The irREFutable Magazine 2 February 2021

AN OFFICIALS PERSPECTIVE February 2021

The

IrREFutable Magazine is an online outlet that was designed for refs, by

refs. Kevin draws, and Ralph writes. They combined their superhero powers to make the Avengers of officials off the court! It spawned from a conversation on the 4th of July amid a pandemic. After conversing, they wanted to combine forces and find a way to highlight other officials that were aligned with their core values: empathy, compassion, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the freedom to create something that can be impactful in other people’s lives. Once combined, they realized that it was irREFutable that they work together. Hence we are, the irREFutable Magazine.

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” -Abraham Lincoln

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On the Cover

February 2021

What’s inside

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Growing our Game

The Fandom of a Referee

An interview with Chiene Joy Jones

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Follow us on Instagram @theirrefutablemag

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Because Representation Matters

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Critical Thinking

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Making It Wright

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Daddy, What’s A Technical Foul?

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For the Frequent Flying Referee

Follow us on Instagram @theirrefutablemag

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Seat 23A

Issue 2

February 2021 Staff

Kevin Sparrrock

Art Director

Ralph Fornoles

Editor

Ralph Fornoles Kevin Sparrock

Photography

Editorial Contributing Asha P. Sparrock

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How to Digitally Document your (Ref) Life

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Latest Podcasts

This publication took a lot of time and effort to put together so please respect it! Nothing in this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the editorial team.

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Although advertising is screened, acceptance of an advertisement does not imply Still Brooklyn LLC or the Irrefutable Magazine endorsement of the product or the views expressed. Rates available upon request. The Irrefutable Magazine accepts articles and information for publication, but we reserve the right of refusal and the right to edit for style, content and length.

The views and opinions in the IrREFutable Magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of The IrRefutable Magazine or Still Brooklyn LLC. The Irrefutable Magazine is published monthly except for a combined June and September issue.

All subscribers and only members receive the magazine as a result of the paid subscription. $9.99 per month. By Still Brooklyn LLC, PO BOX 141934, Coral Gables FL 33114-1934 United States.

Still Brooklyn LLC all rights reserved.

This Months Comic

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Growing Our Game

An interview with Chiene’ Joy Jones.

By: Ralph the Ref

Chiene’

has the unenviable task of growing an often underserved, forgotten, brand of Basketball in New York City. She is the founder of Grow Our Game, built on the premise of teaching girls in the NYC area to love the game in the same way the game has affected, impacted, and inspired her throughout her life. Not only is she the founder of this wonderful initiative, she is also a long time coach, a former player, and of course, a ref on the rise.

I always credit Chiene’ Joy Jones as the person that made me snap out of it - when the CoronaVirus was ravaging the state of New York, when I was ranting about not reffing and not knowing what to do with Referee Rant.

Ralph the Ref: That Nike Commercial! - I was floored, the women that were featured, all while you narrated, those were people that all were important to you.

What did those people mean to you, and how did you get that opportunity?

Chiene’ Joy Jones: The bigger piece for me was to make sure that I spoke up for what I believed was the right thing for our girls. Speaking up for those that are marginalized and silenced. Girl’s basketball on the grassroots level needs a lot of help.

There were gatekeepers that were helping in teaching the game that are no longer with us, and are retired. And that passing of the torch; it’s changed from the passing of the torch to the passing of the dollar. It’s becoming far more transactional than transformational. People are trying to make money, as opposed to giving them the opportunity and giving up the time to teach the girls and fully show that love and passion.

It was incredible that Nike found us, even though we’ve always been in this curious space and I’m sure they asked, ‘What’s going on with them? I keep hearing about them?’ I was just being me. But to partner with Nike officially, and announce it, build the relationship, through this new campaign, has been tremendous, and it gave me the opportunity to honor those women who were so instrumental in my life. The one person that I wish could make it but couldn’t was Janice Quinn, my college basketball coach from NYU. But outside of her, my most recent mentor, Latasha Morgan - she just literally just finished battling stage 3 breast cancer, and declared cancer free last year, which was an incredible blessing - she’s been very instrumental for the latter part of my career, the last 6 years. The woman that was speaking was wearing a

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headband, was Carla Nasso my coach at Flushing High school; she has been tremendous for my growth in my career. Then after, that cute little lady with the bangs, that’s my Mom! So it was cool to have to have all these women who were impactful to me from the start of my life, up to now in the interesting point in my career - it was truly an incredible form of love to have them there, and to have a couple of my girls there - I wish I could have all of them, but because of COVID, I was limited to the numbers of them that they could bring.

But the 3 girls that were featured in there were my first 3 ever participants at my sessions that I had two years ago at the Gauchos gym. It was the coldest winter day of that year, record lows - and those 3 showed up. The 2 twins and then the young girl that’s missing the teeth because she’s at the 6. She was 4 when they started with us, and the twins were 5, so that’s amazing, that that’s starting to happen - the pipeline is there, and it means a lot. And 2 of my older girls were there, even though they weren’t fully in the scene, I was happy that they were there, that meant a lot, and they will both go on with a scholarship to Division 1 programs - it was really a whole coming out party of all the work and my passion projects that I’ve been a part of, and looking with and looking up to, it was a special experience, and they were able to put my work so eloquently, and powerfully throughout the entire piece which again I think it really speaks to how special Nike is, and how important storytelling is and how fundamental, yet important piece to show, that heroine story.

Let’s talk about Grow our Game and the SisterHood Circle. What was that like doing that digitally, through a screen, in Zoom? How did you keep the same Chiene’ Joy Jones energy when it was on a screen, as opposed to in person, because I know you feed off that energy!

Chiene’: We were in the 5th installment of the Little Ballers Grow our Game Sessions, our weekly clinic, where we are teaching the game of Basketball - the fundamentals, but also building an incredible amount of confidence, and passion through what we’re doing. A lot of people forget this - to learn a new sport is really hard!

Whether you are a child or an adult, just learning something new - is hard. The more there are some more positives, even if you are doing something wrong if there is a positive reward, it reinforces your interest, and your ability to do it again. That’s what I’ve been doing, and the sessions that we had in person, it was amazing - it was a group setting.

The bigger piece for me was to make sure that I spoke up for what I believed was the right thing for our girls.

