JULIA SWIETOCHOWSKA
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN BECOMING A REFEREE?
I played basketball for most of my life so becoming a referee felt like a natural choice. I always wanted to try how that feels and once I started my training, I knew that was something I wanted to do as often as I could. The travels to new cities, meeting new people, learning something new every game – these were the things that got me really hooked on refereeing.
WHAT BENEFITS DOES BEING A REFEREE GIVE YOU?
I am a student, so I need something to help me unwind after a long day or week of studying. Because refereeing involves a lot of running, but also travelling and interacting with other people, it helps me forget for those few hours about all the uni work and the coursework is left at home. It also doesn’t hurt to earn some extra money. Plus, it motivates me to keep in shape.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ANYONE WHO IS THINKING ABOUT TAKING THAT STEP TO BECOME A REFEREE?
It might seem to be too difficult or stressful at the beginning but it’s a process and there’s a lot of support available for anyone who wants to start refereeing. To some it might seem boring on the other hand, but no game is the same and there’s always something unexpected happening. Overall, I’d encourage you to try it before you say it’s definitely not for you.
