Calling It Like I See It

I raised my flag straight up in the air signaling the ball as 'out'. Then I looked up at my dad and watched him mouth the words "bad call" as he signals the ball as 'in'. It was my first call of my first game. I was a line judge for a division 2 college volleyball game and my dad was the R1 or up referee. 

He overruled me. Great. Just great.

I tried to replay the ball's landing in my head but I saw nothing. Only blackness. That's when I realized I had blinked at precisely the wrong time. My job was to see the ball land but all I had seen were the back of my eyelids. not good. Can I leave now? Nope! There's a lot of volleyball left to be played and it's my job to stay. To persevere through the nervousness, fear, and embarrassment.  To stay and keep my eyes open. I learned the art of timely blinking that night. Blink when the ball is in the air. Not, I repeat, not when the ball is landing! That first game was in the Fall of 2007. 

Over the past 5 years I've learned much more than a perfectly timed blink. I've learned the art of acting like I not only know what I'm doing, but I;m right about my calls. A flag raised too slowly, or worse not at all, is a disheartening act that drains all your credibility right out of you. In the eyes of everyone in the gym, you may as well not even be standing there. You're either right or completely incompetent. There is no middle ground.

Portray some empathy but do not show weakness. They can smell it like a dirty diaper. Even if you change they never look at you the same. They just make faces and shutter at the memory of the smell.

The most important lesson I've learned while calling lines is not the art of blinking or the portrayal of confidence but the importance of remaining humble. Make an amazing call, keep my eyes open, wave my flag, see what everyone else missed, do a near perfect job and then...the ball is served again. You can't sit down or graciously leave the court on a high note. "Thank you! You've been a beautiful audience!" You can't leave them wanting more. No, you must stay to the very end and be ready for the next ball to land or hit the antenna or the blockers hand or me or...you get the idea. There's so much to keep your eyes open for.