I can give it to my dad).

The clinic was cut short because of the oncoming weather. I did much better in the physical portion this year than last time, where I felt I was near the bottom of the pack. Last time, I never trained before the soccer season - the invite to Regionals really me take my avocation that much more seriously, and this year I have. It was one of my goals to make it to this tournament, and I worked my butt off for me (unfortunately, not literally).

The weather just got much worse - I'm on the seventh floor of the hotel and I can no longer see through my window. Could be an interesting night.

Back to the clinic. The other sections, after the physical, were broken down into the administrative duties we'll need to follow in the tournament - most of it's common sense: show up an hour early (or better yet, earlier), when the person in charge wants your attention, you give it, act professionally, and don't do anything stupid, or you'll get an earfull - probably several earfulls.. Next was a session on wall management - nothing terribly difficult, but they made a good point of using the markings on the field to judge the ten yards (such as the option 11-yard marks for corner kicks, which are actually marked) and some good positioning advice. Another area was on dealing with indirect free kicks within in the penalty area - always a difficult thing to manage, and PKs, which was abbreviated, as they wanted us to get to the next station before the weather came in.

The final station was very abbreviated, which is too bad because I think this one would have been the most help - but if we're fried by lightning, what help would that be, except, if we survived, to teach up something not to do? We got briefly into the responsibilities of the fourth, and just started into how to handle difficult situations (which we're bound to have, since we've been told, and I believe this, that many of these coaches are paid in six figures). But the weather gives (life) and the weather takes away (training). Still, it's awfully nice to have essentially referee practice and instruction, as well as information on the expectations of the tournament.

Opening ceremonies, which was to be held outdoors at a baseball stadium, was canceled while we were on the bus heading toward it. Given the rain and lighting (which has dropped to a plain old thunderstorm from monsoon), that's probably a good thing.

Dinner may be in about an hour - probably longer than that, given travel time I'm really used to eating earlier than this, because of my job, maybe I should find something light (like a granola bar) to keep me from being cranky

Dinner was in the dark - lights were out all over, trees overturned, fences broken. Apparently our hosts (owners of a horse ranch that treated us to a pig roast) had to deal with trees that flew into the barn.

Trees were down on the fields in one of the facilities - apparently they're cutting them up now to clear the complex for the morning.

08 July '07 - 16:57 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Back-to-back 19s

I'm writing this at regionals because I didn't have time to write it after the games (actually, I did, but I decided that I really needed the six hours of sleep I could possibly get that night). I actually shouldn't have time to write this, but there's a storm raging and... well, you'll hear about that tomorrow.

I had back-to-back U19 games in an outer suburb (I live in the city proper); I took the day off of work to get everything ready to Regionals (a good thing, too - I turned out to not have much of a weekend due to an issue at work), which was the only reason I didn't turn the game back when the first one was moved to 5:30; it would have been just too far away to make it anything close to the start-time. But since I did have the time, I kept the game. The game was moved from six to 5:30 because the field wasn't lighted, and there wouldn't be enough time to play both games for the full 90 without it. Apparently the visiting team refused to accept the early start-time (this was all done a few days before the actual game), so the game was moved back, but the teams agreed to play 40-minute halves instead.

Since I had the day off, I was able to get there very early (I overestimated the traffic and got there about 75 minutes before kickoff), and what did I find, but the entire visiting side warming up, and none of the home side. The home team didn't have enough players to field a a team until about 20 minutes before kickoff (10 minutes after the time they wanted the game changed to). Good thing for them it wasn't changed.

My center was the second game, the boys U19. The field was short again, but wide. This made it easy to get deep, but because of the quick transitions, harder to get wide. The good news is that boys games traditionally aren't a wide affair, so it didn't prove to be a problem; when the play did go wide, it was slow enough that I could get to a reasonable distance from them.

One thing I'll need to work on: my AR pointed out that I whistled one player from the home side for four fouls; I had talked to him about pushing players that beat him (but they breezed past, the play not really needing an advantage call). I could have either carded him for Persistent Infringement, or, more likely, include that when I told him to be careful. I ended up carding him in the second half in a similar situation, where he was beat, and tried to thwack the player with his boot - easy card, especially after the first half.

It was a good run, and hot-and-humid, which is what I expected at Regionals, as I looked at the expected weather before the game.

I'm really excited - no games for two days, but when they come, they should all be fabulous.

02 July '07 - 16:05 - - default| No comments yet - § ¶