I got back into reffing because of church ball. I had a friend complain about having to work one man and running from end-line to end-line. I opened my big mouth, and next thing I know, I'm supposed to work a game with this guy to teach him mechanics.
I got hooked again, and I got myself on the schedule. I enjoy it. It's good exercise. It's a great hobby. It's my personal de-stressor. But I'm getting down a bit about working with partners who don't know the mechanics, don't know the rules, and often spend every dead ball talking to their girlfriends in the stands.
My fav, so far, was last week. They put me with a kid whose never reffed before (and it's my second game). So we go over basic mechanics: boxing in, free throw responsibilities, etc. The game is just run and gun, a lot of contact, and probably a little too out of control. Close game from start to finish. At halftime my partner quits! Goodness, I didn't think I did that badly
So I do the second half with a different young guy, whose too busy talking to his girlfriend to talk mechanics. May as well have been working alone!
Although the church league is pretty laid back, I am very excited about learning to do this right. I take it very seriously and do my best to be professional. It's not that I'm great or anything, I'm a rookie. But I'm quickly getting to the point where I want to move on and work with better officials. Is it too late in the season to get into an association and start working now? What do you folks suggest?