sensitive issue

[doghead]

Wow! Interesting subject! I am a "newbie", entering my second season. I am a woman and am trying to put myself in the position of the male official in this circumstance. I will admit that I do feel compassion for the male official who gets "passed up" because there is a desire to get more women and minority referees. My brother, who is a seasoned collegiate & minor league umpire, tells me I'm getting into officiating "at the right time". Right now, I'm just trying very hard to learn and improve. I must say that when I step onto the floor at the beginning of the game (particularly if I am with a male partner and/or officiating a boys' game), I feel a need to work even harder in order to be respected at the same level as my male counterpart....simply because of my gender. Now I am just stating how I FEEL. Most of my experiences have been positive with regards to respect shown me (other than last Saturday night when I did an 8th grade boys' game and things got ugly and I T'd a disqualified player on the bench...well that's a story for another post.) I certainly hope that I am never advanced because of my gender....the thoughts of that scare me! I hope I only advance to the next level when I have proven competence.