Day you killed yourself worst.

[Wahoos1]

I have done many of those early August NOVA 5 set assignments on turf. I have done the early March high school games in the gusting wind of the valley, where the wind just flies along the mountains.

But it was yesterday that I did in myself. State double header Qfinals for both boys and girls about 90 minutes away as AR.

40 minutes of high pressure offside trap...
10 minute break....
40 minutes of offside trap. Getting a bit tired in the 91 degree heat with sun in my face.
30 minute break between games...getting stiff.
25 minutes offside traps...loosened up a bit but...HOT.
45 minute ligthining break and tight as can be....
25 minutes offside trap...cannot get loose.
10 minute halftime...TIGHT.
40 minutes offside trap.....gaggghhhh!

By then it is so late with a long drive that we all just pile into the car for the drive home and 3 hours sleep...

i AM WREAKED.

[keeper1031]

last saturday i did 7 games straight, rotating Center, AR, Center, AR...
That was also the day i decided to break in my new copa turf shoes.
My heels were so bloody and raw i couldnt wear closed shoes for a week.

[constructor]

August tournament, temps in the mid 90s, 5 matches. Not so bad except that I needed a root canal and it had gotten infected the day before. Each step running was like getting whacked upside the head with a 2x4. Because I couldn't drink anything cold, I neglected to hydrate properly and got dehydrated as well. Don't remember the drive home or going to bed that night. Got it fixed the next week.

[andymoss]

Everytime I go to Memphis.

Usually at least four games on Saturday and the same on Sunday followed by two D1 men's games then the 2½ hour drive home.

Pretty brutal.

Aside from that, one tournament where assignor has us rotating; three on, AR, middle, AR, etc., then off for one, then repeat - low level (D2/3) stuff, but you're still out there and they were all U16B and up.

Anyway, he has someone go down. Long story short, Andy is out there for seven games with no break. Fluids and food fed into me as I worked the line on game # 5. Cold Pizza and Gatorade has never tasted so good!

8:00am - 6:30pm. Yeah that was a pretty awesome day.

[Doug the Ref]

Labor Day weekend a few years ago. Temperature 112. College double header. Line on the first game and worked my butt off for the 2nd half. Then the center for the next game. I overheated, dehydrated and looking back, could have really had some serious medical issues. I was getting a bit delerious just before half. At half I went into the locker room and stripped down, laid on the concrete floor with wet towels over me to try to cool my core temperature. After the game, I could hardly walk. Serious muscle cramps throughout my body. hopefully, I learned a good lesson that day.

[Wahoos1]

I remember one of those weekends. All middle aged guys in a tourney so we have the expeirence to be pumping liquids before and during game one.

Halftime hits and we all just sprint for the porta potties! By the end of the day, no matter how much water I worked, the dull headache is in full gear. Turf fields with heat index of 108 and 4 games. Jump in truck and full AC for 20 minutes until a nice chill sets in.

My wife: "And this is fun for you....how?"

[NHRef]

worked a new labor day tournament last year mostly due to the team my son coached played there so we both signed up to ref it.

Assignor gave me 5 finals in a row on the last day, all CR jobs. Shorter games, 30 minute halves, but 5 in a row. Only lucky break I caught was game 4 was a blowout.

Couldn't walk after the ride home and the second half of game 5 I don't exactly claim to have been thinking quick or correctly. End of first half I wasn't even sure if the game was over or not when I blew the whistle.

[rippingood]

you are all warriors.

My 'worst' was pretty wimpy in comparison but it came back to me when I read Wahoos1 comment so here goes:

Sept day in desert SoCal.

Start at 8:30 am with a series of U16 Matches. Two centers followed by one AR on the schedule.

AR for second game is to be center for 3rd. But he pulls a hamstring in the match, so I take the center for the 3rd. Now, it’s really hot (95 F) and I am hydrating as best as possible.

Next match, the guy with the hamstring was supposed to AR again so I do that. But now it’s U19B. What a difference to do an AR like that after 3 centers. Wait-wait-wait- sprint – STOP- jog back with defenders another fast break, etc.

By the end of the second half my legs were trembling after the sprints and it took real effort to stop running – bizarre.

Ready to pack it up for the day but another field has a crisis and need a center for a U12B match – this was effectively tennis with long balls each way as there are a couple of players on each team who are proud of their kicking distance. Two choices, stay at the center line and watch players as ball goes back and forth or try to keep up for those cases where the ball connects with an attacker. Gotta chase…

Now I am running late for my daughter’s U16 match at another park so I don’t have a chance to go home and shower.

