[JRutledge]

I officiate because I am still a very competitive person by nature. I was not a "great" athlete but a decent one. I played Football, Basketball and Baseball since I was a kid and thru High School. I am a huge sports fan that can have an extensive talk about most major sports in both college and pro and HS. I had been looking for some way to get directly involved in sports since I could not realitically play anymore. Then a friend in college told me about how he was a HS umpire. The rest was history.

I love the fact that you still have to keep your composure and still are required to perform at the top level. And in the end, I am the one that wlil be right no matter what. Now of course you must be prepared and make good decisions, but you word is final.

And finally I stay physically fit and healthy. I am probably now in better shape then I was when I was a teenager. And if the exercise keeps me healthy longer in my later years, then so be it.

Peace