It's funny how this happens every year. The end of the season sneaks up on me and I suddenly realize that I have both a great deal of joy and a great deal of sadness that it's here.
I enjoy working with good friends. In fact, as we discussed tonight after a CHL game, it's not really work at all when we are out there with the good guys. We make the calls, we giggle, we flap our arms around like a flock of sea gulls. We take some grief, we make tough calls and we always learn just a little bit more about this game we love.
Being out there on the ice with our buddies is a joy. For those few minutes, some of which can feel like days, there is nothing else in our world other than the game of hockey. We watch each other's backs, cover each other's lines and work our butts off for those sixty minutes of hockey.
We are students of the game. We expect to learn a little bit each game. We learn each other's working traits, we learn the player's idiosyncrasies and habits and we learn about our judgement of the calls we make. We are often our own toughest critics. We watch game tapes to see what we missed, how we could better position ourselves and where our vision on the ice is lacking. We discuss those tough calls and non-calls in the locker room between periods or on the ice during breaks. We learn to adjust for each game.
At the same time, despite the fun we have every game, I look forward to the end of the season for time at home with Hope, Emi and Gibson. Hockey takes me away from my family, it makes me miss certain moments at home and it sometimes gives me long drives in the car by myself.
Would I prefer to stay home with my family or go work a game? Every time I get scheduled, it's an honor that I am working at this elite level. And I say yes to the games. Every time I leave the house or skip going home all together and leave from my office, I miss precious time with my wife and daughter. I certainly hope that the time away, doing a job that I love, is acceptable to my family.
Hope understands and is more than willing to work with me on my schedule. But I fear that Emi would somehow grow to resent the sport that pulls her father away from her a few nights a week. I want her to appreciate what hockey means to me, I would love to see her play but most of all I hope that she inherits at least a little of the drive toward athleticism that I have, whatever the sport.
It's late. My family is now asleep. I worked a game that was played brilliantly by the two teams and was lucky enough to work with my mentor and great friend. I got to work with an up and coming referee that I hope to see to go on to the next levels of officiating. I got to have fun. And I appreciate that I get to work in this great league with great friend who are great officials.
Good night, I apologize for the rambling-ness of this posting tonight. Forgive me my sentimentality, my grammatical errors and any mispellings.
I enjoy working with good friends. In fact, as we discussed tonight after a CHL game, it's not really work at all when we are out there with the good guys. We make the calls, we giggle, we flap our arms around like a flock of sea gulls. We take some grief, we make tough calls and we always learn just a little bit more about this game we love.
Being out there on the ice with our buddies is a joy. For those few minutes, some of which can feel like days, there is nothing else in our world other than the game of hockey. We watch each other's backs, cover each other's lines and work our butts off for those sixty minutes of hockey.
We are students of the game. We expect to learn a little bit each game. We learn each other's working traits, we learn the player's idiosyncrasies and habits and we learn about our judgement of the calls we make. We are often our own toughest critics. We watch game tapes to see what we missed, how we could better position ourselves and where our vision on the ice is lacking. We discuss those tough calls and non-calls in the locker room between periods or on the ice during breaks. We learn to adjust for each game.
At the same time, despite the fun we have every game, I look forward to the end of the season for time at home with Hope, Emi and Gibson. Hockey takes me away from my family, it makes me miss certain moments at home and it sometimes gives me long drives in the car by myself.
Would I prefer to stay home with my family or go work a game? Every time I get scheduled, it's an honor that I am working at this elite level. And I say yes to the games. Every time I leave the house or skip going home all together and leave from my office, I miss precious time with my wife and daughter. I certainly hope that the time away, doing a job that I love, is acceptable to my family.
Hope understands and is more than willing to work with me on my schedule. But I fear that Emi would somehow grow to resent the sport that pulls her father away from her a few nights a week. I want her to appreciate what hockey means to me, I would love to see her play but most of all I hope that she inherits at least a little of the drive toward athleticism that I have, whatever the sport.
It's late. My family is now asleep. I worked a game that was played brilliantly by the two teams and was lucky enough to work with my mentor and great friend. I got to work with an up and coming referee that I hope to see to go on to the next levels of officiating. I got to have fun. And I appreciate that I get to work in this great league with great friend who are great officials.
Good night, I apologize for the rambling-ness of this posting tonight. Forgive me my sentimentality, my grammatical errors and any mispellings.
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