I remember well my first HS game. I'm working with a veteran. I couldn't sleep the night before I was so excited. Because I had no sleep, I couldn't get a single thing right. I reported the wrong number a couple of times. I think I let somebody shoot free throws from the volleyball court line rather than the free throw line. I must've looked about as bad as I felt because during a timeout another official in the stands prompted me to smile. It was just bad.
After the game my partner, who didn't seem to think I did all that badly, said something interesting. He said, "It won't be the worst game you ever call." I still laugh about that. He was right. Don't let a bad game get you down too much. Learn from it and move on.
Welcome to the fraternity. (Apologies to Juulie and the growing number of females that hang out here. But I just can't imagine myself as a member of a sorority!

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