Head official plays big role

Senior David Balmer knew what he was going to do when he came to IU. He was going to be an athletic official.\n"I love sports," Balmer said. "And this is a way for me to get involved without playing them."\nBalmer began officiating in seventh grade while helping his Dad out. He started officiating basketball and softball then, but now does nearly every sport.\nBalmer has been with IU for four years and is an official for all major sports teams. \n"He's a leader, a great guy to have around, and the other officials love working with him," Josh Downing, Coordinator of Intramural Sports said.\nBalmer's commitment to officiating has earned him the titles of Head Official and Vice President of the Intramural Officials Association. This means Balmer is responsible for training new officials, making sure the equipment shed is open at the fields, being certain officials show up, evaluation of the officials, taking care of injuries, and managing scorecards. \n"David has a great work ethic and his commitment to the department (Recreational Sports) has been outstanding," Ralph Carie, graduate assistant for Intramural Sports said.\nAlong with his commitment to IU, Balmer hopes to start officiating Indiana high school baseball and softball in the spring. He is currently going through the process of obtaining his High School Athletic Officials License. \nBalmers contributions haven't gone unnoticed by those involved with intramural sports, and last year he was named one of the 2000 Flag Football Championship Officials. He was selected to do the co-ed 1 finals, which were held in Memorial Stadium.\n"It was really great to be down on the field. I was the referee for the game, which in this case meant that if there was a penalty, I did what you see the guys in the white hats at pro and college games do," Balmer said.\nBalmer has dedicated himself to sports with as much participation as the athletes themselves through officiating. His enthusiasm is evident through all his involvement. Those that work with him have nothing but praise for Balmer. \n"David is very punctual and is a good example to the peers and to the newer officials," Carie said. "David has been a great representative for Recreational Sports"