Referees are athletes too. At 48 years of age, running to find the best angle to see play in the middle of the field and have an idea where the 2nd to last defender is at all times means most nights this body has to run, shuffle, backpeddle approximately 4 miles a match. Why so many every night? Due to the governing body – at the boys varsity level in Pennsylvania’s High School officials are not allowed to use the diagonal system of control. We are permitted to use a Dual or Double Dual System. Yes Three Referee with If you are a soccer official and don’t know a double dual be grateful. I basically tell all new officials that in order to be a good high school referee you need to first put on your normal soccer referee hat and not be offended if one of your partners whistles something that your soccer brain would let play. A double dual system uses three whistles from three referees all with equal authority, all trying to be on the same page with level of physicality, game flow, fairness, fouls, misconducts and applying advantage. adopt the global best practice. Using coms does help, but the average age of referees means sometimes they don’t have a way to use a com with their medical device. It’s painful some games and others are truly delightful if you and your partner have similar training experience and game control methods.
October 2024 version
This year I scheduled a week off from soccer 6 weeks into my overbooked High School Season. While most of my fellow High School soccer officials do not referee a form of soccer year round, I find it allows me to keep a high work load during this jam packed 6 weeks between the end of August and October 1. Thanks to family events, boating weather, golf and no coaching I was able to take almost every Saturday and Sunday off allowing for a soak in the tub or river and some yoga.
My number one go to in season however is active release with Dog Walks, Peloton-n-place, rowing with Katie Wang and resistance training on the Cybex machines to get back on the field the next day and the next day. The challenge of a two or three whistle system in PA means my motions are not the same as if we used a true diagonal system of control, so there is a lot more backward jogging than side stepping or straight out sprinting. Four years in, my theragun is still working my toes, quads, glutes, hammies, calf areas on a daily basis. I have a calf rocker to get that ROM going daily. When it’s real bad, epsom salt bath time and a long stretch.
2019 version
Just reviewing the little workout notebook and realized it was time for a good 7 days out of the gym. . .
December gave me a chance to get back in the swim of things and play with weight machines that don’t exist in Planet Fitness.
After working with my friends at Active Chiropractic and my massage therapist, I truly looked and felt like I was in another car accident and this time the shoulder restraint ripped up the other side of my body.