Get to her match, pull out lawn chair and realize I still am ‘reffed up’ as she says. Take socks off, put on sandals, take off shirt and see the wildest salt evaporation patterns on my shirt. Maybe I was hydrated but I clearly wasn’t ‘electrolyted’. Set down for a 6:15 pm match in the cooling air. There’s a food stand with delicacies such as day-glo orange nachos so I grab a diet coke (ha) and a couple of hot dogs using the “nitrites are electrolytes” theory and enjoy the match.

Toward the end of the match, a ref buddy walks up and asks if I can do the U19B match on the next field after this one is over. He makes a comment about how I still have on my ref shorts, that the original ref has a family emergency, no one else there has done / can do a U19B match, these teams have a ‘history’, etc. Smart answer would be to say ‘sorry, I can’t’ so, of course, I agree to do it.

After sitting for such a long time in the cool air, I try to get up and realize what I will look like when (if) I get really old. My upper body is still in a sitting position while my feet shuffle (my calves don’t work) forward towards my car. I get a chuckle from my ‘friend’ and a hint that “you should loosen up before you get started”. No sh*t Sherlock.

I loosen up enough to appear upright and the match gets going. Players on both teams were kind of testy and antagonistic – towards me, not each other so I accomplished the major goal of keeping them from fighting each other. This stemmed from a caution I gave in the first 3 minutes as one player ran into another one after the ball had been released. “But I couldn’t stop” – “Then you’ll be on the bench soon”. No further trouble so I guess he learned to stop but I am certain that my actions were greatly impacted by my physical state. Turned into a pretty good, if bizarre game where one team would control the ball for minutes at a time (nice slow motion for me) followed by the opponent’s GK getting the ball and doing his best John Elway impersonation to throw ta bomb to his sprinting forward. The GK was 6’8” and could throw the soccer ball like the rest of us throw a baseball. Truly amazing. The forward was fast and, unfortunately for me, left-footed so he was always streaking down the touchline w/o the AR so I felt I had to take care of these myself and so was sprinting one way and walking the other – the entire match. Lighting was terrible too so who knows what was going on in those far corners as I chugged over.

Got home and started to get out of the car and had the same stiffness problem. My wife is in the front with some neighbors and I got sympathy from them (“we’re laughing with you, not at you” … “but I’m not laughing”).

Actually felt pretty good the next day with one U19 AR but Monday was bad news .. some kind of delayed reaction as my body finally figured out what I had done to it.

[OMGFigo]

My wife: "And this is fun for you....how?"

Your wife was channeling mine.

I get that every weekend. Then, when we do the bills I get the "why do you even bother to referee...?" hoohah. I just smile stupidly. I can't help myself.

Day I killed myself worst.... had two days of "sets" (CR, AR1, AR2) in 100 degree plus heat, and both days "subbed" for a buddy (who magically accepted assignments with two different associations in two different counties... this is why they invented Palm pilots!) and did his "sets." Only two sets were above U11s but they were both on Sunday.

It hurt. A lot. I bought stock in ice.... :cool:

[FIFARay007]

Not too crazy, but learned a life lesson...

Few years ago, did 4 state cup games, of varying ages, back to back. They were maybe 1 game away from the quarters, so the quality was pretty good.

1st game - CR, temps in the 80's or so, sun is feeling good. Good amount of running, nothing crazy.
2nd game - CR, temps still relatively high, but clouds coming in. Again, nothing crazy here.
3rd game - AR, starting to cool off. Spent the first half pretty much standing at the midfield line. Only time I moved much was when they scored, but 10 seconds later I'd be right back at the midfield line. Since I was still warm, I didn't think much about stretching while standing still. Mistake #1. 2nd half did a lot of running around, since the team that was in front of me during the 1st half had a big lead and brought the play all the way forward and all the way back to their keeper. Stiff legs don't move as good as warmed up, stretched out legs.
4th game - AR, I'm tired. My legs are tight since now we have a cold wind blowing thru. I made my second mistake. I uttered the phrase, "God I hope this doesn't go to PKs."
Well after 2 halves of a lot of running, the score was tied. 1st overtime, red scores, my heart starts doing backflips and cartwheels, and I smiled... yet another mistake. 2nd overtime, final minute, red fouls blue in the PA, and under my breath I plead with the CR to not call it. Well, he called it, (rightly so), and I cursed him and his ancestors, again, under my breath.
We go thru 12 players from each team before we get a winner...

