Man vs. Machine
Have you ever noticed how interesting it is to watch a machine work - especially if you have not seen it work before, or not seen it work recently? For instance, there is a gigantic back-hoe which works on top of the physics building, tearing it apart floor-by-floor, and throwing steel and concrete onto the ground - four floors below. At the foot of the building another one works, picking up steel I-beams and cutting them in half in about 2 seconds each.
They move like monstrous dinosaurs. They are stronger than dinosaurs - weighing much more, and moving more weight. It is interesting to watch them work. When the arm powered by two hydraulic pistons moves, it is like the upper arm of a human reaching over or down into a hole. When the beam attached to this part moves, it is like the forearm of a human. And the bucket, like a wrist. But if this is so interesting to watch, then how much more so it is to watch humans move when they play sports!
This is one of the interesting things about refereeing hockey. There’s skating, stopping - shooting, saving - passing, and turning. It is interesting to observe all these actions, and to try to pick out the penalties. Sometimes the penalties are creative - and the referee has to be very aware of all of the body motions that lead up to an infraction. It’s amazing what these little kids can do. They never even think about this. It is amazing how great the human body is - the body that God has given us. The body is so much more complex than a machine. Each joint can not only bend, but twist, and rotate in so many directions.
Thank goodness that they wear padding. If there’s a breakaway, and everyone’s skating as hard as they can towards the net, and the guy at the front of the pack falls - then everyone falls - some crash into the boards and some crash into the net. There are so many things that can happen in a hockey game.
And everyone takes it so seriously. There is so much concern around winning and losing. The coaches keep a sharp eye on the ref’s - as do the parents. They pay big money for their kids to play hockey. Thousands upon thousands of dollars - and large sums of time. Every parent and coach wishes to be in the position that the referee is in - on the ice and calling the game. What a large responsibility!
Is not this work meaningful? I remember playing hockey as a kid. It was exciting. It was in my mind for much of the day. I brought it with me in my mind - in school, in the car, at the supper table. It was a motivation. And look at what society provides. In any given arena (of which there are many in the city), there is a large structure, chilled ice, a zamboni, a rink attendant, huge lights, dressing rooms, bathrooms, a parking lot, and more. It’s all very interesting to the outsider… Anyway, time to go…
They move like monstrous dinosaurs. They are stronger than dinosaurs - weighing much more, and moving more weight. It is interesting to watch them work. When the arm powered by two hydraulic pistons moves, it is like the upper arm of a human reaching over or down into a hole. When the beam attached to this part moves, it is like the forearm of a human. And the bucket, like a wrist. But if this is so interesting to watch, then how much more so it is to watch humans move when they play sports!
This is one of the interesting things about refereeing hockey. There’s skating, stopping - shooting, saving - passing, and turning. It is interesting to observe all these actions, and to try to pick out the penalties. Sometimes the penalties are creative - and the referee has to be very aware of all of the body motions that lead up to an infraction. It’s amazing what these little kids can do. They never even think about this. It is amazing how great the human body is - the body that God has given us. The body is so much more complex than a machine. Each joint can not only bend, but twist, and rotate in so many directions.
Thank goodness that they wear padding. If there’s a breakaway, and everyone’s skating as hard as they can towards the net, and the guy at the front of the pack falls - then everyone falls - some crash into the boards and some crash into the net. There are so many things that can happen in a hockey game.
And everyone takes it so seriously. There is so much concern around winning and losing. The coaches keep a sharp eye on the ref’s - as do the parents. They pay big money for their kids to play hockey. Thousands upon thousands of dollars - and large sums of time. Every parent and coach wishes to be in the position that the referee is in - on the ice and calling the game. What a large responsibility!
Is not this work meaningful? I remember playing hockey as a kid. It was exciting. It was in my mind for much of the day. I brought it with me in my mind - in school, in the car, at the supper table. It was a motivation. And look at what society provides. In any given arena (of which there are many in the city), there is a large structure, chilled ice, a zamboni, a rink attendant, huge lights, dressing rooms, bathrooms, a parking lot, and more. It’s all very interesting to the outsider… Anyway, time to go…