A basketball referee’s guide to leading

The crowd chanting in unison, players running up and down on the court warming up in anticipation of the game and the media team running around trying to find the best position to capture the moments. Every game is special and unique for all the participants, each competition offers a different experience. Being part of the basketball competitions is something I always look forward to. Of course, the experience for all is not complete until the referee walks on the court to start the game, and to ensure that each team, each player is given a fair opportunity to play their best and to win the game.

I had an interesting childhood that has clearly molded me into who I am now as a referee and as a person. My Essence undoubtedly frames who I am and how I lead as a referee. My pieces of Essence are trauma, education, and sacred. The one however that I think I will focus on here is ‘trauma.’ I grew up in Botswana as a refugee granted asylum. To be uprooted from a place you were born and relocated to a place where you look different from everyone, have a different language, and a different culture is a shock to the system. Being molested as a child and not knowing that this was wrong has an emotional and mental toll on me. Losing parents at a young age in a foreign country did not make it any better at all as I had to learn how to navigate life with just my siblings to help me out. I grew up not knowing what a social worker is or that there was anyone who could assist us regardless of all that I had gone through and was still going through. I enrolled in varsity to do social work because of my life experience. I knew that if it is in my power, I will do what I can to save another child from having to experience all that I went through. This has somehow transitioned in why I became a referee, my reason for leading. To ensure that all participants have an opportunity to fair play, to a equal playing ground where their efforts are rewarding and wrong actions are sanctioned. I believe this is what has helped me to do well in this field. Basketball was my emotional support, a place I went to find acceptance and destress. I want to give everyone a chance to see it as that, not a place where they are frustrated further by incorrect rule application.

I do not take my responsibility of being a basketball referee lightly, it is a crucial position that requires precision, emotional intelligence, and most importantly, an understanding of the rules and their application. This journey of becoming an International referee is one that is quite personal for me and fulfilling. In 2014, I became the first International basketball referee from my country. Though this felt like a great feat, it presented quite a few challenges. Being the first, I had no in country role model, mentor, or guide who I could speak to or ask to watch me and help me grow. I entered into a pool of only about 15-women referees in Africa at that time. It was male dominated and this meant that in most competitions, you would be lucky to have another woman referee present.

From the onset, the challenge that I experienced the most was a lack of, or low number of women referees in the system. At the time I got my license, games were not being streamed online hence it became even harder to see who is out there and their ability levels. All I found online was a list of referees and the countries they are from. All I had to watch was male referees and try to mimic them and how they do things and handle situations. I must admit, most of this was out of character for me. I thought I had to a adopt a masculine posture, run like a ‘man’, address situations in a similar manner and be a ‘man’ for me to be accepted and to excel as a referee. For years I did this and struggled because I was not being true to who I was. I recall running down the court and, in my head, I would keep repeating, “Dorothy, run like a man, run like a man”. I don’t even know what running like a man looks like now or how it is different from how a woman runs.

Prior to getting my license, I faced a life situation that almost made me give up, pregnancy. I was to attend my first licensing clinic in 2010 but could not because I was pregnant. One component of the licensing is the physical fitness test. There was no way I could do this when I was pregnant. I lost that opportunity and had to wait four years before another presented itself. In speaking to several female referees, they have put off being pregnant and starting a family especially when they are at their peak of officiating. The absence from the court sets you back in that you lose connection with the game, miss out on learning the application of the new rules. The International federation does have a provision for women and a plan to return to officiating after childbirth, however, the process of coming back can range from a year to two. This is a reality that cannot be escaped. We find that we must work twice as hard to get back into it and gain the same status that we had previously. This can be frustrating. Those four years I went not being able to have a chance to license really were frustrating for me. My body changed a lot during pregnancy. The slim well-toned figure that I had before was no more. I worked out constantly but had what I now lovingly call a ‘mummy tummy’. I did not have what I thought is considered the right body for a referee. This weighed greatly on my confidence and it showed on court. I had to go through a process of embracing self and getting rid of certain mind sets just so I could feel comfortable on the court.

 Based on my life experiences, I have always believed that I am ‘not enough’ in everything that I do. In my professional career, in my relationships, as a mother, and on the basketball court. I always felt I did not deserve everything that I was receiving and found reasons why people felt sorry for me and gave it to me. I could not believe that I was worthy of it all, after all, I was not enough. This is something that I had to work on, something I had to jettison. I received so many accolades, officiated the biggest sport competitions in the world, but still, each time I stepped on the basketball court, my first thought was, I don’t belong here, I am not good enough. Jettison this, get rid of it. You are enough Dorothy, you belong.

Being on the basketball court as a referee presents you with so many situations. How you lead determines how you will respond to these. We have coaches whose main aim is to win the game. They will make gestures, shout, and be theatrical. How you handle this as a referee shows how you lead. How you speak to and approach the referees determines how the game will go on. How we speak to our fellow referees on the court plays a huge part in your success in the game. Be approachable, know the rules and how to interpret them, be genuine and accept when you may have made a mistake. These are all elements that I apply when I lead on the court.

In leading, you have to be equipped with the relevant information and resources to be able to do it confidently. It eliminates fear and brings about a new level of confidence. As a new referee, I hardly read rules and did not have basketball knowledge that allowed me to interact with coaches. Use what you have at your disposal to improve and to be well informed. This will be a game changer in how you lead in chaos or difficult situations such as a coach yelling at you. You need to identify what you have to work on and take action on that. Don’t be comfortable in what you know only today as in basketball, it could quickly be outdated or change. It is our responsibility to ensure that we lead effectively on the court.