Done.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Like a boss
We went to the Neelsie Student Center for lunch. Emily went to Jeff's Place and bought a burger that was composed of chicken, beef, bacon, an egg, lettuce, tomato, onion, pineapple, and two or three sauces. Feast your eyes on the Matieburger.
Done.
Done.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Halfway there
Five weeks have come and gone just like that. I am merely halfway through my trip to South Africa and I have seen and officiated more rugby than I would in a full year back home. Youth rugby is everywhere and I don't think we have gone a single week without seeing U-somethings in action. I have seen U11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, and U19 and as if that weren't enough, each age group has several teams. Recently I referred a game between Paul Roos and Grey High U19 G sides. G wasn't even the lowest side present; there was supposed to a game between I sides but it cancelled. Where are these schools finding enough males between 16 and 18 to field an I-th team? Back home, in Orlando, there is one team for the whole city. Insane, right?
At first glance these kids seem like highly trained rugby machines and it is surprising, and a bit startling, to think that they are just kids. The awe wore off quickly though because 1. they make the same great plays and mistakes as the kids back home and 2. they have been playing rugby since they were born. I imagine that if a lower tier basketball country, say, SA, was to see the amount of basketball in schools, playgrounds, etc in America they would also wonder how we have so much of this one sport. With that said, the top U19 players all have the stature of grown men and play like it.
It is frightening to think that they will become bigger, stronger, and faster over the course of their careers.
Collegiate rugby is another animal, particularly the representative sides. Here at Stellenbosch University there is a Varsity Cup side, two club sides in a particular division, and two or three others in another division. We here at the academy will never referee one of their games because we are part of the school's structure but we do, occasionally, help with on field practices. Among the five of us we have reffed scrums, lineouts, one phase drills, lineout drills, and one side attacks for a period then switch, and all as individual items. The teams operate faster than anything we see on a normal basis so we have some troubles at first figuring out how to stay out of the way but we always figure it out.
It's frightening to think that not only are there four professional leagues plus national teams after college, but that the players will continue getting bigger, faster, and stronger.
We five refs are ambitious, though. We each have far-reaching goals and we fully believe those goals will be met. Since Emily and I arrived we have not turned down any extra games regardless of how tired our legs are. Trappe and a full body workout in the morning then trials all afternoon plus a high school game for each of us? Let's do it. Voluntary bergpad (2.33 mile mountain run), gym, and law session in the morning followed by a youth tournament in the afternoon then a Maties scrimmage in the evening? Sign us up. We'll rest when we go back to our countries.
There is always something to learn or to fix or to improve. We ref so much rugby and watch each other so often that it is impossible to not improve on a week-to-week or even game-to-game basis. Some problems that I knew about have been fixed. Some problems have come to light and those have also been fixed. I, of course, have a ways to go before you see me in a grand final but I think I am on my way.
More and more each week I see parallels between refereeing and general life. In both one must be able to, give/receive constructive criticism, learn to ask for help, support ailing comrades, discuss opposing opinions, defend one's own opinion, perform when all eyes are on you, and too many other things to name. One of my biggest takeaways, however, will be the process of learning. It is centered around having a concrete plan and analyzing the results of the plan once executed. Depending on the desired results, a new plan would be made and tested until things are as they should be. Learning about this one process has helped me grow greatly as a referee; I can make a plan, test it today, tweak the plan and test it tomorrow, and continue this process throughout the week until my problem is solved. Even if the issue does not completely go away I will have at least learned how to address should I see it again.
All in all, it's a shame my trip is halfway through but I am extremely grateful to have been given the chance in the first place.
At first glance these kids seem like highly trained rugby machines and it is surprising, and a bit startling, to think that they are just kids. The awe wore off quickly though because 1. they make the same great plays and mistakes as the kids back home and 2. they have been playing rugby since they were born. I imagine that if a lower tier basketball country, say, SA, was to see the amount of basketball in schools, playgrounds, etc in America they would also wonder how we have so much of this one sport. With that said, the top U19 players all have the stature of grown men and play like it.
It is frightening to think that they will become bigger, stronger, and faster over the course of their careers.
Collegiate rugby is another animal, particularly the representative sides. Here at Stellenbosch University there is a Varsity Cup side, two club sides in a particular division, and two or three others in another division. We here at the academy will never referee one of their games because we are part of the school's structure but we do, occasionally, help with on field practices. Among the five of us we have reffed scrums, lineouts, one phase drills, lineout drills, and one side attacks for a period then switch, and all as individual items. The teams operate faster than anything we see on a normal basis so we have some troubles at first figuring out how to stay out of the way but we always figure it out.
