Baitinger took her certification classes in Delaware County. The youth games are sometimes the most trying to officiate. Here you are, brand-new, and you're thrown to the wolves. I started when I was 30, and it was intimidating. I can't imagine being 18 and having to do it.
Many teenagers quit before they get the experience to work the calmer, adult leagues.
There, most of the griping adults are on the playing field, not yelling from the sidelines. If ones gets out of hand, officials can deal with him by pulling out a yellow card. Too soon, officials say, young refs are chased away by volatile coaches and parents. The young ones are also less likely to include incidents of harassment in the reports they file after each game. Brandon Hector, a sophomore at Cheltenham High, had enough after two months of officiating in the fall of 1999.