Behind the Whistle: FitRec’s Ryan Parsons Moonlights as a College Hockey Referee
Manager of club and intramural sports got his start as a ref while a BU undergrad
Behind the Whistle: FitRec’s Ryan Parsons Moonlights as a College Hockey Referee
Behind the Whistle: FitRec’s Ryan Parsons Moonlights as a College Hockey Referee
As manager of club and intramural sports at BU’s Fitness & Recreation Center, Ryan Parsons is responsible for overseeing some three dozen club teams and working with more than 4,000 athletes. His job description runs the gamut from overseeing upkeep on the vans that transport athletes to competitions to working with alumni to fundraise on behalf of individual teams to serving as club advisor to the men’s and women’s club ice hockey, figure skating, synchronized skating, and sailing programs. (He also umpires the BU faculty, staff, and alumni summer softball league.)
But most weekend nights during the cold weather months Parsons (Sargent’15, Wheelock’17) can be found on ice rinks across the state refereeing college and high school ice hockey games. It’s a job that requires a deep knowledge of the rules of the game and an ability to make split-second decisions.
Parsons first honed his ref skills as an undergrad. Shortly after arriving at BU freshman year he saw a flyer at SPLASH, the University’s semiannual club sports fair, seeking referees for intramural sports. A longtime sports enthusiast (he played hockey, baseball, and golf growing up), Parsons volunteered to referee intramural hockey games. He was hooked and was soon reffing intramural soccer, football, softball, and volleyball games as well.
When we’re out there on the ice, it’s go time. You have to make sure you’re on for those 30 to 45 minutes. It’s intense, but that’s kind of the biggest reason I like it.
After graduating with a master’s in physical education and coaching, he got certified by the NCAA, the National Federation of State High School Associations, and USA Hockey to referee high school and college games so he could earn extra money on the side. He started out officiating at youth games and worked his way up to D1 women’s hockey and D2/D3 men’s hockey, where he proudly skates nearly every weekend during the season.
Officiating has taken Parsons all over New England and the East Coast. This past Thanksgiving, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to referee the D1 women’s ice hockey college tournament.
Asked if he’d ever consider officiating a BU varsity hockey game, Ryan laughs, noting that it would be “a slight conflict of interest,” adding, “I hope to stay here for a long time.”
As for his future as a referee, he says, “I just hope to get better every year and continue on the success that started here at BU.”
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