[Photo of tool used for scorekeeping; photo credit: Amy Park]

Did you ever notice any scorekeepers during a sports game?

My guess is that the majority of people have not. I also did not realize the importance of scorekeepers until I got to try it out for myself.

“Don’t scorekeepers just have to click a button?” My friend said this to me when I told her that I was on a scorekeeping committee.

The fact is scorekeepers are more than this. It involves multiple training from coaches to scorekeep and track all the players accurately.

Through this article, I will be explaining my journey of scorekeeping and the significance of scorekeeping.

The first time I tried scorekeeping was at the start of junior year, when scorekeeping caught my eye.

I read some instructions on how to keep score, which seemed fun and easy to do.

However, it was definitely not an easy task when I was properly trained for it.

There were almost three teaching classes on how to keep score and if I just made one simple mistake, all the coaches and players would scream at me.

I had to cover my ears literally to stop my ears from making a beep sound.

Although I was idealizing myself observing the game before, it was almost impossible to do that.

I kept my eyes on players the whole time, watching whether they were serving, passing, doing a foul, etc and recording it.

My eyes got red after one game, and I had another match right after without a proper rest.

I was exhausted, probably more than the players.

But why did I continue this?

Because I recognized the significance and benefits of learning how to keep score.

Evidently, I was able to understand the games better.

Before joining the scorekeeping committee, I just used to “watch” the game.

In contrast, now, I know which team has a better strategy and which players are actively participating, which helped me be more engaged in the game.

Another advantage is that I was able to learn a new skill that is uncommon.

So, even after graduating from high school, I can use my skills in other places like college or festivals where I can scorekeep for a variety of sports.

Lastly, I met new friends that I was not close to before, including underclassmen and upperclassmen.

They would teach me things that I am confused about and tell techniques that will help me scorekeep faster such as using both hands at the same time (for instance, using my left hand for time and right hand to write scores).

Now that I explained what scorekeepers do, I hope you realize the significance of scorekeeping.

Scorekeepers are not just people who watch the game or mark scores, but they take an essential role in each game, which everyone should be aware of.

Definitely, try scorekeeping in the future!

 

Amy Park
Grade 11
Seoul Foreign School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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