It's frightening to think that not only are there four professional leagues plus national teams after college, but that the players will continue getting bigger, faster, and stronger.
We five refs are ambitious, though. We each have far-reaching goals and we fully believe those goals will be met. Since Emily and I arrived we have not turned down any extra games regardless of how tired our legs are. Trappe and a full body workout in the morning then trials all afternoon plus a high school game for each of us? Let's do it. Voluntary bergpad (2.33 mile mountain run), gym, and law session in the morning followed by a youth tournament in the afternoon then a Maties scrimmage in the evening? Sign us up. We'll rest when we go back to our countries.
There is always something to learn or to fix or to improve. We ref so much rugby and watch each other so often that it is impossible to not improve on a week-to-week or even game-to-game basis. Some problems that I knew about have been fixed. Some problems have come to light and those have also been fixed. I, of course, have a ways to go before you see me in a grand final but I think I am on my way.
More and more each week I see parallels between refereeing and general life. In both one must be able to, give/receive constructive criticism, learn to ask for help, support ailing comrades, discuss opposing opinions, defend one's own opinion, perform when all eyes are on you, and too many other things to name. One of my biggest takeaways, however, will be the process of learning. It is centered around having a concrete plan and analyzing the results of the plan once executed. Depending on the desired results, a new plan would be made and tested until things are as they should be. Learning about this one process has helped me grow greatly as a referee; I can make a plan, test it today, tweak the plan and test it tomorrow, and continue this process throughout the week until my problem is solved. Even if the issue does not completely go away I will have at least learned how to address should I see it again.
All in all, it's a shame my trip is halfway through but I am extremely grateful to have been given the chance in the first place.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Where is the food?
- When crickets decide to be born and start roaming Western Province, they don't mess around.
- Casual dining service is supremely slow compared to back home.
- Paper towels are not a thing.
- The lack of clouds or humidity makes the sun feel hotter than it actually is.
- I saw a cop car.
- "All set" is not a phrase people understand. The word is "sorted."
- There is no word for the act of raising one's shoulders as if to say "I don't know."
- Pep rallies are called big brags.
- Judging by the music playing while they were announced during a big brag, the Paul Roos chess team is a group of rock stars.
- There are only single stuf oreos.
- I don't think I've seen any Pepsi products.
- Wine is very inexpensive and abundant here in Stellenbosch.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Another broken leg
Today, we referreed the dreaded Paarl League. Dreaded because, apparently, the crowds can be rowdy and the teams don't like each other. Geoff and Ryan both had second team games and later AR'd for Evan and Emily, respectively, in the first team games. My ARs were assigned by Western Province.
The game was between Young Gardens and Simondium and was my first full 80 minute game since I touched down in SA. It was also my first 1st team game but I felt up to the challenge. Both teams favored forward play but neither team was afraid of letting their backs do some running. At the beginning of the match I planned to focus on three things equally but the game unfolded I decided my main focus was to be the rucks. As long as the structure of the scrums (binds, offside lines, etc.) were good, I would let an occasional feed go because I could tell that the rucks were the meat and potatoes of this game.
At almost every breakdown players accused other players of committing some infringement and whenever I did penalize someone, he disagreed. Fortunately, there was only one occassion where a player actually said something directly to me, drawing another penalty. For 15 minutes there were no incidents that caused me to stop the game until a freak accident occured. Simondium's captain, the #12, had the ball and was routinely tackled. As he was going to ground I heard what sounded like grass tearing and a yell. I looked down and saw what turned out to be a broken tibia and fibula. I stopped the game, cleared away the other players, and called over the medics. The stoppage lasted about 25 minutes and I haven't heard anything about his injury since.
We made it through all but two minutes of the first half without any other serious incidents but, as the ball was cleared from the 22m I noticed my AR had his flag out. At the stoppage and I called over the AR who told me that two players (YG #14 and Sim #15) punched each other and each should be sin binned. As I was going over the event with him I was pleasantly surprised that two players managed to have a little scuffle but I did not hear any noise from the crowd or other players. Neither player argued as I gave them an early halftime.
The score at halftime was 6-0 Simondium.
