Friday, March 20, 2009

Running in Circles

Today was the first track meet of the season. I can't remember if I have mentioned this before, but in order to make a little extra cash, I work various sporting events. I take tickets for boys and girls soccer, and sometimes football, work the chain gang for home football games, run the clock and scoreboard for basketball, and run the photo finish software for track.

Which brings me to an interesting point....and a small lesson in sports etiquette:
1. the people at the gate don't make the rules or set the prices - don't yell at them when you are unhappy about something
2. the scoreboard at a basketball game is not the official score. The only official piece of information on the scoreboard is the time. The person sitting usually to the left of the scoreboard operator is in charge of the official book, where the official score, fouls, and timeouts are kept.
3. there isn't an invisible soundproof barrier between you and the scorekeepers. When you say things, we can hear them, including when you discuss your sex life, your neighbor's sex life, or the physical inadequacies of the kids on the court - and all those topics of conversation are incredibly irritating.
4. it is not my job to break up a fight between parents - but I will (and have!), to prevent your children from being humiliated by you.
5. some referees ARE better than other referees, but I have NEVER seen a referee be deliberately unfair. They have a very difficult job, cut them a break...or at least reduce the amount of inappropriate language you hurl in their direction....which again, scorekeepers can hear.

And finally, if you are a teacher, one of the best ways to eliminate or reduce classroom management problems is to attend their sporting events. They know when you are there and getting to know their coaches outside the classroom can give you a tremendous amount of leverage when you need something from those students.

So there you have it....high school sports etiquette in a nutshell! Have a great weekend everyone! 2 weeks until spring break......not that I'm counting. =)

5 comments:

Unknown said...

My daughter plays travel softball. The one thing I can not stand is when parents yell at the umps. Yea, some calls are bad, but act like an adult from craps sakes!

John Deere Mom said...

Kudos to you for working these events. I don't think I could handle all the drama that comes with it! My spring break is over. :( Now I count down the days until school is over!

Finding Normal said...

Sounds like you've got the inside scoop on how to keep some of those kids under wraps. Our elementary basketball games are always full of screaming and drama, to the point that I don't often attend.

Pseudo said...

We don't get paid when we work athletic evetns over here, it's all volunteer basis.

You have great insider's advice here.

Melissa B. said...

Wow, you're a busy bee! And aren't those team parents the WORST? BTW, please don't forget Sx3 today...I'm doing a video, which is quirky enough to get everyone's creative juices flowing!