A New Season Begins, and More Hard Work

Last weekend, the fall youth soccer season began, and I was back on the pitch refereeing. Great to be back on the pitch and doing what I really enjoy doing. Last Saturday (17 August), I was at the Lou Fusz Complex in Maryland Heights for three matches late that afternoon and early that night. They went well, including a under-12 boys' match I worked in the middle. No real hassles, except for one rather inexperienced team's rookie mistakes (throw in violations and goal kicks not clearing the penalty area).

Right after the game, I headed for downtown St. Louis to check in as a volunteer for the Moonlight Ramble bicycle ride. This event--the 50th--has thousands of cyclists traveling through St. Louis in the middle of the night. I was sent to a sport in Forest Park to serve as a road marshal (making sure the cyclists are following the right path and there is no traffic interference). I got on station at 11 pm, and the first cyclists appeared just after 1 am. For the better part of the next hour, there were thousands of cyclists passing through, with several expressing their thanks for me being there. I usually replied: "My pleasure!" While this was going on, I also had a AAA roadside assistance person working on my battery, which I ran down while sitting in my car. I was able to get a replacement battery installed and was able to start my car with no problem.

After a bit of sleep at home, I was at the Scott Gallagher Complex in Maryland Heights for three more matches. I had a middle in under-13 girls that was rather excited late in the match with a player going down hurt after colliding with the opposing goalkeeper, and a penalty kick on a foul a few minutes later. Still, the game ended well, so I'm happy. Not so happy, though, was the muggy weather, which caused me to have leg cramps.

Work has been going well at the car rental firm, with me adding some work hours this week. Yesterday, I applied online for a full time position with the firm as a technical writer. Will keep you posted on that application's status. (Thanks to a friend who found the opening and passed that on to me.)

Back to soccer refereeing: Last Monday night (19 Aug.), I attended the monthly soccer referee clinic, which had a discussion of recent game situations and tips for effective refereeing. The next might, IPMS/Gateway met at Calvary Presbyterian Church. We had a good turnout for the Model of the Month "beauty contest" (31 model entries), plus discussion about what contest judges look for in models.

Later.