The doctor says, Thats what Im taking you out on., I said: Listen, Doc, Im walking out of here. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. I came off the field and I was so pumped up. I love officiating because of the rush of excitement I get every time a player rises over another for a nothing-but-net three-pointer or from two kids diving after a loose ball like its a $1 million bill. After his nationally televised fall, Smith had more than 500 texts, emails and calls to return, and by Wednesday hed returned them all. Yeah man, you were staggering like you were fighting Ali., You were asking Mark Few for a job application because you were on his bench., Next thing you know, you were back in the ring again with Ali and you went down like a tree in a forest!. Add to that the fact that we actually get paid to exercise, and I cant think of a better way to spend a spring afternoon than on a lacrosse field! We make the calls and put up with the jeers because we love officiating. Further examination revealed Smith, 56, had a blood clot in his lung, the Indianapolis St
Referee Bert Smith collapses at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game - KGW Gregg Doyel Indianapolis Star 0:00 0:56 INDIANAPOLIS - Bert Smith hasn't seen the moment that. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Now check your email to confirm your subscription to the Referee.com Review. Smith, who became an NCAA Division I official in 1993, said he remembers the play preceding the fall. The Big League College World Series (last August in Kalamazoo, Mich.) was probably the most fun Ive had on a ball field. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I have to be ready physically, mentally and emotionally. He works his first game at age 24. To me, he offers an aside: Hes taking advantage of a guy in a weakened position., The doc says, Swing your legs around. I swing my legs around, and they go: Click-click-click-click. Bert Smith, the official who collapsed during the Elite Eight, believes his fall could have saved his life.
March Madness roundup: Gonzaga, UCLA advance to Final Four Heres why: The doctor said, Listen, tell you what, why dont you just sit on the stretcher? I said OK, I can do that, Smith says and now hes laughing. Smith fell and was immediately attended to by medical personnel. The reasons for our joy when we step on the field, court or ice are vast and every reason is forged in the fire of our individual experiences. Eades, who at age 56 has worked three Final Fours and. And after it happens, with a replacement official stepping in for Smith, he spends two hours getting treatment at the stadium, where his vitals are normal pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level and he doesnt have a headache. Success! " Bert Smith, an official assigned to work the Gonzaga-Southern California regional final, left tonight's game after a medical issue ," the NCAA said in a statement. Everyones joking with him now. Mar 31st, 2021. Hed rather take the stairs, and Bert Smith doesnt walk them. As soon as I arrive and begin preparing for the game, my day, my life, enters a new and exciting realm.
Referee Bert Smith collapses at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game - KHOU Whats that for? It has helped me to handle stressful situations and taught me how to remain calm in the midst of the storms of life. He gets exercise any time he can and officiates around 90 games a year for the NCAA. The doctor says, Thats what Im taking you out on., I said: Listen, Doc, Im walking out of here. That road includes blood thinners and a trip next week to see a nearby doctor to strategize his future treatment. CNN . When hes telling a funny story, which happens quite a bit, Bert Smith talks quickly. There is no other avocation that I can think of that requires the level of physical and mental preparation that officiating mandates, and you have to dedicate yourself in order to be successful. Hes got a wife, Jacquie, of 32 years, two daughters and two more grandchildren. Gallows humor, you call it, and its pretty funny, how Bert Smiths buddies tease him. This season he worked about 90 games, including dates in the ACC, Big East, Big 12 and Missouri Valley Conference. Everyones joking with him now. Having to make those decisions in a split second is a challenge I enjoy. It would've been about NCAA basketball official Bert Smith, how he'd been used dishonestly as a pawn by the anti-vaccine movement to prove the unprovable: that COVID vaccines were causing.
