Adult Tournament Bracket

Referee Diary

I arrive before the Adult bracket, and the Girls Bracket semifinal is just finishing.  

These are some of the same teams I wrote about competing against in Big Noises, Small Spaces.  

This tournament is double elimination, and that was white's first loss; so these same teams will play again in the final.

And the white team wins a t-shirt to add to their collection.

Players are getting ready for the bracket I came to referee.  I know many of these faces from years past.

Before the games, the mood is relaxed.  Equipment is spread about and balls are knocked around.



Then the kits are secured and we play.

Inevitably in the adult games, the mood will turn, and my job is to feel that and respond.

In this bracket we have an incident in the second game.  Some shoving is involved, then the aggression turns on the referee in the form of dissent.

But there is no more drama after game 2, and this bracket, too, is won by players who are no strangers to the winners circle.

 

Then off come the boots

And we return to our families.