What a way to start the season

I had my first varsity game of the spring soccer season last week, and ended up starting it off with a bang.  I realize that you can't please both coaches all the time, and I never expect to... but sometimes you would hope that coaches handle all aspects of the game as well as others, especially the losing part.
Game ends up tied at the end of regulation, so we go to overtime.  A girl for the home team only 3 minutes into the first OT attempts to trap a ball off her chest, but hits it with her arm.  Twice.  I call the penalty kick right away, and the game winning goal is scored.  As my assistant referees and I are signing the paperwork, the losing coach comes over and says to my AR "that was a really tough call with the sun in your eyes."  I turned to her and immediately informed her it was my call, not his... and the sun was at my back.  You know it's an obvious call when all three people at the scorers table see it and say it was a PK. 

Maybe someday coaches will figure it out...  and I say this as a former varsity coach.

end of the fall soccer season

a funny video for you before you read...
Referees Deserve Respect

I finally finished my last tournament of the season this weekend at Reddan. just in time too... my shoes are split near the sole from all the games I've done. counting high school and club matches since august (and one tournament in July), I've officiated 96 games. I've looked back to see how many more games I had to turn down due to being out of town or other non-soccer commitments, and my total would have been 112. that comes out to over a game a day from August through October, and even more considering I did no games on Wednesdays due to playing racquetball.

It was a successful season for me though, besides regular season games and random club tournaments, I was chosen to officiate at the Girls State Cup this year, chosen to do the Midwest Regional League, and had a WIAA playoff game. Next year I will be upgrading another level, and was told at the State Cup they wanted me to upgrade to a State level referee by the end of the following season.

now I have 3 weeks to rest up before basketball season starts up.

so i made a kid cry yesterday...

definitely not intentional, but still kinda funny. i was officiating at a soccer tournament in town all weekend, and was centering a U13 championship game. his team is already losing 1-0 thanks to a handball in the box in the first half. he runs over a kid to get the ball, so i blow my whistle for the foul. he gets really mad, and grabs the ball and spikes it, so i ring him up with a yellow card. then the tears came. the rest of the game, he's almost crying every time i call a foul on his team.
a really cold weekend, but a moneymaker... $325 for two days work.