Allen Community College students know Thomas Broxterman as an elementary education major, a track and field runner, Phi Theta Kappa chapter president, and a chemistry tutor in the Allen Library. What most people don’t know about him is his job as a basketball referee in middle and high schools within a 40-mile radius of Iola.

The Hoyt sophomore started his career in basketball refereeing more than a year ago, when a high school teacher gave him the idea to try out for the position as an extra source of money. Being a sports enthusiast and having some basic knowledge in the rules of basketball, he had to master some duties and responsibilities of a certified referee. With the help of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, he was able to become a licensed referee for local games, as well as the substate and state tournaments. As he continued further on, Broxterman was trained and tested through the Basketball Training Clinics in Manhattan.

Broxterman describes his job more as a hobby than as an occupation that he would pursue on a professional basis.

“I enjoy it as something that fills my spare time as long as it doesn’t interfere with my education,” he said. “I’m glad that I can make additional money. That makes me happy.”

However, the work of a referee isn’t only fun, but stressful as well. Broxterman describes his hours on the court as time when he has to zone everything out and just concentrate on the game.

“When the crowd goes wild and fans get out of control, I just try to ignore them and stay fair on the judgment of the game,” he said. Sometimes, it’s hard to hear the booing and yelling from all the sides of the court, but a referee must stay calm since he is the one responsible for the integrity of the game. Fans are not experts, Broxterman noted; sometimes they don’t know all the rules, so it is better not to pay much attention to their remarks and just do the job.

Concerning his packed schedule, Broxterman uses good time management and organization skills. He tries to keep all the information in his calendar and oversee his game dates at least two days beforehand.

“I referee about twice a week. mainly in the evenings, so my academic and running schedules rarely overlap with my work hours,” he said.

While still at school, Broxterman is planning to continue his interesting hobby and work. He believes that, in the future, refereeing can strongly help him in his teaching experience, as well as in his life pursuits.