Players kept disagreeing with my calls and I kept ignoring those players and worked on the consistency portion of my game focuses. I made a few adjustments at halftime based on what I was feeling and some AR contributions and even though the second half played more aggressively than the first, I felt the players were keeping in the line a majority of the time. A source of many penalties was the point where the tackler assist attempts to poach the ball from the tackled ball carrier. I wasn't keeping count but I felt an imbalance and spoke to both captains about exactly what I expected during this portion of the breakdown. Both captains had a word with their teams and from that point on things ran smoothly with noticeably fewer penalties someone not releasing the ball. Simondium ended up winning the game 23-12 in a game that was won by the Simondium fullback (yes the guy that was binned) intercepting two passes for tries. +1
The game was between Young Gardens and Simondium and was my first full 80 minute game since I touched down in SA. It was also my first 1st team game but I felt up to the challenge. Both teams favored forward play but neither team was afraid of letting their backs do some running. At the beginning of the match I planned to focus on three things equally but the game unfolded I decided my main focus was to be the rucks. As long as the structure of the scrums (binds, offside lines, etc.) were good, I would let an occasional feed go because I could tell that the rucks were the meat and potatoes of this game.
At almost every breakdown players accused other players of committing some infringement and whenever I did penalize someone, he disagreed. Fortunately, there was only one occassion where a player actually said something directly to me, drawing another penalty. For 15 minutes there were no incidents that caused me to stop the game until a freak accident occured. Simondium's captain, the #12, had the ball and was routinely tackled. As he was going to ground I heard what sounded like grass tearing and a yell. I looked down and saw what turned out to be a broken tibia and fibula. I stopped the game, cleared away the other players, and called over the medics. The stoppage lasted about 25 minutes and I haven't heard anything about his injury since.
We made it through all but two minutes of the first half without any other serious incidents but, as the ball was cleared from the 22m I noticed my AR had his flag out. At the stoppage and I called over the AR who told me that two players (YG #14 and Sim #15) punched each other and each should be sin binned. As I was going over the event with him I was pleasantly surprised that two players managed to have a little scuffle but I did not hear any noise from the crowd or other players. Neither player argued as I gave them an early halftime.
The score at halftime was 6-0 Simondium.
Players kept disagreeing with my calls and I kept ignoring those players and worked on the consistency portion of my game focuses. I made a few adjustments at halftime based on what I was feeling and some AR contributions and even though the second half played more aggressively than the first, I felt the players were keeping in the line a majority of the time. A source of many penalties was the point where the tackler assist attempts to poach the ball from the tackled ball carrier. I wasn't keeping count but I felt an imbalance and spoke to both captains about exactly what I expected during this portion of the breakdown. Both captains had a word with their teams and from that point on things ran smoothly with noticeably fewer penalties someone not releasing the ball. Simondium ended up winning the game 23-12 in a game that was won by the Simondium fullback (yes the guy that was binned) intercepting two passes for tries. +1
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Real Saturday rugby
Today, we referred our first club games. We were told there would be a good-sized crowd. We we told the fans were passionate and would be heckling us in Afrikaans all game. We were told to take the players firmly in our fists from the start of the game and, if we thought it would be appropriate, relax our hold later in the game.
Geoff and Ryan went to one place for their Super League C games while the Americans went to Sir Lowry's Pass for Super League B games. Each club in Western Province is required to have one U20 side and three senior sides. Emily reffed the U20, I the 3rd side, and Evan the 2nd side. The 1st side refs will be appointed by WP and the 3rd and 2nd refs will AR for the 1st game. Our games were between Sir Lowrians (less disciplined and enjoyed back play) and Milnerton (bigger and more structured).
The first half was 28 minutes long and I handed out my first yellow card on SA soil to the home #15 within 7 or 8 minutes of kickoff. Sir Lowrians committed two defensive penalties within 10m of their try line so I stopped the game and told the captain to tighten up. Their fullback, on the very next play, jumped offside and tackled the ball carrier and was sin binned shortly afterward. Milnerton scored.
There were other instances throughout the game where SL committed penalties that were absolutely unnecessary. For example, at the first scrum the #9 put in the ball before I was ready to give the signal (tap on the back). Free kick. Two scrums later I was on the opposite side of the scrum. Again he put the ball in before I was ready (point). Penalty. He waited for the signal from then on.
Toward the end of the game there were two separate flare ups but they were sorted out before escalating. I told both captains to control they're players, which they did, but the breakdowns became messy. My focus for the game was consistency at the rucks but it's easy to be consistent when the players are not tired and irritated with each other, the ref, and the other team. I believe I was able to keep my composure and manage the final minutes of the game and that was a confidence builder for sure. +1
The score was closer than I think it could have been with Milnerton winning 24-15.
Geoff and Ryan went to one place for their Super League C games while the Americans went to Sir Lowry's Pass for Super League B games. Each club in Western Province is required to have one U20 side and three senior sides. Emily reffed the U20, I the 3rd side, and Evan the 2nd side. The 1st side refs will be appointed by WP and the 3rd and 2nd refs will AR for the 1st game. Our games were between Sir Lowrians (less disciplined and enjoyed back play) and Milnerton (bigger and more structured).
