Playing by the Rules by Kathy Smallwood Clad in the familiar black and white striped uniforms, the two women not only look like official referees, but also deport themselves with an air of dignity and yes, authority. They make you want to “stand at attention” until you see them laughing and joking off the court like old friends, which they are. Becky Fischer of Special Olympics Pennsylvania (USA) and Susan Mitchell (right) at the floor hockey venue in Nagano, Japan at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games. They first met ten years ago at Special Olympics Pennsylvania State Summer Games, where Fischer was an assistant athletics coach and Mitchell was a Special Olympics Unified Sports® partner. Since that, the two have been inseparable, hanging out together, vacationing together and officiating together. [Photo by Kathy Smallwood] Becky Fischer, 30, a former Special Olympics Pennsylvania (USA) athlete, has been part of the Special Olympics Officials Program for Athletes for six years, along with her partner, Susan Mitchell. And their mettle was put to the ultimate test as rookie floor hockey referees at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games. First-time jitters aside, the pair were tailor-made for the job. “The most important quality for an official is no equivocating,” said Mitchell. “Whatever you say goes. It could be wrong, and you think later, ‘that might not have been right,’ but at that moment, it’s your call, and there’s no going back,” she said. Fischer adds, “It’s knowing all the rules. It also depends on the momentum of the game. If it’s a slower-paced game, I go with the flow. If it’s a fast-paced game, the adrenaline flows and I make more calls.” So how does Fischer handle people who disagree with her calls? “I ignore them. They’re not on the court, I am.” "I think it's more of an honor to be an official because you are in a position of authority. As an athlete you do what the coach tells you to do. An official has more responsibility, and more responsibility makes you a better person.”     — Becky Fischer There are always two referees officiating at a hockey game, so Fischer and Mitchell are a team. “We use the three-quarter method,” said Mitchell. “Each of us works three-quarters of the court so that the athletes are always in view. You follow the puck and go where the action is.” Fischer described her best day as a referee. “At last year’s state Winter Games, I gave an athlete a penalty for throwing his stick on the floor; he got mad about that, so I threw him out of the game. At that moment, I thought I was a really good referee because of how I handled the situation.” Fischer and Mitchell cut their referee teeth on scrimmage games around the state and have officiated floor hockey games at the last five Special Olympics Pennsylvania (USA) State Winter Games. In January 2005, they began teaching and certifying other referees for the first time. Fischer’s history with Special Olympics goes way back. She got involved at the age of 9, when her physical education teacher asked her if she’d be interested in joining Special Olympics because it was starting an Alpine skiing program and it was free. “I thought, ‘Free skiing, a new sport? Why not?’ I skied until I was 18 and competed in athletics too.” At 18, Fischer hung up her skis and athletic shoes and decided to coach instead. She’s a certified coach in athletics, softball and volleyball. “I retired from competition in favor of coaching and officiating,” said Fisher. “In fact, I like officiating better than coaching. In a way, I think it’s more of an honor to be an official because you are in a position of authority. As an athlete you do what the coach tells you to do. An official has more responsibility, and more responsibility makes you a better person.” In 2003 Fischer (right) and Mitchell enjoyed a rafting trip in Alaska during one of their frequent vacations together. [Personal photo courtesy Becky Fischer and Susan Mitchell] So how did Fischer and Mitchell meet? “It was 10 years ago at Special Olympics Pennsylvania State Summer Games,” said Fischer. “I was an assistant athletics coach and Susan was a Special Olympics Unified Sports® partner.” Since then, the two have been inseparable. They hang out together, vacation together and officiate together. In fact, they only live a mile apart. “We are friends first, who happen to be in Special Olympics together,” said Mitchell. The pair jumped at the chance to be trained as floor hockey officials. And although it wasn’t a sport either of them played, it offered an opportunity to be involved with Special Olympics year-round. “We both coach summer and fall sports; now we can keep busy in the winter too,” said Fischer. Mitchell got involved in Special Olympics as a Unified partner then began coaching. The whole Special Olympics experience spilled over into her professional life as well (she’s the human resource director for the local Association of Retarded Persons). “I decided that I’d rather work for an organization that is mission-driven than profit-driven,” she said. Mitchell is a huge proponent of Unified Sports. “Many people think Special