Referee Bert Smith in Stable Condition After Collapsing During Gonzaga Areyougoing to tell Bert Smith hes out of shape? A few hours later, his officiating friends joined him at the hotel and suggested he go to the hospital to be evaluated for a concussion, just in case. Hes huffing and puffing a little, but hes running stairs in a mask. There were no signs in the preceding days of this happening, even when he was running up and down three flights of stairs, with a mask, the day before. He runs. I hate the fact I passed out in the Elite Eight, he says, but you know what? Shes an important part of this story.. He rarely uses the elevator. Game official Bert Smith collapsed Tuesday evening in the first half of the men's NCAA basketball game between No. I say, Whats going on, man? And he goes, Bert, you passed out. My colleagues and I have strong personalities with how were wired so being able to do a job that you know youre in a select company of people is very rewarding.
Official collapses, wheeled off court on stretcher from NCAA tournament You could talk to him during a game. It goes: You scored, Billy Im happy I did it around a bunch of people who had the ability to help me.. I want to know why you fell. She checked a few things out, came back in, and took me through the car wash. Just a lot of tests. Just over four minutes into the game between USC and Gonzaga, Bert . "You don't know where that clot was going next," Smith told the Star's Gregg Doyel. Off the court, doctors checked his vitals: blood pressure, heart rate, etc. Dr. Katie Trammel, hes wanting me to know, may have saved his life. They strapped me in! Its energizing and refreshing to have that kind of focus on something. Its the best seat in the house. I want to know why you fell. She checked a few things out, came back inand took me through the car wash. Just a lot of tests. He felt wobbly and the next thing he remembers seeing is the ceiling of the stadium. They were pretty intense, man. Theres video of me with my arms crossed on the stretcher, he says. If you saw it, you understand. His wife has seen it once, and shell never watch it again. You meet just about every type of person there is that exists and you have to learn to deal with all of them in a manner that shows that you deserve to be called an official. You meet cheaters, schemers, geniuses and idiots. Has it cued up on his iPad and everything. Working a Friday night high school football game gives me goose bumps.
Referee OK after collapsing on sideline during Gonzaga-USC Elite Eight Katie Trammel, he tells me slowly, then repeats her name, then spells it. Sometimes it just hits you. I dont know which bucket Im in.. Smith was admitted into Methodist and put on blood thinners. Hes worked 17 NCAA Tournaments. 56-year-old Smith was officiating the Gonzaga vs. USC matchup on March 30 when he collapsed to the hardwood a few minutes into the game. Something doesnt add up. After that he studies business administration at SUNY-Buffalo, gets a job at Avis Budget Group, moves fast up the ranks as his career takes him to Chicago, Houston and finally the Cincinnati area. There are 96 NCAA referees all waiting for the same thing those 68 teams are waiting for. Trammel was at Methodist the night of March 30. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". You went down because you had a blood clot in your lung.. Each week, Id tag along with dad and his crew to whatever game they had scheduled. I love officiating for the same reason I love my wife. No matter who you meet, you have to deal with them as people who deserve the best from you. He goes to IU Health Methodist. The doctors who cared for him at Lucas Oil Stadium, Pat Kersey and Luke Berghoff; he appreciates their care, and understands their stretcher subterfuge. Youre going to get on one side, hes going to get on the other, were going to wave to the fans, and Im walking out of here.. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. . The three officials for the game who are in question are Bert Smith, James Breeding and John Gaffney. By age 11, I was organizing all the neighborhood kids in pick up games and by age 14, I got certified to referee and started coaching. Whats he doing on his back? Look at his scowl. That is definitely what drives me.
Referee Bert Smith collapses at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game - KARE He said the night before the game, while running the stairs in the hotel to see his buddies or get ice, he was a little out of breath. Are you going to tell Bert Smith hes out of shape? Heres why: The doctor said, Listen, tell you what, why dont you just sit on the stretcher? I said OK, I can do that, Smith says and now hes laughing. For now, hell continue to return new messagesstill flooding inand relax while, yes, watching golfs first major championship. If you saw it, you understand. So when I went off to college I had to work and was asked what I might enjoy doing, I said, Sports. I was hired on the intramural staff and was paid $3 an hour to officiate co-ed flag football, womens basketball and co-ed softball.
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