By Rob Ficiur

Twenty-nine years as a teacher, 15 years (and counting) In Registered Education Savings Plans sales, and 41 years (and also counting) in refereeing basketball (jr. high, highsschool and college) and football adds up to one busy life for Redcliff’s Richard Schear.  
Richard first began reffing after his finished university.   During a high school basketball game, a call went against him.  The call was so incorrect according to the rules of the day that Richard thought to himself, “I can ref, because I know the rules better than this fellow.”
Richard continues reffing for three reasons.  First, he enjoys the camaraderie  with the other officials.  Second, it forces him to keep in good physical shape.  Third, being a referee in high school sports, gives Richard a chance to stay in touch with the sports and interact with the youth of today.  “By and large the youth who play high school sports are great kids. They will be the leaders of tomorrow.”
I thought that having at thick skin to filter out the rude comments from the fans was a requirement to be a referee.  Richard told me that he rarely hears those comments because he is focused on his responsibility on the court / field.  He added, “I am not flamboyant.  Being a ref is not about bringing attention to myself.  I am not in it for my fame.”  Schear believes the highest compliment a referee can get is when the coach of the losing team comes up and thanks him for reffing a game.
Football games are more challenging to officiate because of the weather.  Even when he comes to the game prepared for the elements, the weather in southern Alberta can change quickly.  During football games, the officials are farther away from the crowd and can rarely hear the “suggestions” that come from the stands.  Ironically more fans think they know the football rules than the basketball fans.
After 41 years of reffing Richard admits he has had a few unpleasant moments with coaches, players and fans.  One time, as a basketball ref, Richard “missed a call” which resulted in a player having a bloody nose.  Generally Richard’s response to these situations is to simply state “I don’t (can’t) see everything.”  On this one occasion the player with the bloody nose rubbed some blood on Richard emphasize his displeasure with the missed call.
Richard isn’t worried about himself when coaches, fans and players lose it and become miserable.  Instead he wonders what parents and coaches are teaching their youth when they berate the officials who are doing the best they can.  He quickly added, “Most schools are very good at thanking you and treating the referees with respect.”
Probably the best change in basketball rules over the last while (at least from a referee's point of view) is the alternating possession rule which eliminates the jump ball during the game. That has really helped to speed up the game.
When asked what is the most misunderstood rule by the fans, Richard said, “In basketball, most fans don’t the difference between a charge and a block.”  Fans should also know that there is no “over the back rule”.  The only thing the basketball ref is looking for is if the player made contact with the other player.
In football the pass interference rule is not understood by fans.  Pass interference is only called if the throw was a catchable ball.  It is also hard for fans to know that the offensive player might be the one causing the pass interference not the defensive player.
Over four decades some rules have been modified to change the games.  In years past a defensive football team would get the ball at the location of an offensive pass interference call.
In basketball the three point shot has changed the game.  I suggested that the game suffered because too many athletes tried the three point hope shots.  Richard disagreed.  He said that adding the three point shot has allowed non-inside players to be more active in the game.  The three point shot has made games closer as a losing team has more opportunities to make up deficits.
Richard has enjoyed his 41 years of reffing.  He hopes that young people take the time to learn the rules of the game and become referees.

By Rob Ficiur

The euphoria of Canada’s 14 Olympic Gold Medals is now fading to the back of our minds as we find other things to watch on TV…. “No Olympics tonight?  I was just starting to like that show.”  Well hang on; there will be a Summer Olympics in two years.  Yes, the ParaOlympics start in Vancouver this week, but the media coverage they receive is usually relegated to the end of the sports cast.
It is hard to go from a Gold Medal hockey game that was watched by two thirds of the people in the country to playing ordinary NHL games.  The elite level of Olympic play stands in stark contrast to the everyday sports we used to enjoy, but now find rather dull.
-I just watched the Edmonton Oilers lose a shoot-out game to Montreal.  No team would do well with their three top players out for the season, but Oilers look like they are building for the future.   First they traded half of their defense core at the trade deadline, unloading millions of dollars in salary.  Second, as they give younger players a chance to show how well they can play, the Oilers sink further and further into last place.  They aren’t trying to finish last and get a high draft pick.  However, since that is how real rebuilding works, we get to listen to Oilers Coach Pat Quinn rant for the few weeks left in the season as his team finds new ways to lose.
-Sidney Crosby’s stick and gloves were found!!!  The equipment that Crosby was wearing when he scored the Gold Medal goal was missing for a week.  Conspiracy theorists suggested that angry US fans had stolen the stick and glove.  Turns out Crosby’s teammate Patrice Bergeron had the gloves.  Since their lockers were side by side, sounds like NHL players can’t keep track of their stuff any better than some kids do.  However, how did someone think that the Crosby stick was supposed to go to Russia?  Maybe they wanted it as a good luck charm for the 2014 Winter Olympics (which are only three years and 11 months away).
-The NHL shows us again this week how ineffective a league can be at enforcing the rules.  In the wake of one more head shot injury the league has come down with hard, rigid, strict rules that will deter goons from hitting their opponents from behind.  The rules are good…but the league will wait until next season to implement them.  Meanwhile Matt Cooke, who ended Boston’s Marc  Savard’s season with a hit to the head, received no penalty or suspension for his second injury causing hit of the season.
-CFL teams are signing and releasing players as their free agent season goes into full swing.  The Argos released former MVP Quarterback Kerry Joseph after a 3-15 season is back page news.  The rumor mill saying that new Argos Coach Jim Barker is after concussion ridden QB Buck Pierce just doesn’t inspire anyone (except Tiger Cat fans who always wish the worst for their neighbors).
-The Toronto Blue Jays have started their pre-season games.  Experienced fans know that great results in the pre-season mean very little.  With the rebuilding Blue Jays, only the most loyal fans are excited about who is going to be the Jays new number one starter.
-The Calgary Flames continue to annoy then inspire their fans.  Just when Flames fans think their team has finally turned the corner and won a few, they stumble and lose an easy one.  On paper this team could win the Stanley Cup.  On the ice, this team may miss the playoffs because they aren’t consistent.
-The Toronto Raptors were surprising their fans with their solid play – solidly in an Eastern Playoff position.  After the Olympic break, I looked at the standings and wondered what happened?  Those Raptors are playing inconsistent ball…just like everyone expected they would.
The Post Olympics Sporting Blahs that fans might feel are to be expected for three reasons.  First, having the games on home soil creates an ownership for the games that doesn’t happen when they play are played elsewhere.  Canadian volunteers and organizers pulled off an impressive world wide gathering and celebration. 
Second, the quality of Olympic sports was the best in the world.  After watching the world’s best for 17 days, it is a natural let down to watch league teams that are interspersed with a few stars.
Finally, Canadians saw their athletes rise to the top of the world in diverse sports.   With so much medals and so many other close calls, it is hard to get over that high and go back to the real world of sports.

