One of "those" parents

I really try hard not to be “one of those parents” at the soccer game. We all know one of those parents that tries to coach the team from the bleachers (President Obama admitted to this), or the really obnoxious ones that criticize every mistake (no matter how slight) in a booming voice for the world to hear ( yes I know one of these and it's all I can do not to give him a piece of my mind). Then there are the ones like me that hate the referees. I was never bad before soccer season started. I always understood that these guys can't see everything that goes on on the field. That was before several of the games that I have attended this season. Penalties in the box that should have had a penalty kick awarded to the Hornets, ref's ignoring pushing, offsides, and trash talk. Gatesville has lost 3 games because of bad referees. Tonight's game, one of the refs was from the opposing teams town. A small one school town much like G'ville. Lampasas has to be one of the worst teams I've ever seen at trying to get away with handballs. I counted five, three were in the penalty box ( penalty kick) they of course were not called. Abate even saw the ref look straight at one and ignore it. Oh the ref did call two of the handballs – both in mid-field... woo hooooo. It is getting to the point where I have to remind myself it is not proper (nor entirely legal) to wait around after the match for the ref to leave and meet him out in the carpark and give him a piece of my mind (hopefully it would stop there). So for now I limit myself to screaming at the ref from the stands on just how blind he is, where's his glasses, or to clean his glasses if he's already wearing them. I think what I should do is see if I can gather up a bunch of business cards from local Optometrists offices and them on hand to throw at them. After tonights game I left peacefully. Yes I was upset, yes I was giving dirty looks directed towards the refs, but I had a son to cheer up after a 3-2 loss. After arriving home he asks me if I could see the on target kick he had that the goalkeeper caught. Yes I saw the kick. Could I see that it actually went in bounced off the net just inside the crossbar before it was caught (no I couldn't tell that – but I knew it was close). It should have been called a goal. But of course the ref didn't see it.
So on a brighter side yesterday was the first track meet of the season. Abate's first High School meet. His coach wanted him to run the with the JV team for this meet. Abate easily won the 3200m, I didn't get to see this race as it ran before I could get there. I did get to see him run the 1600m. He stayed in second place for the first 3 2/3 laps, I could see he was taking it easy, he hadn't even broken a sweat. He was playing with the leader staying right on his heals. He bided his time until he came out of the final turn, then he picked up his pace. It was as if the other runner just stopped, Abate passed him then just left him in the dust. Abate won by 15-20 yards. A short time later just minutes before the 4x400 was to start Abate was informed he would be running in it too, one of the runners was injured. He would run one lap and pass the baton. He's never done this. They placed 3rd. 3 medals - 1 day. He was a happy kid. I was a happy, proud Mom. Oh and at the track meets, I am that parent that yells for her son everytime he runs past. The one cheering wildly as he approaches the finish line, the one smiling proudly and perhaps a bit smugly with the joy that Abate won and the other kids didn't.