Do you remember the first game you officiated?

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

I received zero training. Bottom line: I sucked, and big time.

Originally Posted by Juulie Downs

Do I remember??

You never forget your first...

Other than the fact that I was completely and totally awful.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I was so bad it was not funny.

Jan, 2004. 9/10 yr old boys Rec League. After calling the second time out of the half, my partner asked me, "Why do you keep T'ing up the coach?" Me =

He then explained the proper hand and arm signals to me....duh!

I remember my second game too as it was on that same morning, same league, and the coach came in reeking of booze. I could barely stand near him it was so pungent. I reported him to the league! Jerk!!

PS - I reffed that former coaches son this yr and the former coach always comes up to me and shakes my hand. I don't know if he remembers me or knows I reported him, but I remember him. Once this yr, middle of the afternoon, after making a scene in the gym and storming out of the game preceding mine, he came up to talk to me......and smelled like booze. Sad for his kid(s) and the community. Jerk! (oh, I already said that).

[mbyron]

Oh I remember. It was a rec game, forget the level, on Sunday afternoon, and my partner didn't want to be there. Both teams were there early and my partner wanted to get going right now. One of the coaches insisted on a warm up, so my partner left!

So there I was, panicked about the prospect of working my first game by myself. Fortunately, the venue had another gym, and one of the refs scheduled to work down there came over and worked with me.

[GoodwillRef]

First game...2nd & 3rd grade girls City Rec League game. (1989)

First HS game (1990)...JV Girls (BCC @ Racine Lutheran) game...the other official who had been working forever (and is still working) told me that my main job was to make sure the varstiy game started on time...Var start at 730pm. He goes out and calls 63 fouls by himself...I called 17 (80 Total Fouls) the announcer was keeping track. The game goes overtime and Var game started at 845pm, the varsity officials were not happy. I remember one of the varsity officials had a belt buckle about the size of a coffee cup saucer...funny stuff.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Do you remember the first game you officiated?

No.

[ranjo]

First game ever was a parks & rec game with 8-9 year olds that my wife talked me into doing with her. I remember that I wore black sweat pants, a collared striped shirt, and big metal framed glasses. My wife laughs at me to this day, saying that she doesn't remember me blowing the whistle at all. I just remember being very nervous - trying not to make a mistake and prove to everyone I didn't have a clue (which I didn't).

I continued to do games at that level for the rest of the season, giving my first technical foul to a coach who's son got a foul call for using his arm to push off his defender while he was dribbling the ball. He told his son I didn't know what I was talking about, and to just keep doing it.

My first high school game was a jv girls game at a school very close to my house. I was just as nervous as the first game mentioned above, but had a little more rules knowledge. I don't remember much about the game except the play seemed extremely fast and I struggled to keep up with it.

My first partner at that game was great! He always smiled and very gently guided me in the right direction. I'm sure he covered quit a few of my mistakes. I will always be appreciative for that and vowed to remember to treat new officials the same way he did me.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Not counting the ones I worked with Dr. Naismith, here's mine.

The park district in the Chicago suburb in which I lived decided to start a rec program for Jr. HS boys. They asked those of us who had umpired park district baseball the previous year if we "knew how to referee basketball". I had worked baseball for all of two years and I told them "Sure, I can work basketball." All I knew about the game was what I had seen on television and in watching my HS games. This was January of my junior year in HS.

My first game was between two 7th grade teams. I was partnered up with another HS kid. The games were played in a gym at city hall, which originally was the old high school building. I remember I had a blue whistle I bought at Woolworth's. The park district gave us some striped shirts and we wore blue Levis and white high top gym shoes. We did the best we could and there really weren't many complaints at all. I do remember calling a shooting foul on a missed shot right before the end of the game when the game was tied and the kid made one of the free throws. Hey - NO OVERTIMES - even then.

BTW - this was 1964.

Mark:

To be completely honest, I do not remember my first game except that it was a boys' Jr. H.S. doubleheader during the 1971-72 season at the H.S. from which I graduated in 1969.

MTD, Sr.

P.S. But I do remember Mark, Jr.'s first games because I officiated the games with him: Thursday, December 13, 2007. It was a girls' 7th grade/8th grade doubleheader in the Midland Athletic League at North Baltimore (Ohio) Jr. H.S. (the home team) vs. Bascom (Ohio) Hopewell-Loudon Jr. H.S. He had to carry me in these two games and he has been carrying his old man ever since, .

