Quote:
Originally posted by canuckrefguy
One of the best officials I know is only about 5'7". But he is confident, has a great voice, excellent demeanor, and laser-sharp mechanics/signals. And he calls a great game.
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Wow, Canuckref, I didn't realize we knew each other
That's a
joke. But I'm also 5'7" (roughly 1m 70cm). Maybe the similarity stops there. . .
I posted this story once, but I'll mention it again. When I went to camp this summer, Mickey Crowley was just talking to a bunch of us informally. He was saying that he hoped the camp would tell us what we need to do to "move up" to our desired level. So he looks right at me and says, "You? You need to grow about 6 inches!" It was obviously a joke, everybody laughed. We moved on.
But I'm not a real tall person, and I do have D1 aspirations. So on the last day of camp, I sought out Mickey and I asked him seriously how much my height would hold me back. His reply was close to the following:
"If you'd asked me 4 or 5 years ago, I'd have told you that you didn't have much of a chance. They were looking for guys with a very specific look. They wanted tall, athletic refs. They wanted the refs to resemble the players. But they came to realize that calling the game is much much more important than how the crew looks.
Now, if you were a 6'4" black guy who could run, then I'd have a home run. But if you can call a game, and understand what needs to be called, that's more important. I don't think you should worry about your height. If I were you, I wouldn't even think about it."
For what it's worth, I don't think he was just trying to make me feel better, either. Just my two cents.
Chuck