Thank god I had access to a hot tub (and beer) after that day... but I learned a very important lesson, NEVER say that you hope a game will not go to PKs. :)

[meyers]

Early this year...before I was in any kind of "ref shape" (if I actually ever get there). 3 low level games in the morning but U16-U18 (L/L/R). In the afternoon I did higher level 4 games (L/L/R/L) but younger kids U12-U16. Temp got up there for early in the year, around 90-95F (actually hasn't really come close to that since). Afternoon games were on field turf.

I had drank all my liquids by about the 3rd game in the afternoon. Luckily some guy was going around with Gatorade (which I hate - tastewise, too salty), but I drank a couple of them (luckily). My calves and hamstrings were cramping my the end. I had scales (salt deposits) on my face and arms (probably everywhere really??) that I could see and scrape off. Really low humidity so everthing evaporated quickly so you didn't realize you were sweating.

A huge blister on the bottom of each foot. Not sure from running and stopping or from the heat of the turf?? (or both).

Anyway, learned my lesson, no more morning and afternoon sets that early in the year at my age. (though I did survive)

Games went pretty well though.

[jayhonk]

Boy, these war stories are making me stiff and sore just reading them. Anyone who has done even one tournament has been asked to pick up another game when they are already over the limit. Here are some of my survival tips and tricks (and I look forward to some of yours...)

1) Be in shape. I do a local parks and rec workout class starting in January. At first my reaction was that I was in with a bunch of "old ladies" till I realized that I was the oldest one in the class.

2) Bring your own liquids. Don't count on the tourney to provide gatorade/water. Sure 2 out of 3 will, but have your own cooler for that 3rd one. Bring enough for your kid if he or she is working with you--because you know they will not bring any and will take from you freely.

3) Juice boxes. If I do a Center/Line/Center, I like to drink most of a fruit juice box before the 3rd game, then the rest at half time. I drink some water first, so the juice doesn't hit my stomach in a way to cramp it. A burst of sugar in the blood stream does wonders.

4) Take care of your weak spot. I am OK physically, but at age 52 something has to give, and for me it is my feet. I like to wear wool socks under my ref socks. I have some thin footie liners, and some thick winter-style boot socks -- for different shoes. These have at least as many benefits in the summer as in the winter, also are very good in a cold rain. Second, I try not to work more that 3 games in a row in the same pair of shoes. Even if the second pair is not as good objectively, my feet seem to like the change of environment.

5) Preventative Ibuprofen. Some refs take their favorite analgesic before or during the day, I usually forget to do that. But take some as soon as I go home--even if I am not sore yet.

6) Vitamins. I don't know if it really does anything, but I like to take a pill with Cal, Mag, Zinc (100% mdr) when I get home--along with a multivitamin. Like I said, this one could be psychological, but it seems to have an impact for me.

Others... ?

[meyers]

1) Be in shape. I do a local parks and rec workout class starting in January. At first my reaction was that I was in with a bunch of "old ladies" till I realized that I was the oldest one in the class.

2) Bring your own liquids. Don't count on the tourney to provide gatorade/water. Sure 2 out of 3 will, but have your own cooler for that 3rd one. Bring enough for your kid if he or she is working with you--because you know they will not bring any and will take from you freely.

3) Juice boxes. If I do a Center/Line/Center, I like to drink most of a fruit juice box before the 3rd game, then the rest at half time. I drink some water first, so the juice doesn't hit my stomach in a way to cramp it. A burst of sugar in the blood stream does wonders.

4) Take care of your weak spot. I am OK physically, but at age 52 something has to give, and for me it is my feet. I like to wear wool socks under my ref socks. I have some thin footie liners, and some thick winter-style boot socks -- for different shoes. These have at least as many benefits in the summer as in the winter, also are very good in a cold rain. Second, I try not to work more that 3 games in a row in the same pair of shoes. Even if the second pair is not as good objectively, my feet seem to like the change of environment.

5) Preventative Ibuprofen. Some refs take their favorite analgesic before or during the day, I usually forget to do that. But take some as soon as I go home--even if I am not sore yet.

6) Vitamins. I don't know if it really does anything, but I like to take a pill with Cal, Mag, Zinc (100% mdr) when I get home--along with a multivitamin. Like I said, this one could be psychological, but it seems to have an impact for me.

Others... ?

1) Gotta work on that first one. Since I started having trouble with my knees... its a struggle to keep, errr get in shape

2) When I was younger, I could dehydrate no problem. But any more, I get dizzy, wicked headaches.

3) hmmm, can't stand sweet drinks at all. not sure about that one

4) Like I said knees (right one mostly) are mine. I am getting hyalgon shots now.

5) I will take some ibu prior to games sometimes. seems to help.

6) take multivitamins regularly anyway.