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Welcome to the board BigFarns.
Sounds like to got your own anxiety under control. But just because you felt uncomfortable, anxious, etc doesn't mean you really missed calls. Besides, no matter how long you officiate those same feeling will crop up periodically.
I am in my 25th year of officiating. Last friday's varsity game was one of the most difficult games I have ever had. Our crew was changed last minute to a new site. The game pitted backyard rivals, both of whom fight tooth and nail every year to secure not only a League title but also a state playoff berth. One team was going to end the night with thier first loss. Add to that, a pregame ceremony to honor a cheerleader and football player who had been killed in separate car accidents. About half the players of the visiting team were involved in the ceremony because they were related to the victims or were close personal friends also.
Just before the opening kickoff both coaches asked if we could delay the start of the game to compose their players. Of course we said yes.
The first half took 2 hours to play. Penalties galore. Incomplete passes too numerous to mention. No dirty play but with both teams trying to give 200% on every down that it took every ounce of strength from the crew to prevent action from crossing over the line. Both quarterbacks were taking hard hits just as they were releasing passes many times getting up slowly. Thankfully halftime arrived and gave the players ample time to calm down. 2nd half took only 1 hour.
Add in the hollering and screaming from fans who surrounded the field because of standing room only and you get an atmosphere where you could cut the tension with a knife. You can imagine the anxiety we felt as a crew. Yes, at halftime we even questioned ourselves if we were missing things to add to the tension.
Looking at the tape of the game thankfully it shows how well we performed as a crew. How our communication with each other actually provided a little bit of calm during the storm.
A long post just to show how the learning process will ever be ongoing. It's OK to feel bad after some games..that tells me you want to do your job well. It is amazing what a little positive feedback will do to lift you up. It's so much easier to get that by talking to other officials.
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