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But when Covid hit, it affected all of us, because it was an immediate transition to remote learning; an immediate transition to staying in our homes. There were so many transitions happening, I didn’t want to rush with what I was doing with Grow our Game. Even myself, I was under a lot of pressure, stress, and trauma, because of our own family members, and our own situations. A lot of people were dying. Then you talk about the Civil Rights movement that came into the forefront, during the killing of George Floyd: there were protests, and looting - trying to make sense of what the Black Lives Matter movement meant to me - I knew there was something missing with respect to that, so I decided to begin our sessions again, but in the virtual space.

My intentions were to create a program that is completely free for the girls in New York City to learn the game of Basketball. To use a way for parents to not necessarily to make an excuse for their daughters; it was an opportunity for them to get and give permission for their daughters to learn the game of Basketball. Some sports are easier like soccer and swimming, where they start the sport young. But when it came to girls, for whatever reason, there was hesitation with a number of parents and some of it had to do with cost, distance, or having to balance with a counterpart, whether that was a brother or an older sister, where they got started earlier and now the priority is them first.

I also noticed for younger boys, there are TONS of programs in NYC, both free and programs you have to pay for . So my thought was if parents are willing to go above and beyond for their sons to get this service, what is the way for parents to open up their mind, to allow their daughters to play - that’s how Grow Our Game was created, and that’s why the imaging was so critical. And that’s why I have all women volunteering our sessions.

But when the assassination of George Floyd happened, I thought it was my civic duty to figure out a way to start back our sessions, but incorporate these really important dialogues to the table. Instead of being home and depressed, and working, and living in fear, I wanted to take control of my own actions, my own feelings, my own traumas.

I was losing a couple of friends, and my former Assistant Basketball Coach to Covid.

So it was a lot for me! So I started it with just Dance parties for a whole month. Giving them space, affirmations, and sisterhood introductions, to give space to each of the girls to give them a voice. So when George Floyd happened, we had to sift our content - to talk about what equality looks like in this country. To talk about how they are not playing fair for people of color. We were able to entertain with amazing guests like Breanna Stewart to have that conversation.

Taking the rims down was so traumatic in March. So when July and August came, outside started opening up. At that time we were trying to figure out how the kids could enjoy themselves outside, to not have the pressure to have to be in the virtual world. Then September came, we (Grow our Game) decided to start back up.

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We also had a Basketball distribution, where we gave out free basketballs during the summer, knowing the rims down in NYC. Are we going to have a world without Basketball? It was a lot - we distributed those Basketballs, and there was a fantastic turnout. There was this thought: what else can we do? September came, school started out, and as athletic director, my career, I decided to start Sisterhood Circles, but bringing it back in the virtual space, to continue to empower these groups of girls that are interested in wanting to continue. We decided to do it, but with a little more attention to details. We broke up groups by ages 4-7 and 8-10. From 8-10 year olds, they had a lot more flexibility - they could work on form shooting, ball handling footwork. With 4-7 year olds, get comfortable with the basketball and getting used to making mistakes.

On July 26th - had an Instagram story that went up that I’ll never forget about the rims going back up. Describe the joy you felt.

Chiene’: It was an incredible feeling of hope and with promise. It was because that day meant so much to me in my life, and my purpose, of returning back. For that point in time, it was powerful . It reminded me of 9/11 of how everything was unclear. When those rims were put up, it was hope for me, similar when we saw the two lights that were shined downtown - a symbolic opportunity of hope.

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Now to the reffing piece. How did your reluctance in officiating factor into finally indeed getting back on the court, and also how your aspirations of what you wanted to do with officiating had to be put on hold for the things that we were dealing with, how the game didn’t exist the way we knew it. Your experience with doing the Slam 16’ event, and your experience getting back on the court on the officiating side.

Chiene’: I saw it as an opportunity. It was important that I remained in shape, that I continued to work out from home. There were many programs that were going on. I got involved with the biking community. Biking became a huge part of what my cardio looked like daily. It kept me in great shape; that was half the battle. The other battle was that zero permits were issued last summer. So it was nothing but renegade basketball. It was interesting but also dangerous. It wasn’t about the money; it was about the momentum that I was getting from my time as an official from last March.

I was set to go to many camps this summer, but everything was on pause. I studied the book. And when I wanted to be ready if an opportunity presented itself. I turned down a number of different opportunities before John Coleson, largely because of the shootings that were happening in the NYC area at that time. I thought it was getting a little dangerous. I had to evaluate where I was going. Not all basketball was safe basketball. It all depended on who was running the tournaments, that meant so much more to me than what was playing, or who was playing, or what teams were playing.

John has been fantastic to work for and with, and he has his own interesting community of officials that want to learn the game. It helped me get the dust off, and expand with that network of officials.

What does the future hold for you?

Chiene’: Nowhere! Continuing to get our girls better. We have two groups, which is huge, and is something that’s been on my mind. And after my kids turn 10, finding a space to support them when they are 11 and 12 years old - that might still be with Grow Our Game and I think that’s definitely the next phase - that age group. Putting them in a position to have the keys to their own car. They won’t have to borrow anybody’s keys to get to where they want to go. They will be much smarter consumers, the parents as well. I don’t want them to be tricked with the game of AAU that parents do with the promises. That’s not what Grow Our Game is about, to combat that narrative, by creating a program that’s just really about the girls and their developments.

“It’s hard to do all of it. Something had to give. Grow our Game.

Over the years, I’ve seen kids get to high school, get scholarships, but it’s time to dive deeper for the younger generation. To see what I can do for them.”

- Chiene’ Joy Jones

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The Fandom of a Referee

By Ralph the Ref

Super

Nintendo Classic has been such a bridge for me and my son, Mason, to connect. As if Apple Arcade isn’t enough as a Christmas present, he is inundated with that tablet of his. The iPad is his beginning, middle, and end - every day. He goes to school with it, goes on break with it, and after school, he’s excited to get on another hour(s) of screen time. The Super Nintendo has given him access to my own screen staring experience, a way for us to bond, to bridge the new and the old. It was fitting I show him the game Madden 95 the ubiquitous Football Video game that reigned supreme in the 1990’s.

On the default screen, it starts with the Buffalo Bills being the away team, and the home team being the Cowboys. I asked him what team he wanted to be - he said he wanted to be the Ravens, an ode to our favorite team; little did he know of a past life, when I was near his age, and I was a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan. What happened?

I died. Hard.

