Grad student harnesses the whistle for fun
Vincent Chang needed something to break the "monotony" of being a graduate student.
In his second year of working toward a master's degree in actuarial science — Chang described the field as using mathematics and statistics to calculate the inherent risk involved in everyday activities; think insurance — he has found an escape from the constant number-crunching required to become an actuary: officiating intramural flag football.
The upcoming flag football season will be Chang's second go-round as a referee. One reason he enjoys officiating so much is the different aspects it brings into his life.
"The field [of actuarial science] is basically numbers and data and how to work with them to get the answers you want," Chang said. "Officiating is much more like you need to make a call right away. It's basically seeing what you get and making a call."
Making the required split-second decisions as an official has helped to increase his self-confidence as a referee on the football field as well as develop his character as a person, he said.
Roughly 70 University of Iowa students joined Chang at a pair of training sessions for intramural flag-football officials Sunday night in the Field House and Monday night at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields.
Sunday's hour-and-a-half meeting consisted of mostly a PowerPoint and DVD presentation on the rules of flag football. Last night, officials were shown some of the basics such as how to blow their whistle, throw a flag, and spot the ball. Then, depending upon their status as either a rookie or veteran official, officials formed two groups consisting of either head referees (veterans) or line judges and back judges (rookies) where they received further training.
"It is kind of like taking driver's ed, where you go through the classroom, learn all the rules, but it's once you actually get out there and drive that you learn about your mistakes," said Jon Randle, a graduate assistant for intramural sports. "You kind of pick it up as you go. [The officials] learned the nuts and bolts of [officiating] Sunday and now we get to put it into action."
Training is scheduled to continue Wednesday night at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields when teams will have the opportunity to come out and scrimmage, giving officials their first look at real game action.
Mike Widen, the associate director of intramural sports, said training doesn't stop after Wednesday night. Officials will continually receive feedback throughout the season.
"All of our supervisors and grad assistants evaluate the officials every night that they work. They'll go in at halftime and after the game and say, 'Here is what you're doing well, and here is what you need to work on,' " Widen said. "Even at the championship game, we're going out there and saying what they can do better and what they're doing a good job of."
Despite the pressure officials may feel during games, UI junior Joe Ginsburg said he thinks "it's one of the best jobs on campus." Ginsburg is also entering his second year as a flag-football referee.
"I love sports, and I work with some great people, so it is a great experience for me," he said. "I have friends who sit in the library for four hours bored out of their mind. I'm out there, running around, having, fun and meeting new people, so what more could I ask for?"
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