I've noticed several members mentioning in other sports related threads their involvement as sports officials, both past & present.
Having searched for a thread specific to sports officials and finding none, I thought it might be worthwhile to reach out and see if there is some interest. Across the spectrum of athletic competitions, I've found that officials, referees, umpires, judges, etc. share a bond based on the challenges of game/player management.
My own experiences have been as a soccer referee (football/futbol for those outside the U.S.) over the course of 25 years with close to 2000 matches of experience at various levels from youth to Premier amateur and semi-pro. What started as a strictly volunteer endeavor - helping out with our sons' youth clubs - eventually morphed into an avocation and a side gig. I've been licensed and affiliated with various organizations, including, but not limited to, NHS, NJCAA, NCAA, NAIA and USSF.
I often view athletic competitions through an official's lens and have found that over the course of almost 3 decades as a soccer referee there was a lot to be learned from officials in other sports endeavors, as well (mechanics, approachability etc.). My own soccer referee toolkit and bag of tricks is in large part a compilation of personal observations of other officials whom I've admired for their temperament, teamwork, composure and player management skills. From each I've taken bits and pieces and made them my own. The great English referee, Ken Aston, was my biggest personal influence. Years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend two of his referee camps and even had Ken as an assessor/observer on a match that I officiated at a tournament.
Officials in other sports whom I've greatly admired include NHL referee Bill McCreary, NFL referee Ed Hocuhli and NBA referee Jake O'Donnell. My all time favorite was MLB umpire, Ron Luciano (he taught me that it's okay to have fun out there!). There are others, but those individuals stand out for various reasons.
Just curious who else out there is interested in sharing. Rather than limit discussion in this thread to those who have umpired/officiated traditional team sports, I think it would be interesting to hear from anyone who has served in other capacities involving competition as a line judge/chair umpire in tennis, a spelling bee judge, swimming judge/official to name but a few.
Having searched for a thread specific to sports officials and finding none, I thought it might be worthwhile to reach out and see if there is some interest. Across the spectrum of athletic competitions, I've found that officials, referees, umpires, judges, etc. share a bond based on the challenges of game/player management.
My own experiences have been as a soccer referee (football/futbol for those outside the U.S.) over the course of 25 years with close to 2000 matches of experience at various levels from youth to Premier amateur and semi-pro. What started as a strictly volunteer endeavor - helping out with our sons' youth clubs - eventually morphed into an avocation and a side gig. I've been licensed and affiliated with various organizations, including, but not limited to, NHS, NJCAA, NCAA, NAIA and USSF.
I often view athletic competitions through an official's lens and have found that over the course of almost 3 decades as a soccer referee there was a lot to be learned from officials in other sports endeavors, as well (mechanics, approachability etc.). My own soccer referee toolkit and bag of tricks is in large part a compilation of personal observations of other officials whom I've admired for their temperament, teamwork, composure and player management skills. From each I've taken bits and pieces and made them my own. The great English referee, Ken Aston, was my biggest personal influence. Years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend two of his referee camps and even had Ken as an assessor/observer on a match that I officiated at a tournament.
Officials in other sports whom I've greatly admired include NHL referee Bill McCreary, NFL referee Ed Hocuhli and NBA referee Jake O'Donnell. My all time favorite was MLB umpire, Ron Luciano (he taught me that it's okay to have fun out there!). There are others, but those individuals stand out for various reasons.
Just curious who else out there is interested in sharing. Rather than limit discussion in this thread to those who have umpired/officiated traditional team sports, I think it would be interesting to hear from anyone who has served in other capacities involving competition as a line judge/chair umpire in tennis, a spelling bee judge, swimming judge/official to name but a few.