If you’re old enough to remember, we know the exploits of the Buffalo Bills in the early 1990’s. They were one of the most consistent teams, the most completely balanced team in the NFL, many years running. I was awestruck as a 9-year-old during Super Bowl XXV, with the Air Force flying past Tampa Stadium, overlooking the capacity crowd, getting swept up with the turmoil of Operation Desert Storm as a backdrop. Don’t forget the voice that is Whitney Houston, who had a stirring rendition of the National Anthem. Thurman Thomas seemed as though he gained 1,000 yards that game, with Jim Kelly at the helm as the quarterback with the no-huddle offense. It was a win-win, as Buffalo, in upstate New York, also played a team from New York, the Giants. I never gravitated towards the Giants because of that game. Fortunately, in the waning seconds of the game, the Bills had a chance to win the game, with Scott Norwood ready to hit a field goal to seal it. But anyone that’s old enough remembers wide right. I will never forget.

Next year, we wait. And that next year, they seemed to be a lot better, only to have the same result. The only thing different was the venue for the Super Bowl was different, and they lost to a different opponent - this time it was the Redskins, now known in present as the Washington Football team.

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Next year, we wait. And that next year, they seemed to be a lot better, only to have the same result.

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These are traumatizing tribulations for a young fan like me. It was the perfect way to get heartbroken as a 9-10-11-12-year-old, to experience the trauma of losing in the Super Bowl(s).

By the time it was the third year, there was this cliche that never made any sense to me until it conveniently fit the situation. “The third time’s a charm,” my mom used to say to me. That got defenestrated as the Bills lost again - this time to the Dallas Cowboys. “America’s Team” they were called, an ode to all their success they had in the 70’s, something that I can’t relate to.

But there was next year, and we played the Cowboys again.

This had to be the time!

Nope - same result - this time, we lost; even worse. Two things I remember - the ridicule of going to school with all my classmates with the embarrassment of explaining 4 straight years of losing in the Championship game, but also Emmitt Smith, the Cowboy running back constantly putting footballs in a trunk for his personal trophy collection.

Ugh. In 8th grade, I made a decision. I wanted to pick a team that had no history. As fate would have it, Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns, made a deal with the city of Baltimore, to move the franchise to Maryland, changing its name entirely. The nascent team thought it was too disrespectful to keep by name, the Browns, as the nomenclature could only stay in Cleveland. The new team would be named the “Ravens.”

This had to be the time!

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And so, in 9th grade, I made my hard pivot to being a Ravens fan.

25 years, 2 championships, and a week after playing Madden 95’ on Super Nintendo with my son, the dream matchup that could never happen in that video game happened in real life.

The Bills played the Ravens.

That’s what made it weird that 25 years later, my old team (Bills) played my new team (Ravens) which never happened before, and I hope it never happens again. I felt emotions that are not only uncharacteristic of a referee but as a fan. It extirpated a feeling that would only come up if the Bills played the Ravens, something I never accounted for. I thought of my 10-year-old self, and how this would be how I should feel beating the Ravens. The Ravens didn’t exist, and now is now, with the Ravens as my team, through and through. I’ve been with them since Day 1. I watched the first time when they won the Super Bowl beating those same Giants that haunted me when I was 9. Then I saw them win a second championship the year after my Mom died, and a few days after my son was born. Something about watching those two Super Bowl wins in my lifetime, experiencing it as an adult, made losing those Buffalo Bill Super Bowls OK.

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MIxed emotions ensued, something that I wouldn’t even be able to describe in words during that game. I was even-keeled, lacked emotion - a trait that absorbs only naturally through wizened years of being the neutral party as an official. I see the Bills, I see Stephon Diggs, the Wide Receiver for the team, and feel ambivalence. I can’t root for the Bills now, but it’s my old team! I’m a Ravens fan, I said to myself. Yet, my dream of the Buffalo Bills winning crept back in my psyche. The game was low scoring until the 2nd half when a few breaks didn’t go the Ravens way; in one fell swoop, the Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson was sacked, and concussed out of the game, only led the Bills to the AFC Championship or the game before the Super Bowl.

As time expired, my heart sunk. This would have been my dream in the 90’s - but I only long for a time like that. It is now 2021, and just like the Bills as a kid, the Ravens, at least this year, disappointed me the same exact way. The Ravens have had their share of success; just not that day. The Bills taught me how to be an honorable loser, to take it to the chin, with dignity. All of these experiences of watching the Bills lose all these years prepared me for this year’s Ravens loss, all from a Bills win.

I realized that I’m not only an official - I am human.

Go Ravens.

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REFEREERANT.COM

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Because Representation Matters

By Kevin Sparrock

First

and foremost, I am a comic geek. I might have stopped collecting comics, but I know my artistic roots. In July 1966, the Black Panther appeared in the pages of the Fantastic Four issue number 52. You didn’t have to sell me on the movie. I was excited to see the film regardless of reviews or people’s opinions, good or bad. What made the Marvel Comics 2018 film even more spectacular was the fantastic performance of Chadwick Boseman. This brother played in four Marvel cinematic films as T’Challa, AKA The Black Panther. He acted in the film 42 as the great Jackie Robinson’s, as James Brown in Get on up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. Black Panther is a historical moment in film because it’s the first time you see a superhero of color on a screen. With a predominantly black cast, black director, black costume designers, and black hairstylists, the film gross of over $ 700 million is second domestically of the Marvel Cinematic universe behind The Avengers: Engame. The film is the fourth overall lifetime grossing domestic film behind Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, and Avatar. Historically, film and media in America were places where African Americans could not play themselves, as white people dressed in blackface to reinforcing white supremacy, stereotypes, and demeaning representation. Black Panther is an example of how representation in film is crucial to presenting the full story.

Representation matters so that the full story can be told, and so you don’t have a one-sided story that isn’t a fair representation of a diverse population.

The media needs to represent the society that it serves because if people don’t see themselves, then it’s almost like a lack of care that’s communicated to people. There has to be some diverse voices that represent everyone in the society that can speak from the voice of those people because there are different issues and different things that are of importance to us. I think that there needs to be more of an effort to seek out diverse voices and diverse representation with a conscious effort (2018).

