[zeedonk]

Good Lord and a quarter!

Girls 8th grade county championship game tonight. I am R and my partner is a fellow 2nd year cadet. Big gym, filled to rafters. We count players pregame- 15 for H, 13 for V. I think to myself "Self, lots of players here, lots of fouls to give"...

We had to call close to 60. I didn't hang around to find out. Total hack-fest along with incredibly high decibel level, which I attribute to well attended girls games (not to put them down, just an observation-subs on both benches tend to cheer more than boys similarly situated, that's all). Overall a great experience in handling crowds, and a very highly charged atmosphere. Coaches were well behaved for the most part. 2 T's on V players for unsportsmanlike behavior. Answered 2 questions from spectators that were so close to polite I had to oblige- no, they didn't know the rule....

It's 11:30 EST and my ears are still ringing. Game was far from perfect, but really a great experience overall. Had a little of everything- big crowd, big game and LOTS of fouls. I don't want to hear my whistle for about a week, but have a boys JV tomorrow- hopefully as competitive, but just a wee bit quieter...

Sshhhhhhhhh!

Z