Baggage
My first (and thus far only) venture to South America was exactly 10 years ago, as part of a school exchange program through the British Council.
Spending 2 weeks in Argentina, Paraguay and Peru was one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences of my life, especially considering my Spanish was really weak!
It it was also where I learned a very important lesson - don't leave anything of value in your suitcase, whether it is padlocked or not.
My return route back to the UK involved checking in at Asuncion Airport in Paraguay, a 13 hour transit wait in Buenos Aires Airport and then a flight to Barcelona, where I would collect my baggage and fly to Leeds.
Upon collecting my baggage in Barcelona, I noticed the zip was broken and the padlock had gone. A quick search though my bag proved that my mobile phone (back in the day when a phone was just that, with a dodgy camera if you were lucky) had been taken, along with a brand new Paraguay football shirt (which I was really proud of, since my football team had just signed the Paraguay captain) and some other bits and bobs.
With only an hour for my connecting flight, I couldn't spend any time reporting the theft so had to wait until I got back home. The first thing I did was call my mobile network provider (who shall remain nameless, but the future certainly wasn't bright for me...) to be told that there was a £400+ bill racked up over the last 36 hours.
No problem, I thought. I had phone insurance so disconnected the phone and asked for the insurance to kick in.
Only it didn't.
Apparently, the insurance was only valid from the point of notification, meaning I was liable for the £400+ bill.
Even though I could prove that I was cruising at 40,000 feet halfway across the Atlantic Ocean.
Where there was no mobile signal.
Apparently, I could have given my phone to a friend to use in Argentina then expect the bill to be cancelled.
I had to pay the bill.
Needless to say, I saw out my contract and then gave notice immediately. I would never again use this company for their mobile service.
You could say that I now carried baggage because of my baggage. (See what I did there?)
Which leads me nicely to the other meaning of 'baggage'.
"Hey ref, why don't you like me?"
"You always/never call that!"
"Try and be consistent today!"
I paraphrase, however these are the kinds of things that coaches or players sometimes say to certain referees, for whatever reason. Are they carrying baggage from previous games, built on experiences they have had?
Is it right? Is it fair? Are they trying to influence the referees before a game even starts? Does it affect how the referee performs once the game is underway?
So do referees carry baggage in the same way?
I would say no. Also, 'baggage' is perhaps the wrong term to use in all of these examples; perhaps 'experience' is more appropriate.
Referees learn very quickly how coaches and players behave, just like they realise what sort of line we like to call - this knowledge helps all parties to prepare for each game.
Some coaches are extremely vociferous and are constantly prowling the sideline; others prefer to sit back and let their players' actions do the talking, only engaging when absolutely necessary.
One of the most important skills in a referee's toolkit is people-power; learning HOW to engage with the participants in a way that gets the best outcomes for all involved.
Spending 2 weeks in Argentina, Paraguay and Peru was one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences of my life, especially considering my Spanish was really weak!
It it was also where I learned a very important lesson - don't leave anything of value in your suitcase, whether it is padlocked or not.
My return route back to the UK involved checking in at Asuncion Airport in Paraguay, a 13 hour transit wait in Buenos Aires Airport and then a flight to Barcelona, where I would collect my baggage and fly to Leeds.
Upon collecting my baggage in Barcelona, I noticed the zip was broken and the padlock had gone. A quick search though my bag proved that my mobile phone (back in the day when a phone was just that, with a dodgy camera if you were lucky) had been taken, along with a brand new Paraguay football shirt (which I was really proud of, since my football team had just signed the Paraguay captain) and some other bits and bobs.
With only an hour for my connecting flight, I couldn't spend any time reporting the theft so had to wait until I got back home. The first thing I did was call my mobile network provider (who shall remain nameless, but the future certainly wasn't bright for me...) to be told that there was a £400+ bill racked up over the last 36 hours.
No problem, I thought. I had phone insurance so disconnected the phone and asked for the insurance to kick in.
Only it didn't.
Apparently, the insurance was only valid from the point of notification, meaning I was liable for the £400+ bill.
Even though I could prove that I was cruising at 40,000 feet halfway across the Atlantic Ocean.
Where there was no mobile signal.
Apparently, I could have given my phone to a friend to use in Argentina then expect the bill to be cancelled.
I had to pay the bill.
Needless to say, I saw out my contract and then gave notice immediately. I would never again use this company for their mobile service.
You could say that I now carried baggage because of my baggage. (See what I did there?)
Which leads me nicely to the other meaning of 'baggage'.
"Hey ref, why don't you like me?"
"You always/never call that!"
"Try and be consistent today!"
I paraphrase, however these are the kinds of things that coaches or players sometimes say to certain referees, for whatever reason. Are they carrying baggage from previous games, built on experiences they have had?
Is it right? Is it fair? Are they trying to influence the referees before a game even starts? Does it affect how the referee performs once the game is underway?
So do referees carry baggage in the same way?
I would say no. Also, 'baggage' is perhaps the wrong term to use in all of these examples; perhaps 'experience' is more appropriate.
Referees learn very quickly how coaches and players behave, just like they realise what sort of line we like to call - this knowledge helps all parties to prepare for each game.
Some coaches are extremely vociferous and are constantly prowling the sideline; others prefer to sit back and let their players' actions do the talking, only engaging when absolutely necessary.
One of the most important skills in a referee's toolkit is people-power; learning HOW to engage with the participants in a way that gets the best outcomes for all involved.
(How NOT to engage with coaches!)
Basketball is an emotionally charged, fast-paced game where the flow, momentum and pace can change in an instant.
We don't need the whistle to assert ourselves or control the game. How we stand, walk, run and interact with each other can defuse many situations before a whistle is even required. These are the skills that referees can keep on their person, since they are inherent in good officials.
I just wish I'd kept my mobile phone on MY person 10 years ago, but you live and learn!
And as an aside, the referee silencing the coach in the above picture went on to referee the men's Gold Medal match in Rio 😁
We don't need the whistle to assert ourselves or control the game. How we stand, walk, run and interact with each other can defuse many situations before a whistle is even required. These are the skills that referees can keep on their person, since they are inherent in good officials.
I just wish I'd kept my mobile phone on MY person 10 years ago, but you live and learn!
And as an aside, the referee silencing the coach in the above picture went on to referee the men's Gold Medal match in Rio 😁