My first game will be this Saturday. And yes, I am anxious. Mostly because I am working with five other guys I have never met. I'm not worried about the game at all. I just don't want to make the crew look bad.
The game starts at 1:00 and we have to be dressed as ready at 10:45. This means I need to leave the house by 8:30 or so. I doubt I'll be home before 5:00pm. This will be a long day. I've heard some people complain about how much officials are paid. But when you break it down on a per hour basis, I'll only make the equivalent of $14/hr. Then I have to pay for gas and food. I'd do this for free, but the point is I ain't getting rich doing this that is for sure.
The White Hat for the game sent an email outlining what each of us will cover during the pre-game. Unlike my HS experience, during the College pre-game, each official leads a 3-5 minutes on a particular topic related to the position they are working that game. I was asked to cover player equipment, adornments, socks (yes, socks), spats, gloves, jewelry, tinted eye shields, etc. I am also covering how I will signal the ball is in the end zone and how I will be marching off penalties.
I'll finish my lecture in the next few days. I'll let you know how it goes.