(Cheriss May, photojournalist )

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When I look back on my success as a basketball referee, the most encouraging factor was representation. The first training I received to become a basketball official was from the organization N.Y. S.U.B.O.A. (The Sports United Benevolent Officials Association). The NY Basketball Referee Organization. S.U.B.O.A. is a not-for-profit organization not affiliated with any basketball governing body. It has been preparing men and women to enter the vocation of basketball officiating for over fifty years. Early in my training, I had representation from African American men like Mr. Jim Paull, and Mr. Charles Lloyd. I was then blessed to meet and train with National Basketball Association (N.B.A.) referee Ronnie Nunn. I would be remiss to not mention Bernard Bowen from BBall Officials in New York and the late Cecil Watkins, who always presented me with opportunities. I could see someone who looked like me working at something I enjoyed. These windows of opportunity don’t discredit any teaching from other people or representation, but accessing people who look like me presents unhindered possibilities.

In 1965, Burl Tover became the N.F.L.’s first African American official. He was the first black official in any major professional sports league and became the first African American to work the Super Bowl in 1980.

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Johnny Grier became the N.F.L.’s first Black referee in 1988. Johnny Grier worked 23 years before retiring in 2004. Mike Carey became the first African American to lead an officiating crew in the Super Bowl in 2008.

Through all of these first with officiating in sports, the N.F.L. had missed one significant equity chapter. 70% of the players in the N.F.L. are Black. Today, 36 of the N.F.L.’s 122 officials are Black. That percentage is just under 30 percent. Only four of those 36 black officials have referee or crew chief status.

On November 23, 2020, Monday Night Football matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams marked the first time an all-black officiating crew took to the field. The seven-member crew led by Jerome Boger, a 17-year N.F.L. official, umpire Barry Anderson, side judge Anthony Jeffries, line judge Carl Johnson, down judge Julian Mapp, field judge Dale Shaw and back judge Greg Steed. The first-place Rams defeated the Buccaneers 27-24.

After 50 years of existence, I questioned why this is the first time the N.F.L. has put on an all African American crew. Maybe a pandemic, the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, made this the right moment. Unfortunately, the death of many innocent black lives presented the right moment.

February feels like our country’s comfortable window to discuss African Americans’ successes, and we are asked to ‘move on’ on March 1. “We gave you your month.”

But African American history is American history and should be celebrated daily.

During this pandemic, we look to get back to normal. The old normal is not working.

The old normal presented a stereotypical trend depicting black and brown people as almost nonexistent. The old normal sprinkled the surface with a little flavor as if covering the entire body would corrupt the game’s integrity.

I hope these right moments stay intact. I look forward to the day where we don’t have to say, “An All African American crew” in the N.F.L. I look forward to that day we stop counting Black firsts. Unfortunately, it’s not because we lack officials. In days past, we lacked the leadership that is willing to create a ‘new’ normal. Leadership, hold your applause. You’re now just playing catch up.

I look forward to that day we stop counting Black firsts.

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By Ralph the Ref

Critical

thinking is a skill sorely lacking in 2021, let alone in the landscape of officiating. The rise of misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and echo chambers that support all of this false news, has made those that are seeking truth, credible, and reliable sources to be second-guessed.

Critical thinking is the analysis of facts; of judgment. The subject is complex, and several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, unbiased analysis, or evaluation of factual evidence.

This phenomenon is prevalent in the game of officiating. The road in reffing is long, winding, and different for everyone. Each and all have a path unique to them, with twists and turns that could be a shortcut for someone, a detour for another, and a dead-end for some. In the formative years of reffing, information is aplenty; coupled with your ability to perform, and the environment that you are exposed to that informs how you feel about things.

Truth be told, I learned this skill, personally, through my growth in reading books. It taught me to have a skeptical mind with everything I read, looking at something, and not immediately taking it as fact. I would often read something that opposed what I just read, only to come up with a new, unique conclusion.

Another tactic I would use, that would spill out to my own life, is when I think of a subject matter, when I started thinking of two people that had differing opinions on many things, but agree on this same subject matter, yet come to this conclusion from a different angle. Sound familiar? This is always at the forefront of any official’s experience.

Take, for instance, the take of a mentor. Whether it be in reffing or in life, we gravitate towards a mentor because of their wisdom, the path that they have paved the way for us to walk easier, as we sublimate their experiences and make it our own - only to carve out our own unique path. Mentors are always willing to help and are invaluable in expediting our growth, both as an official and personal. But critical thinking should

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I would often read something that opposed what I just read, only to come up with a new, unique conclusion.

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be a step that should never be skipped. This piqued my curiosity when my fellow official and partner in the irREFutable discussed his take on attending camps early on in his officiating career: “When it came to camps - I’m probably the outlier, where I didn’t listen to anyone when it came to camps. They said, ‘go to this camp’, and I didn’t go to that camp.

‘Kev, don’t go to this camp’, then I went to that one. And it didn’t have anything to do with being against anyone, I think everyone has their own path, and I believe that you don’t know that you are bad until you know. You don’t know it’s a bad thing to do until your in it.” - Kevin Sparrock There’s some truth to what Kevin is saying. There is also truth in listening to someone that has previous knowledge about camps. This should be an internal healthy struggle, in your mind, to find the motivation of each official, and think critically about how you can move forward.

“Don’t listen to anyone. Don’t be scared. Everyone will tell you how it worked out, but it worked out for you that way. It’s even hard for me, to just give the information then let the artist make the decision. I can’t say, ‘you should do this, cause’ this is how it works.’ Don’t listen to anyone because their experience is unique to who they are.

And then a lot of people will try to put their fears on you. ‘You can’t do that,’ NO, YOU can’t do that. They are just projecting, they are putting things that they can’t do on you, and you may possibly do it. Like my Uncle! My uncle said, ‘ I’d never sell a million records; I sold a million records like a million times!’ I’m his nephew, I didn’t think he meant any malice, he was just a projecting his fears.” - Jay-Z In the vein of what was aforementioned, I’ll discuss a book that fortified my ability to critically think. The book is called Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar by James Marcus Bach. Although it was released over a decade ago, it doesn’t lose its potency in the present - in fact, it’s even more impactful. The book goes through the practice of gaining knowledge with a mixture of experience, reading books, reading the internet, overhearing, and observing others - all tried and true strategies for successful referees, and furthermore, successful people.

Don’t listen to anyone because their experience is unique to who they are.

