High school girls' varsity, largest classification. Goalkeeper collects a shot and everyone is sprinting back up field, in anticipation of a long punt. I'm stride for stride with one of the players, except she's running forward and I'm running backwards. Happened again about 10 minutes later. Felt pretty good.
That's what I did last week when both teams were whining about fouls. I just pointed to the ball at their teammates feet and said they still have it! Wasn't saying there was a foul, and pointing out they still have the ball!
Officiating really is a brotherhood. I am having breakfast at the IHOP near the soccer complex I have never been to before, and I see steam coming from under my hood. I go ahead and eat breakfast, then drive my car to a shop in the same retail area as the restaurant. A water hose split. I call one of the guys I am working with, because his phone number is in game officials. He picks me up, even though he had never met me before, and we ride together to do our games.
I've been impressed at how well officials who don't know each other work together. That said, I'm really looking forward to my assignment in a couple of weeks, when I'm working with two kids I coached.
Ha! I had a coach comment on something similar a few weeks ago. HSBV match, same situation. I am back peddling towards the circle of excellence and the coach is screaming to his players to turn and face the ball, the one kid next to me tells his coach "How, when I have to sprint back to cover" Coach points to me, and says if HE can do it, you should be able to!!" I knew the coach and knew it wasn't a jab, and the player looks at me and I just shrug and away we go...
Beautiful day, hardly a cloud in the sky, temps in the 60's, nice, cushiony turf field, with the rushing water sounds made by the out of sight freeway about 50 yards away. Two D1 college club teams, USSF affiliated, first game of their season. Not many fouls. A very narrow field, so my main challenge was staying out of the way. I managed to not get hit by the ball, so that was good. Did have to ignore that neither team had a roster, at least not in paper form. Seeing it on your phone doesn't really help me very much. Neither team had player cards yet, either. The state office had actually e-mailed me the player cards for the visiting team, which I had printed off, but it turned out that the visiting school has two club teams and the cards I had received were for the other team. So we just played. No cards given in the game and none deserved. Manager for the home team saw me using the Torxx ball pump and he said, "I gotta get one of those!"
I agree, did you run a few miles between games. 4-5 miles for a center on a 90 minute game is typical. 7+ seems like a ton.
That was distance traveled during the day, including a full tour around my factory and the two games. The record since I've been wearing my Garmin, however.
I worked three games on Saturday: U-15 girls center with only 1 trained AR, U-13 girls center with only 1 trained AR, and U-13 girls AR. Somehow, I still managed to misread the game to the result of a red card for VC in the U-15 game. I just felt like I was never watching the correct area in the penalty area. Almost every ball in, corner, free kick, run of play cross would result in a player on the ground that I was never looking directly at but out of the corner of my eye looked like two players had just come together and one had fallen down (never run over from behind). After one such incident Red 7 looks at me, standing while the opponent was on the ground, and said, "She pulled my hair." Red 7 paused, looked down at Blue 26, bent her knee to 90 degrees and kicked along Blue 26's back striking a glancing blow to the lower back and butt (Blue 26 was on her side). I understand the differences between girls and boys games, but I cannot for the life of me figure out if I missed something during the game earlier that would have prevented that. As a side note, the RC, PK, and resulting goal occurred right before the water break. A number of parents were complaining about what a terrible referee I was then they watched the video of the person taping on one of those 20 ft high tripod stands, saw the kicking motion and the player on the ground react then apologized to the AR.
I had a game last week during which I was, several times, seeing a player on the ground away from play. Nobody was complaining, but I decided that should be my tip off to get farther from play (heresy! heresy!) and keep a wider view of play. There weren't many fouls close to play and those that were happening were pretty obvious anyway. So I moved further away and, perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not, I didn't see people away from the ball having to get up anymore.