By Rob Ficiur

Olympics Week 2
Week 2 of the Vancouver Olympics found me watching sports I have rarely if ever watched before.   I wasn’t just watching, I was on the edge of my seat…hoping for more medals.
Curling - The Canadian Women earned a Silver medal.  A month ago I would have said “That is a good showing, good work.”  However, having watched the team play all week, it was heartbreaking to see them come so close to gold only to loose in extra ends.   So many athletic events come down to one play. The drama is great when you win, but heartbreaking when you don’t win.  A silver medal will still look good a month from now once the emotion of the last game defeat fades a bit.
Canadian Men Gold Medal; After going undefeated through the round robin, what would happen to Kevin Martin’s team?  In 2002, he came within one shot of winning an Olympic Gold Medal, would history be cruel and take away another gold from him when he dominated the tournament?  The answer was Gold…a 6-3 win in the final game gave Martin the color he missed six years ago.
Figure Skating – I haven’t watched figure skating since the last Olympics.  This year, the compelling story of Joannie Rochette.  Canada’s top female figure skater faced the trial of a life time.  Last Friday her parents flew out to be with her in Vancouver for to share her Olympic dream.  Saturday morning, Joannie’s world fell apart as she found out that her mother died over night from a sudden heart attack.
When Rochette’s people announced that she would still skate Tuesday it was no surprise.  She had trained all these years for the Olympics, going home would not take away her pain.  The amazing part of Joannie’s two skates was the quality of her performance.  WOW!   Before Joannie came on to do her final skate I watched about a dozen other world class skaters do their best.  The pressure of the situation took their toll on other athletes.  Some missed simple moves; others slipped (or almost slipped).  Seeing so many errors in this pressure picture packed sitiation, Joannie deserved a medal for performing with her heart so broken.
Joannie Rochette earned the Bronze medal that she won.  Somehow she had the mental toughness to think past her internal grief and do the performance of her life.  Only five other Canadian women have won Olympic figure skating medals; the last one was Elizabeth Manley in 1988.  Rochette’s accomplishment would be memorable under ideal conditions; under the trials she faced this week she will be remembered as the hero of the Hero of the Vancouver Olympics.  In recognition of her achievement, Joannie was one of two athletes to be awarded the first ever Terry Fox award.
Hockey - The Canadian Women won their third straight gold medal.  While we applaud them for this great achievement, one has to wonder about the future of Olympic Women’s hockey.  In the last four Olympics the USA and Canadian teams were so far above the other teams, there really was no competition for Canada until the final game against the Americans.  In 2006, the Swiss did upset the Americans and go to the Gold Medal game.   However one upset game in four Olympics does not create the drama we see in other sports.   How quickly can other countries bring their women’s team to a calibre closer to the North Americans?
Men’s Hockey - The 2010 Men’s Olympic hockey has been the best tournament ever.  In contrast to the Women’s games, upsets occurred on a regular basis.  Canada found that out early when the Swiss team forced Canada to a shoot out.  The high power Russian offense lost to the no-name team from Slovakia.
When Canada lost 5-3 to the United States on Sunday the 21st, many fear the men’s team was headed for another seventh place finish like they had in the 2006 Olympics.  That game, the most watched sporting event in Canadian history, was the best thing that could have happened to Canada.  On paper, the Canadian team should have beaten the Americans.  Even looking at the stats of the game, Canada out shot and out chanced the Americans by a two to one margin.  However, lead by an elite goalie, the Unites States won that game and every other game taking them to Sunday’s Gold Medal Final.
The Canadian team took a rougher road to reach the Gold Medal.  After loosing to the USA, the team rallied and regrouped.  They played with the emotion and focus they needed to defeat Germany in the Elimination Round.  While that win was no surprise, the quality of play made fans hopeful.  Wednesday the Canadians, showed there was another level of play as they trounced the Russians 7-3.  The 7-3 score makes the Russians sound better than they were.  The Canadians out hit and out raced the Russians to ever loose puck in the first 30 minutes.  That is how they could play.
Surprise surprise!  Another upset as Slovakia elimianted the 2006 Gold Medal from Sweeden.  As Canada out played the Slovaks and took a 3-0 lead, the game seemed so in hand, it was ho – hum boring.  Wait…what?  The Slovaks scored two goals in the third period….Don’t let them back in the game…Then the powerful Canadian team whimpered as the Slovaks came within inches of tying the game with six seconds left.
This column is being written before the Gold Medal game.  Whether Gold or Silver, Team Canada has entertained their fans (aggrivated their fans) and thrilled their fans….
All that with one more game to go…What kind of an encore will they give us?