Yelling, Running, Kicking, Cheering…a scene of complete chaos, a rare atmosphere filled with anxiety, joy, despair, defeat, and celebration, all at once, where the tension is thick enough, at times, to be cut with a knife. Yet again, the time of year has come…there is no question; this scene is none other than that of the Middlesex League Commissioners’ Cup.

            As I looked out across the fields at Commissioners’ Cup 2004 this past weekend, I gave a nostalgic sigh, as I thought back to my two previous years’ experiences at the tournament: fun-filled hours of refereeing and talking with friends under the renowned “officials tent.” At the same time, this sigh is also one of relief, at putting some poor memories to rest and allowing myself to walk out onto the fields before me with newfound confidence. Despite my new level of confidence, however, my sigh is also on behalf of a small amount of anxiety I am feeling about what is in store for me; for, even though, this is not my first Cup, in past years’ Cups, the acme of my career has been the U10 Finals or the possibility of running a line. This year was to be slightly different; looking down at the assignment sheet, I saw my name next to U12 and U14, Divisions I and II, as both Linesman and as Center Official. There was little time for me to fret about my situation, however, and I shook off the apprehension as I joined fellow referees Roger Lau and James Ryser in the center, to stand by my first, of eleven, coin toss of the weekend.

            This first game, and the ten to follow involved strenuous exercise, painstaking attentiveness on my part, horrendous sun burns (not to mention ghastly tan lines), and agonizing blisters; all in all, things went great, and I can honestly say I had one of the best times of my life, and can only hope that things go half as well in years to come. During the games, I found myself to be enjoying the challenge of sprinting to the other side of the field to make sure I could get a clear view of number 24’s hip check, as my trusty linesman threw up her flag; I loved the fun of avoiding live balls during play, not to mention the many attempts, most of which were successful, at avoiding all the coaches and teams who, despite the infinite times I yelled at them to move back, always found their ways back on top of the sidelines. Time between matches was spent, either between fields or under the shade of “The Tent,” conversing with the other referees, discussing some of the amazing skills of the players they had just seen or some of the outrageous fouls they had just called. Much of this “down-time” between games was also spent sharing and swapping “tricks of the trade,” from Phil Good’s unofficial-official substitution signal for linesmen to Meaghan Heinz’s slick, behind-the-patch coin holder, which she had learned from another official during “in-between time” at a past tournament.

            All things considered, my experience at this year’s Commissioners’ Cup has been none other than a great and positive one. While in comparison to years past, it may be hard to imagine how any experience could be dubbed negative after some previous incidences of mine, I can honestly say that the only way I could see this tournament as having gone any better  for me would be if I had the confidence of a person whose own knowledge of the game was greater than that of all the members of the FIFA board combined, which I can frankly admit was not the exact case with me this year… but next year, now that is an entirely different story.