Wow! This weekend has been a whirlwind of football at all levels. I worked a University of Charleston scrimmage Thursday in West Virginia, a Western Kentucky scrimmage Friday in Bowling Green, KY. Saturday, I actually had a Football Trifecta – youth, high school and college football in a single day! I worked a University of Louisville scrimmage Saturday morning, observed a rookie official I’m mentoring in his youth games Saturday afternoon then on to a varsity high school contest to open the season Saturday night. Walked off the field at 12:36 am. To top things off, I’m headed down to Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, KY for a Mid-South scrimmage on Sunday afternoon! Lots of football in 4 days. Insane yes, but we do love football, don’t we?
As I stood on the sideline in Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium on Saturday morning working deep on Big East Head Linesman Tommy Walsh’s sideline (who is the guest on an upcoming Referee Nation Podcast episode) I reflected back on how fast things have moved over the past 18 months. It really seems like yesterday I was trying to swallow butterflies before a Charleston spring scrimmage in my first NCAA game ever!
Moral here is just like the Boy Scouts: Be Prepared. You just never know what might happen.
Live in the moment. Enjoy your place in officiating the next time you step on the field. Only a select few people will ever experience football from our perspective. And what a great place to be. Live in the moment.
