9/2/11

Ready to ref?

A few months ago, Ace suggested to me that he thought it would be a good idea if I would learn how to ref Jiu-Jitsu. His feeling is that there are so few female referees, and that it would be nice to have more. He also thought girls and women might like being reffed by a woman, or at least seeing a woman ref. I've only ever seen one, and that was in Kansas City. I did think it was very cool.

When he first told me this, my immediate reaction was "Oh, hell NO!" It is not something that I would normally do. I prefer helping out by hiding in the background, not by being in the center of the ring! However since he suggested it, I have been diligently trying to learn all the ins and outs of the point system. For the first time, I actually find myself caring about points, and really working on understanding how and why you get them. I've been watching matches on video, and practicing calling points.

I am far from ready to actually ref, or even to say that I will. The thought still terrifies me a little. I haven't even practiced with a live match yet, but I think Ace might have caused me to glimpse into my Jiu-Jitsu future. I know I won't be competing forever. What's the point in acquiring all this knowledge about competition if I don't use it? What better way could I use it to represent and promote women in Jiu-Jitsu than by being at the tournaments and reffing? Something to ponder.