Off-Topic Forum

Good evening all, I was wondering if anyone here is also an official. I am gearing up for my second sport this year and was wondering who else is an official. I officiate both high school football and basketball. I have done some high school baseball but my eyes were not great enough for it. 

I was a competitive soccer ref for over 20 years. The stipulations and requirements here in Ontario just made it to demanding to keep up to keep my license, plus I'm getting up there in years and keeping up with play with a bunch of U18s at the highest level was getting a little tough..  I also started coaching my sons baseball, as you can see from my avatar photo, and the desire to be called various dirty names and be confronted waking to my car by parents who have no clue of the rules but their son/daughter is going to the World Cup one day was just too much and sucked the enjoyment out of it.

I ran a junior tackle football league in california and coached. David & Derek Carr were in my league and I coached Cody Kessler who got drafted by the Browns. I had to ref a few times when a couple of officials called in sick.

That's legit!

I umpired  Little league/Babe Ruth games,  both softball & baseball,  District playoff games and because of them I  them made a contact  to move on to NCAA baseball games in Philadelphia area.  

This is when a 4 game weekend series  (Fri -Sunday)  a starting pitcher might pitch in 3 of the 4 games.  Start one  and relieve in the others or start first and last game of series

A few of my fellow officials have done NCAA baseball and then some minor league as well

I've done HS basketball up here in Seattle area for 10 yrs. Due to Covid, our season just started this past week (they switched winter and spring sports this school year). Love it, although I keep getting older and the kids stay the same age.

i did HS baseball and HS softball in NJ for around 25 years.   We had a great organization and heard many great stories from old timers who made it to the minors.   One of our guys,  Al Clarke, made it to the majors.  He would return every year to our January meetings and instruct us on positioning.    A fantastic  part-time job for anyone with the temperment..

Have umpired adult and junior club cricket here in New Zealand for many years and same for basketball (before I moved towns and got less invloved in sports).

I will say I think I was a pretty good cricket umpire but a terrible basketball ref.

Basketball is just so fast and you have to react instantly to everything because even if you wait a couple of seconds to think then blow the whistle everyone gets on you for being late on the call even if you were right!

I will admit after I started reffing basketball I shut my mouth as a player a lot more as I realised it was not easy. 

That is how I feel when reffing basketball. I now have respect for every official regardless of sport. It is not easy but it is needed.