Officiating My Sport

I love to run. I believe that God gave me a special kind of gift, that enables me to achieve and even inspire through my running. Running is pure enjoyment to me. Besides basketball, there isn't much I'd rather be doing on this planet. Now, this may be very true on a number of different levels...but...I have got to tell you one thing-I do not like to officiate a track and field event at all!
It all started when we, the AVC track and field team, were told that we were going to be putting on a track meet for the local high schools. We were each individually given a job for the meet. Some were given the job of writing down jump marks for the jump events, others jobs at the ticket booth. I was given the job, along with two of my fellow distance running teammates, of officiating the check-in table. For track and field, before you run your race, you must first go to a check-in table to let the officials know that you are there. This way they know whether to combine a race, or just drop a race completely. I was in charge of this along with my two buddies.
At first I thought that it was going to be very easy. I mean, come on, all I was required to do was to check off peoples names...wrong! I was put in hell for an entire seven hours! Yes, this is when I did something that I wouldn't readily agree on, but I had to. The kids from these high schools were utterly and entirely stupid! Instead of just having to check them in, I had to make sure they knew were they went, made sure they didn't go on the track when they weren't supposed to, and even told some of them what races they were in! Can you believe that?! As if there coach didn't tell them what event they were doing. As if they practiced everyday for something that they didn't even know they were doing!
Now, I would imagine that you are probably wondering what I did in order to go against what I believe in. Obviously I was in a situation with a bunch of teens who don't know how to do things for themselves. They are still living very strictly under their parents, and don't have the slightest bit of independence. So, I had to deal with this. I had to become what is known as a grade A, well...ASSHOLE! I don't readily try to be a donkey (in place as a more acceptable word) and I don't really believe that anyone tries to be a donkey. However, in this case I was forced to be one. I yelled at these kids, I got angry with these kids, I did everything that I possibly could to not allow these kids to have a say in anything that they did! I was rude, crude, and mean! It was the only way to do things. These kids would not know how to do anything! Well, I'm exaggerating a little, but still, it was the majority of the kids there so I have all the right in the world to say so. I wish I could have done things differently, but I had one of the most important jobs on the field. Without me and my teammates doing a good job, the races wouldn't have even started correctly. So, this is what I did, and that is why I did it. I wasn't necessarily dictated to do so, although I had my jerk coach on my butt the entire time. I had to become a person I didn't want to be, to get the job done.