- Jay-Z 26

“Critical thinking is covered, as it means trying to find the problem with an idea. I trace the evidence supporting a conclusion and consider how the evidence may have been corrupted, or alternative evidence suppressed. I consider potential biases and fallacies. How the evidence may have been corrupted, or alternative evidence suppressed. I consider potential biases and fallacies. trying to find the problem with an idea. I trace the evidence supporting a conclusion and consider how the evidence may have been corrupted, or alternative evidence suppressed. I consider potential biases and fallacies.” - James Marcus Bach When diving deep into the book, they use an acronym to being a buccaneer scholar - a person that will leave no stone unturned to gain knowledge. That acronym, which will be broken down in officiating terms is SACKED SCOWS.

SACKED SCOWS Scouting Obsessively - Discover the sources and tools I will need. For referees, there are so many sources now! There are podcasts, there are group texts that officials create, there are Zoom calls that we all find normal and en vogue, and magazines just like this. Whether watching a game on TV or working your own game, there are teaching moments big and small, at all times.

Authentic Problems - They engage my mind. If you are reading this, chances are, you want to be as effective as you can be in officiating. If this is an authentic problem for you to solve, then you will be engaged in the pursuit of improving your craft.

Cognitive Savvy - This works with the rhythms of my mind. Within officiating, not all moves are created equal. You may learn something from a Major League Umpire, even though you may not even officiate Baseball. You may see something on TV that an NFL referee did, that you may want to incorporate in your Basketball game.

You can even watch a news broadcast and see the cadence and speech of a news anchor. All of these can be used to improve you.

Knowledge Attracts Knowledge - The more I know, the easier I learn. The joy of officiating multiple sports gives me the ability to not only preserve myself and prevent burn out, but learning different studies, strengthens my weaknesses. When I find someone knowledgable of a sport I’m weak at, or I don’t even officiate, I’m generally curious in their approach and how they attack a similar problem. The more you know, you can be an asset for another official that is seeking knowledge the way you are.

Connections are made easier as knowledge is gained.

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Experimentation - It makes learning vivid and direct. Refereeing is just that - experimentation. Every game is a new experience, with new partners, in a new day, with a new set of problems waiting to be solved. Take it in stride as it blends with what you learned in a book, the internet, or a video, and it makes it real, in experience.

Disposable Time - Lets me try new things. Not all games are created equal - a rec game is not the Super Bowl, but it’s about your approach, in real-time, that makes all the difference. Through experimentation, use this disposable time wisely - treat it like the Super Bowl; this heightens your awareness and gets you ready when the stakes are indeed higher.

Stories - This is how I make sense of things. So much improvement in officiating happens off the field and off the court. Through storytelling, we find parts of stories in the stories that we hold, to measure up not in comparison, but to learn things that we may not know, and not have to go through, or may have to go through in the future.

Furthermore, being a storyteller only helps you become a better learner, a better student of the game. Tell as many stories as you can.

Contrasting Ideas - This leads to better ideas. Skepticism means embracing inquiry while rejecting certainty. Use ideas that are foreign to you, or oppose your own beliefs not to find an adversary, or to find a rebuttal in speech. Rather, find a silver lining, command ground, and a unique way to look forward. As we said before, Critical thinking means trying to find a problem with an idea. Trace the evidence supporting a conclusion, and consider how the evidence may have been corrupted, or alternative evidence suppressed. Also, consider potential biases and fallacies. Lateral thinking is the ability to develop a rich set of alternative ideas and to bring hidden assumptions to the surface.

Critical thinking means trying to find the problem with an idea. I trace the evidence supporting a conclusion and consider how the evidence may have been corrupted, or alternative evidence suppressed. I consider potential biases and fallacies. These only sharpen your critical thinking skills.

Other Minds - This exercises my thinking and applauds my exploits. Share your ideas publicly, to attract others that have a similar thirst for knowledge, or have other talents and gifts. Like buccaneers of the past, these pirates were social and often shared food, drink, and of course information. Ideas should be permeable and constantly improved. We can never be the perfect referee - we can only constantly improve.

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Words and Pictures - It makes a home for my thoughts. Through documentation, note-taking, and image capturing, it only fortifies what we’ve learned previously. It can be used to refer to or trigger your mind with something you’ve already learned. Like a rule book, notes and pictures should be referred to for the things you’ve learned along the way.

Systems Thinking - This helps me tame complexity - the skill of understanding how complex systems work. At the beginning of learning how to officiate a sport, everything seems so complex. As you see fellow officials with more season, the game is slower to them, easier for them to interpret. It’s a skill to take a complex concept and simplify it for all to understand. Be ruthless in your pursuit in understanding dense information and breaking it up into manageable pieces.

Attacking officiating, in tandem with SACKED SCOWS can work wonders with being a student of a game. Don’t believe me? You are free to read the book yourself!

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Making it Wright

An interview with Richard Wright Division 1 Basketball referee

By Kevin Sparrock

“The Cage”

“The Cage” is a historic non-regulation sized basketball court located in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York City. It’s beyond small, and the court is fenced in on all sides, and in some places, the sideline spared a slim three-foot distance from the chain-link base.

The Cage housed the West 4th Street basketball league, which premiered some of the best Tri- Stated ballplayers. New York City playground legend Speedy Williams, N.B.A. players Smush Parker, Rafer Alston, and the likes of the late great New York Knicks All-Star Anthony Mason have graced the blacktop.

It was on this blacktop that I first saw Richard Wright. He was strong and quick. He could rebound and shoot with the best of them. After his playing days, Richard joined the officiating ranks, working 15 years as a Division 1 Women’s basketball official. He worked in the American East, the IVY league, M.A.A.C., Northeast conference, and the Colonial (C.A.A.). He was blessed to work the W.N.I.T. (Women’s National College Basketball Tournament) twice, the D3- Final Four 2 times, and the D2 regionals 5 times. Currently, he works in Division 2 and 3, mentoring younger officials as they develop. He came up through the New York S.U.B.O.A. (Sports United Benevolent Officials Association). The NY Basketball Referee Organization. S.U.B.O.A. is a notfor-profit basketball organization that prepares men and women to enter the vocation of basketball officiating. Richard is an anomaly of sorts.

What made Richard stand out was his arm. Richard was born with a visible disability. His right arm was noticeably shorter than his left. When asked about the clinical diagnoses of his arm, he replied, “You know what, I’ve never known a name for it.

According to my Mom, she was a diabetic at birth. So that might have played a role in my deformity.

At birth, I actually couldn’t move my arm. I had an operation when I was eight years old. And I had to get some bones put in my shoulder so I could make it mobile because at one time my arm was stationary.”

