Kicking off 2024 with The Lady in the Soccer Suit Celebrating her 14th Year on the Pitch! Yay!
The sun pushed out all the rain and clouds from yesterday for a nice, albeit windy, day. Dressing appropriately to begin my 14th Year is the key to going from an AR (Assistant Referee) to a Center Referee, employed in both positions in the two games this afternoon.
So what does that dressing appropriately mean? If you watch American Football, and the referees are in the cold with wind, snow, and sleet stadiums, I bet they are layered like the Michelin Man. Same with me, though, the Michelin Woman with more layers!
Because of the gusty 16-25 MPH winds, I knew I needed the warmth, starting with the base layer of a Heat 32 long-sleeved shirt. The next layer was a black cashmere turtleneck sweater, and on top of that, a black down (slim) puffer jacket. My green referee jersey was then the last layer before kickoff, and I was an AR and needed to stuff all those layers into my shorts for a "clean and professional look."
The match I had for the Center position was a U16 Girls Premier game. Knowing I’d be running way more in this game than the AR spot in the previous game, I swapped out the puffer-down jacket for another black coat; this time, the down was in a vest-like position, with fleece arms. It took down that Michelin look a couple of notches—less bulkiness to chase down 20 players using the entire field.
I also wore black leggings with my shorts on top of them. Gloves/mittens were necessary for both games; frankly, I never really warmed up, even with all that gear. That’s how strong that wind was sweeping across the green turf field.
Happiness today was two-fold. Celebrating my 14th Year as a soccer referee and blasting the heat once back in my car.
bSoleille!
Terri
