Making progress

I'm getting better! No, really, I swear!

Wait, what am I talking about? Let's back up a sec. For those of you who don't know -- and, really, if you're reading this blog, then there's no doubt you know -- I started officiating basketball games this year.

Why in the world would I want to do that? Well, for a few reasons. I love basketball. Well, I love sports. And while baseball was my first love, and football is the most popular sport in the country, I have a soft spot for basketball. Since my junior high days, it's been my favorite sport, passing baseball. I remember stories of my dad calling games when he was younger, and since I've always been hard on refs, I've always felt that I could do a good job. Plus, I'm not writing about sports anymore, so this allows me to stay involved.

So I signed up, bought myself an outfit, studied the rules, passed the test ... and bam, hit the court. For the most part, I've been doing junior high games. The pace is good for a first-year official trying to get his feet wet. And the money's not bad either, especially if you can get 3 or 4 games in a night.

So after a few scrimmages, I've gotten a couple dozen junior high games under my belt. But tonight, I took the next step, signing on to call a junior varsity game -- which was essentially two half-games (two quarters for girls and two quarters for boys). The pace was faster ... not overwhelming, but they certainly move a lot quicker than 6th- and 7th-graders.

I missed a few calls, no doubt. There was one where the ball was dribbled out of bounds, and I was out of position and didn't see it. So I didn't make the call. Coach wasn't happy, but hey, you miss it sometimes. And there were a few times the game got a little too physical and I probably should have blown the whistle. But for the most part, I feel like my mechanics are continuing to improve. I feel like I'm not thinking so much, that my head isn't swimming, that I'm getting the hang of this thing.

I've requested some more junior varsity games, as some of the older guys would rather not call the JV game and then two varsity games on top of that. The more games I can get, the better I'll be. Will I get a varsity game? I'm not sure. Many first-year officials don't. If I do, will I be ready? You better believe it. I'm really starting to believe that I might be pretty good at this gig in the long term. More importantly, though, is that I'm enjoying it, getting some exercise, making some money and making some friends. I can't wait to see how this story continues to unfold.