Boys freshman match: It's a 2-man and my colleague is...lazy? So I'm working to get up and down to make up the difference. I see a handling in the PA on the opposite side of the other ref and blow my whistle, point to the spot. #9 on guilty team wants to know who it was. Now, there are 2 CBs and they all look exactly alike, and I didn't get the number. So I explain this, "it was either you, or him, I didn't see the number". #9 proceeds to pitch a fit, his teammates tell him to chill. Later, with opposing team up by 1, and with only 38 seconds left, the losing team (#9s squad) gives up a corner on a counter. Winning team player jogs down the field to take the corner and the ball is kicked out for a GK. Game ends before they get the GK off. #9 throws a tantrum about how the winning team "wasted 1:20 on the corner kick!" I'm not sure what he wants done about it, even if it were true. So I call him over to tell him it was maybe 28 seconds, calm him down etc... before I can get to him he loses composure and dissents. I tell him that he needs to respect the decisions of officials etc... the usual and as I'm doing this I'm searching my pocket for my yellow card....I can't find it, it's fallen out and I guess been blown away? I let him off with a stiff rebuke. Team captain asks me what I was doing (He's one the the club kids I coach on this team) . I tell him my YC went walkabout. He says "I'll tell him that he's super lucky to not get carded cuz you're normally a massive grump." We chuckle and leave. I thought he was kidding, now I'm not sure. I have them again tomorrow, should be fun. EDIT: Just realizing my "best stories" are boring lately, I guess I should be grateful.
Another BV game today, another red card. This was a 2CT so I am up to 9 for the season. Today was a joint effort, me in the first half and my partner in the second. A DeJong like leg (yellow worthy) to the midsection, and a tackle from behind with no ball all leg in the second half. As I am walking towards the miscreant, he is explaining to my partner that it wasn’t his fault because the opponent had the ball underneath “his feet, and I had to go through him to get the ball.” Ok. However, his team got 2 goals 10 v 11 to turn a 1-0 game into a 3-0 stroll.
It’s crazy! And, because of all the reds, I have looked inward a bit to see if I have been overreacting, but I would have to say all of them have been justified.
So this is my not so best story of the week. Doing a HSGV game of 2 very small schools. Small field and 25 total players on both teams combined. Dual system with a very experienced partner. Game is actually competitive with a late goal for the home team leading to a 3-2 win. After the game, my partner tells me he wants to talk to me. We start walking to our cars and he then says we need to go somewhere more private. I wondering what he could possibly be leading up to. We get to a semi-private area and he says "what the hell are you doing calling in subs from the far side of the field". And he is pissed. I am taken aback? Who the hell cares who calls in the subs? I look and if I see subs, I whistle and beckon them on, and I tell him so. He says, "Near ref handle subs and far ref has no business calling subs on, unless other ref is busy. And everyone knows this." I tell him I have never heard this before and having done about 200 HS games, not a new kid on the block. He says that is because everyone is afraid to speak up about it. I say "fine, point taken and lets move on". Then he starts in on how I did a drop ball. And yes, I know the HS drop procedure. Striker ran into goalie and fell down hurt. Goalie started to run up to punt ball and then peels back to check out injured player with ball still in her hands. I am not happy as I planned to whistle with ball in air and do drop ball at mid field, but now I gotta do it in the PA. While player in being attended to, I tell goalie that I plan to drop ball to her, uncontested. But when I go to do this, a striker comes up to contest the drop. I know that I this is technically allowed, but totally not what I want to happen. I put my hand up to attacker to keep her away and my partner whistles and comes over and tells me I can't coach the players on the drop ball (which I know). I go back to spot and announce drop ball and quickly drop to the defending team, who boots it out and that was my plan (and what the sporting re-start should have been). So, anyway, he starts ragging on me about this and how I am not to impose my view of how the game should be played and we need to follow the letter of the rules. What do you say when you know someone is technically correct, but still think your own ideas are better? Guess that is why I don't get the highest level BV or playoff games. C'est la vie.....
On the DB, you were making stuff up, and you knew you were. That's not our job. The powers that be say what the rules are, and we enforce them. If we each start doing things that we think are "better" than the actual rules, we have chaos as we all have different ideas on what might be better. (Aside: I don't do HS--I thought that HS kept the IFK for if the GK was holding the ball?) You did have another option. You could have pointed out to the attacker that the GK had done the sporting thing in checking on her teammate, and it gave her the perfect opportunity to do the sporting thing and let the GK have the ball. There is a big difference between encouraging the player to do the sporting thing and exercising authority that we don't have to force them away from the DB. Another option was to just call the foul for running into the GK--not an advantage if the GK wasn't going to keep the ball in her hands.
"You know what? You're absolutely right. Thanks for pointing that out. Any other tips for me?" Variation: "Really? I didn't know that, and nobody's ever mentioned it before. Thanks for letting me know."
