Stay Involved in Your Favorite Sport by Officiating

Many people believe once their high school athletic career is over, they won`t be involved with a sport anymore, but that`s not necessarily true. People who know basics about a sport can learn how to be an officiator, and learn how to be an ump or ref. Don Flynn of Human Kinetics offers this advice: q: is it hard to get into officiating? Actually, nationwide, there is an officiating shortage. In most cases, if you`re interested in officiating, there`s a job for you ... and it can be nice supplemental income, too. q:What are the key qualities someone should have to officiate? Good officials are critical thinkers. They have to make decisions in the heat of the moment while maintaining poise. They`re also peacemakers and negotiators, as you see all the time when you watch a game on TV. In some circumstances, they have to be able to "sell" the calls they make. Officials are also people with thick skins and are patient. q: So, you don`t have to have been the MVP of your team to officiate? Definitely not. Officials are generally people who love the sport and are community-oriented. They choose the profession to stay close to the game and give back to the sport. There are great officials who didn`t even play after youth basketball. Some get into it right out of high school and some start officiating when they`re ready to retire from the day-to-day jobs. Officials can be any age and from any profession. q: There are a lot of rules and nuances to have a handle on. How does someone get trained to be an official? Human Kinetics just started offering a full line of officials` education programming through the American Sport Education Program. Whether you want to officiate at the youth level or start with high school, we have the tools any official needs to be successful. q: you cover using the correct officiating signals. What else would people learn? We cover everything from game procedures, responsibilities and proper mechanics, to communication and conflict management to personal fitness, officiating career management and legal issues. q: Where can viewers get more information? They visit www.ASEP.com or call Human Kinetics at 351-5076.