[SeanFitzRef]

Two weeks ago I worked with a rookie official at a camp, and we drew to of the top teams in the U17 division of the tournament. Tough game for a rookie, and one of the coaches jumped on him early. The rookie got flustered after the first two minutes and lost all forms of mechanics. He started blowing the whistle and waving his arms frantically each time he made a call. No fist, no open hand, just two arms waving frantically. I knew the coach that was jumping on him, and I asked him to back off, since my partner was new. He was worried about winning the game, so he didn't care. After about five minutes, the evaluator made a switch and put a more seasoned ref on the floor with me, and we finished the game without incident. At halftime, I talked to the new guy and told him it happens to all of us. I'm now glad I'm not a "rookie" to this level of ball anymore.