Heck, that's a usual part of our pregame reminders when we end up doing duals... "If you see subs and I don't, especially if I'm down by the corner, go ahead and whistle them on." Under current NFHS, restart is an IFK for defending team since GK was in possession. ^This.^ However, I finally had one ignore that exact suggestion on Monday, just above their attacking PA. But, his opponent just smirked and controlled the DB easily.
Tales of an AR.... A few AR stories from this/last week: HSBJV match. Team has substitutes ready to come in. I notice #5 has bracelets on both wrists. As the CR calls them on I say "#5, stay here". He looks at me and I point to my wrists. He just stares at me and then just start walking on the field, Again, I say "#5, you can't go in you have bracelets on" He looks at me again, and turns to go back onto the pitch. I again say "#5 you cannot play with those on!" Now his teammates grab him and start walking him off the pitch, I look to the coach and he says. "We have 3 foreign exchange students on the team, I don't think he knew what you were saying..." Like you couldn't help me out on this coach?? He comes back up on next substitution and he shows me his arms. I give him a high five as the CR beckons him on. Later HSBV match AR2. Visiting team is up 4-0 and there is a bang bang play and I see the ball kicked by home team hits visiting team player as that player shields the ball OOB. I signal throw in for home team and the visiting player starts arguing with me. "Why would I shield the ball out if he wasn't the last to touch it!" I just shrug, he goes on (because home team is subbing and we have time) again he goes "I wouldn't let the ball go OOB if I was the last to touch it" I just say, " I believe that you THOUGHT he was the last one to touch it, just like I THOUGHT you were the last one to touch it, however, I have this flag and you do not. I really don't think you want to die on this hill on a throw in 40 yards away from your goal" His defender teammate chuckles and he goes back to defend. They end up winning 6-0. Last week AR1, HSBV. Home team is a favored team to win the conference, against a visiting team that is on the lower end. Game is competitive, Home team is getting frustrated, but they get a PK off a HB that to me seemed to be ball hit too close to the defender to move his arm, but I was not CR. They go up 1-0. 5 minutes later, visiting team gets a long ball over the top, player touches the ball and then is cleared out by the home team keeper and goes down in a heap. This is opposite of me and I see AR2 shake his flag just as the CR calls for a GK. He stops time for the injured player and I see the AR call the CR over. Sure enough the CR comes back with the PK. Home coach goes ballistic, PK converted we are tied 1-1 at the 70th minute. Home team is REALLY getting frustrated, especially #6 a larger midfielder. home team attacking my side in 2nd half, #6 battling with a defender and defender takes the ball so #6 grabs his shoulder and pulls him back, I raise my flag and CR calls it. 4 minutes later long ball coming towards post on my side, I see #6 behind the defender push him in the back as he comes in, I again raise my flag and #6 turns to me and says "How can I be offside!" I said "You weren't offside I am calling your 2 hand push in the defenders back" to which the defender said thanks. Another 3 minutes later, high ball that keeper and #6 are both going for. Gk just beats him to the ball, but they do come together, I think it was pretty 50/50 and #6 wasn't going in too hard, keeper never got hands on the ball and it bounces off him and rolls to the corner, I don't hear CR blow a whistle so we are still playing, #6 heads in front of the goal as his teammate gathers the ball defender comes to mark #6 and #6 just two hand pushes the guy to the ground. I start waving my flag, but they ball in centered to the 18 and the CR isn't looking at me. luckily no goal is scored, but I want to make sure this foul is called, and he sees me and blows the whistle, I come over and discuss what I saw, and he asks if it was a YC, I tell him it is his 3rd foul in 10 minutes and this latest was a push to a player when they weren't even in the play. he nods and YC's the player. Home coach looks at me and asks "How I can call that!!" I just ignore him. Home team gets a late goal and wins 2-1. After the game home coach comes over and he isn't all that upset but asks if he can ask me a question. I say sure coach, and he says he has never seen that before, and I say what haven't you seen before? He said he has never seen an AR give a YC before. I say, we are ALL officials and when the CR came over he asked me my opinion, I told him what I saw happen in the past 10 minutes and gave him what I would do, and he took my advice. Coach just said ok and that was it. Really odd...