Since I started working full time, getting my internship hours as well as my work hours took some maneuvering. Instead of coming in to the park in the morning, I now come in late afternoons. Not only is everyone a bit lethargic towards the end of the day, but there isn't a lot to do. Soccer has started, I made all 5,000 copies of the flag football flyers for the schools (and who knows how many thousand for cheerleading and golf), and everything is set for youth cross country to start on Tuesday. To make up the hours, I'm working with the high schoolers--the part time staff. The city is losing lots of them to college this year, and Trish needed help reffing soccer.
So I'm a ref for Murray's Real Salt Lake rec soccer league (grades 1-2, specifically). It's not that bad. I was afraid that the parents would be rude, but they're actually really supportive. I was really nervous when I had to ref alone on my second game, but they were very encouraging. I guess it's because it's a rec league (if they were really serious, they would have signed their kid up for a competitive league where the coaches aren't volunteer parents) and the kids are all under the age of like seven. I always ref the girls' field, too, where literally all they do is clump around the ball and try not to kick each other. The boys are surprisingly much more advanced. But they still haven't mastered the drop-kick quite yet.
I had to learn some basic soccer rules for this gig, obviously. Only the basics, though, because the only calls are for out-of-bounds, hands, and fighting. I already knew the gist of the game alright, but when it comes to the different types of kicks, I had no idea when to do which. The best thing was a diagram that is in the coaching packet. If the ball is kicked out by either team on the sidelines, it's a throw-in from where it went out--and the last team that touched the ball is the one that it's counted against, not necessarily the one that kicked the ball. If the offensive team kicks it out the back, it's a goal kick (usually by the goalie). If the defensive team kicks it out, it's a corner kick by the offensive. It feels really simple now that I have it down.
One thing that sort of annoys me is that the coaches can be on the field. I see how it is really helpful to the young'uns, the girls in particular, but they get in the way! It's hard enough to see who touched it last within a clump of little kids, but when you have to keep maneuvering around the coach (who isn't paying any attention to you).... I think that they should push the parents back a foot or two from the sideline and let the coach walk back and forth there. It also helps when one of the parents/assistant coaches is coaching the goalie separately. And, of course, the head coach is so busy getting in my way that another parent has to be sitting with the team and regulating subs (each player must play for half of the game).
Working with teenagers is also not as bad as I though it would be. The one thing is that they talk a lot. And about everything. TMI, children. I just honestly don't care to be talking for every second of every minute. Sometimes you walk with another person and you just don't say anything and it's okay. Also, the first thing they ask is, "Which school do you go to?" I don't go to high school, young ones. I graduated from your school 2.5 years ago. The moment they discover I'm a big-time college kid from Hawaii, it's like the talking never stops. I've settled for half-listening. Sunglasses and a lot of nodding. And they love it when you let them take the reigns and be what I call the "head ref," or the one who starts the game and blows the whistle for goals. Then share your Gatorade with them and they are your loyal friends.
It's been fun seeing some of the kids from track and field playing soccer. It's been alright run-walking up and down a field (I forgot how bad the grass is at elementary schools. They just leave the dead stuff in big stanky piles everywhere. Yes, stanky.). It's also nice to get the Saturday hours in--and have the rest of the day to get things done. I've been feeling very accomplished lately. Accomplished, and very tired. I'll be glad to be done with the internship so that I can have a little more free time at home to do things like do my laundry and wash my car. Maybe watch TV (if I remember how) or hang out with friends (I have those, right?).
The internship doesn't end tomorrow, though. Even though I set all of the rec coordinators as administrators on the Facebook page, they still just expect me to do it. I'm not sure they understood what I meant when I told them I made them admin. I don't think any of them have realized that I probably won't be coming into the office a lot now. I keep getting, "hey, I need some help with this and that for this program in two weeks" and the like. And honestly, I really like it here. I like being in the office, I like working with rec programs. I could definitely do this in the future.
There were quite a few things that I did not expect. Namely, the amount of paperwork. You have to update your records of addresses and phone numbers, take registration forms, concussion forms, print thousands and thousands of flyers! And even though it feels like we aren't reaching as many people as we could, the job has a lot of rewards. I've gained a lot of pride for my hometown and the people that live here through interacting with them, seeing them bring their families to the park for the 4th of July, renting pavilions for birthday parties and reunions, and cheering from the sidelines. The family is one of the most important things we have, and parks and recreation is something that really encourages family time. I think that's what I love most about it and about Murray City in general.
And that's all I have to say about that.
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