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Appearance can mislead
At my age and stature, individuals presume that I don’t know the totality of rugby refereeing. Then again, they are shocked to find out that I have been a referee in some fit or form.Similarly; players misapprehend aged match officials not to keep up with the pace of the game something that’s mostly fallacious . What about ladies officiating men games? Periodically, women are finding their share of pie in a male- conquered field.
Be friendly to growth
Throughout my officiating expedition I’ve become skilled at challenging myself to be open to individual growth through personal experience. I listen to others, test myself to try out innovative things and look out for new ideas that might improve my norm of doing things .You never know the other sides of a decision until you actually make it. You should not limit yourself to your own imaginations.
You will never learn everything from the law book
As a student I approached officiating as I had approached school life. I tried to memorize almost the entire law book; I rehearsed my talks before I stepped onto the field. Eventually, I got my first senior games allocation and then I realized all the information in a law book is minute. I’ve discovered how much more vital mechanisms are to a junior than a law book. Books are immense and your memory is crucial but nothing contrasts to the game experience.
Set out with what you know
I recall it like it was yesterday, although it occurred 2 months ago. I was in the middle of a tricky nationwide game. The spectators were shouting, players and coaches were all yelling because of a nasty tackle had gone down and I only gave a penalty kick. I reviewed the video days later and it was obvious that should have been a red card offence. At that point, I realized not to worry about what others wanted, but go with what I knew and be strong-minded about it.
Patience is an asset
Officiating has educated me to be understanding and not thinking that I’m always correct. When you’re on the pitch refereeing, if you don’t meditate on everything going on, you cannot empathize why a coach or player might be furious with you. With patience I am capable to understand and navigate through a hot-tempered situation.
Team is better than individual
Referees have shown their willingness to work together as a true team. I recall my first season as a referee when I was training with Nakuru based referees; we synchronized our training schedules and also tightened our attachment through proper communication. At the onset of the season, the performance was commendable and the lesson I learned is that groups that have similar motivation make better decisions than individuals.
It’s not just a game
It’s very hard for a referee who officiates in league matches to go to a school game and have the same enthusiasm. Doing a school 7s friendly match one day, I couldn’t wait to get out after a lengthy period of running. A kid named Salim comes up almost towards the end of the match, he is clearly a bench player, maybe never touched a rugby ball, there was a strong applaud from his fellows all rooting for him to catch the ball and I was amazed. I literally extended the game period so that Salim could have a touch of the ball. I learned that every minute does count to somebody, perhaps every game counts, if not so much to us sometimes.
What’s your call?
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