No one wants to come here and lose, but there are times when we have an enormous trouble with sportsmanship and conduct" said graduate student Robert Borden who helps train referees for intramural programs.
"One of the first things I tell the (team) captains is that 'we don't get mad at you if you miss a shot, don't get mad at us when we miss a call.'"
Referees are drawing both ire and good will this week as the NCAA tournament continues. But even at the intramural levels the competitive spirit, as well as the emotions, linger. People sometimes lose their heads, Borden said, and even referees make mistakes.
BSU Rec employs approximately 75 student officials. Though intramural basketball, football, softball, soccer and volleyball take up much of their time, the officials preside over a number of programs ranging from billiards to dodgeball.
Referees do not, by any stretch of the imagination think they're perfect, Borden said. The officials, objects of so many taunts and jeers from the stands, as well as from the field and the court, do occasionally admit to making a bad call.
"We take in 10 people on the court moving around and we have to make a call right there. We can't make it five seconds later," said freshman Jared Gilbert who is in his first year of officiating. "A lot of people talk about what they would do if they were a ref, but its hard to spot everything and take the flack."
"Friends sometime think you're going to give them the benefit of the doubt," sophomore Joe Clayton said. "You can actually lose friends doing this and being fair."
The Rec office's program allows anyone with an interest in sports to apply as a referee. Some students have previous experience working middle school and high school games, but many are putting on their pinstripes for the first time.
"The job basically just requires someone willing to learn all the mechanics, all the signals and the rules," Borden said.
Officials for basketball (one of the most popular programs) are required to attend two clinics, as well a dress rehearsal of sorts, during which they try to officiate a practice game.
About 100 teams played intramural sports this semester. The championship games took place at Worthen Arena, Monday night. Most of the time, officials say, the players behave themselves. But occasionally the verbal abuse flies.
"I've heard people call refs wusses, jerks; they say we're unfair," Gilbert said. "It takes a lot of discipline to shake it off."
"A lot of people will say 'you suck or something like that," freshman officiator Caleb Shewman said. "You really have to learn how to turn a deaf ear to that type of stuff."
On Monday night the intramural teams arrived at the arena wearing their tank tops and shorts. Several dozen fans sat in the first few rows, cheering and whooping as loudly as the 6,000 or 7,000 other fans who might be in the stands during a Cardinals game. The referees, whistles in their mouths, ran up and down the court following the action, communicating in their own sign language. The crowd simmers in disgust when they call a no shot, but for the most part keeps its passions in check.
"We warn everyone before the game to keep themselves under control," said junior referee Jason Baranowski."They need to channel their emotions through to the game."
The officials are willing to look past the insults and enjoy the rush of the game .
"You control the game," senior Justin Cross said. "I just like being part of it, interacting with the players and the fast pace."
"There are four components I teach at the clinics: the mechanics, the rules, the hustle and how to have fun," Borden said. "In this job if you're not having fun, you shouldn't be doing this."
Some students do part-time officiating for local little leagues teams, middle schools and high schools. A few hope to make a career out of it. Though far from the multimillion-dollar salaries of professional athletes, officials can make upwards of six figures once they get to the big leagues. But for the time being they work for $5.15 an hour.
"I'm keeping my options open," said Shewman, who is also a licensed IHSAA official. "But this is a good stepping stone. You don't have to deal with the learning curve that you see at the lower levels, like middle school. We take a lot of heat, but we also have a lot admirers."
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