There I sat at an 8th grade (several years ago but still vivid in my mind) volleyball match being held in a tiny gym at a Catholic school. My daughter's team is winning by a wide margin, but that never matters, does it? I am positioned on the 4 tier bleacher immediately behind the up-ref as it is the only spot to see the entire floor. The opposing team OH smacks one that flies past the endline by a minimum of 2 feet. No, really at least 2 feet. Being grammar school, there are no line judges only the up-ref, who immediately calls the ball in and point to the opponent! The crowd noise instantly rises and to a seasoned "club" father of several years already, the call is just too obviously wrong!! So with blantant disregard for my surroundings, the score, or my location to the ref, I let out the tried and true inquiry, "What the HELL are you watching???", only to find that the crowd noise which rose at the moment the ball touched out of bounds, had instantly and without warning went silent just before I opened my mouth! So there I sat, checks reddening beyond a shade of burgundy, as my solo inquiry echoed about the gym without so much as a peep of any other sound. As if standing on stage, every eye in the gym, players included, slowly turned to cast it's gaze on the idiot with the big mouth yelling at the ref from all of 6 feet away. Need I go on? Sure enough, feeling the support of everyone present regardless of team affiliation, the ref turns around and asks, "Oh, did you think that was out?" To which I smartly respond, "I guess not. Sorry! Just a little excited!!" To which the laughter begins and grows, all to my overwhelming embarassment.
I just need to know, am I alone? Am I the only one to die the death of overwheming embarrassment?
I pray that I am not and hope someone will offer up their story to help remove the burden of guilt I have carried for all of these years.