George Hansen, sophomore, slips a whistle over his head and grabs his badge, adding the finishing touch to his black and white striped ensemble before leaving for two hours of refereeing. While others might referee for fun, Hansen only had one thing in mind when he selected the job: money.
“I needed money for skiing,” Hansen said. “I already knew how to play soccer, so I thought it would be a pretty easy job.”
Hansen has participated in sports for as long as he can remember, playing soccer since age 6 and skiing since last winter. Upon getting a job Hansen found a way to both further his interest in skiing and participate in an activity he enjoys.
Working for the South Central CYC league and Kirkwood Parks and Recreations, Hansen makes $14-28 per hourlong game, while only taking up a small amount of his weekend.
For Hansen the ease with which he could become a referee also influenced him.
“I just had to go to an educational thing for like two hours where a guy talked to us about the rules,” Hansen said. “Then we went to St. Gerard and refereed a game and got our uniform and referee badges.”
Not only was the process simple, but the job has not been difficult either he said.
“It’s really relaxed, and you can’t really get fired either, so that makes it easy,” Hansen said. “And I knew all the rules already, so I didn’t have to learn any.”
All Hansen hoped to get out of refereeing was money, but he got a more unexpected surprise: a reunion with old and new friends.
“It’s interesting to see the people who ref. I see a lot of people who I used to play soccer with or guys who play soccer at Kirkwood,” Hansen said. “I like the people I work with.”
Hansen admits the best benefit he gets from refereeing is not reuniting with old friends, but rather using money made from his job to purchase new ski gear.
“I only get one or two [ski related] things a year, but that’s all I need,” Hansen said. “It’s worth it.”
