Alexander "Alex" Zarganis - FIELD JUDGE

I got into officiating by accident, really. I've always been a huge fan of the game, but I've always been too small, too slow, too whatever to play. Seeing the punishment some of these guys get, I'm not sure I'd want to play anyway. So, I was at the US embassy in Warsaw one day to renew my passport, and I saw a sign on the wall that asked 'Do you like football?'. I was about as clueless as most people here with regards to the league, although I vaguely remembered seeing an article in a newspaper that said there was a team in Warsaw. I called the number, and the guy who answered wanted me immediately, despite the fact that I had never actually set foot on a football field during a game. Still, at that point I had probably watched more games in my life than all of the Polish officials put together, so I was qualified. I was a bit scared, but he said he'd put me on a second-division game to start and it wouldn't be a problem. Of course, I got a call later in the week asking whether I could do a game that weekend, in the top division no less. So, I started at umpire, got knocked on the seat of my pants by a helmet to the ear early in the second quarter, and my officiating career was officially underway.

Now, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's very difficult to pick a single game of which I'm most proud, but if you put me to the wall I guess it would have to be the first Polish final that I worked, in 2008. We had some coaching that weekend from a very experienced and well-respected official from the British association, and I was extremely focused during the game. It was a good game as well, close until the fourth quarter, and it was also a lot of fun for everyone involved because it was played under the lights at a big stadium in Wrocław, complete with an announcer and a big screen for replays. I suppose most people who have done games as a white hat would choose one of those as the game of which they're most proud but, if you know the rules and applications well enough, it's probably the easiest position on the field. There are a lot more things to think about on the lines, and I was glad to have done a good job there in Polish Bowl III.