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Hi Guys,
I made this a new thread because I wanted some input as to whether or not to make this one of my most important experiences. It was a pretty important one for me but happened at the age of 16. Here is the experience and I would appreciate your thoughts on it.
When I was 16 years old I was refereeing a peewee minor hockey game in Hagersville, Ontario. Peewee hockey is for children ages 11-12 and in this association it is contact hockey. During the course of my game a child was body checked from behind in the the corner boards in my partner's zone. The child was injured on the play and did not move. My partner, a 15 year old, was thoroughly distraught and broke down in tears. She did not get the number of the offending player or any of the players on the ice. I was watching the play and covering the blue line as assigned to me when the puck was in her zone. The coach of the offending team immediately pulled all his players off the ice so as to not allow us to make the call on the correct player. Our first concern was for the health and safety of the player on the ice. My partner went and stood by the penalty box crying, she was unable to further assist in the situation. I was forced to take of the as the lead referee in this instance. I helped the trainer get to his player to aid in his recovery. As it turned out the child had fractured a vertebrae in his neck and further assistance was required. I then had to go about calling 911 from the ice, directing the ambulance onto the ice and keeping the teams calm and everything in order. Next I had to deal with the coaches. The coach of the injured player was first and foremost concerned with his player. I spoke with him and informed him there would be a major penalty assessed on the play. Then I had to speak with the offending players coach. At this time we did not have the number of the offending player. I requested the coach give me the number of the player who committed the hit. He refused. At this point as a 16 year old referee I had to make a judgement call. I decided to let the coach know that either he provide me the player who offended or the captain will be responsible for the major penalty and corresponding suspension. Eventually the coach decided to give me the player who committed the infraction. After this was all said and done, that player was removed from the game, the injured player was taken to the hospital, and the game had to continue. A completely rattling experience to say the least and we still had to finish the game. After the game I had to write the refereeing report for a major penalty, one for an injury, as well as a personal report in case of any legal implications that may come of this. In the years since this there have been no further implications from the way I handled this experience. I was not suspended or reprimanded as a referee, and no legal outcomes came of this. After the game parents of players from the team of the injured child thanked me for how I dealt with the situation and the player made a full recovery.
Please let me know if I should shorten this to just an experience or if I can use this as one of my most important experiences.
Thank you,
Benjamin
I made this a new thread because I wanted some input as to whether or not to make this one of my most important experiences. It was a pretty important one for me but happened at the age of 16. Here is the experience and I would appreciate your thoughts on it.
When I was 16 years old I was refereeing a peewee minor hockey game in Hagersville, Ontario. Peewee hockey is for children ages 11-12 and in this association it is contact hockey. During the course of my game a child was body checked from behind in the the corner boards in my partner's zone. The child was injured on the play and did not move. My partner, a 15 year old, was thoroughly distraught and broke down in tears. She did not get the number of the offending player or any of the players on the ice. I was watching the play and covering the blue line as assigned to me when the puck was in her zone. The coach of the offending team immediately pulled all his players off the ice so as to not allow us to make the call on the correct player. Our first concern was for the health and safety of the player on the ice. My partner went and stood by the penalty box crying, she was unable to further assist in the situation. I was forced to take of the as the lead referee in this instance. I helped the trainer get to his player to aid in his recovery. As it turned out the child had fractured a vertebrae in his neck and further assistance was required. I then had to go about calling 911 from the ice, directing the ambulance onto the ice and keeping the teams calm and everything in order. Next I had to deal with the coaches. The coach of the injured player was first and foremost concerned with his player. I spoke with him and informed him there would be a major penalty assessed on the play. Then I had to speak with the offending players coach. At this time we did not have the number of the offending player. I requested the coach give me the number of the player who committed the hit. He refused. At this point as a 16 year old referee I had to make a judgement call. I decided to let the coach know that either he provide me the player who offended or the captain will be responsible for the major penalty and corresponding suspension. Eventually the coach decided to give me the player who committed the infraction. After this was all said and done, that player was removed from the game, the injured player was taken to the hospital, and the game had to continue. A completely rattling experience to say the least and we still had to finish the game. After the game I had to write the refereeing report for a major penalty, one for an injury, as well as a personal report in case of any legal implications that may come of this. In the years since this there have been no further implications from the way I handled this experience. I was not suspended or reprimanded as a referee, and no legal outcomes came of this. After the game parents of players from the team of the injured child thanked me for how I dealt with the situation and the player made a full recovery.
Please let me know if I should shorten this to just an experience or if I can use this as one of my most important experiences.
Thank you,
Benjamin
