The IrREFutable Magazine Issue 6

Loss in London

Illustration by Kevin Sparrock

Balance & Separation

Photo by Kevin Sparrock

Off the Grid

Illustration by Kevin Sparrock

The HopeExperiment!

The one joy of being a basketball referee is talking about my profession. I found people love to hear the stories that occur between the lines. “How do you take the abuse?” is a popular question asked when I meet people and tell them that I referee college and professional basketball.

For those who officiate sports, we know we build a thick skin to the abuse. Nothing can ever prepare you for that tidal wave.

I fell in love with the rules and the mechanics—that need to be perfect in an imperfect profession.

At times the abuse feels like being strapped to a table with a sink faucet continuously dropping a small drop of water on your forehead. At first, you barely feel the water, but after hours of taping, you lose patience, and it puts you in a window of irritation.

So how do we deal with that constant irritant?

In 1950, Curt Richter, a Harvard scientist with John Hopkins University, did an experiment that tested the outcome of hope. Richter placed rats into a bucket of water and timed how long they could swim. Rats are known as good swimmers; they last 15 minutes before sinking and sometimes drowning. Before the rats drowned, Richter pulled the rats out of the water, dried them off, gave them a brief rest, and put them back into the water-filled bucket. This time the rats swam an average of 60 hours.

Illustration by Kevin Sparrock

As an artist and a referee, I reflect on what has made me push forward through my professional career. Talent plays a part—my ability to adapt matters. My intentional fortitude matters, but the one thing that has me push forward is an encouraging community. It might be my wife, kids, friends, or mother and father who said a brief word or act of encouragement that has pushed me one inch further. Something as simple as, ‘You can do this. ‘You are worthy of this prize. take one more step.’ Or ‘You got this.

I remember missing an obvious block charge play in a game, and the entire gym came down on me. Both coaches, players, benches, and the fans erupted into a frenzy. I wanted to grab my shirt and pull it over my head. It felt like a weight pulling me under the water surface. I didn’t need a mentor to tell me I was wrong on the play. What I needed was that community to lean on. The best cure for a bad day is the next day and an encouraging friend.

As the new season approaches, I pray we all have that community that helps us on this journey. If not, let me be the first person to let you know you have this.

Press forward.

Illustration by Kevin Sparrock