Why do you officiate?

[Don in MN]

Previously said in this forum: "Let the Euros stick to something they know, like boring soccer and cheese."

As a native of America's Dairyland (Wisconsin), I take offense at people saying that the Euros know cheese better than Cheeseheads...Real Wisconsin cheese is the best in the world, hands down!


Onto the topic:

I was never much of an athlete (perhaps eating too much of that Wisconsin cheese while growing up in the Dairy state), but I loved sports and wanted to be involved. I started, like a lot of people here, doing youth Little League games and the like. Worked intramural hoops in college and eventually got my certification to work hoops in Minnesota, where I live. Been doing high school JV/B-squad games in Minnesota for the past three years. I enjoy it, though I don't know how much longer I can do it, with my work schedule (I work in college athletics PR and do a lot of freelance work in the Twin Cities for various pro and college teams). Still, I enjoy officiating. It keeps me in some form of shape (round is a shape!) and has helped me as a basketball fan to increase my understanding of the game.