Olympics is segregated, meaning that only people with intellectual disabilities participate. I won’t do a sport unless it’s unified. I think if 10 more people can become as good friends as Becky and I have become, it doesn’t have to be that old style of thinking.” Fischer adds that she found a place to live because of a Unified Sports partner. “I rent the basement of his house. I think Unified Sports spreads the horizons of athletes and Unified partners.” The night we went out with eight Japanese officials      by Becky Fischer During our first full day in Japan for the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games, we went to our floor hockey meeting to go over the rules and meet everyone. After the meeting, we asked some of the Japanese officials where we could get some good Japanese food. Because their English wasn't very good and our Japanese was worse, they pointed to themselves and let us know they wanted us to go with them. Ria was one of the Japanese officials. She took us on a short tour of Nagano and by the time we were finished, we were really hungry and really tired from jet lag. We were definitely ready for a real Japanese dinner! Ria and the rest of the officials took us to a very nice restaurant where we had to take our shoes off and sit on the floor. The Japanese officials ordered our food for us because they wanted us to try something new. When dinner came we were really ready to eat!      Because of Japanese tradition, we had to wait until the oldest person started to eat— that was “Grandma.” She spent most of the evening playing games on her cell phone. That was funny to watch. After she took her first bite, we all started to eat. I [Becky] had something that was pretty chewy. Sue asked me what it was and I didn't know, but the look on my face made her laugh. We both laughed until our stomachs hurt!     At this point, I was still chewing! One of the Japanese officials pulled out a pocket translator because she wanted to tell me what I was eating. She typed in the Japanese word and translated it into English. Turns out I was eating chicken cartilage! Sue asked me how it tasted, and all I could do was nod my head because I didn't want to let our hosts know I didn't like it. For the rest of the night, Sue and I could not look at each other without bursting into laughter. We had a lot of fun.      We were glad we got to try something new. And we made some good friends. Japanese culture is a lot different from what we were used to, but the experience was something we will remember forever.      When it was time to pay, one of our new friends wouldn't let us pay. We tried, but didn't want to offend him and his traditions.      A couple nights later they took us out again. We got to try sake. But, that's another story... “We both feel officiating is an extension of Unified Sports,” said Mitchell. She adds, “Special Olympics has brought me so many incredible opportunities. If someone had told me 10 years ago that Becky and I would be going to Japan, I would have said ‘no way.’” Fischer thinks the Special Olympics Officials Program for Athletes is important. “It builds up their spirit because some people put athletes down. They think athletes can’t do things, so it boosts athletes’ egos.” Currently, Fischer works for Pennsylvania State University in a child-care center and takes classes in human development and family studies for an Associates Degree, which is a requirement for all employees. “I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that I could go to college. When I was a kid, I had a special education teacher tell me I wasn’t college material. I didn’t get enough academic subjects in high school, especially in math and English, because they weren’t provided. Instead, I had a transitional curriculum that taught me how to live on my own, balance a checkbook and pay bills.” Mitchell added, “She has to get through Stat 100, which is a notorious Penn State class, because it’s very difficult. Her high school curriculum didn’t prepare her for this.” In case you think Fischer and Mitchell can only operate as a team, think again. Senior 2005 World Games officials asked if they could split them up so they would officiate at separate games with other referees. “That was a big honor; it gives us a chance to be with other referees and it’s a compliment to us that we can officiate independently of one another.” As a result of meeting fellow 2005 World Games floor hockey officials from New York (USA), the two have been invited to officiate at Special Olympics New York’s floor hockey tournament in 2006. Are there any mountains left to climb for these two? “Of course,” said Fischer. “I want to get my Associate’s Degree, my driver’s license and buy a town house. I’m ready for any challenge.” Fischer is optimistic and determined — qualities that almost guarantee success and happiness.           Return to Athletes as Officials main page For more information on specific ALPs initiatives, visit the links below:      • ALPs Training      • Athletes on Boards of Directors      • Athletes as Coaches      • Athletes as Officials      • Global Messengers Return to ALPs Home