[Oz Referee]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

P.S. But I do remember Mark, Jr.'s first games because I officiated the games with him: Thursday, December 13, 2007. It was a girls' 7th grade/8th grade doubleheader in the Midland Athletic League at North Baltimore (Ohio) Jr. H.S. (the home team) vs. Bascom (Ohio) Hopewell-Loudon Jr. H.S. He had to carry me in these two games and he has been carrying his old man ever since, .

Mark (snr and jnr) I hope you both realize how lucky you are. Basketball was a huge part of my father's life and being able to referee together really brought us a lot closer. Enjoy every game together, I hope there are many, many more!

[kwv001]

Originally Posted by ranjo

I remember that I wore black sweat pants, a collared striped shirt,

My first ever game was January 1984. I was a freshman at Indiana University and was working intramural basketball there. At that time, I believe intramural officials were paid $5.00/hour (minimum wage was $3.35 then). Each game lasted about 50 minutes and we worked 3 game sets per night.

I don't remember alot about the game other than it was between two residence hall teams. The thing that ranjo did make me think of was the uniform. We wore a striped shirt with a collar and blue jeans!

[181174]

Of course I remember my first game. 1998, girls jv game. I worked with my Dad, I had no clue what to do. I am just glad my Dad pulled us through. I learned a lot that first year. Really took a while to get the signals and mechanics down. It's hard telling what I called, or didn't call. I just remember knowing after the game that it was a huge difference from watching a game in the crowd and actually being out there calling the game. From that 1st year I have grown to really enjoy officiating and that is why I still love to work games.

I remember mine. I was a junior in high school, and my history teacher who was also the basketball coach asked what I was doing after school. I said, dunno. He said, no, you're reffing a basketball game. I had to look at him like he was an ucking fidiot. He hands me this long sleeved striped shirt he keeps in his locker, and a whistle, and said to go over to the parochial school K-8 in my hometown (just 700 people and they all know me!) and help a senior boy from my HS with a boy-girl JH doubleheader. Coach said I would get $20 for all my troubles.

I thought well, can't be that bad. I get there. The school is a Lutheran school, and they were scheduled to play a Catholic school from another town. The thing I remember about the games, the first was the girls game, and I T'd up the coach from the visiting team after she said "where the hell did they get you? You suck!" You couldn't imagine how many people were giggling (most of them were my newspaper customers) when I T'd her up and she had this look on her face like she couldn't believe I just did that.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

The thing I remember about the games, the first was the girls game, and I T'd up the coach from the visiting team after she said "where the hell did they get you? You suck!" You couldn't imagine how many people were giggling.....

Add one more giggler here, as I think that's funny.

[Texas Aggie]

I remember both my first scrimmage and my first actual game. My first scrimmage was a BV involving 2 pretty good teams. 2 other guys started the scrimmage and then the supervising official sent me and another guy in after a few minutes. We had gone up and down the court a few times and I was petrified but hadn't made any calls. Then, I was lead and this Dallas South Oak Cliff player drives the lane and runs right over his opponent. I blew my whistle, hand in the air, then pointed at the offensive player (now on the ground) and put my hand behind my head for a PC. Not the smoothest mechanics ever but it was technically correct. Anyway, I'm reporting the foul and the coach of SOC steps out and says, "Young man, you can't be making calls like that!" I said, "coach, he ran right over him" and then went on. After I "subbed" out, the supervising official asked me about that call. Now worried that I had made a mistake, I stood my ground: "I thought it was the right call." He said, "so did I! But don't wait too long expecting the SOC coach to agree with you."

My first game went over pretty much without incident. My partner kept telling me to blow my whistle louder so the next day, I went and bought a Fox 40.

[co2ice]

to remember that far back I would need some of Marks meds.

[Mark Padgett]

I forgot to mention that I received $1.25 for working the game. That was good money for a kid back then, since my part time job working at a local hamburger joint paid $1.00 an hour. I had a friend who worked as an usher at a local theater and he got 85 cents an hour.

I think that after they took taxes out, I was left with something like $1.15. In those days, that bought 23 candy bars.

[rockyroad]

November, 1989. Men's rec league. The HS assignor was a contractor who sponsored one of the teams that was playing. I was working with a long-time vet who told me "Don't take any sh!t from any of these guys". OK...called my first T 4 minutes into the game on a player who punted the ball to the other end of the court. Called my second T about two seconds later when the same player told me that the first T was "bullsh!t". My partner called the third T during the first free throw as the same player was standing at the door screaming at us...game over. My first game went about 4 and-a-half minutes!

The HS assignor came down out of the stands and walked up to me and told me to be sure to answer my phone when he called later that night! When he called, he gave me 4 JV boys games for the following week!