Becky Fischer (left) and Susan Mitchell have made it to the top as floor hockey referees at the 2005 World Winter Games, but continue to tackle new challenges. (Photo by Kathy Smallwood)
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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, 30, a former Special Olympics Pennsylvania (USA) athlete, has been part of the Special Olympics Officials Program for Athletes (SOOPA) for six years, along with her partner, Susan Mitchell. And their mettle is being put to the ultimate test as rookie World Games floor hockey referees. First-time jitters aside, the pair is 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.”
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 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.”
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.” “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.
By Kathy Smallwood
Learn more about Special Olympics officials.
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