Best Story of the WEEK 2021

Discussion in 'Referee' started by IASocFan, Jan 1, 2021.

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  1. DefRef

    DefRef Member

    Jul 3, 2017
    Storrs CT
    One of the joys in my life, and later, disappointment - both my boys reffed a LOT. Older boy got me hooked on it and we worked games together and 5 yr younger boy could not wait to get started. I was able to get him a few games before he was certified when no other refs available. Then the 3 of us worked in many tournaments, in and out of state. Just so much quality father/son time and discussing ref situations during long car rides and arguing about which fast food to eat......

    Both boys reffed over 500 games, including HS games after they graduated. And HS pays very nicely around here. Younger boy was noticed by state ref people and they got us some Cup finals work. They made tons of money, of which I made them save 50%, and paid for their cars, phones, insurance, computers, etc.. I barely had to pay for anything for them.

    And then.....they were just done. Now at age 26 and 21, neither wants anything to do with it. I can only assume they burned out. I asked older one recently about this and he said he has been yelled at enough in his life and won't voluntarily do it again. Sigh.........
     
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  2. Pittsburgh Ref

    Pittsburgh Ref Member+

    Oct 7, 2014
    da 'Burgh
    Last night I finished off a crew for this Sunday by putting a dad in the middle, with his kids already on the lines. I am happy thinking about the memories that he will have of that. And as I told him, soon enough they'll be in the middle!
     
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  3. Kit

    Kit Member+

    Aug 30, 1999
    Herkimer, NY, USA
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Here for high school, both varsity and JV are 40 minute halves with a “stop” clock. But we also generally don’t have JV/varsity double headers. Junior high games are 15 minute quarters with a stop clock and each coach has 1 timeout per quarter.

    As I said, we usually don’t do JV/varsity double headers. The closest I came was a junior high/varsity double header, sort of. My partner and I had a junior high game followed by a varsity game at the same complex but on different fields. If everything had gone right, it would have been ok. However, the visiting junior high team arrived late so the game started late. Then there was an injury and then the game went into overtime. As overtime began, I could see the varsity teams warming up and I looked at my watch. With a quick calculation, I realized that the junior high game would be over right around the same time the varsity game would start. One of the spectators was a referee on our local board (his daughter was playing in the junior high game). I asked him to inform the varsity coach that we would be there but just be getting there as the game began. As overtime began, I heard an announcement from the varsity stadium saying kickoff had been delayed by 15 minutes!
     
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  4. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    I know that I am late to the party but just catching up on this thread. As much as I dislike the dual and especially three whistle system, I have to say that I noticed that working duals on high school has made me a much more confident and better official. I felt a bit more paralyzed doing a game in the center with AR's out there but no real way to communicate and ME being there. Getting that experience and having problems was not the best. Sharing that responsibility made me learn with a bit more comfort and grow a lot. I think the same could be achieved with experienced AR's on the side and headsets, but back then nobody really had headsets. So I will say that even though I am not a big fan of it, it has done a lot good for me personally.

    That's interesting; I find this to be the exact opposite here (unless I am misunderstanding you) - I get a lot more money officiating high school than I would coaching it and I feel the coaching time commitment is much higher.
     
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  5. Gary V

    Gary V Member+

    Feb 4, 2003
    SE Mich.
    Hmm, I think the groundskeeper needs to do a little work before kickoff.
     
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  6. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    Wowzers, you guys do overtime for anything below varsity? And JUNIOR HIGH at that?

    Here we have 40 minute halves for varsity, 30 minute halves for JV (we stop the clock as normal), 30 minutes for junior high varsity (running clock) and.. 24 minute halves for junior high JV. Go figure.
     
  7. Law5

    Law5 Member+

    Mar 24, 2005
    Beaverton OR
    Yes. In the picture, there are two guys moving the portable goal out of the way.
     
  8. voiceoflg

    voiceoflg Member+

    Dec 8, 2005
    Maybe this needs its own thread. Here the state says varsity is 40 minute halves, stopping the clock for normal NFHS reasons. Any sub-varsity is 35 minutes unless agreed on by both coaches. Those games I have done run around 50-50 between 35 and 30 minute halves. One was 25 minute halves because one team had five players quit and the other team had a tougher opponent the very next day. And storms were coming in. I wasn't in the car five minutes after the game when the bottom fell out...of the sky, not the car.
     
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  9. Kit

    Kit Member+

    Aug 30, 1999
    Herkimer, NY, USA
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Junior high games overtime is only two full 4 minute periods, but when you are trying to get to your next game even that seems like an eternity!

    I find it strange that you have junior high jv teams. Here if a school is large enough, they'll have two teams but one isn't "greater" than the other.
     
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  10. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    When I played in 2006, we had a 7th grade team and an 8th grade team. Somehow I think that went to "JV" and "Varsity."
     