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When I had an opportunity to chat with Richard via Zoom, I was nervous. I had known Richard for over twenty years but never took the time to have a conversation about his arm. Part of me didn’t want to offend him, but he quickly put my mind at ease.

“Kevin, trust me, there’s nothing you will say that I haven’t heard.”

Kevin Sparrock: Tell me about your officiating road. How many years, your journey, and what level you work.

Richard Wright: It started out, I want to say nineteen ninety-six, and it started out with recreational stuff. Summer ball first. I actually started officiating before I was certified. I completed all my floor work first before I actually took the test. I took the test through Brooklyn SUBOA. I passed the high school board test, and from there, I just went on and started officiating high school ball.

It was a feeling-out process because a lot of the things that I had to adjust to, which was like the calling of plays and my mechanics based on the fact that, you know, I had limited use of my right arm. So, I had to always make sure that my mechanics were crisp, and [that] I use my voice.

The more I used my voice, the more accepting coaches were. They were like, “Oh, he must know what he’s talking about because he’s using his voice.”

You had a presence on you. You’re like you are like six-four. Right. So, it’s not like you’re a small man either, right?

Richard: I’m six-three. That kind of helped me out in my officiating journey, too, because of my height. Although my limited use of my right arm never impeded anything psychologically, I always knew that I could officiate because I played basketball. I played high school, and I played a little college ball. So, I knew that I was able to make the adjustment. I just had to put my mind to it. It took determination to do it.

So, I knew that I was able to make the adjustment. I just had to put my mind to it. It took determination to do it.

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What were those hurdles coming up as a kid, playing ball? What college did you go to?

Richard: I went to Queens College, and I played high school basketball at Park West.

So, yeah, I’m a Brooklyn kid.

So, what were your hurdles with that journey? Even as a player? How do you think you were perceived?

Well. I actually started playing ball when I was like eight or nine years old. So, I was always able to make the adjustments as far as putting it between my legs going behind my back because I started doing it at an early age, and some of the hurdles came about in the beginning. I had to actually prove myself to my peers that I can actually play. And then after a while, they see that you know, this guy is in starting five, he can play. He’s there for a reason, and he’s not out there taking up space because they got six other guys on the bench. The only hurdle I had, to be honest, was mental. Once I got past the mental part of me being accepted and being competitive, I think the doors were wide open after that. Like I said, eight or nine years old, I started playing. So, I started honing my skills back then.

In a part of this conversation, I want to talk about biases. I think identifying who you are as a person helps people to understand you as an individual. Anyone that is disabled or has a disability is totally different. For example, sometimes, there’s an expectation that all black people are the same and think the same. The same for our population of people who have disabilities. There is an assumption that all people with disabilities are the same and react the same.

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Richard: It’s really important because, at least for me, it’s like a lot of the biases we have in our community today, even in a white community, are based on things we just don’t know. And how do we get better at that?

What I’m learning is some people with disabilities don’t want to say, I’m a person with a disability. And others are OK with identifying as a person who lives with a disability or a disabled person. How do you identify?

Richard: I always identified myself with limited use of my right arm.

Do you think your disability was holding you back?

Richard: I think my disability was a blessing. Absolutely. It was a blessing in disguise that I was able to adapt and to show people that I can do it and it can be done, you know? In the beginning, there was the respect factor there because it was abnormal to see a person like that from a cultural standpoint. Looking at me, they were like, wow. I never saw a person with a short arm that could referee. And he’s not bad.

So I think it came as a challenge because of the unknown. I think I was the only one visibly handicapped at that level.

You’re saying you were the only one you can visually see your disability instead of not seeing. Correct?

Richard: Right. That’s key because no matter where I went, I was the only one that stood out like that. And I guess it always felt fulfilling to actually be a part of it, you know what I mean? To be a part of the officiating world and be accepted amongst my peers and amongst the coaches, you know. Every camp I went to, they started to know me. Oh, he’s back again this year. I guess the breakthrough came when I kept pushing. I just kept pushing.

So, for other people in similar situations and everything is never exact, what do you think we could do as a society to help?

Richard: Acceptance. I mean, we need to, as a society, accept the person as they are good, bad, or indifferent. If we just show them that we care, we will allow them to be who they are, and we would be better off as a society.

You know, and the beauty of it is that, like being on a court with four other guys or nine other people that had two arms, with no limitations, and I was able to get on the court and be a part of that. That was great. And getting on the court with two other officials that had two arms, two legs. I was able to be a part of that, and that’s the blessing. I never looked at it as being, you know, different.

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There are people out there who want to officiate who probably don’t do it because they see similar hurdles. What are your suggestions?

Richard: It’s really the mental, and it’s the mental fortitude that you’ve got to have.

You can’t allow yourself to say, I can’t. You know, you’ve got to always see what I can and I will. And I won’t allow myself to be defeated in terms of any limitations that I may have. It’s definitely mental. It’s not the physical. I was always told by my Mom, “If you take the mind, the body will follow.”

It’s not the physical. I was always told by my Mom, “That if you take the mind, the body will follow.”

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The Fandom of a Referee

“Daddy, What’s A Technical Foul”

By Asha Pearl Sparrock For as long as I can remember, my dad has had two jobs: artist and referee. I remember thinking, “When I grow up, I know I’m an adult because I’ll have a bunch of jobs doing all the things I love.” Little did I realize, after working 12-14 hours shifts 5 times a week, I was not “adulting”. He once said, “When you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Did he love being screamed at by people all of the time? The first time I went to one of my dad’s games, he warned my brother and I. “Don’t cheer for me. I’ll look up at you and nod. If someone asks who you’re here for, don’t say that I’m the ref.” I didn’t understand. My thoughts went to the movie, GoodFellas. What I understood from the movie at the time was that these men were doing things that other people shouldn’t know about. I equated that to my dad. Was he a gangster?

I tried to like basketball. I really did. Till this day, it’s one of the more bearable sports I can watch, but I’m not rushing to my phone to check the score of the Nets games. At 13, my brother and I were placed in basketball camp for 2 weeks out of the summer.

Although I probably should have learned the meaning of teamwork and how to shoot 3-pointers, I instead left that experience learning a new nickname for my brother. That summer was the sweatiest I ever had. I choked back tears every afternoon my dad would pick us up. “How was camp today?” “It was fun!” I yelled through the fabricated enthusiasm which I was sure my dad could see right through. I never wanted to admit that I didn’t like basketball. It wasn’t just basketball, but any sport. Fearful of coming across as spoiled or stand-offish for not understanding what the importance of “teamwork” is, I made a few attempts to go to football games and wrestling matches with my friends. All that came out of those experiences was drinking hot chocolate on the icy bleachers and trying to get my crush to notice me.

