The club and intramural sports manager started out as a referee during his undergraduate studies.
As manager of club and intramural sports for BU's Fitness & Recreation Center, Ryan Parsons is responsible for overseeing approximately 30 club teams and working with more than 4,000 athletes. His responsibilities range from maintaining the vans that transport athletes to competitions, to working with alumni to fundraise on behalf of their individual teams, to supporting the men's and women's teams in ice hockey, figure skating, synchronized skating, and sailing. This ranges from serving as a club advisor. program. He also serves as a referee for a summer softball league run by (BU faculty, staff, and alumni).
But on most weekend nights during the cold months, Parsons (Sargent '15, Wheelock '17) can be found officiating college and high school ice hockey games at ice rinks across the state. This job requires deep knowledge of the rules of the game and quick judgment.
Parsons first honed his officiating skills as an undergraduate. Shortly after entering his freshman year at BU, he saw a flyer recruiting referees for intramural sports at his SPLASH, the university's biannual club sports fair. A longtime sports enthusiast (he played hockey, baseball, and golf from an early age), Parsons volunteered to officiate intramural hockey games. He was hooked and soon started competing in intramural soccer, football, softball and volleyball games.
Once you're out on the ice, it's time to go. It should last for 30 to 45 minutes. It's intense, but that's the main reason I like it so much.
After graduating with a master's degree in physical education and coaching, he earned high school and college game officiating certifications from the NCAA, National Federation of State High School Associations, and USA Hockey, allowing him to earn extra money on the side. I did. He started officiating youth games and worked his way up to D1 girls hockey, D2/D3 boys hockey, and is proudly skating almost every weekend during the season.
As host, Parsons traveled throughout New England and the East Coast. This Thanksgiving, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to officiate her D1 women's ice hockey college tournament.
Asked if he'd ever considered officiating BU's varsity hockey games, Ryan laughed and noted it would be “a bit of a conflict of interest,” adding, “I hope to be here a long time.” Ta.
As for his future as a referee, he says, “I hope to get better every year and continue the success that started here at BU.”
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