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  11. frankieboylampard

    Mar 7, 2016
    USA
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    middle school in 2006? I must be like a fossil to you! Lol

    on the younger side of the age spectrum on this board for sure.
     
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  12. Rufusabc

    Rufusabc Member+

    May 27, 2004
    when I played, they counted corners to break ties!
     
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  13. Kit

    Kit Member+

    Aug 30, 1999
    Herkimer, NY, USA
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When I talk to young referees and tell them that back when I played, you could throw the ball into your own goalkeeper and they could handle it. They will think that I am speaking a different language and stare at me in disbelief!
     
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  14. LampLighter

    LampLighter Red Card

    Bugeaters FC
    Apr 13, 2019
    I can always count on this place to make me feel younger, and my knees to remind me not so much.
     
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  15. frankieboylampard

    Mar 7, 2016
    USA
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    haha I think you have me beat. When I started the ball was put in play it had to spin the circumference of the ball.
     
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  16. LampLighter

    LampLighter Red Card

    Bugeaters FC
    Apr 13, 2019
    Started with 2 jersey colors.
     
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  17. Gary V

    Gary V Member+

    Feb 4, 2003
    SE Mich.
    I started with plain black. I think fuchsia was available; it just wasn't used much in the youth leagues.
     
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  18. socal lurker

    socal lurker Member+

    May 30, 2009
    Now I'm feeling old. Refs only wore black when I started.(Though I was a kid when I started.)

    Anyone else remember Fair or Foul? as the best book on reffing you could get?
     
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  19. RefIADad

    RefIADad Member+

    United States
    Aug 18, 2017
    Des Moines, IA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Got through a HSBV conference matchup last night without a card (and really, I didn't come that close to giving one). It helped that of the 30 or so kids who were playing, I probably knew 25 of them through club officiating. The kids know how far I'll let them go before they will end up with a card. One of the teams had a really contentious match on Monday where a player was injured, so I was on high alert from the start. Had an advantage that led to a goal.

    Following the match, the mom of one of my son's teammates texted me and said how much many of the parents on that team enjoy it when I'm the referee on their matches (her older son was playing). Now the funny thing is the standard "come on ref!!" comments become "come on (my first name)!" in these matches. It comes with the territory since I referee so many of these kids' club and ODP matches throughout the year.

    I also refereed one of the teams last Saturday, and I cautioned their captain for dissent. When I saw him before the coin toss, I smiled and said, "No hard feelings from Saturday, right??" He laughed and agreed. He admitted he shouldn't have dissented.
     
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  20. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    Haha, well, I can say that if it weren't for reffing, I probably would have never made friends who are in their 50's or 60's. And I think that enriched my life in ways that would not be possible without refereeing, be it from sharing life experience and just being around people who have done a lot in life. And that's one other amazing aspect of refereeing.

    I will say though that in recent years, while I'm still in my 20s, I have been put on games to mentor teenage kids coming into the game and it feels a bit weird - like I am the older one now, teaching others who to do the basics. Good feeling, though. And I hope to ride it for many many more years to come!
     
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  21. IASocFan

    IASocFan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 13, 2000
    IOWA
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I told a tournament assignor, I could do Saturday morning games. I told my normal assignor, I could do a couple of games this weekend, and that I wasn't available Saturday morning. Both assignors have been digging hard to cover games. I did a girls Varsity/JV double header last nignt. My tournament games were 8, 9:30, and 11:00, leaving minimal time to get to my club rec games 25 minutes (17 miles) away for my 1 and 3 games. Two Centers and 3 ARs U13 to U15. My first center was u13G, no fouls or offsides in the first half. I called my first foul of three in the first minute of the second half. Each team had an offside in the second half. A lot of good soccer in the morning, no cards all day, and a 7-2 boys U14 game for my second center. My Garmin shows 13.90 miles, my applewatch shows 11.83 miles. Interesting difference. My 77 year old body feels like it was a lot more.
     
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  22. Law5

    Law5 Member+

    Mar 24, 2005
    Beaverton OR
    Double rep, IASocFan! I don't know about your Garmin but I frequently run on a local track and my Garmin is very close to, if not exactly, the same as the track. E.g. When I run two laps, the Garmin says .51 miles.
     
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  23. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    That's honestly just wonderful and I really hope that when I get to be this age, I can run half of what you do!
     
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  24. roby

    roby Member+

    SIRLOIN SALOON FC, PITTSFIELD MA
    Feb 27, 2005
    So Cal
    Although I have a bunch of years on you I wouldn't mind doing a match with you so long as they drastically reduced the size of the circle of excellence! :whistling:
     
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  25. davidjd

    davidjd Member+

    Jun 30, 2000
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    All black except for the solid on the top of the socks. A few years in it went to stripes on the top of the socks. I still have several years of the paper version of TLOTG which would always be in my bag. As a player, I recall when shinguards became mandatory and how so many players complained that it messed up their shooting when really they weren't any different than before.
     
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