During the long drives to distant games, my dad often practiced his signals. My

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Was he a gangster?

nerves would shoot up while he has one hand on the wheel and the other in the air while he whispers, “Technical foul.” Still too young to sit in the front seat, mesmerized by the focus in his actions, I’d try to imitate his movement. “Foul. Travel. Technical foul.” “Daddy?” “Yes, Pearl?” “What’s a technical foul?” “Well, it’s sort of like a foul for being rude or actin’ out of pocket.” “Oh. Can someone in the audience get a technical foul if they’re being rude?” He chuckled and briefly glimpsed in the backseat in what seemed like disbelief. “Sometimes.” I assumed he recalled a time where he ejected a fan for saying something particularly wild.

In a perfect world, our parents are proud of everything we do. Every endeavor we thrust ourselves into, they give unconditional support. In an alternate perfect world, we do exactly what our parents would like us to do and we have no complaints. Many journeys I partook in revolve around how I thought my dad would feel about it. Often, when bringing my siblings and I to a game, his colleagues would brag about how great of a referee he is and when are we gonna be out there on the court? I felt a level of obligation to be involved in athletics even if it meant keeping up with the shot clock.

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It wasn’t until adulthood that I truly decided I didn’t want to be involved in any sport.

Time and time again, I proved to myself and everyone watching that I didn’t have an athletic bone in my body. Music and writing was more my speed. It wasn’t like my dad wasn’t supportive, but I always felt as if I would never truly understand why he is the way he is if I couldn’t learn to love this aspect of his life that he clearly adored.

The level of understanding that comes from a parent for their child is incomparable.

We don’t realize how excited they are for us to try things they never imagined we’d want to try. My dad came to every one of my play performances and all of my chorus recitals. He once said watching me sing on stage and put my heart and soul into every line I yelled and every note I sang made him reevaluate how he “performed” as a referee. That was our halfway point. I may never be able to fully understand what a technical foul is and he may never move the right way when I say “walk to stage left”.

We try to understand each other in our own realms. It sometimes takes a little longer to acknowledge the similarities in different interests. We don’t have to like the same things to understand each other.

We don’t realize how excited they are for us to try things they never imagined we’d want to try.

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“Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.”

- Cicely Tyson

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Traveling

For the Frequent Flying Referee

While

safety is a top priority when choosing an airline, particularly in the current climate, the lasting benefits when flying are perks that enable us to continue traveling. While most airlines offer credit cards and frequent flyer miles, there is no blanketed process to obtain either.

Understandably, the research involved in choosing an airline can be daunting. While not all credit cards have an alliance with specific airlines, some offer rewards for frequent travel. Bitten by the travel bug? Frequent flyer miles allow you to rack up points and potentially receive free flights. Here’s a quick guide to key benefits from a few airlines:

Signing up for TrueBlue for free allows you to gain points and earn rewards. “Depending on which fare option you choose, you can earn up to 3 base TrueBlue points per eligible $1 spent—and you can double those points when you book on [the website] or the JetBlue app.”

Earning points without having to fly with help from JetBlue’s travel, retail and credit card partners is a unique bonus. Amount of points to book a trip is based on the current fare for that trip—not a pricey pre-set minimum. JetBlue’s “Points Pooling” allows up to 7 friends and family members to combine points to earn awards faster.

If you’re a Mosaic or JetBlue cardmember, you’ll earn bonus points even faster in addition to 50% savings on eligible inflight purchases of cocktails and food. You can look forward to 5,000 TrueBlue bonus points annually after your JetBlue Plus Card account anniversary.

Flying with United is one of the many ways you can earn miles as a MileagePlus member. The United MileagePlus program offers rewards for members such as using your miles for travel, dining, shopping, and more.

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Most frequent travelers can also receive special benefits. “Entry-level members of MileagePlus earn 5 miles for every dollar they spend on United flights. If you have elite status, you can earn an additional 2 to 6 miles per dollar spent based on your level of status. You do earn United miles on Basic Economy fares just as you would when you buy any other flight.”

Uniteds’ “Economy Plus” seating provides extra legroom. MileagePlus partners provide “the perfect place to stay and earn award miles at more than 30,000 hotels worldwide.” After partnering with Hertz, United offers car rental savings and award mile earnings.

With lots of options for great travel awards, it’s easy to use your miles. Book award travel worldwide on United and all of our partner airlines. Request upgrades on United and other Star Alliance™ member airlines, and enjoy the comfort and service of premium cabin travel. Book hotel stays through MileagePlus Hotel Awards. MileagePlus program members with Premier® Gold or higher status can convert award miles into Marriott Bonvoy™ points one-for-one.

As a member of the AAdvantage program, you’ll earn miles when you fly on American, Oneworld, and other participating airlines. You can use your miles for flights to nearly 1,100 destinations worldwide, upgrades, vacations, car rentals and hotels.

Other retail products With AAnytime Awards there are no blackout dates and if a seat is available, you can book it with miles. And if your travel plans are flexible, MileSAAver and Web Special awards are available for fewer miles.

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Your first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries. You can also earn a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases during your card membership year and renew your card. Terms apply.

With SkyMiles, earn miles for flying, then use miles toward travel on any Delta Air Lines flight, toward a Delta Vacations package with no blackout dates or for rewards like upgrades and premium drinks at Delta Sky Club. For next issue’s traveling piece, we’ll get into how to get into airline’s lounges. While some airlines allow you to accumulate miles through a program, others partner with credit cards for a way to earn.

Rapid Rewards makes it easy to earn points you can use for reward flights to go anywhere Southwest flies. “Not only will you earn points on flights, you can also earn points on everyday purchases with our partners.” Southwest encourages earning points with their partners by applying for their “Companion Pass” credit card.

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Seat 23A Pay it forward

By Kevin Sparrock

I

purposely grabbed an 8 am flight to get some extra rest. I knew I would have a challenging game to officiate the night before when Syracuse plays Wake Forest in conference play. In the hotel room, I stayed up late to review game film and break down my performance. I had a 6 am wake up, and I made my way to the airport.

