WHISTLE BLOWING

Take a shot at this question. What is the best part-time job for a college student? Working at a dining hall? Heck no. Maybe being a tour guide? Fun but not enough hours. What about a nice, quiet job at the library? ZZZZZZ. But how about being an official? Ah, now we're talking.

When I came into college, I had no desire to get a job. I mean, college was paid for and honestly, I thought a job woud just get in the way. So Fall quarter, I did nothing (kind of like this Winter Break) and man, it was boring. I sat in my room, watched a lot of TV, played three seasons of NCAA Football 2005 and learned more about what was on the internet than I ever wanted to know. After a Winter Break of doing nothing to though, I knew that the go-getter in me couldn't sit down anymore and do nothing. So I set out to get a job. I happened to see a job posting in Ping for basketball referees. Thought it would be a good idea. Went to the meetings and clinics and next thing you know, I earned my stripes.

Now in my fourth year of being a referee/official in a variety of sports, let me tell ya, there's nothing better. There are many reasons behind this statement. First off, it's the feeling of being in control. Now let's be honest people, everyone likes to be right. Whether with family, friends, enemies or strangers, being right about something feels good. Well, as a referee, you're always right...or at least, you convey that feeling to everyone else. The confidence in your calls says it all. The more confident the call, the more believeable the call. And in my fourth year now, every call is confident. Am I always right? HAHA, no way. But man, once I put the stripes on, I'm not wrong. Question me, I dare you.

Another reason the job is so good...the travel. Man oh man, I can't think of my college experience without traveling for extramural tournaments. I mean, I've been to College Park, MD, Hattiesburg, MS, Pensacola, FL, Dallas, TX, Tempe, AZ, Davis, CA and in just a few weeks, I'm off to New Orleans, LA. Now tell me what other organization on campus is gonna sponsor and help pay for travel to all of those places and more? Somethin tells me, not many. Not only are these trips a chance forme to see this great country of ours, but they are great times with people all over the nation. And all because I blow a whistle and make some calls.

Need another reason why the job of referee is so good? How about the pay rate? No, I'm not talkin about the starting Intramural Pay Rate. That's chump change like any other starting rate on campus. But once you get off campus, that's where the real money sets in. Especially at times like right now, during basketball season. For example, this past weekend. Along with my friend Eric (check out his blog on the links to the right), I reffed 4th, 5th and 6th grade games at a local elemantary school. Just like any grade school game, we had to deal with parents who think their kids are the next LeBron or Lisa Leslie or parents that think they know the rules. Coaches aren't normally a problem but the slippery floor is.

But once you get past all that, think about this. $23 a game...yes, $23/game. Saturday was a 9-game affair while Sunday was 5 more. Do the quick math and we made $322 cash money. And I mean cash in hand when we left the gym. Cha-ching! Not to mention tomorrow, I get to do two middle school games for $50. Oh, what a 3-day weekend.

So let's recap. I blow a whistle to stop little kids from kiling each other for 3 days and come out with $372 of tax-free money. Meanwhile, I have friends working twice as many hours doing four times the amount of work and getting paid almost the same amount. And to think, this whole officiating odyssey just started with some lowly freshman trying to find a way to not be bored during winter quarter.

So I know I probably didn't give you the best reasons but I hope I gave you a taste of what makes officiating the way to go...or at least why I do it still. For a guy majoring in sports broadcasting, a lot of people do question me why I take officiating so seriously. But I mean, with opportunities like the ones I've had, I wouldn't have it any other way.