Harris 1

Shanelle Harris Dr. Grate Comp. 1/ Assignment 5 9/08/2012

Fair Game It was the third quarter. The two opposing teams didnt look like either of them was going to forfeit this game. The intensity had seemingly come out of nowhere and it was progressively building. This was a day that we all knew was going to come eventually. The chants got louder, only this time it wasnt from the crowd but from the teams themselves. As they got closer and closer to each other, I sensed something going terribly wrong. The looks in their eyes was one that I had never witnessed before. The level of severity and intensity that appeared was menacing in and of itself if the loud chants and slanderous phrases werent enough to instill some level of fear. Then all of a sudden, a loud CRASH happened. Thats when I knew, as well as the other refs in the game that this wasnt going to end well. I remember that day as vividly as any other. Sometimes I wish that wasnt the case. Earlier that day, we went out for a bite to eat to clear our heads. It seemed like everything was swell. Boy was I wrong. Gleaming and convincing facades seemed to be the tactic of choice at the time but I was just too nave. As we sat to eat, I tried to evaluate the underlying situation, if any. Hours before the incident happened, everything was calm but tense. It wasnt the kind of tense you could slightly feel. No. This was the type of tense that you could touch, the type that snuck

up around your neck like a harmless snake and gently but painstakingly infiltrated your head and mind making it hard to fully encompass the issue at hand. Afterwards, the two teams and I had arrived at our place of sanction to discuss a growing problem that was affecting not only their performance in games but also my ability to fairly referee what was going on in my own life. As the discussion took place, I had the thought that maybe we would be able to come to some sort of resolution concerning the problem at hand. I was actually hopeful because I felt like I had done my part in initiating reconciliation of an issue when the I really didnt have to. The problem had actually started five months prior to their altercation but because of grave miscommunication on both ends it had escalated and dragged on. Being the young and ill-experienced referee that I was, I figured Id just let them work out their own issues and not get involved.