The first half was 28 minutes long and I handed out my first yellow card on SA soil to the home #15 within 7 or 8 minutes of kickoff. Sir Lowrians committed two defensive penalties within 10m of their try line so I stopped the game and told the captain to tighten up. Their fullback, on the very next play, jumped offside and tackled the ball carrier and was sin binned shortly afterward. Milnerton scored.
There were other instances throughout the game where SL committed penalties that were absolutely unnecessary. For example, at the first scrum the #9 put in the ball before I was ready to give the signal (tap on the back). Free kick. Two scrums later I was on the opposite side of the scrum. Again he put the ball in before I was ready (point). Penalty. He waited for the signal from then on.
Toward the end of the game there were two separate flare ups but they were sorted out before escalating. I told both captains to control they're players, which they did, but the breakdowns became messy. My focus for the game was consistency at the rucks but it's easy to be consistent when the players are not tired and irritated with each other, the ref, and the other team. I believe I was able to keep my composure and manage the final minutes of the game and that was a confidence builder for sure. +1
The score was closer than I think it could have been with Milnerton winning 24-15.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
I want more chips
This was probably the most productive week I've had so far
- Geoff enjoys spilling drinks on children and puppies.
- According to Ryan R48 ($4.80) for a movie ticket is "a bit pricey."
- Family sized snacks do not exist.
- Everyone should watch tapes of themselves performing.
- It is very easy to fall behind on blog posts.
- More and more I'm realizing there is a lot of thought that goes into being a referee. Where do I stand? When do I move? Why should I stand there? How should I move? Where do I go once I've moved? You get the point.
- Every school we have visited has a club house. Why can't we have club houses?
- I have discovered self awareness on the field and it has helped me to more effectively identify trouble spots and work on my planned foci.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Great strides have been made
"Spring break" started this past weekend and, per tradition, so did Rugby Week. RW brings together the best high schools in the country for a three day tournament. This year's U15 event is at HS Paarl Boys and each of us, plus some refs from elsewhere in SA, have been assigned one head ref and two AR assignments per day. The games were recorded to DVDs for public purchase and, as a homework assignment, we were to watch our Saturday match and take notes on infringements called correctly, missed, and called incorrectly as well as anything other items we felt was notable. Using this data we were to come up with two or three things to work on for our games on Monday.
Watching myself for the first time was surprisingly helpful. I, of course, noticed my fair share of mistakes but I also saw that things I have been trying to fix or add to my game are working. For example, my positioning has been an issue for as long as I have been a referee though I only recently began addressing it. During games players would often be in my way so I couldn't clearly see the ball or I would be jostled by players because I was in their way. Watching the tape, I saw that my positioning is almost a non-issue right now. I flowed smoothly from phase to phase and was usually in a great position to at least see the ball and what was going on around it, even if I happened to be far from the action.
There were glaring issues in the first tape, however. On a handful of occasions I was clearly not paying attention to players infringing right in front of me. On other occasions my signals were not as crisp as could be. I caught other problems but these two were the ones I wanted to fix first on Monday because they would be very easy to fix while smoothing out other wrinkles.
When it was time for Monday's game I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I am happy to say that I improved on both of the items I planned plus another item or two that the coaches have been hounding me about. After watching the second tape I can honestly say that my game has improved greatly since I arrived here. As I've said, we officiate so many games per week it is difficult to not step up our game but it was confidence building to actually see my work bear fruit.
Watching myself for the first time was surprisingly helpful. I, of course, noticed my fair share of mistakes but I also saw that things I have been trying to fix or add to my game are working. For example, my positioning has been an issue for as long as I have been a referee though I only recently began addressing it. During games players would often be in my way so I couldn't clearly see the ball or I would be jostled by players because I was in their way. Watching the tape, I saw that my positioning is almost a non-issue right now. I flowed smoothly from phase to phase and was usually in a great position to at least see the ball and what was going on around it, even if I happened to be far from the action.
There were glaring issues in the first tape, however. On a handful of occasions I was clearly not paying attention to players infringing right in front of me. On other occasions my signals were not as crisp as could be. I caught other problems but these two were the ones I wanted to fix first on Monday because they would be very easy to fix while smoothing out other wrinkles.
When it was time for Monday's game I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I am happy to say that I improved on both of the items I planned plus another item or two that the coaches have been hounding me about. After watching the second tape I can honestly say that my game has improved greatly since I arrived here. As I've said, we officiate so many games per week it is difficult to not step up our game but it was confidence building to actually see my work bear fruit.
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