Amidst a pandemic, I am thankful that United Airlines kept my flight status. After being a frequent flyer for over 20 years, I just needed to fly a set number of segments to maintain my Silver status, and this allowed me to get that occasional free upgrade to the first-class cabin. I hadn’t received an upgrade in a while, but to my surprise, when boarding began, I received an email instructing me that I the upgraded to Seat 1C. Even with a short hour and a half flight, I was appreciative.

For obvious safety reasons, COVID19 caused United Airlines to change its boarding process. Currently, passengers start boarding from the rear of the plane, and it didn’t matter that I was in first class. I would be boarding last, but I wasn’t in a rush. I could avoid overcrowding on the jetway, and being in first class after a challenging game, felt like Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing and a side of gravy. Don’t forget the mashed potatoes.

The United Airlines gate agent announced, “Now boarding row 23”.

A young woman in military camouflage uniform with a colossal backpack stood up and began to approach the jetway. I was too far away to see what branch of the service she represented, but I assumed she was either Army or National Guard. She might have been all of 5 foot 5 inches tall. The backpack was almost as big as her body, but she was doing her thing. She threw the bag over her shoulder and was on her way. She ended a conversation with a fellow passenger, smiling as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

She’s in 23. That’s the last row of the plane. The thought came to mind to give up my first-class seat to the young lady. Giving up my seat wasn’t a first for me. Once, my wife and I traveled together on vacation, and I could get her an upgrade. My wife wanted to sit with me during the flight, and there weren’t

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She’s in 23.

That’s the last row of the plane.

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any other first-class seats available, so we decided to give up the first-class seat to a young woman who was traveling alone. I can remember two other times I had done this, but I never had an opportunity to give up my seat to anyone in the military. If I had boarded early, I would have never noticed she was in the last Row. I waited for all the passengers to board, and I walked up to the Agent. “Ma’am, can I change my seat?”

The United gate Agent’s face looked puzzled. “I’m sitting in first class, and there was a young woman who boarded earlier who is in the military. Can I change my seat with her?”

The Agent paused, “Oh my God, that is so nice. Oh my, she’s in the last Row.” After a brief evaluation of the seating, the Agent scanned my boarding pass. “I can put you in an exit row Mr. Sparrock.” I knew my airline status could leverage me into a more comfortable seat.

“I appreciate that, Ma’am. One other thing. Please don’t tell her that I gave her my seat.”

“She said OK. Don’t worry.”

I boarded as usual. The gate agent was in front of me as she approached the Service woman at the back of the plane. I looked over her shoulder, and I could see that she was seated in seat 23A. She was in the last Row, the last seat of the plane. If you are familiar with those seats, you know the seats don’t recline. I felt joy doing something good for someone. I grabbed my seat, put my head down, and closed my eyes.

The story didn’t end there.

We landed in Washington DC, and I patiently waited for everyone to deplane. I had a checked bag, so I wasn’t in a hurry. The flight attendant approached me as I was getting up. She extended her hand and said, “Good morning, sir. The young lady that you gave your seat up for wanted you to have this. She was a first responder when the capital was attacked last month.”

She handed me a red and white patch with black text that read, Capital Guardians, 113th Security Forces Squadron. The backside of the patch is velcro. My guess is she probably detached it from her uniform and gave it to the flight attendant.

She was a first responder when the capital was attacked last month.”

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Tears welled up in my eyes. I was frozen, which felt like a good minute or two. She was there on January 6, 2021. She was at the United States Capital when rioters, thugs, and looters attacked. This patch symbolized her contribution, her service to our country during a horrible time.

I’m not sure why that patch impacted me. It was more than this young woman being in the service. She bears witness to the nonsense that occurred at our capital. I am a military man that served in Marine Corps. As an African American, this attempted siege represents the double standard of our country. The privilege some have over others. And she was there.

I am privileged to have this job to officiate basketball at a high level. With this job, I must do my best to figure out what’s right and do what’s right for others. This service woman was in a position to do right, and she did right.

In the end, I thought I was helping someone out, but I was gifted. I honestly didn’t want anyone to know, and I didn’t want anything in return. Giving up my seat was all the joy I needed for the day. I thought that was the end of it, but that small patch from this woman expressing her appreciation made me skip through the rest of the week. I have to find a place on my wall for this beautiful patch that symbolizes this large gesture of hope.

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How to Digitally Document your (Ref) Life

By Ralph the Ref

It

seems as though the once esoteric smartphones are now the only socially acceptable choices – gadgets that include iPhone’s, Androids, and their bigger, younger brother tablets.. Yet, somehow, we don’t maximize it’s full potential. Furthermore, we often find ourselves guilty of being less productive because of them.

I find this an everlasting phenomenon, especially when I ask someone what he or she has done all day, and all I get is a cliché, “chilling.” I find it hard pressed to believe that if I pried and policed someone’s phone records I’d see a ballooned amount of text messages and a lot of anytime and free-night minutes consumed (Does anyone even use that anymore?.)

Although these devices partitioned our attention span, we have a unique and discreet opportunity to show that we have done a lot more today than just, “chilling.”

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Instead, we can use these pocket-computers to add value to our life, to document it if we so choose to.

If you see me, typing away on my iPhone and I’m NOT texting, chances are I’m updating my food diary, my beverage diary, or the latest book I’ve read. When it comes to the referee game, it’s an accoutrement to the craft - a companion that you can record video, mark plays, digitize rules to have it in your brain, in analog.

If this is something your interested in, by all means, read further on how to:

FIGURE OUT WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU Using a note or text application on your digital device, type out your goals/resolutions of what you want to accomplish. This will give you a good idea what you deem an authentic problem to you, one where you will be motivated to get done while having fun with it.

BREAK DOWN EACH IN A SEPARATE CATEGORY AND FILL Now that you’ve identified what is important to you, we can make separate note/text files for them. For instance, I like to keep track of the games you do, the tracking your partners, and venues that you’ve worked and how many miles you traveled, you can make a separate category for each. For an example of something that satiates my mind, I also have a “DICTION” category, where I write down each new word I learn that day. Fill your categories with content and with reckless abandon.

REVIEW CONTENTS Frequently look back at what you’ve accomplished – whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly. Look how far you have come; you won’t need to say that you were just chilling, but instead making your own history. If they don’t believe you, just email the file. In short, it’s a universal truth that when you write down a goal or resolution down, you’re more likely to be motivated to see it through. Now that you can have something to write it down in your pocket, the choice is yours.

Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result. – Oscar Wilde 49

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